Matt's POV

I sat with my head in my hands at the end of the bed, feeling like a complete and total idiot. Not only had I been shot down but I also could have ruined everything between us. She could run and never come back, all because I was fucking selfish. Shit, I knew I shouldn't have told her how I felt yet but I just thought if she knew then maybe she would finally let me in. Boy was I wrong. I saw the look of panic in her eyes the moment those words left my mouth. She looked like she was going to be sick. I knew she wasn't ready for that, hell Jimmy even told me to take it slow with her and that she was nervous. Why didn't I listen?

"Fuck," I hissed, running my hands over my face as I stood up. I had to fix this but I wasn’t going to take it back. I did love Maya and for that reason I couldn't let this be the end of us. Hell, she didn't even need to say anything back, just as long as I knew she would stay with me. I couldn't lose her. Would she be willing to lose me? That thought hurt and I quickly pushed it away. I had to find her and make this right.

Pulling out my phone, I selected her picture and held my phone to my ear. Seconds later I heard Unholy Confession screaming from across the room. “God damn it, Maya!” I cursed, moving over to see her phone, wallet, and room key on the table. She left without anything. But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, right? That means she would have to come back.

I sank back down on the bed, trying to think of plan. Where would she have gone? Last I knew Avery had disappeared with Zack after the TRL performance, so maybe Maya was with them. I quickly dialed Zack’s number, my heart racing in my chest. I just hoped I hadn’t completely scared her away and freaked her out—that wasn’t my intent at all. I just wanted her to know that she could rely on me.

“Baker,” Zack answered the phone, laughing at something. It was a little loud in the background and I had the feeling he wasn’t in his room anymore.

“Hey, is Avery still with you?” I was now pacing again, hoping that Maya was with Avery.

“Shut up short shit and take the damn shot,” Zacky laughed before bringing his attention back to me. “What was that? Ave? No, Haner picked her up from my room about an hour. He was pretty pissed too, it was kind of hilarious. What’s up?”

“Nothing, just let me know if you see Jimmy or Maya,” I sighed, running my hand over my face and looking over at the clock. It was almost eleven and she had left some time ago and I was starting to worry.

“Did he steal your girl again?”

“Don’t even fucking start with me, Baker. Just call me if you see them,” I hissed before hanging up the phone. I didn’t have the patients to deal with a drunk Zack right now. Though a drink sound good.

I looked over across the room, my eyes landing on a gift basket filled with bottles of liquor. Before I could stop myself, I was taking shots of Patron straight from the bottle. The burn was comforting compared to worry, hurt, and misery I was feeling on the inside.

A half and hour later, I was down on my knees in front of the bed with a nice buzz. I was starting to get desperate and I didn’t know what else to do. “Please, god, let her come back…give me a sign that this isn’t the end,” I whispered, looking up at the ceiling. I couldn’t remember the last time I begged for something, but I didn’t know what else to do. “Let me know that she is okay…give me a sign.”

But nothing came. “Fuck,” I raged, getting to my feet. I had to find her, even if it meant I went walking around New York City in the dark. I grabbed both my coat and Maya’s leather jacket off the floor and headed door.

As soon as I reached the door, I heard a soft knock and quickly opened the door. My eyes instantly met those beautiful brown eyes and I let out a sigh of relief.

“Shit, I couldn’t reach you… you left your phone and…” I stammered and pulled Maya into my arms, unable to form a coherent thought. It was then that I noticed Jimmy standing behind her and my heart drop to my toes. “…I should have known where you were.”

I took in a deep breath as Jimmy turned and walked away down the hallway. I know he and Maya were friends but it something about her running to him really bothered me. Why would she rather talk to him than me? Did she not trust me? That though hit hard and fuck did it hurt.

“Do you want to come in?” I asked her, making the hurt expression on my face. Maya’s eye’s briefly met mine before she nodded and slowly walked in. I watched as she sunk down on the bed and pulled her knees to her chest, resting her head there. She looked like she was being torn in about fifteen different directions and I wished she’d just talk to me.

“Maya look…” I said softly as I moved towards her. “I don’t expect anything from you, you know that right? I-I guess I just thought that if I told you how I felt then maybe you would…finally feel safe and trust me.” I took a seat next to her, our hips touching on the bed.

Maya let out a heavy sigh. “You definitely make me feel safe, and I do trust you,” she said softly, though I didn’t believe her by her tone. “I told you that I’m new at this and I couldn’t promise anything…” her voice shook lightly as she spoke and I felt like the world’s biggest ass for making her feel that way.

“I’m not asking for anything but for you to stay with me,” I tried to explain, turning to look at her with pleading eyes. “I want you…that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. I’m not leaving you…unless of course you don’t want me…but I wont give up without a fight.” I slowly leaned over and put my arm around her but she didn’t melt into my side like he usual did, causing me to frown.

“Maya…” I sighed, taking her chin in my hand to make her look at me. “Will you stay with me?”

