I could feel the bed dip beneath me and someone crawl onto the bed behind me, their hand reaching out to sit on the curve of my hip as I laid on my side causing me to startle. “Hey,” Liam murmured softly sitting his chin on my shoulder looking over my side “what’s that?”

I shrugged holding back the urge to sniffle and break down “It’s nothing.” I whispered meekly.

Liam reached around me anyway, pulling it out of my grip “Doesn’t look like nothing.” He murmured as it fell silent as he looked at it.

“Is she serious?” he murmured roughly, his chin’s movement reverberating from the top of my shoulder and out.

I shook my head sniffling “It doesn’t matter Liam.”

“She sends you a birthday card a week late and it doesn’t matter?” Liam murmured incredulously.

I shook my head as I stared at the wall, trying to keep the tears at bay “Just drop it.”

“If that doesn’t matter, what does Mel?” Liam whispered softly, his fingers touching the bare skin on my hip soothingly making the tears fall.

“That you hold me and tell me everything is going to be alright.” I sobbed turning in his arm and burying my face into his chest as he fought off all my demons and terrors like a true hero, all the while wrapping his arms tight around me.

                        ೋღ♥ ღೋ ೋღ♥ ღೋ ೋღ♥ ღೋ ೋღ♥ ღೋ ೋღ♥ ღೋ ೋღ♥ ღೋ

“Are you fucking mental?” I cried whirling around to face Liam, turning my back to the door that Erin had just fled through in tears.

Liam’s gaze was trained on the doorway, his face contorted into regret, pain and sheer guilt. He knew he had screwed it up. He tore his eyes from the door and towards me, his eyes wide “What?” he cried frowning.

“You totally just attacked her!” I cried throwing my hands up in the air “Of all things she needed she didn’t need her older brother screaming at her. No, what she needed was her oldest brother to run to her aid and tell her everything is going to be alright.” I yelled at him, poking him in the chest in anger.

“And you!” I cried whirling around on Eli who startled at the raging beast I had become “What on earth are you still doing here?” I demanded prodding his chest.

I was mad, so mad and it wasn’t just at those two boys but also myself, I hadn’t done anything. Not to mention right now I wasn’t racing after her either and I think that’s because I realized that if anyone could comfort Ez it’d be Eli. All this anger and fear I had felt as I had watched Ez fall apart before us as Liam released all that pent up emotion now become unleashed upon these two. I guess that’s one similarity Liam and I shared; we both took out our emotions on someone else.

“What?” Eli cried with wide owl eyes of fear, after all I wasn’t the most attractive person when angry but rather an out of control wild beast on a rampage “I wasn’t the one that yelled at her!”

I snorted “No, rather you just stood there and did nothing!” I shouted ready to slap him; what was wrong with those two? Why couldn’t they just work? “What are you even doing right now? Why are you standing here? Go after her!”

Eli shook his head looking away, his face full of sheer anguish “She wouldn’t want to see me.”

I snorted “She wouldn’t want to see you? Are you freaking high? Taking drugs maybe?” I demanded as I hit his arm, demanding his attention “Why on earth wouldn’t she want to see you?”

“Because she doesn’t love me alright!”

I blinked stunned at him, as I looked into his wide and yet utterly wounded eyes. Looking into his eyes had my heart lurching, as if someone had reached right in and grabbed it, squeezing the life out of me. I could feel the inner turmoil within him, the longing need to go after her and yet something was holding him back, but what?

“How do you know that?” I breathed in disbelief, searching his eyes for answers.

“Because I just do alright?” he shrugged off, not meeting my gaze at all and all over again I was reminded that there was something that had happened between the two of them that I didn’t know of.

“Like what? What could honestly make you believe that for one second she doesn’t need you right now?” I asked of him, stepping closer to him and getting in his face “Huh? What on the earth happened between you two? What was it that was so bad that you can’t even be friends anymore?!” I cried.

“You want to know? Do you really want to know?” he roared back, his resolve shattering “She ripped me apart Mel,” he yelled, his voice choking towards the end “we spent an amazing night after that party together-“

“You guys slept together?!” I cried, my eyes falling out of my head as those words registered to me and so much began to make sense.

WHACK!

“You had sex with my sister?!” Liam roared intervening as his fist flew forward and knocked Eli in the side of his head, Eli staggering back as he cradled the side of his face.

“Liam!” I shrieked stepping between the pair of them as Liam took a lethal step forward, with both hands holding out on both of their chests “What has gotten into you?” I hissed at Liam incredulously.

