“There’s gotta be some of your clothes in here somewhere” La’Nay spoke mainly to herself as she searched through the closet of her studio. Over the past couple of months it had started to become somewhat of a storage place for mainly Jason’s stuff and as much as it annoyed her, she didn’t say anything about it. Nothing made La’Nay more uncomfortable than confrontation of any kind. She would shut down completely curl in on herself as a defense mechanism.

“Why is all this stuff in your studio?” Matt asked as he took a good look around the space. There were random boxes scattered around the place that definitely didn’t hold art supplies.

“There's a bunch of stuff Jason wants to get rid of but he wants to go through it all first. This is just temporary until he does.” she explained but Matt was wary of it.

“Why don’t you just use the guest room?”

“We both agreed that we’d leave that space clutter free just incase someone stays over.” Nay explained and Matt fought the urge to call her out on her bullshit. He could tell that she was lying. He’d bet anything Jason had just started dumping his stuff there and his wife was too passive to argue about it. Her art studio was like her safe haven and it pissed Matt off to see it be taken over by all of Jason’s useless crap.

“It's fine really” La’Nay said trying to reassure her friend that it truly didn’t bother her. Despite being upset about it she kept it to herself. She didn’t need anybody to worry about her when they had problems of their own to deal with.

As his best friend searched on her hands and knees for a box of his stuff, Matt clenched his fists so hard he was sure there were nail marks in his palms. Sometimes he cursed the fact that La’Nay was so stunning because she made it difficult not to get lost in her. She had curves in all the right places, and intricate tattoos of her own design that littered her golden skin. La’Nay was downright sexy and as she searched around her closet with her ass in the air, she was unintentionally making it hard for Matt to contain himself and resist the urge to smack it. Feeling the familiar rise of arousal course through him; Matt tried to think of anything to stop his oncoming boner. After a rather disturbing image of his parents he was able to shake himself out of his thoughts with a shudder just as she squealed in triumph.

“Finally! I found it!” La’Nay spoke, shimming out of the closet pulling out a box labeled ‘Matt’s shit’. She opened the box and rummaged through it for a second before pulling out a t-shirt and tossing it to him.

“Sweet, thanks Lala” Matt spoke as he lifted his shirt off and over his head without a second thought. La’Nay gulped at the sight of her best friend’s toned tattooed chest and bit her lip. It wasn't as if she was stupid and didn’t notice her best friend was attractive and basically every woman’s wet dream; it had just been a long time since she’d chosen to acknowledged it. She had tried so hard to overlook it because she was a married woman and they weren't in high school anymore. It didn’t do her any good to be attracted to her best friend.

She turned back to the box to avoid watching him put on a fresh shirt; instead she searched for a pair of pants for him to wear. La’Nay stood up when she managed to find a pair of black sweatpants. She stood up to hand them to him and managed to slip from her socks against the hardwood floor. She let out a squeak of surprise as she landed against Matt’s board chest. His arms found themselves on the small of her back, dangerously close to her ass to hold her steady. La’Nay gulped and her heart started pounding in her chest as his hazel eyes bore into her as if they saw into her soul. She’d always hated how he could make her heart race and her knees weak.

“You alright?” He asked brushing some loose strands of hair behind her ear.

“Huh?” She quirked her head to the side, she’d gotten lost in his eyes and momentarily forgot the question. “O-oh y-yeah, I’m fine” La’Nay stuttered As she slowly pushed out of his embrace. “I-I found you some sweatpants.” She told him awkwardly and practically shoved them against his chest. “I’ll let you finish getting changed” she mumbled staring down at the floor as she moved around him as she rushed out the room.

Matt let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding And ran his fingers through his ever growing hair and cursed. Though it had been an accident, there was a moment there that neither of them could deny but would refuse to acknowledge. “Fuck” he mumbled, gripping the sweatpants tight in his fist, mentally kicking himself. He had dated more often and fooled around to distract himself from thoughts of his best friend. But for those few moments Matt had held her in his arms, he was brought back to that day when the two of them were seventeen, young and unsure of the world alone in his bedroom. Before he’d fucked everything up. Matt knew the same thing had gone through La’Nay’s mind and he’d hoped this wouldn’t make things awkward between them or start to tread into forbidden territory.


*****
Abrianna Baker considered herself a good person, despite it being her job as a psychologist she loved to assist people. Abrianna found joy out of helping others through their problems and at times it seemed like it was a way to avoid her own. She loved fiercely and desperately tried hard to please those around her. It was rare that she disliked people or couldn't get along with someone. But out of all the people in the world that hated her it unfortunately was her in-laws. From the moment Zack had brought Abrianna home to introduce her to his parents she knew they couldn’t stand her and the reason why had been painful.

