(Just letting you guys know that this is a super long chapter). :) 

My eyes nearly popped out of my head.

This is Hazel?! He left her for me? She looks like a fucking goddess.

"Hello, Izzy," Hazel said with her voice slightly shaking, "I'm just dropping off the rest of your stuff from my place."

Her eyes moved rapidly between Izzy and me, no doubt the both of us looking like stunned mullets.

"Oh, okay." Izzy mumbled.

He opened the screen door and the two both looked at each other hesitantly. She handed him the box and he took is under his arm.

Well, this is getting awkward. Might as well let them be. Of course I couldn't think of a logical excuse to leave them with.

"I need to go- better do- I need tissue." I stuttered and I turned around as fast as I could and scuttled down the hallway.

As I turned the corner I headed straight for the couch and slumped down on it, curling up into the foetal position as I stared at the turned off TV. I could barely hear Izzy and Hazel's muffled voices, and by the sounds of it they weren't talking much. It was at that moment when I remembered the paint bubble on the doorframe to the hallway, so I decided to... um... smooth it out. I silently peeled myself from the couch and tiptoed to the doorway, standing just around the corner from the hallway, and I started to play with that exact paint bubble. And oh, what a surprise, I could then hear what they were saying. I came in at the perfect time too.

"So, ah, thank you again-" Izzy started.

"Is that her?" Hazel asked, cutting him off.

A pause.

"Yes."

Another pause.

"She's pretty."

Izzy said nothing.

"This may not be the appropriate place," Hazel hushed, but I could still just hear her, "but why is she better than me?"

"You're right; this isn't the right place to talk-"

"Please tell me, Izzy. I mean, I don't know why- I can't fucking sleep!" She said cutting him off again, and she started to raise her voice, "It was so... sudden! There was no warning, like us slowly getting sick of each other or anything. You had just proposed for fuck's sake-"

"We shouldn't talk here." Izzy said now raising his voice too.

"Well, when are we ever going to talk about this? That answer's never, Izzy. I don't care if she's in the house, I want to know!"

There was again another pause.

"Alright, you want to know? I'll tell you. You're uptight, you nag, you put your job in front of our relationship, and somehow you were still able to keep tabs on me, you didn't give me any space-"

"Because you were using! I didn't want you to kill yourself!"

Izzy continued, "Oh that's another thing! You always used to cut me off whenever we were talking! And also your parents hated me so it was pretty fucking obvious from the beginning that it wasn't going to work." Izzy hushed towards the end.

Another brutal silence.

"Alright then. Thank you. I'm glad you felt that way about me for so long. In return I always thought you were a stubborn, dead loss that would probably die by the age of 30. It's just lucky you have good looks otherwise you'd be living in a box somewhere." Hazel said coldly.

"Good to know." Izzy replied bitterly.

"In that box, there's the ring, which you left behind when I threw it at you when you called it off, by the way."

And that was the last thing I heard her say. After I heard a car engine zoom off, I heard the screen and front door slam shut, and I scuttled to the bathroom as quickly as possible, and I silently closed the door. I made my way to the toilet and closed the lid to sit on it.

So then everything that Sharise said the other day, she was telling the truth. Izzy was already with someone else, including being engaged to her. I suddenly felt disgusting; I was the other woman. There probably was no logical reason why Izzy left Hazel; maybe because the only fact he was just getting sick of her and so far, I didn't "nag", or "I didn't put my job first", or "I didn't cut him off all the time". But what if I end up being just as annoying as Hazel, and what if Izzy finds someone else better than me? I also couldn't help but think what if Izzy had been intimate with Hazel when he had started seeing me... I could have had more of these lovely thoughts, but a knock on the bathroom door distracted me.

"You in there?" Izzy asked from the other side.

"Yep." I said as I flushed the toilet.

I got up and let the taps run for a few seconds before I turned them off, and I opened the door.

What a waste of water.

There was Izzy standing with an unsure expression on his face. He breathed in heavily and ran a hand through his hand.

"Did you hear any of that?"

"No, of course not. " I lied as best as I could, as I brushed past him to go towards the kitchen.

I saw on the dining table the box of "Izzy's stuff" and I felt a jolt of disgust and guilt shoot through me.

I should have never taken that job for 'Sweet Child'.

"You alright?" Izzy came up behind me giving me a fright.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he said rubbing both my arms and giving me a kiss on my head, before wrapping his arms around me.

"The food isn't cold now is it?" I asked changing the subject.

