Mel

Today was a good day. It was the first in weeks that I didn't feel weighed down by my emotions. I have to admit; I'm proud of myself for finding the courage to visit Justin's grave.

It had been far too long. One part of me wishes I'd done it sooner; another tells me everything worked out exactly as it was supposed to. If you think about it, the latter seems more accurate.

If I had visited Justin's grave sooner and let everything go, who knows where I'd be right now. Who's to say I wouldn't be dating someone who isn't Liam or forging my path in a neighboring city?

As hard as it was, I think everything happened at the right time. My feelings developed for Liam without any effort before I truly found closure with Justin. It may seem messed up, but I think that was meant to be too.

Having those feelings for Liam gave me a safe landing space when I ended my story with Justin. He makes me feel cherished and protected. Every time I look at him, I can see the love shining through his eyes. He's such a good man, and I'm so happy he chose me.

~

When I made it home from work, I was greeted with a surprising sight- Liam, T.J., and Chase were all standing in the middle of the living room with their arms over one another's shoulders, singing along to some song that was playing through the TV. They were swaying along to the music with their eyes closed, each holding a beer in their hands.

They didn't hear me sneak in and snag a spot next to Tay as I held back my laughter. She wasn't even trying to hold hers in as she shook her head at the trio of men in front of us.

When she saw me, she beamed in my direction. I smiled back at her as I leaned in, whispering, "What's going on with them?"

Tay shrugged in response. "I have no idea. I just got home ten minutes ago, and they were already like this. I haven't even had a chance to steal Tanner away to ask him. But the free show is hilarious."

Looking back at the guys, I saw the moment Liam opened his eyes. It took less than a second for him to notice me. The look of astonishment mixed with embarrassment that quickly appeared on his face made me laugh out loud.

He disentangled himself from the other two and made his way over to me, his cheeks red with an adorable blush. "What's up, Mel? You been here long?" He asked as he tried to put on a nonchalant face.

Tay nearly choked on her drink as she heard his line of questioning. "She's been here a while, Liam. She saw the whole thing," she said teasingly.

I watched as Liam's eyes grew a fraction of an inch before he cringed, turning back to me. "How bad was it?"

No longer able to keep a straight face, I told him, "I just got here. I just saw the end of your little performance."

Tay was shaking with laughter at the other end of the couch as Liam shot a glare her way. "So, you didn't see the part where I sang that really high note, then?"

That caught my attention. "Wait. You sang a really high note?" Now I'm intrigued. "How high?"

Liam looked relieved as he refused to answer my question. "Not important. I'm glad your home, though. I missed you," he said, desperate to change the subject.

I decided I'd revisit this high note business later, perhaps when Liam was feeling a little looser with his tongue and more willing to spill his secrets. "I missed you, too. What kind of trouble did you guys get into today?"

He half-smiled as he squeezed next to me, laying his arm over my shoulders. "We went to see Justin. Then we came back and gamed and drank. Then, drank more. Now, we're all here, and I can hold you in my arms again."

I could tell he was just a few drinks past tipsy, but I figured they all probably needed it after visiting the cemetery. I cleared my throat before asking, "How was your visit?"

Liam faced me, eyes full of emotion as he told me about his time at the graveyard. He told me what he said, how he promised to keep me happy and make sure I felt loved. He told me about the warm feeling he got when talking to Justin, the same one I had as the strange warm breeze washed over me. Liam said he knew I was right, that it was Justin's way of giving us his blessing.

When he finished, I had tears in my eyes. For the first time in a long time, those tears were filled with happiness, not sadness. Things were falling into place, and my head and heart no longer felt like they were lost in a hopeless mess.

I looked into Liam's eyes and saw his brows pull together. "Aw, baby. No, don't cry. It was a good thing. Please don't cry."

One tear fell as I laughed lightly while Liam brushed it away. "I'm okay, I promise. These are happy tears."

His face crinkled into an unsure smile. "Really?"

"Really," I told him, cupping his cheek as I brought my forehead to his. "Only happy from now on."

I could feel Liam relax as he moved his lips closer to mine, coming in for a kiss.

Before our lips could meet, I heard a synchronized cheer off to my right. T.J. and Chase were giving commentary of our moment. "Aww, look at that," I heard Chase say.

