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Stubborn Love- A Modern/AU Walking Dead Story	By : ImagineLayla131 Category: S through Z > The Walking Dead Views: 2907 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NOR HAVE ANY AFFILIATIONS WITH TWD FRANCHISE NO MONEY/PROFIT IS BEING MADE!

Chapter List
- 24
- 25
- 26
Hi everybody! I'm recuperating quite well from getting my wisdom teeth removed, been taking it easy. I need to clarify that it is merely a coincidence that my character is named and Deanna's son on the show is named Aiden, especially the spelling, since it's more commonly spelled as "Aidan". I just threw Nicholas in there to use another name from the show lol. The dossier for Aiden on the Walking Dead FanFiction site is actor Aaron Tviet from the movie version of Les Miserables, the TV show Graceland, and Broadway's Catch Me If You Can.
Noah's death was definitely a hard one, as was Aiden's, still hella nervous for Glenn and Carol! I had Gabriel pegged from the beginning! He can be the next to go! Lol also, turns out I'm still not the highest reviewed Gareth story, so keep them coming!
As I said a few chapters back, Lydia, Annie, and Brianna are all from the comics. Lydia is part of The Whispers, Annie is from Alexandria, and Brianna I think is from the Hilltop Colony, which I happened to reference in the last chapter. As far as their last names go, I just took inspiration from my favorite TV shows like The Sopranos, Walter White from Breaking Bad, Jack Donaghy from 30 Rock, and Jon Hamm, who plays Don Draper on Mad Men.
Chapter Twenty Five: Then and Now
THE NEXT DAY
Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park, Westlake Village, 2:30 pm
MELODY
"Sweetheart, we're here." Gareth nudged my shoulder as we pulled through the gates of the cemetery, I had obviously dozed off on the ride over.
In order to fully move forward with Gareth, I had to make my peace with Aiden's passing. Dr. Milton had told me this morning that I was in the last stage of the Kübler-Ross model of the five stages of grief, a.k.a. DABDA, which was acceptance. Basically, I can't bring Aiden back, but I'm dealing with it and it's going to be ok because I'm not alone. Regardless, there was still a lot weighing on me.
For instance, while Rick and Lori had sent flowers on my behalf, I hadn't actually said anything to Aiden's parents when he died. It's not that I didn't want to, I just couldn't find the words, and every time I looked for cards I would run out of the store crying. It was time for me to break my own silence since I had overcome the uphill battle of depression.
Gareth had gotten off of work early to drive me out to my old neck of the woods, offering his moral support when I told him I needed to do this, and I'm glad he's here.
"Just keep going straight down and it's the one with the big stone teddy bear."
"Didn't you say he was Jewish? I could have sworn he was wearing a Star of David when we met at Burning Man last August."
We pulled up to the Little Angels section where Aiden was buried.
While there was a Jewish portion of the cemetery, the Little Angels was for children who had passed away, so it seemed fitting for Aiden to be buried there. Gareth had told me on our first date that he and Aiden had met a few times, since Alex knew Aiden's best friend Nicholas, who clearly did not like me since I wasn't personally invited to the memorial. It's crazy how the six degrees of separation can come into play with all walks of life, I just hoped Aiden was the last connection to my past that I would have with Gareth.
"He is, but I guess they thought this was a better choice. It's that one right there." I straightened myself up in my seat, looking down on the bouquet of flowers in my lap. We had stopped to pick up flowers on the way, and I decided to go with the selection I had when Rick took me for the first time back in April, which were purple and yellow tulips tied together with a white silk ribbon.
In the language of flowers, purple symbolizes royalty, pride, dignity, sincerity, loyalty, and heartfelt sympathy while yellow symbolizes friendship, cheerful thoughts, and sunshine. A white ribbon symbolizes innocence and peace. In all honesty, these were qualities that were possessed by both Aiden and our friendship. Tulips were also representative of "perfect love", even though there really is no such thing. It made me think of how Gareth brought me the tie dyed rainbow silk tulips on our first date and how far we come, how we've evolved from strangers to falling love, which had been a bit of a rocky, stubborn love thanks to me. After today, it was going to be smooth sailing.
"Take as long as you need, ok?" Gareth gripped my hand, empathy in his eyes.