"Oh yeah, I nearly forgot." He said laughing slightly.

"Do you want to eat it out of the pan-"

"You lied to me." I said cutting him off.

Oh no, I cut him off; one of Hazel's traits.

Izzy blinked.

"You lied to me, Izzy." I repeated looking down at my feet.

"What?"

"You said you weren't engaged to her. But you were. You left her for me for no reason. You're an arsehole."

"Whoa, hey, hang on a second-"

"You lied. I'm the other woman, and I've ruined a perfectly normal relationship between two people. It's also your fault because you're a cheating piece of shit."

The angry words spewed out of me as the sadness rose in my voice. I kept my head down, and I could feel the hot water leak into my eyes.

"You're untrustworthy."

"Stop it!" Izzy yelled, making me jump.

I looked up at his angry face and I let the tears spill.

"You know nothing about my previous relationship or anything about my decision making, so don't call me a fucking 'cheating piece of shit'." Izzy kept raising his voice and I began to feel slightly scared.

"You are one, though. You cheated on Hazel and me at the same time. How do you expect me to trust you now when you could be seeing someone else; someone better than me?" I said timidly.

"Well, you weren't supposed to fucking find out about Hazel, now were you! But you wanted to go to Vince's party, and you had to speak to fucking Sharise!"

"I didn't want to really go, though, remember? You were the one invited and you thought you should go to keep in the good books with everyone. And it's your fault that I talked to Sharise because you didn't take me with you into Vince's recording studio downstairs. You left me alone with that bitch." I recounted.

Izzy closed his eyes and held something back.

"Look, we're fighting about nothing- we're fighting about Sharise? We don't need to do this."

"No, we're fighting about how you cheated." I said as calmly as possible, even though my hands were shaking as well as my voice.

"I didn't fucking cheat!" Izzy yelled opening his eyes again, staring at me with cold eyes.

I stood there staring at him until I wiped my eyes dry and walked away into the bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Izzy said with still some anger in his voice.

I didn't reply. I just got changed out of Izzy's clothes and into my clothes from yesterday. I didn't care if Izzy was watching me or not, I was naked at one point, or at least topless, but I didn't care because it would be the last time he would see anything of my body.

I picked up my small handbag, which had been chucked into the corner, and I pushed past Izzy who was standing in the bedroom's doorway, and I made my way to the front door.

"Where are you going?" Izzy yelled more rather than asking the question.

"Home."

I opened the door.

"Why!"

"Because I don't think this is going to work."

"What?!"

I continued talking from the front yard, with Izzy storming behind me.

"Because you can't be trusted. You lied to me. You've broken the trust thing." I rambled.

"You're over exaggerating for fuck's sake!" Izzy yelled grabbing my arm, spinning me around to face him.

"How do you expect me to trust you when you left from an engagement to be with me, and you lied about not being engaged with Hazel?"

Izzy just stared back at me with pure anger, and his grip on my arm started to tighten so much it started to hurt.

"I can't trust you anymore." I said as I broke free from his grip with as much force as possible, and I walked out of his front yard and walked away along the footpath. I took one last look at Izzy, who was both furious and confused, I waved and continued to walk away hoping to find a taxi sooner or later.

*

Izzy's P.O.V

It had been three days since shit hit the fan. I had done nothing in those three days, including not answering the phone or door, and I just sat on the couch with a joint in one hand, a beer in the other, with Ripley by my side as I stared mindlessly at the TV. I was furious with myself; I had fucked up big time letting two of my girls meet, but Mel didn't have to overreact with the way she did. She could have just let it go, and she would be sitting beside me right now. But she didn't. For some reason, me being previously engaged with Hazel was a 'big deal', and she was upset about being the 'other woman'. Shouldn't she be flattered? I left a marriage for her, because I liked her more, and she's upset about it. Talk about being touchy.

Ripley looked up at me happily, tongue sticking out at the side of her mouth and her tail flapping against the hard wooden floor. I almost thought she looked happy since she hadn't seen Mel for a while, but I honestly think Ripley isn't that smart.

Melanie, Melanie, Melanie.

All I could fucking thing about was Melanie. Surely she wasn't being serious about leaving, and we were just in the cooling down period, right? She'll probably knock on my door in another hour, and we'll makeup, cuddle on the couch... and maybe have some good old make-up sex. I looked up at the doorway to the hallway, hoping I could see a shadow of Melanie moving down the hallway in the afternoon sun, from the front door window. But I couldn't. I could only see the yellow light, with nothing blocking it.

