CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
MEL
The next couple of weeks for Mel were as crazy as they came. She had two weeks to hire an attorney, an
accountant, and line up a string of realtors for the properties she was about to inherit. She visited the penthouse and the house in the Hamptons. Two of the four vehicles and one of the yachts resided in the Hamptons. She learned that there was a vehicle in Tuscany and a vehicle and a yacht in Cabo.
Drew had tried to help her out as best she could, but she suddenly found auditions crawling out of the woodworks. She had already been to L.A. once more since the first horrific audition and, thankfully, it wasn't near as bad as that one had been. It seemed that both women's lives were going full steam ahead at a very rapid rate.
When, finally, Mel had received her inheritance and the deeds and titles, she was able to breathe. In that time, she had suggested to Drew, "Let's fly home to Tulsa."
Drew was hesitant at first but it hadn't taken much convincing. And now here they were, stepping off the plane at the airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
"We could have flown first class, you know that, right?" Drew complained as she searched for something in her carry-on bag.
Mel smile wryly. "Yeah, but for what purpose?"
"Uh, for privacy? And champagne? And less people! I thought that woman's kid would never shut up!"
Mel laughed. "You'll live."
Suddenly, Mel and Drew were assaulted by Mel's mother as they entered the airport. "Oh, my girls!" she squealed, wrapping an arm around each of their necks and bringing them in for a three-way hug. "I am so excited you're here!"
Mel's mother talked nonstop as she drove them to her house. Mel smiled as she rambled. It felt good to feel like her mother's child again, sitting next to her in the car. Until Tay's name came up. "So, I hear you and Taylor are on speaking terms again."
"Uh, yeah," Mel answered. "We are."
Her mother's tone turned serious. "You do realize he's married..."
Mel sighed. "Yes, Mother. It's not even like that. We're friends. That's all."
"Okay," her mother said, sounding unconvinced.
Thankfully, good ole Drew saved the day by bringing up her L.A. auditions. Mel was more than happy to allow her to take over conversation until they got home.
As Drew and her mother talked, Mel took a moment to snap a photo of downtown Tulsa with her phone as they sat at a red light. Quickly, she sent it to Jason and captioned it, "Downtown Tulsa!" It seemed to be becoming a fun game they shared. Each time they found themselves in a different location, they sent a picture. Jason's pictures were much more plentiful and much more beautiful than Mel's were. She hoped to change that, though, seeing as she had Cabo and Tuscany in her future.
He texted her back. "At home, huh? Nice! For how long?"
She texted back. "A few days? Maybe a week? Not sure yet. Lots to catch you up on."
Within a minute or so, he texted her back. "I have news, too. Call me tonight. Your time."
Mel found herself smiling. She really did like him. If it weren't for their--well mostly his--damn busy schedules, they probably could have made something work.
Her mind immediately shifted to Tay and her breath left her body for a moment. She may have liked Jason, but there was no mistake who her heart belonged to. It was just too bad his heart legally, and admittedly
partially, belonged to someone else. Why did it have to be like that for her? Why couldn't she just freely give into Jason, who was tall and sexy and wise and kind and caring and perfect--and single! Why was Mel's
heart so damn warped?
As her mind drifted to heart transplants she suddenly remembered that she needed to get in touch with Tay. Since Natalie was back home from Georgia, calling wasn't the best method. Once again, she relied on texting.
"Drew and I are in town this week."
"Already?" he texted back almost immediately. "Thought that wasn't till next week?"
"Wanted to go ahead and get the ball rolling on things. Going to pay off my mom's house tomorrow. I need to meet with you and Ike and Zac about something important. When is a good time?"
"I'll have to ask them and get back to you."
"I'll need to know ASAP."
"Got it."
Mel put her phone away as her mother pulled into the driveway. Mel took a deep breath. She was glad to be home.
______________________________________________
Late that night, Mel hid away in her room and called Jason. "Hey, beautiful," he flirted when he answered. "I almost thought you weren't gonna call."
"Oh, were you waiting by the phone?" Mel flirted back.
"Maybe." They both laughed. "So what's going on with you?"
Mel sighed. "More drama, story of my life." She went over the entire past two weeks with him, inheritance and all. "And now here I am, in Tulsa. We're paying off my mother's house tomorrow and then I have a
meeting with Ike, Tay, and Zac the day after that."
"Meeting? I thought you guys were tight?"
"Uh, we are. I just have...sort of a proposition to pitch to them, I guess. What's your news?"
"Uh, well," she could practically feel him grinning through the phone. "I'm pretty sure I've been offered the lead in a movie..."
"Oh my god, Jason!" Mel found herself practically squealing. "That is so awesome, I'm so happy for you!"
He laughed modestly. "Well, let's not get too excited yet. I mean, they offered it to me and we're still in talks and the movie is extremely early in pre-production. There's still a chance they could pass on me and
give it to someone else."
"No," she disagreed. "Surely that won't happen. You'll be fantastic, I know it. So what's it about?"
"It's really awesome, actually. Right up my alley. It's sort of set in...prehistoric-type times and I would play this, like, rogue warrior who discovers that he comes from a line of powerful men, like, that deal with some
kinda black magic and shit. Anyway, this evil sorceress bitch sends her minions to steal the power source and it's up to my character to hunt her down and get it back before she destroys his entire clan. It's very burley and physical and action-packed. Just really fucking cool. I'm excited about it."
Mel found herself blushing. "Well, if they're looking for physical they've definitely come to the right man."
"Don't you know it," his deep, sexy voice said seductively.
After a few more minutes, they wrapped up their call. Mel lay her head down on her pillow and stared into the darkness of the room. She took a deep breath and attempted to sleep. For someone who had virtually all
her problems solved with her newfound financial freedom, it sure didn't seem to help clear her mind any or alleviate any kind of stress. She had an inkling that these next few days couldn't possibly be your typical, every day, stress-free trip home.
_________________________________________
Two days later, Mel and Drew were sitting across from Isaac, Taylor, and Zac at the conference table at 3CG Records. Mel had had reservations about having Drew attend the meeting, as she needed Zac's undivided attention.
This was why five cell phones lay face down at the opposite end of the table.
"Um, so," Mel began nervously. "Thank you for meeting me--"
"Mel, this is stupid," Zac cut her off.
Ike back-handed him on his arm.
"What?" Zac said, defensively. "It is. Since when are the five of us this formal?"
Mel was annoyed. "I don't know, Zac. How often do I offer you two million dollars?"