"I will." I gave him a small smile before getting out of the car. It was warm and sunny, the embodiment of a typical, perfect California day. Freshly mowed green grass and a bright array of balloons, pinwheels, and flowers surrounded the Little Angels, making this sad experience a little bit cheerier.
"Hi, Aiden." I said as I sat Indian style on the grass, hoping they wouldn't stain my black Juicy pants. "This feels kind of silly, just talking aloud like you're right in front of me when really you're not… You're buried… in a coffin… in the ground…"
My eyes widened at this sudden realization that right now Aiden was decomposing, one of my best friends had become a feast of flesh for maggots. Someday so would I and Gareth and everybody I loved and cared about, we were all going to die. I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate and put my head between my legs, taking deep breaths as I fixated my gaze on my tulips. Gareth told me that Carol and Mika always told Lizzie to look at flowers whenever she was having an anxiety attack or stressing out, which is why they had such colorful flower gardens around their house.
"Breathe, just breathe… Look at the flowers, Melody, look at the flowers…"
Once my heart rate had calmed down considerably, I started tracing along the lines of the temporary marker. When somebody dies in the Jewish religion, it's customary to wait one year to put up a permanent marker. In this case, it was irrelevant, because the first time I visited was when it really sank in that Aiden was gone. I watched my fingers gliding as I began to speak again.
"I miss you, there's no denying that. For the longest time, I was lost and dead inside. It had been like that for a while, but when you died, it became worse. No matter how bad things got, I always had hope that somehow we would end up together and we'd live happily ever after. Except that it's not how things went down and now nobody will have you. You won't be here for the important events in my life, like for my graduation or when Lori's baby is born, to see me excel in my career. I was always so lucky to have you as one of my biggest believers. There were nights where all I did was cry and cry until I fell asleep, I was just so wrapped up in the pain of my existence, of every bad thing that had ever happened that I couldn't see past it. I realized by us not being together I was spared an exorbitant amount of pain, but maybe now you're my guardian angel, maybe you always were."
I smiled as I looked over my shoulder at Gareth, who looked the other way, pretending not to watch. He really was so cute, I love how protective he is, and I couldn't help but giggle before looking down at the marker again.
"Personally, even though it was my sister who convinced Rick to set me up with Gareth, I think you sent him to me, and that's why I think you're my guardian angel. He really is something else."
GARETH
Even though the windows were rolled up, I couldn't help but eavesdrop on what Melody was saying to Aiden's grave, since it was only a foot away if not less. The sound of her giggle when she caught me looking brought a smile to my face. I was so proud of her for going through with this, I knew it wasn't easy, but it was extremely beneficial for all of us in a way. We could finally move forward with our relationship, and there was so much I wanted to discuss with her regarding the future, all good things of course. Pretending to play Words With Friends, I continued listening to what Melody had to say.
"Ok, so Gareth is a little of rough around the edges with a few odd quirks. Like when he's nervous, he runs his hand through his hair three times or he starts rolling my Chinese healing balls. When he's excited he wiggles his nose a bit and when he's serious one of his eyebrows raises up, plus he has this smirk that cracks me up. It's actually kind of cute, but there's not a thing I'd change about him, because I am so crazy over the moon in love with that boy. I want to say if it weren't for him I never would have gotten out of the horrendous funk I was in. Except after all was said and done, it was me who finally woke up and broke free, he just happened to help along the way. He helped me move on and grow up, I'll always be thankful for that. Gareth wasn't the only one, I had my family and friends to help, too. I'm ready to live my life the best I can, because there is so much waiting for me. I know that all my dreams will come true having Gareth by my side, but I'll never forget you. You'll always be with me, Aiden, no matter what."
I smiled to myself, the feeling swelling inside over the reciprocation of love was both incredible and indescribable. With Melody, she was the only one, and I would do my best to make sure that she was always happy, because she made me happy.
A knocking on the window broke me from my thoughts. I looked up to see an African American man dressed in all black with a white clerical collar around his neck.
"Good afternoon." He smiled at me as I rolled down the window.
"Uh, hi. Hello there."
"I'm sorry for startling you, you seemed so immersed with your phone. Are you here to seek guidance from God?"
His question left me completely baffled and I had no idea what to say.
"Oh, hi, Father Gabriel." Melody said as she got into the car, twirling the ribbon from Aiden's flowers through her fingers.
"Ahh, Melody. I certainly remember you. How are you, my child?"