Of course she's not going to come back here, she's angry at you!.You have to get up and go and apologise to her... you fucking idiot.

My brain was probably right. Why would she come back here and apologise to me? I was the liar, I was the one who cheated, and I'm the piece of shit that needs to clean everything up. So therefore, I peeled myself from the couch, Ripley watching intently, pinched out the burning end of my doobie, and threw my empty beer bottle in the direction of the bin in the kitchen hoping it would land in the bin. It did, thank Christ, and I shuffled my way into my room to get on some better, and clean clothes since Mel washed everything. Not that it's important, but I peeled on my (washed for probably the first time) blue, skinny jeans, and put on a button up white shirt tucked into my jeans. I thought if I'm going to come slinking back into the light looking like a guilty dog who'd just taken a shit in its owner's bed, I might as well dress up a bit.

I walked over to the phone just as I finished tucking in my shirt and I dialled her number. It rang the first few times, okay, the next ring she'll probably pick it up, it rang a few more times, fuck maybe she's not home-

"Hi, it's Melanie. Probably a shocker but I'm actually not sitting on the couch being a potato; I'm out. So you know what to do when you hear the beep."

That was the first answering machine message I've heard that made me laugh. But I quickly hung up, so that if she was home, and she was just not answering the phone, she wouldn't know I was trying to get back in contact with her, and come around to her place. Because if she did know, she might walk out so that when I'd arrive she actually wouldn't be there to confront me. Paranoid thinking isn't it?

Next plan was to then drive over. On my way out of the house, I patted Ripley, who was still smiling happily, grabbed my leather jacket, car keys and wallet and slammed the door shut. I jogged to my car, ripped its door open and zoomed out of my driveway as quickly as possible.

As I was speeding along the narrow streets of my suburb, making my way to downtown L.A., I tried my hardest to remember where exactly Melanie lived. It was near Sunset, right? Or was it near Hollywood, or Beverly Hills? I was pretty sure it was in Beverly Hills, in that small apartment block of hers. I clumsily remembered the turns I took the last time when I reached the main street of Beverly Hills. I burnt down the road, maybe running a few red lights, and I finally saw her place. What a relief. Of course, I had to slam on the breaks and do a sharp U-turn to stop in front of her place. A lot of people beeped and cursed at me from their windows, but I didn't really give a shit. I pulled up, jumped out (and locked it because that car is my second baby, Ripley being my first) and pressed Mel's buzzer. No answer. I pressed it again; still no answer. Turns out she wasn't actually home.

Then where the fuck is she then? Where else does she hang out?.... I have no idea. You're useful aren't you, 'Jeffery'?

"Fuck." I mumbled under my breath as I wondered back to the car. When I slumped down into the driver's seat, feeling hopeless, I decided to turn on the radio to help my "thought process". Maybe listening to some music would help me try and think where Melanie would be. But, the song that came on was pretty much unbelievable to the situation I was in; 'Run to You' by Bryan Adams. Great.

She says her love for me could never die

But that'd change if she ever found out about you and I

Oh - but her love is cold

It wouldn't hurt her if she didn't know, 'cause...

How appropriate, I laughed to myself. Rather than sitting in my car like a loser, not knowing what to do, I decided to turn on the engine and just go for a drive around. Who knows, maybe I'd see Mel.

When it gets too much
I need to feel your touch
I'm gonna run to you

I'm gonna run to you

Cause when the feelin's right I'm gonna run all night

Was I "running" to Melanie? Well more like driving but it's pretty much the same thing. Anyway, the more I drove around aimlessly, the more I started to think about what it was what I was actually doing. I was looking for my girlfriend, but why? Obviously she meant something to me to do this. I'd never done this before. Usually after a bit of a big fight like this it was over, but... I didn't want this relationship to be over. Melanie must really mean a lot to me then. Like a lot. How much though? Just "like-like", or... love? Love? Could I seriously be 'in love'? I'd never been in love before; usually every girl I'd been with was just for an animalistic need for sex, but I didn't just want sex with Mel. I mean the sex with her was great, but so was her company, her observations, the way she spoke, dressed, smiled and laughed, how she looked and sounded. She was different. So different, special, and mind-blowingly amazing that no one else should be allowed to have her. I wanted her. I wanted to be with her, and I wanted her to be with me, and I wanted us to be happy.