Abrianna remembered the day perfectly, at twenty years old she’d been so ecstatic to finally meet the parents of the man she loved. But when Zack’s parents eyes had landed on her, she saw the light of excitement in their eyes diminish. Abrianna had felt so uncomfortable and wanted to flee. She had watched as their eyes traveled down to Zack and her’s entwined fingers, the flicker of disgust at the blend of their contrasting skin tones. Abrianna knew right off the bat that Zack’s parents disliked her strictly because of her race. The knowledge hurt her to the core but she put up with it because she loved her husband more than anything. Abrianna could ignore the snide and downright offensive remarks they’d whenever Zack would leave them alone in room together for less than five minutes. She put up with their fake smiles when her husband was by her side because no matter what Abrianna wasn’t going to give him up.

She could put up with anything her in-laws threw at her but the moment they started making remarks about their own granddaughter was where she drew the line. This had caused many arguments between her and her husband and it was breaking her heart. Zack would never confronted his parents no matter how many times she had pleaded for him to do so and it was starting to cause a rift between them. Abrianna had flat out refused to let their daughter Neema visit them. She’d been born five years ago and they still barely acknowledged her as their granddaughter, so what right did they have to try and spend time with her? Zack and Abrianna had been together for thirteen years; having dated for five and married for eight. She’d put up with her in-laws bullshit for far too long and she refused to do it any longer.

“Abri, Baby?” Zack brought her out of her thoughts. She was standing in the kitchen, the girls had long since gone back to the living room. Her parents had called to let her know that Neema was doing fine. The phone call had brought on her string of negative thoughts and she’d sat in the kitchen lost in thought. Her parents loved Neema so much so why was it so hard for her in-laws to accept her and their grandchild? Her own parents had adored Zack from the moment they met him, thinking that there was no one better out there for their daughter than him. If only they knew half the crap his parents had put her through that might not be the case.

Abrianna glanced up from the counter and smiled bittersweetly up at her husband standing in the doorway. “Hey Babe.” She whispered meekly, standing up straight just in time for him to wrap her up in his arms and press her against the counter.

“You okay? You’ve been in here for a while.” He inquired, looking down at her with concern. Abrianna just smiled and rested her palm against his cheek.

“I’m fine, Zacky. I just got off the phone with my mom, she said Nene is doing fine, she just put her to bed. She also said they wouldn’t mind if we picked her up at night tomorrow.”

Zacky pulled her closer by her waist and kissed her sweetly before smiling against her lips mischievously “Well I guess that means we get plenty of alone time tomorrow huh?” He murmured wiggling his eyebrows suggestively causing her to giggle and swat at his chest playfully.

“I guess so.”

Zack hummed in agreement, kissing her again but with more force, grip tightening on her hips. Her arms made their way around his neck and she leaned into Zacky’s touch, inhaling the comforting scent of his musky cologne. They simply held each other in their friends’ kitchen, enjoying the quiet moment together.

“Abri” Zack started to speak breaking the comfortable silence.

“Yeah Babe?” Abrianna asked removing her head from his shoulder.

“My parents called earlier today-” her husband started and just like that their nice moment was ruined.

“Zack-” she tried cutting him off as she pushed herself away from him, but Zack wasn't having it.

“Baby, just hear me out” He tried to reason, but his wife had already checked out of the conversation. “They haven't seem Neema in over two months. They're asking if they can spend next Friday with her?”

“No” she bluntly told him. “No way in hell.”

“Abrianna-” signed in frustration.

“No Zack, I'm serious. They have been nothing but disrespectful to me and her and if they think I'm gonna let them see my daughter after that snide comment they made about her the last time we visited, they must be out their goddamn minds.”

“Babe, I think you're over exaggerating.” he tried to reason, that only added fuel to the fire.

“You weren't there Zack! You left the room when they said it so you don't get to fucking tell me I overreacted for cussing them out and then storming out of their house with her.” his wife practically growled at him and it was slightly terrifying to see her so upset.

“Look, they apologized-”

“To you!” She whisper-shouted trying not to attract their friends attention “Your parents apologized to you, Zachary. Not the people they actually insulted.”

“Babe, they just haven't warmed up to the fact that-”

“What? That I'm black?” She'd asked him harshly refusing to give his parents excuses for their downright awful behavior. “They've had thirteen years, Zachary. If they haven't by now they never will and you need to start realizing that.” She spat.

“They still should be able to see their granddaughter.” Zack tried to reason and Abrianna wanted to cry from frustration. Why couldn't her husband understand that his parents were toxic to his family's stability?

“Your parents basically called our child a mutt and you still think they should be allowed to see her? Unbelievable” she scoffed feeling anger start to simmer in her veins. She wrapped her arms around her stomach to try and keep herself level-headed but it was getting hard. Did he not understand how damaging comments like that could be? They had called Neema a half-breed! If Zack’s parents could say something like straight to Neema and her face, Abrianna was terrified to know how they’d talk about Neema if she left them alone with her.