Followed shortly by T.J., "Aren't they just the sweetest."

I started to chuckle as Liam rolled his eyes, turning to face our friends. "Assholes. Both of you are assholes."

They bristled, acting offended at Liam's name-calling. Chase had a hand on his chest, feigning hurt as he asked, "What? What did we do?"

Liam's eyes narrowed at his best friend as he informed him, "You two lip-blocked me."

T.J. looked puzzled. "Lip-blocked?"

Chase stood in his spot, thinking for a moment before a thought hit him. "Ohhhhh, like cock blocking, but with kisses."

I tried to stop myself from laughing but failed miserably when I heard Taylor snort on her end of the couch. She was doubled over when I looked her way with tears of laughter streaming down her face.

Between the boys' bickering and mine and Tay's laughter, I almost didn't hear the knock on our door. I answered the door after somewhat composing myself and found Lindsey on the other side.

She looked from me to the group behind me, shooting me a curious glance. I shrugged before stepping to the side to let her in as she took in the display before her. "Well, I was going to suggest we all go out for dinner tonight, but maybe it would just be safer to order pizza."

When she spoke, Chase snapped his head toward her. "Baby!!!"

He rushed to her, pulling her in for a big hug as he nuzzled her neck. "Mmm. I've missed you."

She smiled at him as he leaned in, pecking her lips. She opened her mouth to reply, but Chase cut her off. "Your brother just accused me of being a lip-blocker. Can you believe that?"

Lins looked confused. "Wait, what?"

Chase went to respond, but Liam beat him to it. "He is. He and T.J. interrupted me when I was being sweet and going in for a kiss with Mel. But, noooo, those two had to ruin it."

Chase winced as Lins lightly slapped his shoulder. She then sent Liam and me an apologetic look. "Babe, I think you owe them an apology," she told her husband.

"Bu-," he started to whine before Lindsey cut him off with a sharp look.

"Fine. I'm sorry for lip-blocking you guys. From now on, I'll keep my comments to myself."

Liam shot him a triumphant smile, then turned to T.J., who had been sitting quietly next to Tay as Chase and Liam bickered.

Tay elbowed him in the ribs, earning a playful glare in return. T.J. sighed, "I'll mind my own lips from now on."

He looked at Tay, eyes brimming with mischief. "And yours," he told her as he planted several quick kisses on her exposed neck.

She was laughing as she pushed him away. "Okayyy, I think we need to order some food and sober these guys up."

~

A few hours later, we were all stuffed with pizza, and the guys were mostly sober when we decided to call it a night. Chase and Lins headed home, Tay trekked to her room with T.J. wrapped tightly around her waist, and Liam and I ambled to his room.

We took turns showering. Liam, ever the gentleman, let me go first. I sat against his headboard, waiting for him to come back to bed. While I waited, I tried to remember the last time I laughed so hard. For the life of me, I couldn't remember.

Wow, it must have been a long time ago.

I was reliving the hilarious moments of the night, lost in thought, when Liam silently crawled into bed. "What's on your mind, Mel? You look like you're thinking awful hard there."

I smiled at the sound of his voice. "Just trying to remember the last time I laughed so hard or had so much fun. It's been a while."

I felt Liam as he laid his head in my lap. "There's more of that to come. I promise, Mel. I'll make sure you have all the happiness in the world."

The smile on my face grew as I looked down at the man in my lap. I brushed a few rogue hairs out of his face as he watched me through bright eyes. "I care about you so much, Mel. So freaking much."

I felt my heart jolt as he spoke. "I care about you too, Liam. So freaking much," I mimicked his last words, meaning them nonetheless.

He chuckled, settling further into my lap as I stroked his hair. As we sat there silently, staring into each other's eyes, I realized, for the first time, that I didn't feel guilty.

Not even a little.

My heart swelled at the realization, and I knew I was finally free to let love in once more. And the man who was making me feel again, the man who was making me fall in love with him, was staring up at me through gorgeous green eyes.   

A/N:

What did you all think? I thought we needed a little silliness after several heavy chapters. Hope you enjoyed it! 

More lighter (and smuttier) chapters coming soon.

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