One mouth was silenced and three pairs of eyes widened.
"Anyway," Mel continued. "As I'm sure you all know by now, I have recently come into some money that I neither earned nor wanted. And so, to cut right to the chase, I want to invest two million dollars of it into your company."
The three of them looked at each other and Ike sat back in his chair. "Why?" he asked.
Mel was stumped. She expected this to be an easy sell. She wasn't exactly prepared to back it up. "Um, because I can?" was the best she could come up with.
Ike looked at her, suspicion rampant in his expression. "Seriously."
"I don't WANT your label, if that's what you're thinking," Mel said. "I don't want my name on it, I don't want song rights, creative rights, any of that stuff. Think of it as more of a contribution..."
"So why not just make a contribution?" Ike asked.
Mel went blank again. "Uh...uh, because I'm trying to hand over two million dollars. I'm not gonna just make it rain in here without something in it for me."
"What do you want?" Ike asked.
Mel was silent.
"You didn't really think this through, did you?" Ike asked, now slightly amused.
"I DID," she argued. "I just wasn't expecting this--this whole barrage of suspicion here."
"Well forgive me for sounding suspicious, but it's not every day we have someone wanting to hand over that kind of money for nothing. I mean, think about it."
"Okay, look," she sighed, defeated. "You guys are my best friends, okay? And, yeah, so I disappeared for ten years without a word. And I feel horrible about that. But now you guys have this fantastic little label here that really has great potential to grow and I have the means to help make it happen."
"Little label?" Zac scoffed.
"Well, do you have any other artists signed besides yourselves?"
Zac shifted in his seat, uncomfortably.
Taylor, having been silent during the entire exchange, finally spoke up. "So, what, you think the label is, like, inadequate or something?"
"No, not at all. I mean, think of what you guys could do what that money. New equipment, new marketing tools...you could build an entire new studio. A larger one. And maybe charge for studio time for other
artists. You could start to branch out. And as you branch out, you would need employees...I'm not saying that two million dollars will take care of ALL of that, but it sure would put one hell of a jump start on it."
"And you would want...what?" Tay asked.
"Input," Mel replied, simply.
"Input," Ike repeated. "You want to pay two million dollars for input? That's kind of ridiculous."
Mel leaned across the table. "Ike, what the hell else am I gonna do? I mean, think about it. Drew, here, is most likely gonna be gone soon whenever she lands her first major role. The three of you guys are about to get busy writing and recording demos and taking care of your families--hell, even Jason's career won't keep him in one spot long enough to keep the seat warm. And here I am. Sure, I can do whatever I want now. But what am I gonna do, travel the world alone? I need SOMETHING to be a part of."
Mel's breath shortened. She had never said that out loud before. She had never even put it into perspective until that very moment. She realized that maybe that's what the biggest problem with having all this money might be. That no matter how much money she had, the people around her would still go on with her lives and she would still be completely alone. No matter what. What a depressing realization she had just had.
"Mel," Zac said, quietly. "You don't have to PAY us to hang out here or whatever. I mean, we couldn't really take your money..."
"It's not like that," Mel said. "I want creative input. I want some say in what goes on the album, what singles are released, what marketing campaigns to use...that sort of thing. You guys would, of course, get final say on everything, but I want my opinions to COUNT."
Ike sighed and rubbed his chin in thought. "Two million--I mean, you're not going to see very much of a return on two million dollars. Honestly. I mean, there will be some, but not much at all."
"I have no problem with that," Mel said. "I mean, it's not like I really need it. It's not like I'm out here buying up mansions and sports cars and shit."
Ike laughed. "Okay. Give us the day to talk about it and we'll get back with you about it tomorrow morning. Deal?"
"Deal," Mel agreed.
__________________________________
DREW
As everyone began to go their separate ways, Zac walked around the table and caught Drew alone. "Hey," he said. "You wanna go grab lunch or something?"
"Um," she nervously looked around and saw Mel talking to Ike and Tay. It wasn't like she had anywhere to be. "Yeah, sure. That would be good."
Zac and Drew walked downtown to the Hyatt Regency. As they walked through the hotel door, Drew remarked, "Wow. Hotels seem to be the common theme with us, huh?"
Zac smirked at her. "We came because the food here happens to be awesome." He shook his head as he let her walk in ahead of him.
"I'm glad you're back in Tulsa," Zac said to Drew, over lunch.
Drew smiled. "Me, too. It's kinda strange, though. Feels different. Believe it or not, I'm actually kinda homesick for the city..."
"But I'm not in the city," Zac said in mock hurt.
Drew scowled at him. "Yeah, neither is your wife."
Zac returned the scowl as he turned his attention back to his food.
Suddenly, Drew's phone rang. She considered ignoring it, but nowadays she never knew what the phone call was going to be about. "Hey, I gotta take this," she said to Zac.
She removed herself from the table to answer her agent's call. "Andrew Brooks! How are you?"
"Paul..." Drew greeted him, suspiciously. "Since when do you use my full name?"
"Since this fantastic offer just came across my desk! I need to meet with you ASAP, like, in the next day or so."
"Paul, I'm not even in New York right now, I'm in Okla--wait, did you say 'offer?'"
"Drew, you got an offer! Not just an audition, an OFFER!!"
Drew couldn't control herself. She started squealing in excitement. "Paul, oh my god! Oh my god!! I can be in your office tomorrow! Holy shit!"
"Holy shit, I know! But you need to hurry here, they're not gonna take their sweet time with this. If they don't hear from you quickly, they're gonna go ahead and move on with plan B. And trust me, they have a
plan B."
"I promise, I will be in your office tomorrow. I promise! Thank you!"
When Drew returned to her seat across from Zac, he was looking at her expectantly. "What was that all about?"
Drew was all smiles. "I got an offer!"
"Drew, that's awesome! I'm so proud of you! What's it for?"
Drew's excitement took a pause. "You know, I didn't ask...I'll find out tomorrow. But oh my god, I can't believe it! I mean, if it was just a commercial or a guest spot or something he would have told me. But for him to be THIS excited about it must mean it's something huge! Zac, this could be it! I could finally be on my way!"
Zac's bright smile began to slowly diminish. Drew had noticed, but she tried not to think much of it. Her heart and her brain were going a mile a minute. It was all she could do not to run all the way to the airport on foot and hop on the plane to New York right this very second.
After they finished lunch, they strolled down the street back toward 3CG. "I'm going to miss you," Zac suddenly said to her.