“That's not what they meant.” Zack tried to reason, since he hadn’t been there to hear it he just couldn’t fathom that his parents could say something so awful about their own grandchild.

“Oh yes the fuck it was and I'm not putting up with it anymore! Listen, Zack, I love you more than anything else in this world. You and Neema are my life. I put up with your parents because it used to be just us and it didn't matter. But now it's not just the two of us anymore. We have a beautiful little girl, with a smile that could outshine the sun. Yet all your parents see is that she is half of me and they’re ashamed of that. It's the three of us now and for her sake I will not put up with your parents racist bullshit. Neema will not be subjected to such negativity. I refuse.”

“Baby-”

“I love you, Zack, but I don't know how much more of this I can put up with.” The unsaid warning was clear and unwavering, leaving her husband speechless. Abrianna signed and ran her hands through her loose curls in stress as she desperately tried not to cry. “Look, I came out tonight to have a good time with our friends and avoid my problems. Can't we just forget and leave the bullshit behind for tonight please?” She pleaded just wanting the conversation to die.

Sensing that his wife was on the verge of tears, Zack let it go and pulled her into his arms again. He squeezed her tight and kissed her forehead as he cradled her to his chest. His heart broke at the sound of her sniffling into his shoulder as Abrianna’s body started to shake. Zack was at such a loss as of what to do with his family situation.

“You know I love you more than anything else in this world right? You and Neema are my universe” He whispered, rubbing circles into her back, as he rocked them back and forth. Zack held his breath as his wife seemed to hesitate over her response. Tears welled up in his eyes, because it was supposed to be his job to let her know she meant everything to him and he was failing.

“Y-yeah, I know.” Abrianna stammered and Zack felt a sharp pain in his chest as if he'd been slashed through the heart. It ached knowing that his parents were causing his wife to become insecure about the foundation of their relationship. Zack knew it’d be easier to cut them out of his life, but how could he do that to his own parents? He'd been on the fence, struggling to find a solution that would appease everyone. Zack truly didn't know what to do and it was tearing his family apart.


*****
Blenda watched as Abrianna and Zack walked back into the living room, practically glued together. She picked up on their body language and could tell despite the intimacy of their embrace, they’d just had another argument about Zack’s parents. The group of women didn’t hang out strictly because their husbands were all friends. All five of them genuinely, loved and cared for each other and there were no secrets between them. Knowing Abrianna’s family issues, she couldn’t help to think of her own as she curled up against her husband’s side.

When Blenda Haner first met her husband Brian when she was twenty one, the last thing she expected was to become a mother like figure to his four year old son. He'd dropped the bomb on her that he was a single father six months into them dating. And at first she didn't know what to do whether or not she could handle being in a relationship like that at such a young age. Brian had explained to Blenda how at eighteen he found out his ex-girlfriend was pregnant and the drama behind gaining custody.

Brian had meant so much to her so fast that it was impossible for her to walk away. The moment Blenda laid eyes on Brian's son Landon for the first time she knew that the pair had her reeled in for life. The way the child had peaked up at her shyly from behind his father’s legs gripping tightly at his pant leg, did something to her heart that she could never explain. From that moment on Blenda felt as if Landon was her own son. She loved them both to the moon and back, their little set up had worked perfectly up until Avenged Sevenfold had truly taken off.

Brian's ex-girlfriend Lindsey for lack of a better word was a vindictive woman, but Blenda liked to call her a bitch. She hated her with a passion and always wondered how someone could treat their child the way she did. Once Brian's band fully started getting bigger so did his income and Lindsey used her son as a means of getting a large sum of it.

It made Blenda sick to her stomach knowing that Landon was viewed as an asset more than a child. If she had it her way, that woman wouldn’t come within ten thousand feet of Landon. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t biologically hers; Landon was her son and that bitch Lindsey didn’t want anything to do with him until Brian started making big money. She had reappeared around the time Landon had turned nine, just a few months after Blenda and Brian had gotten married and Landon had legally become her son.

Lindsey had demanded joint custody and Blenda resented the fact Brian had never filed for full custody. The couple never thought anything like this would happen because Lindsey had just up and left when Landon was two with no intentions of coming back. She had plead her case that she was young and stupid, not ready to raise a child, but now she wanted to make things right. Blenda saw right through her, if Lindsey gained joint custody that meant Brian would have to start paying child support. Blenda knew damn well that money wasn’t going to be spent on Landon.

Brian at first believed that Lindsey deserved a second chance to be in her son’s life and put up no real fight when it came to a custody agreement. For the past four years Lindsey had Landon every other weekend and certain holidays. When Brian was on tour Lindsey had him for the majority of it. Blenda’s saving grace was that Landon refused to call Lindsey mom. Blenda had been mom to him since he was five years old and now at the age of thirteen that thankfully hadn’t changed.