While my meaningless, and rambling on thoughts rushed through my head, I zoomed past a guy on the footpath that seemed very familiar. I slowed down and started to think where I'd actually seen him. It was Melanie's weird, wimpy guy friend; her "boyfriend".

Fuck, maybe he knows where she is!

I risked my life once again and suddenly took a massive U-turn. With my tires screeching, I managed to pull up next to this guy on the curb, I yanked my keys out and rushed over to this guy, who had large grocery bags in each of his hands.

"Hey, man? You're Melanie's friend right?" I asked feeling a little anxious, hoping this was the guy.

It was because as soon as he saw me, he drew a straight line with his lips.

"Oh, it's you. The "piece of shit" who cheated on Melanie."

"Good to know you think I'm a piece of shit too. Listen I'm trying to find her, do you know where she is? I haven't seen her for three days."

He just started laughing hysterically.

"Hey man. Where is she? Do you know where Mel is? Have you seen her?" I puffed trying to put words together.

James stopped and snorted.

'I assume you're talking about Melanie?"

"Y-yeah... I just said her name then, man."

"Oh... oh that's right. But yes, and no she doesn't want to see you Mr 'rock star'."

I looked away with a bit of disgust and I raised an eyebrow.

"'Mr rock star'? What the fuck dude? Just tell me where Mel is, that is if you've seen her."

"Her name is Melanie-"

"Yeah well I call her Mel, alright?"

"I don't care, and I just do happen to know where she is." He said looking proud of himself.

"Well then, how about fucking telling me like a good sport?"

"No way, mate. Especially not with the way you're acting. And, hey, stop stalking Melanie. You know she's my girlfriend."

I snorted.

"Your girlfriend? Dude, I know about that shit, you were her emergency when I was hitting on her all those months ago. Remember at Vince's party I even said that to your face?"

"Yeah, well... fuck you man. Anyway, I doubt she'll want you back after this little mishap."

"You don't even know the story."

"I think I do! You were cheating on your poor girlfriend with Melanie and you got fucking caught." He said smugly and he pouted his lips out proudly.

Was I really going to have to go into this... maybe if I do then he'll tell Mel... But I doubted it since he's a little shit.

"No, no that's not it."

"Lame excuse." James scoffed.

"Why even bother telling you what happened anyway? It's none of your fucking business."

"Well, if it's none of my business, I'll see you later." James said as he pushed past me using his grocery bags as a bumper.

"If you must know," I said through my teeth, stopping him in his tracks, "I broke up with my girlfriend as soon as I fell in love with Mel ages ago, okay?"

He turned around and looked taken back.

"What did you say?"

"What?" I blinked.

"In love with Melanie?... You love her?" He asked quietly.

I just said 'love' didn't I? Yeah good one, Iz.

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Yes, but- fuck it doesn't matter. I'll just look for her myself." I said and began to walk off.

I opened my door with aggression, cursing to myself, but just before I slumped down into the driver's seat, this dude yelled out stopping me.

"Hey, man!" he yelled out.

I was wasting time talking to this prick rather than looking for Mel. I turned around 'cause I'm an idiot. He reached into his jean pocket with difficulty since his hands were full and he chucked me some keys.

"She's at my place." And with that he told me his address.

I stared at him for a moment, not knowing what exactly to do.

"Oh shit, thanks- thank you- it's James right?"

"Yeah." He half smiled.

I began to walk off again, but I quickly turned back around.

"Hey, how come you told me?"

He chuckled and looked a little embarrassed.

"You obviously care about her - I hope - since you told me of all people rather than Melanie herself that you love her. That takes balls, man."

I had no idea on what the fuck to say.

"I'm in your debt, man." I mumbled.

"Don't worry about it. But just promise me one thing; dear God just don't hurt her anymore. I don't want her to go through that, plus I'll have to pick up the mess." He said staring at me.

"I won't." I promised sincerely looking back up at him.

"Look, man, do you want a lift somewhere before I raid your place?" I asked.

"Nah, it's alright. I can walk home since it's close, but I'll give you two some space and go for a walk. Oh, but could you take my groceries back to my place?"

I happily did as he asked, placed his bags in the back seat of my car and zoomed off to his address. It didn't take long and I turned up at his place, and I took a big breath preparing myself for the events to come. Who knows how Mel would react when I'd randomly show up at the door? The front of the house was neat and trimmed with a small, sculpted round bush by the door. I managed to hold the two bags under my arms and I heaved myself out of the car and walked to the front door. I nervously stuck the keys in the door and pushed it open with my foot.