Drew laughed in disbelief. "Well, I'm not gone yet, what are you saying?"
"I mean, you know. Once you start getting famous and traveling the world and stuff...you're schedule's going to be packed. You just came back into my life after ten years and now you're going to leave it again. And I'm going to miss you."
Drew stopped in the middle of the street. "It's just an offer. It might be shit, I might not even take it, who knows? Zac--you're not saying goodbye to me right now are you?"
"Well, no, I'm just saying--"
"Cause there's no goodbye here," Drew said. "I'm not going anywhere, I'm always going to be around. Don't say stupid shit like that. Besides, you're gonna be writing and recording and touring and shit. You're gonna be gone just as much as I am."
Zac looked at the ground and they continued walking.
"Look, I'm sorry," Drew continued. "I don't do the goodbye thing very well. You know that. I can't believe you brought it up."
Zac scoffed at her. "Actually, YOU brought it up."
"Well...whatever," she said, trying to save face. "Just don't bring it up again."
_____________________________________________
HANSON
That night, Isaac, Taylor, and Zac sat around at the studio. "So, this Mel thing," Zac began. "Do we take it seriously or what?"
Ike and Zac both looked at Tay, expectantly. "Hey, I didn't even know this was gonna happen. She gave me absolutely no clue at all. But, yeah, I think she might be serious."
"The whole thing is just weird," Ike said. "Like--just weird. She disappears, comes back and is like, 'oh, here's two million dollars for nothing.' Who does that?"
"Well, you heard what she said about it," Tay said. "I mean, she's right, think of what we could do what that money. It's not like we have a million investors beating down our door or anything."
"Yeah, but do we NEED investors?" Ike asked.
The three of them sat in silence, contemplating the question.
"An investor is not necessarily a bad thing..." Zac said, breaking the silence. "Tay's right. How often is this gonna happen?"
"It's no question we could definitely use the money," Ike said. "I'm pretty sure we all agree on that. But it's just the whole--situation. Tay, I don't know how I would feel about your ex girlfriend owning a portion of 3CG Records. Honestly. And how would Natalie feel?"
"Uh, Natalie and 3CG are two completely different...entities. This is OUR business," Tay said, motioning to the three of them. "Natalie doesn't even factor in here. And really, neither should Nikki or Kate. All personal feelings aside, we have an individual that believes in us, who KNOWS us, and is willing to make a rather large investment into our company. I'm trying to be unbiased here when I say that we'd be stupid to turn it down."
Ike sighed. "We really could use that money. We have been discussing possibly relocating and it would really help to move the plan along. But I wouldn't feel right taking two million from her. That's just too much. There's no way she's getting hardly a return at all from that much money. I mean, I know she says she doesn't care about the money, but two million is a bit much to me, for what her 'reasons' for investing are."
He motioned quotations in the air at the word 'reasons.'
"I agree," Zac said. "I mean, I would maybe settle for half, but I think two is a little too much. I agree with Ike, it wouldn't be right."
Tay looked at Ike and Zac. "So...are we doing this?"
Zac and Ike looked at each other. "With the right terms, I don't see where it would be much of a problem," said Ike.
"Yeah," Zac agreed. "It's just Mel. I mean no matter what YOU did to her, I could pretty much count on her not to screw us.
Tay shot Zac a nasty Look. Zac simply shrugged.
_________________________________________
MEL
Late that night, Tay called Mel. Mel would have been asleep had her mind not been racing for the second night in a row.
"So, I know Ike told you we'd give you an answer in the morning," Tay told her. "But I wanted to go ahead and tell you. We're gonna accept your offer."
Mel smiled, not completely surprised. "I figured you might."
"But I am curious as to why? I mean, the real reason behind it?"
"Um, I was pretty truthful in there with my reasons. I literally need something to do. And I want to help you guys out. I know it sounds completely stupid and out of the ordinary. And, maybe...maybe deep down there's an underlying reason. I think, maybe, I need an excuse..." Mel's voice trailed off, afraid to complete her sentence.
"Excuse for what?" Tay asked, quietly. She knew that he knew what she was going to say next.
"To be close to you," she finished. She was almost completely inaudible and she didn't dare repeat it.
She didn't have to.
"Mel. You know you didn't have to do any of this monetary stuff to be close to me."
"I know...Tay, did you know what I have absolutely no idea where to go from here? I mean, I'm sitting here with $12 million in my pocket and I can think of absolutely nothing that I want to do with it? I mean, I would
love to travel the world, see all there is to see--but what fun is that if I have to do it alone? If I have nobody to share it with?"
"You're not alone."
"But I am, Tay. I am. And you know it."
Taylor sighed.
"I'm sorry," Mel said. "Didn't mean to get like that on you or whatever. I think maybe I'm overwhelmed right now. Or PMS'ing, I don't know."
"Um, so I've been thinking. A lot lately, actually. And what if--what if I told you that I might be ready--"
"Don't. Please don't."
"But what if I am?
"I don't think you are."
"But what if I am?"
"Then I would be lying if I said I wouldn't get my hopes up."
"Mel, do you want to be with me?"
Mel didn't answer. She couldn't. She just couldn't bring herself to say it.
"Mel?" he asked again.
"Yes," she finally gave in. "Yes. A thousand times, yes. I want to be with you so bad, it physically hurts, Tay. Okay? But I have to hold it in. I have to keep it in because I am not allowed to want you right now. It's wrong and I know it and you know it and there's really nothing we can do about it and it's shit. Okay? And to be honest, I can't sit around here and feel like this and wait on you forever. I am NOT giving you an ultimatum. I refuse to be the reason your marriage ends. Period. I don't want you jumping and making
impulse decisions that you're not ready to make. Because, Tay, if we ever ended up back together, I'm playing for keeps this time. I don't have time for bullshit anymore. I don't have any time left to be wasted."
She heard silence on the other end of the phone. She didn't try to get his attention. She didn't say his name or urge him to speak. She knew he was there.
"So," he finally said, slowly and quietly. "So, you're saying that...if circumstances were different, that you would...you'd take me back..."
"In a heartbeat."
"Forever..."
"Without ever looking back."
"And you're serious."
"I don't fucking play games, Tay. Not like this."
"Okay," he said. "Okay..."
"Dammit, Tay," Mel said. "I thought we weren't gonna talk about this shit anymore."
Tay kind of laughed. "Well, you're the one--"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Uggh, if I weren't in bed I'd need a drink."
"Are you an alcoholic?" he randomly asked.
