Matt’s POV

“Come on, Gates, you can throw better than that!” Zacky laughed while Brian threw carrot after carrot at the target the guys made out of coffee stirs and a guitar stand on the table. It was obvious by the look on his face that he was getting pissed off because everyone, including Johnny, had made a shot. Hell, I was winning this game but I knew better than to rub it in his face now. I always won these games.

“This is fucking bullshit and the main reason why I don’t play your stupid ass games,” he shot back as he threw another carrot. I couldn’t help but smile lightly to myself as I sat on the couch next to Zacky, totally amused by the whole situation. It was nice to take a break from recording. Though, I had to admit, it was nice to be back in the studio so soon after a tour. We were on a roll, the music was flowing, and I had Mei to thank for that. Her departure inspired a lot of lyrics and even now that wound was still open. It had been two years and I still wasn’t over her.

I tried time and time again to reach her but she never answered or returned my calls. Mei said splitting up was for the best, but I didn’t fucking buy it. She was the only woman I had ever loved and I wasn’t about to give up on her. Sure her leaving crushed me but I couldn’t be mad at her for following her dreams. Hell I would have done the same thing. I just wished she would have fucking talked to me instead of shutting me out completely. We could have figured something out!

But that was a year ago. I knew it was time to move on, but every time I went on a date, no one compared to her. When Mei left, she took a piece of me with her that I could never get that back. And as much as I hated to admit it, I still wasn’t over her.

Hell, I had even gotten into the nasty little habit of buying Revolver just to see the new picture of Mei in the ‘editor’s picks’ section. If the guys ever found out, I would never hear the end of it, especially since I claimed to be over her. Though deep down we all knew the truth—I still loved her. And to make matters worse, Jimmy still talked to her everyday, reminding me of what I lost. Fucking hell, I would give anything to have her back with me or at least talk to her. I wanted her to see reason and to finally admit that she loved me.

“Be smarter than the carrot!” Johnny taunted, pissing Gates off even more.

“I don’t know why he decided to go after Johnny, it always pisses him off,” Jimmy said next to me, laughing at Brian too. “Doesn’t help that he looks exhausted, and I bet you’re to blame!” he yelled in my ear. “Don’t look so surprised! The knife master knows all! There are no secrets!”

“Fucking hell, Rev,” I chuckled, rubbing my ear. Okay, so maybe I took Gates out with me last night to get wasted. It was the anniversary of the day Mei left me two years ago and I wanted to forget about it—forget about her. The only problem was that the alcohol only made it worse. “Can you keep it down?”

“Why? A little touchy today, are we Shads?” Jimmy continued, wiggling his eyebrows at me. That fucker knew how to make a hangover feel worse, that was for damn sure. “Maybe you should invite all your friends out next time!”

“Yeah, thanks for fucking nothing, assholes” Zack interrupted, pointing a finger between Gates and I. “I thought we were a fucking family.”

“Don’t be such a bitch and maybe we’d invite you, Vengeance,” Gates chuckled, throwing another carrot and missing.

“Fuck you, Gates. You’re the one being a bitch because the new bartender at Johnny’s wont give you the time of day. And let me just say it’s about time someone gave you a taste of your own fucking medicine,” Zack shot back and I snorted back a laugh. He had a point there.

“I can’t help it if she is playing hard to get,” Gates shrugged as I threw three carrots through the make shift target. “I know she secretly wants me. Mark my words, she will be mine by the end of the week.”

“I bet you fifty buck she doesn’t,” Vengeance chuckled, also making another shot, which only pissed Gates off more. These fuckers were more entertaining than watching TV.

“I’ll take that bet too,” Rev added with a mischievous smirk. “And if I win, then you have to play that song I’ve been working on!”

“Fuck you I’m not playing that song and she will give into my charm! It’s a fucking deal,” Gates declared missing yet again. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

“Be one with your inner dickhead and aim, shoot, and just fucking throw it!” Johnny chastised and I snorted in my beer. Oh, short shit was going to get it, it was only a matter of time before either Gates or Jimmy were chasing him around or slamming him into the ground. Damn, I would pay money to see that.