Landon had made it known to his parents that he didn’t like Lindsey. He used to throw tantrums whenever he had to stay with her. It broke her heart to know her son was so miserable with his birth mother and there was nothing she could really do about it. Brian had the control over that issue and he still insisted that it was a good thing that Landon knew her. How Brian didn’t see that Lindsey was using him baffled Blenda and it had been the subject of many fights between them.

This upcoming trip had fueled the fire to a full out screaming match between the couple and Blenda had been grateful that Landon and their three year old daughter Paris were at her parents house when it happened. Lindsey wanted Landon with her while they were on vacation and neither Blenda or her son were happy about the idea. Landon wanted to stay with Brian’s parents since his sister would be staying there. Blenda had agreed that would be best; Paris tended to get anxious and cause a fit if she didn’t see the three of them. Brian had insisted that it would be a good bonding experience since it was the summer and school was out.

“I think it would be good for him if he spent the two weeks with her” Brian had tried to reason but Blenda shook her head.

“Brian, would you please stop trying to push Landon into spending time with Lindsey? He doesn’t like it, he tells me all the time! He calls me and practically begs to come home when you're out on tour.”

“Probably cause you keep putting these thoughts in his head that she’s such an awful person that only wants him around for money. She's his mother, Blenda!”

“No Brian, I’m his mother and I’m telling you that this is an awful idea, separating our kids for two weeks like this is a bad idea!”

Brian had scoffed and rolled his eyes “Oh please, signing a piece of paper doesn’t make you someone's mother.” Her husband knew he’d fucked up the moment those words slipped from his mouth and Blenda had felt as if he’d backhanded her across the face. Her heart ached but she was too proud to cry.

“And giving birth doesn’t make you someone’s mother either.” Blenda had choked out and Brian had tried to backtrack and take back his words but the damage had been done.

That had been a week ago and now Landon was still spending their vacation with Lindsey and Blenda could barely look Brian in the eyes. She had played it off like his words no longer affected her, but Brian’s words had cut her to the core. She never thought that he would throw it in her face that Landon would never truly be hers. Brian might not have meant it that way but it that’s exactly what his words meant.

Blenda focused back in on the conversation about their upcoming trip even though Brian’s decision had ruined the excitement for her. How was so supposed to enjoy herself in Tahiti when her son was going to be paraded around like a trophy while she was away?

All her friends were scattered around La’Nay and Jason’s living room and it was nice to have everyone together under one roof. She found it a bit odd that Matt and La’Nay were on opposite sides of the room but Blenda didn’t think much of it.

"What exactly do we have planned for this trip?" Jimmy asked openly and Abrianna, La'Nay and Jamie laughed amongst themselves. The three of them had been relentless when it came to planning the group’s next trip. They had compiled a list of almost twenty different destinations before narrowing it down to Tahiti. Between the three of them they had booked a house for everyone and planned excursions, rented boats and cars and more. For this vacation the three of them had gone full out and it had taken almost eight months worth of planning. "There's a long list of stuff we're doing Babe, I’m gonna print out an itinerary before we leave" Jamie explained to him kissing his cheek. “Trust me, you’re gonna have a blast!”"Well what exactly am I going to do on this trip? I bet a lot of things are going to be couple related" Matt groaned and La'Nay giggled a bit at his pout."Don't worry Mattie, my friend Tiffany is coming too and she's single, I think you two could hit it off" She spoke excitedly. Jason's head whipped up at the mention of his wife's friend. "What do you mean Tiffany’s coming?" he asked and that piped everyone’s interest. The entire night he’d been anti-social but the moment this woman was mentioned he sprung into life. The girls could sense something was off from a mile away and they glanced at each other noticing that La’Nay didn’t seem to notice anything wrong with her husband’s reaction. She’d always been too naive for her own good.

“Jason, I told you she was coming like a few weeks ago. She managed to get two weeks off her job and the house we rented has an extra room so I invited her” La’Nay explained.

Their friend had mentioned Tiffany before but none of them had ever met her. The girls had been excited to have another woman with them on the trip, it be nice to have another friend in their circle. But judging by Jason’s reaction the girls didn’t know if they should embrace the new girl with open arms or be cautious.

“Oh good, she’ll definitely make things fun.” Jason concluded turning back to his phone seeming more interested in it than before. Just like that the girls knew they needed to be cautious of this Tiffany person. Hailey, Jamie, Abrianna and Blenda managed to share a look without anyone else noticing. Looked like that have more to worry about on this trip than they thought.

Notes

I managed to put the next part out way faster then I thought I would. They'll be more on the Sullivan and Seward couples next chapter.

I'm aiming to have an update out every Saturday or Sunday. Hopefully I can keep that up. Anyway thank you so much for ready. I love hearing people's inputs so if you want tell me what you think.

Thank you for reading!