"What? Am I an--no! Good lord. I mean, I don't smoke. What the hell else am I gonna do? I need a vice. So I drink. It's really not a big deal."
"Just checking..."
"What? It can't be more of a deal-breaker than your being married is."
"Yeah, very funny."
"Just saying..."
______________________________________
You've been trapped in a moment
Cause you've been running in place
And now you're casting a shadow
That's hanging long on my face
I see you keeping your distance
But you're not telling me why
You're looking to the horizon
Instead of here and now tonight
I don't know what is broken
You act like you don't belong here anymore
If you've really lost something
Maybe you should start where you've been before
I think you're Already Home
You keep running round in circles, boy
You'll end up, right back at the eye of the storm
When you see your reflection
Do you recognize yourself
Cause every word that you say
I hear another cry for help
If you can't see it
Why don't you open your eyes
I'm right here waiting
You don't have to go far
Because you're Already Home
When you're all fed up, being down
When you're all fed up
You'll be the last man standing on the battleground
When you're all fed up, being down
You can come home to this town
The next morning, Mel was dragging ass. She had asked Drew to come along with her to the meeting, only to find out that she was already jetting back off to New York. "I have to meet with Paul," she said. "He has an offer for me! Not just an audition, but an actual offer!"
Mel and Drew celebrated that morning with breakfast before Mel drove Drew to the airport. "Do you need me to come back?" Drew asked.
"That is completely up to you. I mean, what I needed to do here this week is pretty much already done. I'll probably head back to New York in the next day or so. If you think you can handle all that flying then come
on back!"
Drew laughed. "I'll keep you posted."
Mel drove straight to 3CG Records after seeing Drew off and, for the second time that week, met with Isaac, Taylor, and Zac. This time, Tay sat beside Mel and the two of them sat across from Ike and Zac.
"Okay," Ike began. "We've talked it over and we have decided to accept your offer."
Mel smiled. "Great."
"But I have to say," he continued. "This is probably the craziest business transaction we have ever done, hands down. And if it were anybody else but you, we probably would have wasted no time saying no."
Mel shrugged modestly. "I know, the whole thing is quite unorthodox, but this was something I wanted to do."
"We know," Ike said. "But the truth is, you won't see a high return on two million dollars. That's just the reality of it. And that's just besides the fact that we don't feel right accepting that kind of money from you. Well, we don't really feel right taking any money from you at all, but two million is just too much. Too much for the little bit you've proposed. We're prepared to settle for one million. No more."
Mel glanced at the three of them and nodded. "Okay," she said. "I can deal with that."
"I know you said that you wanted to have creative and marketing input, and that's fine. We really do value your opinion on things, we always have," Zac said. "But honestly, we could really use your help around the
studio. Marketing would be something you could get involved in, along with merch and PR--we would really love to have you on board. Especially since you know us and all. I mean, you've been with us virtually since the beginning. I couldn't imagine you not taking the reigns on the office support here."
Mel smiled. "I'd love to do what I can for you guys, really. But to be clear, don't expect full 40 hour weeks from me, 52 weeks per year. And don't expect me to be in town all the time either--"
Tay jerked his head to look at her. "What are you talking about?"
She looked over at him. "Well I'm going to be spending some time in Tuscany and Cabo here and there trying to get those properties sold. And I do have my residence in New York. My whole life is there."
"I thought you were moving back to Tulsa?"
"It was just a thought, I haven't decided yet."
"I don't see where doing anything outside of the office would be a problem," Ike said. "I don't expect you to be, like, a full time employee or anything. I don't expect you to be an employee at all, really. Just any time you can find some time to come in here and shift some boxes around would be fine with us."
"Awesome," Mel said, grateful that Ike had interrupted hers and Taylor's little exchange. "I think we have a deal. We'll need to schedule a time for our attorneys to meet and iron out all the paperwork."
As the meeting adjourned and Ike and Zac went their separate ways, Tay held Mel back at the table. "Mel, what about that stuff you said last night?"
She raised her eyebrows in question.
"You know, about you wanting--"
"I know what I said," she interrupted. "Be realistic here. Did you think I was going to chain myself to a desk or something? I meant what I said, but I have my own business to take care of, too. It can't be about you all the time."
"I didn't say it was."
"Well you sure are acting like it."
"It's Jason, isn't it?"
Mel looked at him, flabbergasted. "WHAT?!"
"It's Jason, I know it is. You're fighting this because you have feelings for him. You don't really know what you want, do you?"
"Tay, what in the fuck are you talking about? You sound totally crazy!"
"But am I right?"
"No, you are not right. Where the hell is this coming from? I'm not understanding you here."
"I can't lose you, Mel. Not again."
"Really, Tay? Really?? Because that ring there on your finger sure has you tied the fuck down, doesn't it? Until you decide what YOU want to do, don't you dare accuse me of having feelings for someone else. Because as of right now, you have no say and no goddamn right to anything I do. Oh, and if you haven't noticed, as of about five minutes ago, I kinda own your goddamn ass. So for the time being, let's just keep this professional. And when you finally decide which direction you want to go in, then we'll just lay it all out right here on this damn table, okay?"
"You know what? Maybe this whole transaction was just a bad idea."
"Maybe it was. Hold on a second while I just go and yank the whole deal out from under your brothers because YOU can't keep YOUR goddamn emotions under control! Okay? Give me five minutes."
"Goddammit, Mel! Fine!" Tay sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. I guess--I guess that stuff you told me last night kinda messed with my head. I can't help but feel a little possessive over you, I admit it."
"I know," Mel said. "I know how you are. And I may have taken that shit twelve or thirteen years ago, but I sure as hell won't now. Tay, I'm not the one with the issues here. You are. I know what I want. I can't help it that you're the one having to make the decision, if there's one to make. But don't take it out on me."
A smile crept across Tay's face. "Some things never change, huh? Just when we start getting along, we gotta fight about something."
Mel laughed. "It wouldn't be us if we didn't disagree on something."
"I kinda miss fighting with you," he said. "You keep me on my toes."
"You just straight up piss me off," Mel said.
They both laughed.
Tay smiled at Mel deviously. "So, you own my ass, huh?"
"A little bit, yeah," she responded.
"I don't hate that," he said.
"I find it kinda hilarious, personally."
They both laughed. Despite the fighting, Mel felt completely at ease at that moment. There was nothing like a good, old fashioned fight with Tay to make her feel completely at home. It was a warped relationship that
she now had no problem accepting back into her life.