"I'm great, but we have to get going now. It was nice seeing you."
"And you. Remember passage Hebrews 11:6: "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." My door is always open for whenever you want to get right with The Lord."
"I'll remember that. Thank you very much." Melody waved to him as she reached over and turned the key in the ignition, rolling the window up. "Drive, drive. Hurry!" She mumbled under her breath as she buckled her seatbelt, and I couldn't have been any happier to get out of there.
"Who was that guy?"
She groaned heavily. "Father Gabriel, he's the resident priest. I met him when Rick brought me here for the first time. He just walked up while I was at Aiden's grave and started talking to me. Thank goodness Rick was there to pull me away, and I'm glad you were there, too. I can't stand those religion obsessed freaks, they're so narrow minded."
"Ha, you can say that again, and it's no problem. By the way, I'm sorry about earlier. I wasn't meaning to eavesdrop, I was kind of just staring into space."
Melody smiled as we drove out of the cemetery. "It's ok, I don't mind. I'm sure I would have told you anyway, I trust you, Gareth. No secrets between us, right?"
Hearing her say that made me think of Rick's proposition. Looking back, was it really that big of a deal? I had earned the promotion and raise, plus, the deal wasn't in writing.
I'm overthinking it.
"Of course not, darling. So, what did you say before leaving?"
She looked down, still twirling the ribbon between her fingers. "I told him that I didn't know when I'd see him again, but that I'd be back someday because I'm going to live life for both of us. I took the ribbon so I'd have something to remember my turnaround."
I smiled over at her with such pride. "I believe you can do it. In fact, I know you can, because you already are."
Aiden's Parent's House, Oak Park, Fifteen Minutes Later
MELODY
"Do you want me to go in with you?"
Gareth and I had been parked in front of Aiden's parent's house for the past ten minutes. It felt a little strange, I hadn't been back to Oak Park since we moved to my grandma's house in Simi Valley after being house squatters for a year. There had been no real reason for me to come back, and now my head was spinning on what I was going to say to Aiden's parents. Shaking my head at Gareth, I had to do it on my own.
"No, thank you. I appreciate it, but I have to do this alone."
He nodded. "I totally understand, I have to make some phone calls anyway. Do you know what you're going to say?"
"No, I'm just going to speak from the heart, it's all I can do. I figure my best bet is to make it brief before I break down crying." I leaned into the backseat, pulling out the package that I had brought with me, silently grunting over it's heaviness. "I hope they like the present though."
"I'm sure they will, Melody. Good luck, I love you."
"I love you, too, Gareth." I gave him a quick peck on the lips before getting out of the car, balancing the package carefully as I walked up the front steps of the Auerbach's two story Colonial.
I was reminded of almost two weeks ago when I had played this same game in front of Gareth's house, second guessing my decision, but I wasn't pacing back and forth. It was now or never. With a deep breath, I rang the bell and knocked a single time, anxiously hopping on the balls of my feet until Aiden's mother opened the door.
"Mrs. Auerbach?"
Her appearance nearly startled me, and I hoped my mouth wasn't gaping open. She was unrecognizable. Dark circles rimmed her eyelids, her curly blonde hair unkempt, wearing pajamas and her face drooped a little. I assumed that she had been under-eating and perhaps stopped getting filler injections, but Tara had heard through the grapevine at the funeral that she had actually suffered a stroke.
"Yes?"
I cleared my throat as the nerves kicked up once more. "Hi, good afternoon. I'm not sure if you remember me, we met at the homecoming for the Life Skills Retreat and high school graduation, I'm-"
"Melody Blake."
I nodded. "Yes, that's me. Is Mr. Auerbach home? I was wondering if I could talk to you both?"
"Sure, come on in."
As I followed her inside, I looked around downstairs. It had the same layout as my old house, which just happened to be a few blocks away, all the houses in this tract were designed by the same architect.
Even though the house was filled with various pictures of Aiden throughout his life and the family, there was something so cold and hollow feeling that I literally got chills. It was obviously Aiden's loss.
"Here, sit down." Mrs. Auerbach led me into the den, which was decorated with mahogany leather furniture and grey walls, reminding me of Dr. Milton's office. "Can I get you anything to drink, honey?"
I shook my head. "No, thank you, Mrs. Auerbach."
"Please, call me Patricia."