"Mel?" I asked as I closed the door, using my foot again.

"In here, James. Hand me a bag and I'll help you unpack..." Melanie walked into the hallway and her eyes were set on me. Her expression immediately changed.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Melanie asked looking shocked.

I put the bags down.

"I've come here to get you back, Mel."

"Go home, Izzy." She sighed.

"No."

"Get out."

"Wait just hear me out." I held my hands up in defence.

"No, I don't care, Izzy."

"Let me explain." I said more sternly.

She paused.

"Fine."

"Look, it's hard to explain sort of- but," I tried to piece some crappy words together, "when I first met you, I regret being high at the time because I couldn't appreciate the amazing person I was being introduced to."

I waited as she continued to stare at me; her expression stuck on uninterested.

"But, as I calmed down, I realised how different you were to the other girls I'd met. You didn't care what I did, or who I was, you weren't an airhead, you had an interesting and independent job, you're articulate-"

"Save it, Izzy. Tell it to some other poor girl who'll believe you." She said taking a sigh and shaking her head, "Now, if you could, I'd like you to leave."

"Just let me finish." I argued.

"Why should I?" She replied raising her voice.

"Because it's important!"

She sighed again and took a step back, leaning against the hallway doorframe.

"Right, thank you. As I was saying, you're different, and because I'm a fucking piece of shit it took me so long to realise; I realised when you left me on how... I don't know, how empty I was." I mumbled, feeling like a sap, but when I said it I realised it was true.

"I realised that I need you with me; I need you to be with me, to keep me in order, to keep me happy."

Look at me go, I'm letting down my walls with such grace.

"Finished? Now you can leave."

"No." I bravely stated.

"What?" she asked defensively.

Without warning, I walked right up to her, placed my hands on either side of her face and kissed her, all in one swift movement mind you. She melted right into my lips but soon she began to pound her palms into my chest.

"Get off me." Her voice wavered. I looked down at her and saw that her eyes began to fill with tears.

"Please leave, Izzy."

Oh god, seeing that fucking killed me right there. I didn't want her to cry for Christ's sake.

I took her in my arms and held her as she absolutely broke down. She had her hands up against my chest, trying to hit me again, but she gave up. I rested my chin on the top of her head and held her close. She eventually moved her arms around my torso and she mumbled into my tear-soaked shirt.

"You're a bad obsession, you know that?"

I laughed. "Thank you."

"I hate you."

For some reason, I let go of her, got down on both of my knees and placed my hands on her hips and rested my head on her tummy.

She sniffed. "What are you doing?"

I breathed in deeply. Say it, fucking say it you piece of shit.

"I don't know".

I got up again and held her stare, and brushed some strands of hair from her teary face.

I took a deep breath. Say it!

"I love you, Mel." I said seriously.

She blinked.

I held her head in my hands and stared right in her eyes.

"I'm in love with you. And seeing you run away from me and say those words fucking killed. I love you."

Ha, once I said it I just wanted to say it over and over again.

"You love me?" she sniffed.

"Yes! I fucking love you! I love you." I mumbled as I was about to kiss her, but she dodged me.

"Well at the moment I don't really love you..." she half smiled.

I laughed. "That's alright, we can work on it."

She eyed me and sniffed. "You better fucking work on it."

"Oh, babe, I'll work the hardest I've ever worked." I said and I kissed her deeply; feeling my lips against her soft and warm mouth sent sparks through me.

She broke away pushing with a hand on my cheek.

"But I guess this is my fault isn't it? I mean I didn't let you explain yourself." She looked away to her feet and dropped her hands from my chest to her sides.

I pulled away some more strands of hair from her face.

"No baby, it's my fault for being a sleazy piece of shit and not doing things properly, or telling you anything, and also I'd like to blame Sharise. But I still didn't want to tell you since was scared to know how you'd react."

She shuffled her feet.

"Yeah..." she mumbled.

"You can call me Piece of Shit for my new pet name for me if you like." I smiled looking into her distressed eyes.

She coughed out a laugh and sniffed loudly before resting her head against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her again and held her tight, just realising how close I was to completely fucking up.

"Please don't lie to me like that again." She said into my shirt.

"I won't, believe me." I replied resting my chin on top of her head and closing my eyes.

~

Well, I'll end that there so the chapter doesn't go on for 1000 years. Tell me what you guys thought, and I hope it didn't go on for too long and you got bored :/

Comment, read and vote as usual :)

Love you dudes <3