______________________________________
MEL
The next couple of weeks for Mel were as crazy as they came. She had two weeks to hire an attorney, an
accountant, and line up a string of realtors for the properties she was about to inherit. She visited the penthouse and the house in the Hamptons. Two of the four vehicles and one of the yachts resided in the Hamptons. She learned that there was a vehicle in Tuscany and a vehicle and a yacht in Cabo.
Drew had tried to help her out as best she could, but she suddenly found auditions crawling out of the woodworks. She had already been to L.A. once more since the first horrific audition and, thankfully, it wasn't near as bad as that one had been. It seemed that both women's lives were going full steam ahead at a very rapid rate.
When, finally, Mel had received her inheritance and the deeds and titles, she was able to breathe. In that time, she had suggested to Drew, "Let's fly home to Tulsa."
Drew was hesitant at first but it hadn't taken much convincing. And now here they were, stepping off the plane at the airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
"We could have flown first class, you know that, right?" Drew complained as she searched for something in her carry-on bag.
Mel smile wryly. "Yeah, but for what purpose?"
"Uh, for privacy? And champagne? And less people! I thought that woman's kid would never shut up!"
Mel laughed. "You'll live."
Suddenly, Mel and Drew were assaulted by Mel's mother as they entered the airport. "Oh, my girls!" she squealed, wrapping an arm around each of their necks and bringing them in for a three-way hug. "I am so excited you're here!"
Mel's mother talked nonstop as she drove them to her house. Mel smiled as she rambled. It felt good to feel like her mother's child again, sitting next to her in the car. Until Tay's name came up. "So, I hear you and Taylor are on speaking terms again."
"Uh, yeah," Mel answered. "We are."
Her mother's tone turned serious. "You do realize he's married..."
Mel sighed. "Yes, Mother. It's not even like that. We're friends. That's all."
"Okay," her mother said, sounding unconvinced.
Thankfully, good ole Drew saved the day by bringing up her L.A. auditions. Mel was more than happy to allow her to take over conversation until they got home.
As Drew and her mother talked, Mel took a moment to snap a photo of downtown Tulsa with her phone as they sat at a red light. Quickly, she sent it to Jason and captioned it, "Downtown Tulsa!" It seemed to be becoming a fun game they shared. Each time they found themselves in a different location, they sent a picture. Jason's pictures were much more plentiful and much more beautiful than Mel's were. She hoped to change that, though, seeing as she had Cabo and Tuscany in her future.
He texted her back. "At home, huh? Nice! For how long?"
She texted back. "A few days? Maybe a week? Not sure yet. Lots to catch you up on."
Within a minute or so, he texted her back. "I have news, too. Call me tonight. Your time."
Mel found herself smiling. She really did like him. If it weren't for their--well mostly his--damn busy schedules, they probably could have made something work.
Her mind immediately shifted to Tay and her breath left her body for a moment. She may have liked Jason, but there was no mistake who her heart belonged to. It was just too bad his heart legally, and admittedly
partially, belonged to someone else. Why did it have to be like that for her? Why couldn't she just freely give into Jason, who was tall and sexy and wise and kind and caring and perfect--and single! Why was Mel's
heart so damn warped?
As her mind drifted to heart transplants she suddenly remembered that she needed to get in touch with Tay. Since Natalie was back home from Georgia, calling wasn't the best method. Once again, she relied on texting.
"Drew and I are in town this week."
"Already?" he texted back almost immediately. "Thought that wasn't till next week?"
"Wanted to go ahead and get the ball rolling on things. Going to pay off my mom's house tomorrow. I need to meet with you and Ike and Zac about something important. When is a good time?"
"I'll have to ask them and get back to you."
"I'll need to know ASAP."
"Got it."
Mel put her phone away as her mother pulled into the driveway. Mel took a deep breath. She was glad to be home.
______________________________________________
Late that night, Mel hid away in her room and called Jason. "Hey, beautiful," he flirted when he answered. "I almost thought you weren't gonna call."
"Oh, were you waiting by the phone?" Mel flirted back.
"Maybe." They both laughed. "So what's going on with you?"
Mel sighed. "More drama, story of my life." She went over the entire past two weeks with him, inheritance and all. "And now here I am, in Tulsa. We're paying off my mother's house tomorrow and then I have a
meeting with Ike, Tay, and Zac the day after that."
"Meeting? I thought you guys were tight?"
"Uh, we are. I just have...sort of a proposition to pitch to them, I guess. What's your news?"
"Uh, well," she could practically feel him grinning through the phone. "I'm pretty sure I've been offered the lead in a movie..."
"Oh my god, Jason!" Mel found herself practically squealing. "That is so awesome, I'm so happy for you!"
He laughed modestly. "Well, let's not get too excited yet. I mean, they offered it to me and we're still in talks and the movie is extremely early in pre-production. There's still a chance they could pass on me and
give it to someone else."
"No," she disagreed. "Surely that won't happen. You'll be fantastic, I know it. So what's it about?"
"It's really awesome, actually. Right up my alley. It's sort of set in...prehistoric-type times and I would play this, like, rogue warrior who discovers that he comes from a line of powerful men, like, that deal with some
kinda black magic and shit. Anyway, this evil sorceress bitch sends her minions to steal the power source and it's up to my character to hunt her down and get it back before she destroys his entire clan. It's very burley and physical and action-packed. Just really fucking cool. I'm excited about it."
Mel found herself blushing. "Well, if they're looking for physical they've definitely come to the right man."
"Don't you know it," his deep, sexy voice said seductively.
After a few more minutes, they wrapped up their call. Mel lay her head down on her pillow and stared into the darkness of the room. She took a deep breath and attempted to sleep. For someone who had virtually all
her problems solved with her newfound financial freedom, it sure didn't seem to help clear her mind any or alleviate any kind of stress. She had an inkling that these next few days couldn't possibly be your typical, every day, stress-free trip home.
_________________________________________
Two days later, Mel and Drew were sitting across from Isaac, Taylor, and Zac at the conference table at 3CG Records. Mel had had reservations about having Drew attend the meeting, as she needed Zac's undivided attention.
This was why five cell phones lay face down at the opposite end of the table.
"Um, so," Mel began nervously. "Thank you for meeting me--"
"Mel, this is stupid," Zac cut her off.
Ike back-handed him on his arm.
"What?" Zac said, defensively. "It is. Since when are the five of us this formal?"
Mel was annoyed. "I don't know, Zac. How often do I offer you two million dollars?"