"Yes, m'am."
"Otis, can you come into the den, please?" She sat down in the chair across from me as Aiden's father walked in. "You remember Aiden's friend Melody, don't you?"
If seeing Patricia left me in shock, seeing Otis had me completely flabbergasted. When I saw him at graduation, he had been in shape with a thick head of brown hair. Now, he was overweight and almost bald with a ruddy face, which had obviously been from drinking.
Both of Aiden's parents had kept up with the pressures of maintaining a good looking physique amongst the high yet judgmental society that was Oak Park, and now the loss of their only son had caused them to abandon that. While eye opening, it was also gloomy and made me think of my mom when we lost our money and house. Losses of all kinds can effect people in tremendous ways.
"Right, yes. How are you?" He asked, shaking my hand. "Congratulations on your dad, I voted for him."
"Oh, thank you very much. He certainly had his work cut out for him with Deanna Monroe as a running mate." I chuckled awkwardly. Ever since my dad was elected California Governor the first time, it was all I heard about. How he was an exceptional man and that he was doing so terrifically in office, if only they knew that Phillip David Blake was a Republican incognito as a Democrat. Sure, while he's out turning the school systems around and getting gay rights approved, he's stewing about it in private. I wonder if he'll ever be exposed…
"What can we help you with? You said you wanted to talk?" Patricia asked as Otis sat down in the seat next to her and I took a seat on the couch across from them, almost feeling interrogated.
My heart was thumping madly inside my chest, my stomach was a tidal wave, and my tongue had been tied in knots. Revealing myself to Aiden's parents was entirely new, since I didn't know them as well as anybody else I had confided in, but our mutual loss would grant me empathy. Once again taking a deep breath and securing eye contact, clutching the package tightly to my chest, I began to speak.
"I came here because I'm guilty."
His parents looked at me with raised eyebrows.
"Guilty of what?" Otis asked.
"Guilty of staying silent, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I didn't say anything sooner and that I wasn't at the memorial. I wanted to so badly, but with the kind of people that Aiden was friends with, well, they weren't exactly nice to me. It was too overwhelming and would have been like walking into the lion's den. Your son was one of my most cherished friendships, and over time, my feelings developed into something greater. Before he died, he said that he wanted to discuss something important with me, and naturally, I assumed it was a reciprocation of the same feelings. Now, we'll never know."
I could feel tears coming to my eyes, wanting to bury my head in my hands and cry, but I couldn't do that, I had come too far.
"Aiden's death effected me in such a tremendous way. They say that children should be burying their parents instead of parents burying their children, so I can't even begin to imagine what you are still going through. I'm sure he told you about the financial hardships my mother and I went through, how we lost our house, but finding out about his death via the news traumatized and sent me into a pretty bad depression. Every time I wanted to say something or whenever I was looking at cards, I would get very emotional and at a loss for words. My own mortality came into play, I guess you can say I was scared. It took a few months, along with the help of my friends and family, not to mention a new face, but I finally found the light, which is why I'm here today. I'm here today to because I realized I don't need some big speech to express my sorrows, it's coming from the heart. I am truly sorry for the loss of your son."
I blinked, allowing my tears to silently fall, noticing that Patricia and Otis were teary eyed as well. She reached out and grabbed my hand.
"Oh, honey, you don't have to apologize to us at all. We understand completely."
"Really?"
Otis nodded. "Loss is never easy, and it has been rather difficult on us. Aiden always told us what a sweet and friendly girl you were and how he felt bad for not reprimanding his friends enough for the way they treated you so poorly. I think he may have had those same feelings towards you, but was too far into peer pressure to act out on them."
"I understand. High school was a tough time for all of us, whether we were all-stars or outcasts. The only way to get through it was to survive, which is what happened, even if it meant being something you're not. I'm glad it's over though. While we're still around, it's important for us to value and cherish the time we do have and the people with us."
A wave of relief washed over me, replacing the weight that I had been carrying all this time. I had officially made my peace with Aiden's passing, and now I could start anew.
OAK PARK STARBUCKS, 3:45 PM
GARETH
After leaving Aiden's, Melody had seemed a bit shaken up, so I took her to the Starbucks up the road so we could relax a little before heading back to Rick's house. Every time I walked into a Starbucks, I always felt at home, I'd probably always feel like that. Who was I kidding though, I lost my virginity at Starbucks, of course I would remember it. I sat down, sliding Melody her Strawberries n' Cream Frappucino before grabbing her hand.