“You’re the one with a carrot dick, so shut your fucking mouth, Short Shit,” Brian grumbled, squinting his eyes as he threw another carrot. “Fucking orange demons.” Suddenly he let out a Jimmy worthy scream and aimed the carrot directly at the coffee stirs. Unfortunately it missed just like all the others.

“It’s okay, athleticism isn’t for everyone,” I laughed as Gates raged, “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” He shot a new carrot with each word and none of them hit the damn target. “I give up!” he sighed angrily just as Jimmy came up and hit it on his first try. Brian yelled again in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose with a furred brow.

“I am a carrot wielding ninja!” Jimmy screamed, inches from Brian’s face before jumping around and punching and kicking the air. Oh this was fucking hilarious!

“I’m fucking done!” Brain yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. “Guess I might as well fucking eat one of these before they’re all gone.” He put the last two carrots sticks in his mouth and pulled a beer out of the fridge. “You assholes can pick up this mess!”

“Oh, come on, Gates. Don’t be a bitch because you lost,” Zacky laughed. I watched as Brian narrowed his eyes at Zack, his fists clenched and I could tell that things were starting to get heated. Okay, so maybe it was time to end this little game after all. “Though you better get used to this feeling because it’s going to happen next week when you owe me fifty bucks.”

“Fuck you,” Gates snapped. “You’re not going to win shit!”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Zack snorted as Gates raised his middle finger at him. “And wasn’t it you who started this whole game?”

“No, it was fucking, Sanders!” Brian retorted, turning on me with narrowed eyes. What? Why was this my fault all of a sudden?

“I did no such thing,” I said, raising a brow at him. “It was the Rev’s idea.”

Okay, so maybe I did start the whole thing by getting out the bag of carrots. But it was Jimmy who wanted me to throw into his mouth. I didn’t intend for it to turn into a competition. Jimmy had been perfectly content getting pelted with the sticks and moving to catch them with his mouth due to my poor aim. Not to mention the screams and shrieks he produced when pretending he had been shot. He was hilarious and I really loved the guy, even if he wouldn’t let me talk to Mei. He was the brother I always wanted. Hell, all my best friends were.

“Where the hell did he go?” Johnny asked with a raised brow, looking around the studio. “He was just here, wasn’t he?”

“Who knows,” Zacky said, grabbing the baseball bat by the door. “That guy needs a fucking leash. I just hope he doesn’t disappear for three days again.”

“You said it,” I agreed, watching him swing the bat at the coffee stirs. Though you couldn’t be upset with the results Jimbo had when he returned from seclusion. He was our bands secret weapon, that and the lyrics Mei had inspired. Damn, I missed her. I wonder if she was keeping up with our music? She never did get to hear A Little Piece of Heaven in the working stages. Fuck, I still wished I had stopped her from getting in that cab.

“AHHHH!” Jimmy shrieked as he came flying back into the room. His eyes were as wide as saucers and he looked like he was about to combust from excitement. His hands were twitching as he flew back and forth across the studio screaming and talking so fast that no one could understand a word he said.

“Slow down, Rev and take a deep breath,” I said, standing up to try to catch him. The only problem is that he didn’t stop. He just threw his hands up and yelled louder.

“SHES BACK! SHE’S FUCKING COMING BACK! THERE ARE SOME MANY THINGS TO CATCH UP ON! SO MANY THINGS TO DO! I CANT BELIEVE IT! SHE COMING BACK!”

I blinked and looked between Brian, Zack, and Johnny, trying to process the information that was screamed 50 decibels louder than necessary. “Who’s coming back?” Brain asked and Jimmy froze, turning to look at us with wide disbelieving eyes.

“Mei of course!” He said like it was the simplest answer in the world. “She will be back in two days!” and with that he sat back down on couch, smiling at all of like he didn’t just freak out.