One mouth was silenced and three pairs of eyes widened.
"Anyway," Mel continued. "As I'm sure you all know by now, I have recently come into some money that I neither earned nor wanted. And so, to cut right to the chase, I want to invest two million dollars of it into your company."
The three of them looked at each other and Ike sat back in his chair. "Why?" he asked.
Mel was stumped. She expected this to be an easy sell. She wasn't exactly prepared to back it up. "Um, because I can?" was the best she could come up with.
Ike looked at her, suspicion rampant in his expression. "Seriously."
"I don't WANT your label, if that's what you're thinking," Mel said. "I don't want my name on it, I don't want song rights, creative rights, any of that stuff. Think of it as more of a contribution..."
"So why not just make a contribution?" Ike asked.
Mel went blank again. "Uh...uh, because I'm trying to hand over two million dollars. I'm not gonna just make it rain in here without something in it for me."
"What do you want?" Ike asked.
Mel was silent.
"You didn't really think this through, did you?" Ike asked, now slightly amused.
"I DID," she argued. "I just wasn't expecting this--this whole barrage of suspicion here."
"Well forgive me for sounding suspicious, but it's not every day we have someone wanting to hand over that kind of money for nothing. I mean, think about it."
"Okay, look," she sighed, defeated. "You guys are my best friends, okay? And, yeah, so I disappeared for ten years without a word. And I feel horrible about that. But now you guys have this fantastic little label here that really has great potential to grow and I have the means to help make it happen."
"Little label?" Zac scoffed.
"Well, do you have any other artists signed besides yourselves?"
Zac shifted in his seat, uncomfortably.
Taylor, having been silent during the entire exchange, finally spoke up. "So, what, you think the label is, like, inadequate or something?"
"No, not at all. I mean, think of what you guys could do what that money. New equipment, new marketing tools...you could build an entire new studio. A larger one. And maybe charge for studio time for other
artists. You could start to branch out. And as you branch out, you would need employees...I'm not saying that two million dollars will take care of ALL of that, but it sure would put one hell of a jump start on it."
"And you would want...what?" Tay asked.
"Input," Mel replied, simply.
"Input," Ike repeated. "You want to pay two million dollars for input? That's kind of ridiculous."
Mel leaned across the table. "Ike, what the hell else am I gonna do? I mean, think about it. Drew, here, is most likely gonna be gone soon whenever she lands her first major role. The three of you guys are about to get busy writing and recording demos and taking care of your families--hell, even Jason's career won't keep him in one spot long enough to keep the seat warm. And here I am. Sure, I can do whatever I want now. But what am I gonna do, travel the world alone? I need SOMETHING to be a part of."
Mel's breath shortened. She had never said that out loud before. She had never even put it into perspective until that very moment. She realized that maybe that's what the biggest problem with having all this money might be. That no matter how much money she had, the people around her would still go on with her lives and she would still be completely alone. No matter what. What a depressing realization she had just had.
"Mel," Zac said, quietly. "You don't have to PAY us to hang out here or whatever. I mean, we couldn't really take your money..."
"It's not like that," Mel said. "I want creative input. I want some say in what goes on the album, what singles are released, what marketing campaigns to use...that sort of thing. You guys would, of course, get final say on everything, but I want my opinions to COUNT."
Ike sighed and rubbed his chin in thought. "Two million--I mean, you're not going to see very much of a return on two million dollars. Honestly. I mean, there will be some, but not much at all."
"I have no problem with that," Mel said. "I mean, it's not like I really need it. It's not like I'm out here buying up mansions and sports cars and shit."
Ike laughed. "Okay. Give us the day to talk about it and we'll get back with you about it tomorrow morning. Deal?"
"Deal," Mel agreed.
__________________________________
DREW
As everyone began to go their separate ways, Zac walked around the table and caught Drew alone. "Hey," he said. "You wanna go grab lunch or something?"
"Um," she nervously looked around and saw Mel talking to Ike and Tay. It wasn't like she had anywhere to be. "Yeah, sure. That would be good."
Zac and Drew walked downtown to the Hyatt Regency. As they walked through the hotel door, Drew remarked, "Wow. Hotels seem to be the common theme with us, huh?"
Zac smirked at her. "We came because the food here happens to be awesome." He shook his head as he let her walk in ahead of him.
"I'm glad you're back in Tulsa," Zac said to Drew, over lunch.
Drew smiled. "Me, too. It's kinda strange, though. Feels different. Believe it or not, I'm actually kinda homesick for the city..."
"But I'm not in the city," Zac said in mock hurt.
Drew scowled at him. "Yeah, neither is your wife."
Zac returned the scowl as he turned his attention back to his food.
Suddenly, Drew's phone rang. She considered ignoring it, but nowadays she never knew what the phone call was going to be about. "Hey, I gotta take this," she said to Zac.
She removed herself from the table to answer her agent's call. "Andrew Brooks! How are you?"
"Paul..." Drew greeted him, suspiciously. "Since when do you use my full name?"
"Since this fantastic offer just came across my desk! I need to meet with you ASAP, like, in the next day or so."
"Paul, I'm not even in New York right now, I'm in Okla--wait, did you say 'offer?'"
"Drew, you got an offer! Not just an audition, an OFFER!!"
Drew couldn't control herself. She started squealing in excitement. "Paul, oh my god! Oh my god!! I can be in your office tomorrow! Holy shit!"
"Holy shit, I know! But you need to hurry here, they're not gonna take their sweet time with this. If they don't hear from you quickly, they're gonna go ahead and move on with plan B. And trust me, they have a
plan B."
"I promise, I will be in your office tomorrow. I promise! Thank you!"
When Drew returned to her seat across from Zac, he was looking at her expectantly. "What was that all about?"
Drew was all smiles. "I got an offer!"
"Drew, that's awesome! I'm so proud of you! What's it for?"
Drew's excitement took a pause. "You know, I didn't ask...I'll find out tomorrow. But oh my god, I can't believe it! I mean, if it was just a commercial or a guest spot or something he would have told me. But for him to be THIS excited about it must mean it's something huge! Zac, this could be it! I could finally be on my way!"
Zac's bright smile began to slowly diminish. Drew had noticed, but she tried not to think much of it. Her heart and her brain were going a mile a minute. It was all she could do not to run all the way to the airport on foot and hop on the plane to New York right this very second.
After they finished lunch, they strolled down the street back toward 3CG. "I'm going to miss you," Zac suddenly said to her.