She closed her eyes and slowly leaned into me, wrapping her arms around my waist. “I…I just need some time, okay? I want to be with you but this is all going way too fast, Matt,” Maya said in a shaky tone and all I could do was nod. I didn’t like the tone she had and I was afraid she was giving up on us. “Don’t get me wrong, I care about you, big guy…but that’s all I can give your right now…”

Her words made that pain in my heart ease and I pulled her in for a hug, kissing the top of her head. “And that’s enough, beautiful. That’s all I need,” I assured her, slowly leaning back on the bed with her in my arms. I leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips, feeling the electrical shock explode between us. I refused to let her go, even if she gave up on us. I had to make her see that there was something real here, something worth fighting for.

The next morning I woke up to my phone screaming and someone banging on my door. “Shads! Get your ass out of bed, Larry is here and he is looking for the girls!” I heard Zack call outside the door. “We need to get downstairs pronto!”

“What?” Maya asked in a groggy tone, to my left. She slowly sat up, looking around confused. That was until her eyes landed on me and she quickly turned away. No, she couldn’t be pulling away from me, I wouldn’t let her. I had to come up with a plan to keep her. Maybe I could talk to Larry so she could see that we could be safe.

“Maya!?” A high pitched voice called from outside the door. Was that Avery? “Dad’s here and we need to get all of our stuff into our room and quick!”

Maya and I both flew out of bed, picking up clothing and pulling it on. Within five minutes we were all headed down to the breakfast buffet, but I couldn’t help but notice the distance Maya put between us. From the moment she woke up, she had avoided all eye contact with me and I was slowly losing my mind. She couldn’t do this, not after everything. Hopefully this was part of the ploy for Larry.

“So what’s the plan for today?” Larry asked as we finished our breakfast. I hadn’t noticed that I was squeezing the underside of the table in fear, hurt, and irritation until Haner kicked my foot. I instantly released the metal bar and leaned back, thankful that I was wearing my sunglasses to mask my emotions.

“Well, Ave and I thought we’d go shopping,” Maya said and I had to admit that she was a great liar. She could come up with a story on the spot and I just hoped that she didn’t do that with me. “And maybe go see the Empire State Building. It’s always been a dream of ours,” she said, squeezing Avery’s hand. The little brunette looked awfully pale and I wondered what Larry almost caught her and Gates doing.

“That sounds like a great way to spend an afternoon on a day like this,” Larry said, reaching back and pulling out his wallet. “Tell you what, why don’t you girls take my card and have a good time in the city. I’ll meet you for dinner, okay?”

Shit, Larry was staying with us? Didn’t he have another meeting he had to attend? If he stayed then there was no way I was going to get any private time with Maya. I glanced to my left to see Brain trying to hide his frustration but the corner of his lip was twitching from a locked jaw. That was a signature irritated Gates look if I ever saw one.

“You’re the best, Dad,” Avery said, getting up to take the card and hug her dad. “Where and when do you want us to meet you?” Her eyes glanced in our direction and I couldn’t help but smirk. Was she trying to secretly plan something with Gates? Hmm…maybe the little gnome wasn’t as innocent as she looked, though she did look uncomfortable around her dad right now.

“How about you meet me right here in the lobby at five?” He said, setting down his coffee cup. “Have fun and be safe, love you girls.”

“Love you too, Dad,” Avery said with a half smile as Maya hugged him. “We’ll see you later.” And with that the girls left the dinning room, leaving the guys and I alone with Larry.

As soon as they were out of sight, Larry sat up and folded his arms in front of him, looking between the five of us. An awkward and tense silence had fallen over our group and even Jimmy didn’t have a comment. Something wasn’t right and I could feel my heart start to pound in my chest, not liking the look on Larry’s face.

“So…let’s get this meeting over with,” he said slowly, his eyes narrowing as he looked between us. “I wanted to make sure that everything was going well on the road with the girls an that you all remembered my very specific rules….”

I leaned back and swallowed thickly. Shit, he did see the pictures didn’t he? I looked at Gates out of the corner of my eye and could see his jaw tight and his leg twitching. Come on Haner, don’t lose your shit now.

“Things have been going great,” Zack answered without missing a beat. I was thankful that he was here to take the lead on this because Gates and I certainly didn’t have out heads on for this yet. We were expecting him in the afternoon, not at the ass crack of dawn. “We’ve had some of the largest profit margins that we’ve ever had since they started working for us. It’s honestly really impressive.”

“I’ve seen that,” Larry mused, now looking between Gates and I. “And you’ve all been keeping to the rules?” A small smirk fell on his face and I did my best to nod and look normal. So much for telling him the truth about Maya and I. I could see right now that there is no way that would go for, Maya had been right.

“Of course, why?” Gates asked, all eyes turning on him.

“Oh, just curious as to why my daughters decided to give up two weeks in the Bahamas for working with you punks,” he chuckled, swirling the coffee in his cup. Shit, he knew that it was all a rouse and that there was something gone. Fuck, we were screwed.