"How are you doing? You ok?"
She shrugged and nodded. "Yes. I mean, I feel a huge sense of clarity, as well as not feeling guilty anymore that I didn't say something sooner. It's almost surreal, like I actually didn't do it."
"Well, you did. It takes a lot of courage, Melody, and I'm really proud of you. You should be really proud of yourself, too." I always thought Melody was a strong girl despite her moments, but today really proved her immense strength.
"I am. Thank you again for coming with me today. I know I could have done it by myself, but having you there really meant a lot."
I smiled, stroking her hand with my thumb. "Of course, beautiful. You know I'd do anything for you."
"Ditto." She smiled over at me, squeezing my hand before unwrapping her straw.
"Hey, I was just curious, what exactly did you give Aiden's parents?"
It had been on my mind since I picked her up and she was carrying this huge rectangular gift wrapped box. I was going to ask earlier but figured she wouldn't want to discuss it with all that was on her mind.
"An autographed Babe Ruth Louisville Slugger that he actually used, it also came with the PSA/DNA Certificate of Authenticity."
My eyes widened over that. "Wow, that's a pretty big gift. How'd you get that?"
"My dad is a major sports memorabilia collector and would always be one of the top bidders at my school's silent auctions, still is at my sister's school, too. He's had that bat since I was Meghan's age and Babe Ruth was Aiden's all time favorite baseball player. I know that life shouldn't be based on materialistic things, but I felt that the bat deserved to be with his family, who would appreciate the thought of me giving it rather than just abandoning it in a room. I tried to buy it off my dad with what little money I had, but he said I could have it as long as I came to Christmas Eve at his house, I was a no-show last year. Will you please come with me, Gareth?"
I nodded. "You got it, and you made the right choice, they will appreciate it."
"URGH, these damn straws are always breaking. I'll be right back." Melody got up, walking over to the drink pick-up bar.
"Ok." It had been incredibly generous, but a small part of me was a little jealous, wishing that she'd get me something like that. Except in the end though, having Melody was the only present I'd ever need, she was the gift that kept on giving. I smiled to myself, thinking of how fantastic she was and how lucky I am.
"Melody Blake?"
I felt myself freeze when I heard somebody calling her name, praying it wasn't somebody horrible from the past. Glancing to the side, I saw a blonde girl approaching Melody. Before I could get a better look, a phone call from Rick pulled me away.
MELODY
"Kendall Donaghy?"
I actually had to blink, because I was shocked that out of all the people to run into, especially after my Aiden involved visit to Oak Park, that one person was Kendall freaking "Queen Bitch" Donaghy.
"I thought that was you."
Kendall had always been pretty in a blonde California surfer girl meets Valley girl cheerleader kind of way. Ever since we met, I thought she strongly resembled Hilary Duff, but now she looked like shit. Actually, it was how I did a few months ago. Blood shot eyes with dark circles, her roots were showing, pale skin, all of this being desperately concealed the best it could by makeup, but there was something else. It seemed like she was no longer youthful, we were barely twenty one and she looked twenty eight. I couldn't help but feel pleased with myself that I hadn't succumbed to peer pressure by drinking and doing heavy drugs, because I knew that it was half of the reason why Kendall looked so awful.
"Yep, it's me. What are you doing here?" I hadn't meant to sound rude, it sort of slipped out. Luckily, she seemed unaffected.
"I'm just hanging out with Annie, Lydia, and Brianna."
I knew exactly who she was talking about. Annie Soprano, Lydia White, and Brianna Hamm, also known as the bitches that made mine and Tara's life a living hell back in high school.
"Oh, that's cool."
"Do you want to come say hi? I'm sure they'd like to see you."
I shook my head, memories of having food thrown at me junior year and being bullied by the jocks on the bus to Grad Nite flooded my head as those dumb bitches stood back and did nothing, only meekly piping up after receiving a death glare from me. "I probably shouldn't."
"Ok. So, what are you doing here?"
"I'm with my boyfriend, actually." The second the word "boyfriend" flew out of my mouth, I felt a huge surge of pride at Kendall's look of shock.
"Wow, you have a boyfriend? Really?"