Drew laughed in disbelief. "Well, I'm not gone yet, what are you saying?"
"I mean, you know. Once you start getting famous and traveling the world and stuff...you're schedule's going to be packed. You just came back into my life after ten years and now you're going to leave it again. And I'm going to miss you."
Drew stopped in the middle of the street. "It's just an offer. It might be shit, I might not even take it, who knows? Zac--you're not saying goodbye to me right now are you?"
"Well, no, I'm just saying--"
"Cause there's no goodbye here," Drew said. "I'm not going anywhere, I'm always going to be around. Don't say stupid shit like that. Besides, you're gonna be writing and recording and touring and shit. You're gonna be gone just as much as I am."
Zac looked at the ground and they continued walking.
"Look, I'm sorry," Drew continued. "I don't do the goodbye thing very well. You know that. I can't believe you brought it up."
Zac scoffed at her. "Actually, YOU brought it up."
"Well...whatever," she said, trying to save face. "Just don't bring it up again."
_____________________________________________
HANSON
That night, Isaac, Taylor, and Zac sat around at the studio. "So, this Mel thing," Zac began. "Do we take it seriously or what?"
Ike and Zac both looked at Tay, expectantly. "Hey, I didn't even know this was gonna happen. She gave me absolutely no clue at all. But, yeah, I think she might be serious."
"The whole thing is just weird," Ike said. "Like--just weird. She disappears, comes back and is like, 'oh, here's two million dollars for nothing.' Who does that?"
"Well, you heard what she said about it," Tay said. "I mean, she's right, think of what we could do what that money. It's not like we have a million investors beating down our door or anything."
"Yeah, but do we NEED investors?" Ike asked.
The three of them sat in silence, contemplating the question.
"An investor is not necessarily a bad thing..." Zac said, breaking the silence. "Tay's right. How often is this gonna happen?"
"It's no question we could definitely use the money," Ike said. "I'm pretty sure we all agree on that. But it's just the whole--situation. Tay, I don't know how I would feel about your ex girlfriend owning a portion of 3CG Records. Honestly. And how would Natalie feel?"
"Uh, Natalie and 3CG are two completely different...entities. This is OUR business," Tay said, motioning to the three of them. "Natalie doesn't even factor in here. And really, neither should Nikki or Kate. All personal feelings aside, we have an individual that believes in us, who KNOWS us, and is willing to make a rather large investment into our company. I'm trying to be unbiased here when I say that we'd be stupid to turn it down."
Ike sighed. "We really could use that money. We have been discussing possibly relocating and it would really help to move the plan along. But I wouldn't feel right taking two million from her. That's just too much. There's no way she's getting hardly a return at all from that much money. I mean, I know she says she doesn't care about the money, but two million is a bit much to me, for what her 'reasons' for investing are."
He motioned quotations in the air at the word 'reasons.'
"I agree," Zac said. "I mean, I would maybe settle for half, but I think two is a little too much. I agree with Ike, it wouldn't be right."
Tay looked at Ike and Zac. "So...are we doing this?"
Zac and Ike looked at each other. "With the right terms, I don't see where it would be much of a problem," said Ike.
"Yeah," Zac agreed. "It's just Mel. I mean no matter what YOU did to her, I could pretty much count on her not to screw us.
Tay shot Zac a nasty Look. Zac simply shrugged.
_________________________________________
MEL
Late that night, Tay called Mel. Mel would have been asleep had her mind not been racing for the second night in a row.
"So, I know Ike told you we'd give you an answer in the morning," Tay told her. "But I wanted to go ahead and tell you. We're gonna accept your offer."
Mel smiled, not completely surprised. "I figured you might."
"But I am curious as to why? I mean, the real reason behind it?"
"Um, I was pretty truthful in there with my reasons. I literally need something to do. And I want to help you guys out. I know it sounds completely stupid and out of the ordinary. And, maybe...maybe deep down there's an underlying reason. I think, maybe, I need an excuse..." Mel's voice trailed off, afraid to complete her sentence.
"Excuse for what?" Tay asked, quietly. She knew that he knew what she was going to say next.
"To be close to you," she finished. She was almost completely inaudible and she didn't dare repeat it.
She didn't have to.
"Mel. You know you didn't have to do any of this monetary stuff to be close to me."
"I know...Tay, did you know what I have absolutely no idea where to go from here? I mean, I'm sitting here with $12 million in my pocket and I can think of absolutely nothing that I want to do with it? I mean, I would
love to travel the world, see all there is to see--but what fun is that if I have to do it alone? If I have nobody to share it with?"
"You're not alone."
"But I am, Tay. I am. And you know it."
Taylor sighed.
"I'm sorry," Mel said. "Didn't mean to get like that on you or whatever. I think maybe I'm overwhelmed right now. Or PMS'ing, I don't know."
"Um, so I've been thinking. A lot lately, actually. And what if--what if I told you that I might be ready--"
"Don't. Please don't."
"But what if I am?
"I don't think you are."
"But what if I am?"
"Then I would be lying if I said I wouldn't get my hopes up."
"Mel, do you want to be with me?"
Mel didn't answer. She couldn't. She just couldn't bring herself to say it.
"Mel?" he asked again.
"Yes," she finally gave in. "Yes. A thousand times, yes. I want to be with you so bad, it physically hurts, Tay. Okay? But I have to hold it in. I have to keep it in because I am not allowed to want you right now. It's wrong and I know it and you know it and there's really nothing we can do about it and it's shit. Okay? And to be honest, I can't sit around here and feel like this and wait on you forever. I am NOT giving you an ultimatum. I refuse to be the reason your marriage ends. Period. I don't want you jumping and making
impulse decisions that you're not ready to make. Because, Tay, if we ever ended up back together, I'm playing for keeps this time. I don't have time for bullshit anymore. I don't have any time left to be wasted."
She heard silence on the other end of the phone. She didn't try to get his attention. She didn't say his name or urge him to speak. She knew he was there.
"So," he finally said, slowly and quietly. "So, you're saying that...if circumstances were different, that you would...you'd take me back..."
"In a heartbeat."
"Forever..."
"Without ever looking back."
"And you're serious."
"I don't fucking play games, Tay. Not like this."
"Okay," he said. "Okay..."
"Dammit, Tay," Mel said. "I thought we weren't gonna talk about this shit anymore."
Tay kind of laughed. "Well, you're the one--"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Uggh, if I weren't in bed I'd need a drink."
"Are you an alcoholic?" he randomly asked.