“We just asked nicely,” Jimmy laughed. “Okay, so maybe I threw myself down on the ground and begged…and promised TRL tickets,” he continued, making Larry laugh. “You know that not even you can say no to me, Lar-bear,” he punched him playfully in the shoulder and he seemed to buy it.

“Okay, just as long as we are clear they are off limits, guys. Don’t make me regret having them help you out,” he warned again and we all nodded.

“They are like our little sisters, Lar,” I lied, never having a single thought about Amy like I did Maya. That was just fucking wrong. “We keep an eye out for them and make sure they have everything they need.”

“Does that include access to the VIP section at parties?” he asked with a raised brow. I looked to my left to see everyone’s facial expression read just like mine—oh fuck. There was no denying that he saw the pictures now.

“Of course,” Brian said. “Someone’s got to look out for them. If we left the in the regular part, Christ knows who would try and pull something. At least if they are on our side of the party, we can beat the shit out a dude for trying something.”

“Not that they have,” I added, seeing Larry’s concerned expression. “I promise there is nothing going on. They are just employees that we keep a close eye on because they part of the Avenged family. You said that yourself.” Well it was partially true and thank fucking god he bought it.

“Okay,” Larry threw his hands up in the air, looking pleased with our answers. Thank fucking god he would be off our back’s now, right? Maybe he would leave soon so I could talk to Maya? “So your back on the road tomorrow and headed for Wisconsin for the back to back festivals.”

“Yeah, I think I read that on the schedule,” Gates said, smiling lightly now. “Should be a good time and great line up.”

“Yeah, lots of great bands coming out, and speaking of which. I got a call from Asking Alexandria’s manager asking if we could share our merchandise employees for two of those dates,” Larry explained, carefully watching us.

I didn’t like the sound of this at all. They were our merch girls and girlfriends, so why the hell would it be okay if they went with another band. I didn’t like that idea at all. I wanted the girls were I could see them, not over across the arena on our off days.

“AA plays on Wednesday and Friday, while you guys play Thursday and Saturday, so is there any objections to sending the girls over to help out some friends?” Larry asked, smiling lightly. Fuck no it wasn’t okay but I couldn’t say that. Then he would definitely be suspicious if he wasn’t already.

“Sure, we are always willing to help out a friend,” Zacky said, kicking me under the table. What? Was my irritation that visible?

“Perfect, I’ll make the call right now. Thanks for your flexibility,” he said before standing up and leaving us gapping after him.

“So that’s it, we just gave up the girls?” I snapped, looking over at Zack. I was furious and I could feel my control weakening.

“I know those guys, they are a bunch of hot shots looking for a good lay,” Gates snapped and if I didn’t know how deep he was with Ave, I would have laughed. Wasn’t that him a month ago.

“What other choice do we have?” Zack argued, shaking his head. “It was either agree or lose the girls, you heard him. He was hinting that he knew about everything.”

“Zee’s right, I think he suspicious,” Jimmy said and I raised my brow. “We’ve got to share knife girl and gnome-et to keep them… and don’t think that I wont watch my good friend Ben Bruce with one eye open.”

“You wont be the only one,” I growled, standing and heading towards the elevator. This day was turning to complete and utter shit.

Ben Bruce’s POV

“Danny will you shut the hell up for one minute?” I laughed, moving over to pick up my phone from the table. “I can’t think straight over you screaming, it’s a fucking game.”

“I’ll shut up when you tell this git to stop ass raping me with the gun,” he yelled back, jumping up on the couch and kicking at our drummer James.

“I swear you guys are worse then fucking infants, this is why we cant have nice things. Have a fucking beer and a joint and calm down,” I joked, though I was half serious. Danny was much more under control when he was stoned and drunk. Maybe he would pass out and give the rest of us a break.

“Good afternoon, what’s your favorite color?” I answered my phone, chuckling.

“Hey Ben, this is Larry Jacobson returning the message you guys left yesterday,” the deep male voice said and I nodded, walking to the back of the bus so I could hear better. As I passed by the bunks I could hear some loud snores an I was glad the rest of my band mates were sleeping through the video game war in the living room area.

“Oh, hey, Larry, thanks for returning our call. Our merch guy’s wife just had a baby so we gave him a few days off. Go figure he wanted to see the kid, right?” I joked, flopping down on the bed.

“I know, crazy. I talked to the guys and they would be willing to share their merch staff with you for those two shows,” he said and punched the air in victory. Yes, we wouldn’t go without our shop.

“That’s bloody brilliant man, tell them thank you. We will make sure to be complete gentle to the ladies and gents,” I promised.

“Well, I would hope so because they are my daughters,” He chuckled and nodded again.

“Alright, alright, I’ll pass the word around. Thanks for this Larry and tell the guys we will see them in two days. Yep, see you soon!” I said before heading back out into the other room.

“Boy!” I announced, having both Danny and James turn to look at me. “We’ve got the Avenged merch girls and let the odds be ever in our favor!” I joked, plopping down on the couch and opening a beer.

Notes

So are Mattaya coming to an agreement or are they drifting apart?

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