“You slept with my baby sister when she was dating someone else and drunk?” Liam asked Li, ignoring me completely as he looked Eli dead in the eye, his eyes burning.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds like you dickhead,” Eli glared right back “and the fact of the matter that makes you think so low of me, that I took advantage of your little sister has me wanting to do a hell load more than taking a cheap shot.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” I cried shoving them back a little more as they had stepped in closer to the point they had practically sandwiched me together “You two pull it together right now,” I hissed “you guys are best friends, brothers!” I emphasized “Capiche?”

The two of them muttered back reluctant answers of agreements.

“Now Eli,” I began gently and soothing, trying to lighten the mood “what happened?”

Eli sighed heavily with one short nod as if doing so was straining enough “Yeah,” he breathed “one amazing night where everything I ever dreamt for happened – she told me she loved me Mel, she loved me.” he stressed looking me right in the eyes and though there should be happiness over all he wanted coming true there was only gut wrenching agony “But not even a couple days later she’s telling me it was a mistake and she’s in love with Jed, that she wants Jed’s heart, not mine.”

I shook my head in disbelief, speechless “That can’t be true.” I breathed.

Eli barked a bitter laugh making my heart clench “Trust me Mel, if it wasn’t true I don’t think I’d be feeling like this right now.”

I shook my head “No, you- she wouldn’t…” I struggled trying to understand what had happened, what was going through Erin’s mind, how alone and broken she must truly be feeling…

Eli shook his head “She did Mel, alright?” he asked me, trying to get me to believe me “I tried talking to her, getting her to tell me what had changed so easily and quickly and next thing I know she’s ignoring and avoiding me completely until the phone call that night when I picked her up.” he talked to me as if Liam wasn’t even here, sometimes I felt like he didn’t even think I was here as he thought back on all that happened, his gaze so far away “I’ve tried Mel and I know I’ll keep trying but there’s this part of me….” he trailed off looking away, almost shamefully.

I swallowed with a tight constricting throat “There’s a part of you that what…?” I asked warily.

“There is this part of me Mel that just doesn’t want to fight anymore; there is this really tiny voice that just doesn’t want to be hurt anymore.” He murmured his voice holding enough shame for the two of us about how fragile he was and “That girl…” he trailed off his eyes and his voice holding so much passion and depth to it that it had my lips curving up at how utterly lovesick he is.

I could feel Liam pressing against the hand I held out against his chest, straining with anger I could feel burring beneath his skin “So what? You’re honestly just going to fuck her and ditch her when she needs somebody?” Liam cried with thick hot rage.

I watched as Eli’s jaw locked “Firstly I didn’t fuck her,” he spat crudely “we made love.” He said in all seriousness making my heart swell with pride "Secondly, I wasn't there? Where were you huh?! At least I tried to be there! The one time she more than ever needed an over-protective brother and you weren't there!"

“Look I get it alright? I fucked up, I do, really I do!” he cried throwing his hands up in the air “But how do you think she’s going to feel when through all this pain and loss she’s going to also lose you?” he demanded speaking such seriousness and protectiveness that I couldn’t help but proud whilst stuck between the two of them.

To see the rage fleeing Liam’s body, all that pent up regret and guilt transforming and burning away until he was back to him. To the point he was being the over protective brother he has always been, the over protective brother that I had fallen in love with. I was so relieved and reassured seeing him being who I needed right now to sweep in and solve all this drama, which would clear my head and reassure me in knowing that I certainly was not alone. Lastly though it was just amazing to simply see the raging Hulk gone and the old him back, taking responsibility – because that was the boy I loved.

“Lose me?” Eli asked astounded “Erin will never lose me.” he answered with sheer determination, there was no anger but sheer calmness “I love that girl with every fiber within me – even if she did break my heart.”

“I know man.” He murmured back almost soothingly.

"I loved her since I can remember man, since that very day you introduced her to me as your annoying sister and she pushed you in the mud before storming off...." he murmured back with molten eyes.

“So what are you still doing here?”

“I’m asking for your permission.” Eli answered back, not even skipping a beat.

I didn’t even realize I had been rubbing up and down the length of Liam’s chest, trying to subconsciously soothe him until Liam’s hands captured my own. His large hands encasing my own tiny hand as he continued looking back at Eli and without even skipping a beat he replied “Mate, you’ve had my permission since you laid eyes on her for the very first time. So I’m going to ask you again, what are you still doing here?”

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I know this isn't a long chapter but it's a BIG chapter - secrets are being unravelled, so how much longer can Erin and Mel keep theirs?

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