"What? Am I an--no! Good lord. I mean, I don't smoke. What the hell else am I gonna do? I need a vice. So I drink. It's really not a big deal."
"Just checking..."
"What? It can't be more of a deal-breaker than your being married is."
"Yeah, very funny."
"Just saying..."
______________________________________
You've been trapped in a moment
Cause you've been running in place
And now you're casting a shadow
That's hanging long on my face
I see you keeping your distance
But you're not telling me why
You're looking to the horizon
Instead of here and now tonight
I don't know what is broken
You act like you don't belong here anymore
If you've really lost something
Maybe you should start where you've been before
I think you're Already Home
You keep running round in circles, boy
You'll end up, right back at the eye of the storm
When you see your reflection
Do you recognize yourself
Cause every word that you say
I hear another cry for help
If you can't see it
Why don't you open your eyes
I'm right here waiting
You don't have to go far
Because you're Already Home
When you're all fed up, being down
When you're all fed up
You'll be the last man standing on the battleground
When you're all fed up, being down
You can come home to this town
The next morning, Mel was dragging ass. She had asked Drew to come along with her to the meeting, only to find out that she was already jetting back off to New York. "I have to meet with Paul," she said. "He has an offer for me! Not just an audition, but an actual offer!"
Mel and Drew celebrated that morning with breakfast before Mel drove Drew to the airport. "Do you need me to come back?" Drew asked.
"That is completely up to you. I mean, what I needed to do here this week is pretty much already done. I'll probably head back to New York in the next day or so. If you think you can handle all that flying then come
on back!"
Drew laughed. "I'll keep you posted."
Mel drove straight to 3CG Records after seeing Drew off and, for the second time that week, met with Isaac, Taylor, and Zac. This time, Tay sat beside Mel and the two of them sat across from Ike and Zac.
"Okay," Ike began. "We've talked it over and we have decided to accept your offer."
Mel smiled. "Great."
"But I have to say," he continued. "This is probably the craziest business transaction we have ever done, hands down. And if it were anybody else but you, we probably would have wasted no time saying no."
Mel shrugged modestly. "I know, the whole thing is quite unorthodox, but this was something I wanted to do."
"We know," Ike said. "But the truth is, you won't see a high return on two million dollars. That's just the reality of it. And that's just besides the fact that we don't feel right accepting that kind of money from you. Well, we don't really feel right taking any money from you at all, but two million is just too much. Too much for the little bit you've proposed. We're prepared to settle for one million. No more."
Mel glanced at the three of them and nodded. "Okay," she said. "I can deal with that."
"I know you said that you wanted to have creative and marketing input, and that's fine. We really do value your opinion on things, we always have," Zac said. "But honestly, we could really use your help around the
studio. Marketing would be something you could get involved in, along with merch and PR--we would really love to have you on board. Especially since you know us and all. I mean, you've been with us virtually since the beginning. I couldn't imagine you not taking the reigns on the office support here."
Mel smiled. "I'd love to do what I can for you guys, really. But to be clear, don't expect full 40 hour weeks from me, 52 weeks per year. And don't expect me to be in town all the time either--"
Tay jerked his head to look at her. "What are you talking about?"
She looked over at him. "Well I'm going to be spending some time in Tuscany and Cabo here and there trying to get those properties sold. And I do have my residence in New York. My whole life is there."
"I thought you were moving back to Tulsa?"
"It was just a thought, I haven't decided yet."
"I don't see where doing anything outside of the office would be a problem," Ike said. "I don't expect you to be, like, a full time employee or anything. I don't expect you to be an employee at all, really. Just any time you can find some time to come in here and shift some boxes around would be fine with us."
"Awesome," Mel said, grateful that Ike had interrupted hers and Taylor's little exchange. "I think we have a deal. We'll need to schedule a time for our attorneys to meet and iron out all the paperwork."
As the meeting adjourned and Ike and Zac went their separate ways, Tay held Mel back at the table. "Mel, what about that stuff you said last night?"
She raised her eyebrows in question.
"You know, about you wanting--"
"I know what I said," she interrupted. "Be realistic here. Did you think I was going to chain myself to a desk or something? I meant what I said, but I have my own business to take care of, too. It can't be about you all the time."
"I didn't say it was."
"Well you sure are acting like it."
"It's Jason, isn't it?"
Mel looked at him, flabbergasted. "WHAT?!"
"It's Jason, I know it is. You're fighting this because you have feelings for him. You don't really know what you want, do you?"
"Tay, what in the fuck are you talking about? You sound totally crazy!"
"But am I right?"
"No, you are not right. Where the hell is this coming from? I'm not understanding you here."
"I can't lose you, Mel. Not again."
"Really, Tay? Really?? Because that ring there on your finger sure has you tied the fuck down, doesn't it? Until you decide what YOU want to do, don't you dare accuse me of having feelings for someone else. Because as of right now, you have no say and no goddamn right to anything I do. Oh, and if you haven't noticed, as of about five minutes ago, I kinda own your goddamn ass. So for the time being, let's just keep this professional. And when you finally decide which direction you want to go in, then we'll just lay it all out right here on this damn table, okay?"
"You know what? Maybe this whole transaction was just a bad idea."
"Maybe it was. Hold on a second while I just go and yank the whole deal out from under your brothers because YOU can't keep YOUR goddamn emotions under control! Okay? Give me five minutes."
"Goddammit, Mel! Fine!" Tay sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. I guess--I guess that stuff you told me last night kinda messed with my head. I can't help but feel a little possessive over you, I admit it."
"I know," Mel said. "I know how you are. And I may have taken that shit twelve or thirteen years ago, but I sure as hell won't now. Tay, I'm not the one with the issues here. You are. I know what I want. I can't help it that you're the one having to make the decision, if there's one to make. But don't take it out on me."
A smile crept across Tay's face. "Some things never change, huh? Just when we start getting along, we gotta fight about something."
Mel laughed. "It wouldn't be us if we didn't disagree on something."
"I kinda miss fighting with you," he said. "You keep me on my toes."
"You just straight up piss me off," Mel said.
They both laughed.
Tay smiled at Mel deviously. "So, you own my ass, huh?"
"A little bit, yeah," she responded.
"I don't hate that," he said.
"I find it kinda hilarious, personally."
They both laughed. Despite the fighting, Mel felt completely at ease at that moment. There was nothing like a good, old fashioned fight with Tay to make her feel completely at home. It was a warped relationship that
she now had no problem accepting back into her life.
______________________________________