I nodded. "Yes, I do. He's right over there." I pointed over and waved to Gareth, who was on his phone, but smiled and waved at us. "His name is Gareth."
She nodded in approval and impressment. "He's cute."
"Thanks. Do you want to meet him?" I don't know why I just asked that, but I felt relieved when she shook her head.
"I probably shouldn't. How's your family doing? I heard about what happened with you and your mom, I'm sorry."
"Oh, it's fine. You didn't do it, and thanks. Well, things are really great now. I finished school, my mom and I both have jobs, I'm sure you've heard about my dad, and Lori is almost five months pregnant. It's a girl."
"Congratulations! I bet you're excited. How about Beth and Tara? I haven't seen Tara in, like, seven months."
Kendall met Beth at my birthday parties, not to mention already knowing Tara from school. At one point, Kendall and I were almost friends, but like Aiden, she shied away due to the social demands on popularity. Unlike Aiden, she wasn't always so nice to me.
I had convinced Tara to attend Aiden's funeral, since they were also friends, but I had been way too distraught to go. Of course, had I known that she was going to be endlessly pestered on why I wasn't there, I would have told her not to go. Luckily, Alisha went with her, and she has a pretty intimidating stare.
"They're both great." There was a bit of an awkward silence, both of us looking around, racking our brains for something to say. I decided to break it. "How have you been, Kendall? Since Aiden..."
She heavily sighed and looked down briefly. "The only way I could describe it is I'm definitely going through a lot and it is so hard. What about you? I was kind of surprised you weren't there, you guys were so close."
"Yes, I know. I wanted to, but I was feeling really overwhelmed." That was all I was saying. Even though we're having a peaceful moment now, there was no way in hell she was going to get the satisfaction of knowing that I didn't go because of their stupid clique.
Kendall nodded in understanding. "I am sorry you felt overwhelmed and weren't able to make it to the memorial, but you were in there in spirit."
"I agree. I actually went to go see him today." That was all she was getting, she didn't need to know that I had gone to the Auerbach's house and talked with Patricia and Otis.
"I'm glad you did. That's not the only thing I have to apologize for."
I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "It's not?"
"Nope, it's not. I was going to send you a message on Facebook, but since we're here now, what better time, right?"
"Sure."
"I'm sorry I was such a bitch to you, Melody. High school may have seemed easy for me, but it wasn't. There was a lot of anxiety to be so perfect, and sometimes that meant walking over people to get ahead. I envied you for always being who you were and not letting anything get you down. We were all pretty horrible to you, you didn't deserve it at all. I also was jealous because I knew Aiden liked you, we all knew. It's why I told you that you better know that he was mine, I was scared of losing him."
I wanted to laugh in shock. Kendall Donaghy- homecoming and prom queen and head cheerleader- was jealous of me?! In a way, it felt nice to have been admired, I also thought it was admirable that she had the guts to expose herself more or less, especially about her insecurities towards her relationship with Aiden. This had been the second time today hearing that Aiden pretty much had the same feelings for me, and I wasn't sure what to feel about it.
"I really appreciate you saying that, Kendall. It means a lot, except good or bad, what's done is done. We can't go back and change what we did, we can't go back and relive it, either. It's in the past for a reason, there's really no need to rehash what's been dead and buried for quite some time. We have to keep on living and live with everything we've got, it's what Aiden would want, for both of us. It took me a long time to come to that realization, but it's what has to be done to survive. I think we owe it to ourselves to start fresh, like in that song "Carry On."
Kendall smiled and nodded. "Yeah... yeah, you're right."
"Maybe some time we can hang out or something? I know you have a lot of friends, but sometimes it can help to talk to somebody else. I'll be here for you."
"Thanks, it's nice to know you're here for me to talk to."
As I put my number in Kendall's phone, I know that some people would have thought that my offer was probably insane, except for I wasn't like everybody else. I wasn't like everybody else because I had a pretty big heart and was way too caring. Sure, it may be considered a weakness, but at least I know who I am.
"I just texted you my number. I should get back to the girls, they're probably wondering what took so long."
"Mmhmm, I'm sure Gareth is wondering the same thing, too. It was nice chatting with you, Kendall." I reached over and embraced her, which she immediately returned. We had hugged before in the past, but this one felt one hundred percent genuine.
"You too, Melody. Hang in there, ok? I'll talk to you soon."