“Mei?” I asked, my heart dropping into my stomach. Her name sounded foreign coming from my lips yet something about it felt so right. I blinked in shock as I looked around at all of my friends. They were watching with cautious expressions, trying to read how I was reacting to the news.

Okay, so after she left I was so upset that I smashed half of the shit in my house. But could you blame me? She left me after I told her I loved her and she fucking lied to my face, saying she didn’t feel the same way. It was a line of bullshit and we all knew it. Fuck, just thinking about that night pissed me off.

“She’s really coming back?” I asked nonchalantly, which earned a raised brow from both Zack and Brian. Mind your own business, fuckers.

“Yes, she just texted me,” Jimmy said matter-of-factly.

“Did she say why?” I could feel my heart throbbing painfully against my ribcage as I waited for the answer. Was she okay? Did something happen in New York?

Jimmy shrugged and looked at me with a knowing smirk. “She said she missed home and would be moving her office back to the California branch.” Why was he looking at me like that? What else did he want from me? He had to know more about the situation than he was letting on.

“Did she say anything else?” I asked, meeting Jimmy’s crystal clear blue eyes.

“I don’t know, depends why you want to know.” Oh that fucking asshole! He was playing a game with me. Fuck him, I wasn’t going to let him lead me down this rabbit hole. It was painful enough without playing this fucking game!

I shrugged and turned toward the studio, only to hear Jimmy clamber off the couch and follow me. “You’re really just going to leave it like that? You’re not going to play my game?” he whined. “You’re not going to fight for her?

“No, I’m not going to play your fucking game, Jimmy!” I snapped, my anger rising in an instant. I fucking loved that girl and I wasn’t about to sit here play games. I would take matters into my own hands if my so-called friends weren’t going to help me. There was no way I was going to let her come back and not get the full story. Maybe I just needed some closure, or maybe I just wanted to pick up the pieces and start over with her. “She fucking left in the middle of the parking lot after I admitted my feelings for her and we both know damn well that she felt the same way. So no, I’m not going to play your game! Just tell me what she fucking said!” I bellowed, seeing Gates and Vengeance peaking down the hall at the situation.

Jimmy sighed and ran his hands over his face. “Look, you have to understand it from her point of view,” he started. “She thought that if she told you how she felt then she wouldn’t be able to leave. So she lied and she really regrets it,” Jimmy said as the feeling of butterflies of erupted in my stomach. “She may not have come right out and said it but I know she still cares about you, Shads. Fuck she asks about you every time we talk.”

“She does?” I asked, a small smile coming over my face. I could still picture here dark eyes and gorgeous smiles.

Jimmy nodded. “And you didn’t hear it from me, but she mentioned wanting to right some wrongs she caused before she left…”

My smile instantly grew with Jimmy’s words, my hope reignited. Did that mean she still wanted to fix things? Did she want to start over? My heart soared at the thought. “You have to help me Jimmy…” I said, grabbing him by the arms. “I can’t let her get away again.”

“Oh, don’t worry…the Knife Master already has a master plan in motion,” Jimmy smirked and rubbed his hands together. “You and little Mei Mei will live happily ever after and you will have me to thank!” He declared.

“You’re the best, Jimbo,” I said, pulling him into a hug and clapping his back. Fuck I hadn’t been this excited in months. What I wouldn’t do to hold her in my arms and kiss her again. I could still recall the softness of her lips and her sweet taste. Fucking hell the next two days would be the longest wait of my life… “I fucking owe you, man.”

“Don’t worry, it will only cost you your first born child,” he said with a wicked smirk before he pulled me over to the table. “Sit down, young padawon, we’ve got a lot of work to do! Little Mei isn’t going to know what hit her! The Love Doctor Knife Master is in the house!”

Notes

So Mr. Sanders isn't over Mei either, huh? Well who is surprised about that? I mean, Miss Mei is pretty awesome! ;)

What do you think Jimbo has planned to get them back together? Do you think he'll have to work too hard? ;)