“A little.”  Tarin cackles as Trace grabs her around the waist and kisses her neck.  “Bitch drank a whole bottle of vodka!”

I groan.  “You could have called,” I tell Melanie, gently.

She shrugs.  “I figured you were busy.”

“Come on.”  I move closer to her and reach out to caress her cheek.  Surprisingly enough, she doesn’t stop me.  “I would have dropped whatever I was doing to get to you.”

“Oh yeah?”

She’s slipping.  She’s trying to be aggrivated with me, but I know that she’s so thankful that I’m here with her right now, that it’s hard for her to be.  I take my chance and kiss her on the lips, and she actually kisses me back.  “I’m sorry that I fucked up.”

She wraps her arms around my neck and shakes her head slightly.  “I...I shouldn’t have been so harsh.  I just...I...I just...”

“Shh.”  I kiss her again, knowing she’s keeping something inside...something important, but also knowing this is hardly the time or the place to discuss it.  “It’s okay, Mel.”

“Can we go back.”  She whispers as she buries her face in my shoulder.

“Yeah, of course.”  I motion to Trace, and he agrees to go back as long as I help him haul Rachael to her feet.  She’s passed out by this point, and we manage to get her into the back seat of her car, before Trace tells me to take Melanie back in his, and he’ll drive the girls back in Rachael’s car.  He smirks a little as he tells me.  He knows Melanie could use a little bit of alone time with me right now.

I’m thankful for him...my best friend.

“Wild night?” I say, as I back the car up and begin to drive back down the trail.

“Hardly,” Melanie huffs as she opens her window a crack.  “I drove us around while Rachael drank a whole bottle of liquor in the back seat of the car.  Tarin wasn’t thrilled, but said that you two deserved to have a night to yourselves before the wedding, so I went a long with it.”

I scoff a little and glance at her slightly.  “Believe me, I would have rather you called me.”

She cocks her head to the side, most likely being able to sense the anxiety in my voice.  “Why, what’s up?”

I lick my lips.  “Kerri showed up.”

“Oh.”

It’s quiet for a very long moment.  

“What happened?” She finally asks.

“Not much,” I tell her.  “I was trying to get her to go away.”

“Maybe you should have talked to her.”

I shrug.  “I’ll talk to her.  Tonight wasn’t the night for it, that’s all.  I was catching up with my friends, Mel.”

She nods.  “Do you think it’s going to be an issue...you know, if she sees me with you?”

“I’ll tell her off if she tries to bother you,” I say, sternly.  “You don’t need to put up with that.”

“Justin...”r32;

“Look, I love you.”  I look at her intensely as I slow the car down slightly.  “I’m here with you, to have a good time.  She’s my friend.  Probably one of my best friends, but Mel....you’re just...more important.”

She doesn’t say anything.  She only holds her hand out, and I take it, lacing my fingers through hers.  I wish I could tell her.  I wish I could tell her everything in this one moment.  How I was raped.  How Kerri tried to help me but fell apart...how I hurt her, beat her...

I open my mouth to blurt it all out.

“I love you too, Justin,” she whispers.

I can’t tell her a thing now, because it's the first time she's said it so...genuinelly, without tears.  All i can seem to do, is smile at her, and she smiles back at me, as if i've broken some kind of huge barrier that she's been hiding behind.  it's the turning point of our relationship.  We can only grow from this point, fall even deeper in love...or we can spiral downward...lose each other...