As I walked away from saying our goodbyes, I felt gratified. For years, I had been angry at Kendall for having Aiden and being some of the reason why we weren't together, but Gareth had a point. If he was really in love, he wouldn't have let anything get in the way of his feelings. Lucky for me, I was with somebody who didn't. I sat down, silently sipping my Frappucino until Gareth got off the phone.
"Who was that, Melody? I was worried that it was one of those chicks you told me about from high school."
"It was, but maybe I overestimated her..."
TEN MINUTES LATER
"So, what do you feel like doing tonight?"'
I shrugged as Gareth and I walked hand in hand out the front entrance of Starbucks.
"I don't know. Maybe something low key, pizza and a movie?"
"Sounds perfect."
"Hi, Melanie!"
I turned around and was met with what was one of my worst nightmares. Kendall was sitting on a patio table with Lydia, Annie, and Brianna. I had hoped that they would have been gone by the time Gareth and I were leaving, but I wasn't going to get that lucky.
Lydia waved to me, something of a sarcastic smirk on her face as Annie and Brianna were trying not to laugh. I was about to open my mouth when Gareth beat me to the punch, looking over at me wide eyed and his mouth open.
"LyKe, Oh My GoDz! Your name is "Melanie"?! I've been under the impression for the past three months we've been dating that your name was "Melody". Wow, hashtag dumbass." He smacked his palm to his forehead, and I couldn't help but laugh. His dry sense of humor and snippy comebacks, while obnoxious at times, came in handy at other times.
"Hi, girls." I politely waved, even though they didn't deserve my time.
"Is that your boyfriend?" Brianna asked.
"No, Brianna, it's not. She's with Tara, remember?" Annie remarked, causing her, Brianna and Lydia to start laughing, once again bringing me back to high school.
"You guys, knock it off." Kendall spoke up, nodding over at me. While she and I had obviously matured over the past two years since throwing our graduation caps in the air, there were some people like Lydia, Annie, and Brianna that clearly would never change and would stick together because they're scared shitless of how the real world would chew them up and spit them out.
"Yes, he's my fantastic, intelligent, rich, successful, boyfriend with a dick bigger than all the guys you've ever dated combined. Unlike those high school boys, he knows how to work it, so good luck with what you have."
I couldn't help but return the earlier smirk as the dumb bitch trio was stunned into silence, their mouths hanging open in disbelief. If only Tara had been here, it would have made it that much more epic, even Kendall shot me a sly grin.
"Ciao, ladies." I waved with my fingers before looking up at Gareth. "Come on, baby, let's blow this place out of the water." I grabbed his hand and walked off, grinning in triumph as they started chattering amongst themselves.
"Wow, Melody Silverstone-Blake, you are my hero. That was awesome!"
When we got to the car, Gareth pinned me up against the door and gave me a sensual kiss, I couldn't help but moan in his mouth as I gripped his hair. I pulled away to see that shit eating grin on his face.
"Whoa, what was that for?"
He shrugged. "Giving your fans something to talk about."
"Oh, my god! Did you see that kiss?!"
"It's not fair, what did she do to get a catch like him?!"
"That's his car?! It's nicer than Nicholas' car and he drives a Beemer!"
I looked over at him and laughed. "Yeah, that's what you say, but we both know you're trying to show off."
"Hmm, maybe."
We got in the Jag, Gareth putting the top down as the soft guitar cords of "Rollercoaster" by Bleachers began playing, I happened to look over at the girls. While the trio was scowling, Kendall smiled and waved, which I returned as we drove out of the parking lot, the drum beats leading into the lyrics.
While we drove towards the freeway, the wind softly blowing as I moved my arm in waves out the window, I looked over at Gareth and smiled. I don't know what I did to land him, but I knew I never wanted to lose him.
He could tell I was staring at him, because he looked over and smiled at me before grabbing my hand, giving it a kiss.
"I love you, Melody."
I reciprocated the action, holding his hand in mine a little longer. "Not like I love you, Gareth."
I was finally free of my guilt, doubts, and worries, and I was liberated because I had truly let it go. There were huge differences between the person I was years ago and the one I am now, but I love them both the same, because I had learned from the experiences in my life. It was my time for joy, which was long overdue, and I couldn't have been more grateful to have such an unbelievable guy like Gareth by my side.
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