JAKE'S POV

Watching Melody walk- no storm away from me brings up some painful memories. This is not how I planned it to be. She isn't supposed to be mad at me. She isn't supposed to be still hurting from the past. We're supposed to see each other, run into each other's arms and fall helplessly in love again. It was supposed to be like those cheesy romantic movies. It was supposed to be our happily ever after. What the f*ck. I didn't mean to lose my temper with her. When I arrived at her office on Friay and found out she wasn't there I almost tore the damn place apart. Between the messages I was sending her and the people I had watching her I should have known she would be away... but I was so damn excited that I didn't think straight. It had crossed my mind to just wait for her at her apartment, but that brunette with the sharp tongue didn't seem to eager in letting me stay.

Flashback

I am furious! How the hell did I miss her? And by such a narrow window! What are the chances that Melody would be spending the weekend in New York while I came rushing over to Toronto to see her? F*ck! My phone rings and of course it's Trevor calling.

"What?" I growl into the phone. I feel like hitting something... or f*cking a certain chocolate skinned beauty till we are both too exhausted to move. My member jerks at the thought.

"I left you like 7 messages! Where the hell are you? I'm about to meet Melody for lunch." My anger doubles.

"Lunch? Again! How many times are you going to f*cking eat with her? F*ck!" I storm the streets trying to locate her apartment building. From my source who's been keeping an eye on her, the place should be around here somewhere.

"Stop freaking out Jake. It's a business meeting." We both sigh at the same time and I finally find her building. "Why aren't you here? You're secretary said you're out of town? Where are you?"

"Im in f*cking Toronto! I came here to find her just for her not to be here! Shit!" I push the doors open and they almost fly off the hinges.

"What the hell Jake! Why didn't you tell me?" I stomp my way over to the elevator and jam the button over and over again. My mind conjures up images of my fingers repeatedly ramming in and out of Melody's tight wet passage. I groan and push the damn button harder. "Hello? Are you still there?"

"Yeah I'm here. Listen I'm staying here for as long as it takes to win her back. I already have my secretary setting everything up." Trevor sighs.

"It would have been easier if I was with you man. Melody and I are ok now."

"I don't give a flying f*ck how your relationship with Melody is! I want my f*cking girlfriend back and I'm tired of waiting!"

"And because you were so damn impatient you have to wait even longer to see her! So that's you're fault. Listen she told me the reason why she's mad... the reason she left?" He pauses. "She found out Jake. About what we did? Someone told her and gave her evidence to prove the truth and she left. She's heartbroken man." People walking in the building watch me curiously but I ignore them and wait for him to finish. Trevor sighs and I hear a door open. "I need to go, I can see them waiting for me. I'll call you later tonight so you know she's ok." I take a deep breath and sigh.

"Thanks Trev." The elevator finally arrives

Walking into the elevator some young girls walk in with me and huddle together in the corner. I can hear them whispering about me, it's not surprising because I was just featured in Vanity Fair magazine. My picture is everywhere... again. One of the girls boldly steps up to me and touches my arm. I flinch.

"Sorry I didn't mean to bother you... I just wanted to know if you're Jacob Worthington?" I stop myself from rolling my eyes and turn to the girl. They look to be around 18 years old and are definitely dressing much too old for their age.

"Yes that's me. How can I help you ladies?" They all giggle and hold their phones tightly in their hands. The bold one pushes out her chest and smiles.

"Oh we were hoping for a picture. Usually people don't look as good on camera as they do in real life... but wow you really top the cake." She licks her lips and the elevator dings indicating we've reached her floor. Her friends look at her nervously and she clears her throat. "We were wondering if maybe you'd like to get a drink? We could show you around the city." She bites her lip and tries to slide her hand up my chest. I grab it immediately and narrow my eyes at her.

"You ladies are much too young to be drinking, let alone trying and failing to seduce a man 7 years your senior. I suggest you get off this elevator and return those drinks. Bad things happen to women who drink irresponsibly."

I hold the door open for them and they all walk off with their heads hanging in shame. When they're gone I slump against the wall and wait for Melody's floor. When it opens I head to her apartment and knock on the door. I'm met with silence and I growl. Pulling out my phone I call my informant. When we finish talking I wait for him to show up and it takes him 10 minutes.

"Sorry for taking so long boss, it was hard getting out of work after the stunt you pulled." I look over to the light skinned man with annoyance. I've had Cameron watch Melody for the past year and a half now. As soon as I learned where she had accepted her internship I planted Cameron there to keep me sane. I had different informants in her college as well but Cameron was always the best. It had come to my attention that women feel more assurity in confiding with men that aren't sexually attracted to them than most women. Thus I've had Cameron pretend to be gay for the time being so he could learn everything he could so far.

"That's fine just get this damn door open." Cameron nods his head and takes out a set of keys? Before I can ask he answers.

"It's her roommate's key. Layla Pearson? I just said I needed a place to get over my hangover and I got the key immediately." He unlocks the door and allows me to walk in first. I scan the area and smile. It definitely has Melody all over the place. There are pictures of her and her family and friends everywhere. The couches are cream coloured and have colourful pillows decorating them. The kitchen is small and there is no dining room, but her living room is a decent size. I smile seeing the entertainment system she has set up. We used to always talk about getting the best entertainment system for our condo... we always talked about our future after sex. Thinking about sex with Melody makes me search for her bedroom. The first door I encounter, luckily, is hers. Walking in I see another distasteful picture of her and that... man. I want to smash it into little pieces but I know Melody would be upset with me if I did so. Instead I focus on anything else.  I look around her room and touch everything I can reach. My fingers lightly caress her dresser, her mirror, her closet door, her clothes... everything that is hers I need to touch. I can hear Cameron shuffling around in the living room but my focus is on this room. I look towards her bed again and get the fierce urge to lie in it, so I do. I take off my suit jacket, shoes and tie and I lie down in her bed. Her scent surrounds me immediately and I sigh. I miss her so much.

"Sir is everything ok in there? Do you need anything?" Cameron calls out from the living room. I take a deep breath and smile against her pillow.

"I'm fine Cameron. You can leave now." I hear him mutter something and the door clicks shut. The first thing that comes to my mind is to strip naked and sleep in her bed, but I choose against it. Instead I grab her pillow and suck in her delicious scent. I can tell she changed her shampoo from what it used to be... it's a softer scent, a very subtle sweetness. I'm going to have to find out what it is... I like it. No I love it. I feel my eyelids getting heavier and I welcome the rest. I may not have her in my arms but at least I have some part of her.

"GET THE F*CK OUT OF MELODY'S BED YOU ASSHOLE! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE! I'M CALLING THE COPS!" I wake up to screaming and open my eyes slowly. Layla, Melody's friend is yelling at me. In any other case I would immediately put her in her place for even thinking of giving me such attitude... but it feels so good to be in Melody's bed that I find myself drifting back to sleep.

"HEY YOU DON'T GET TO IGNORE ME! WHEN MY BOYFRIEND GETS HERE HE'S GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS. NO! NO! I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS MYSELF!" At first it feels like a soft slap hitting my shoulder, but then I feel nails digging in and I wince and shoot out of the bed.

"Shit woman! What the hell?" I fix my hair as I storm towards her and she boldly stands her ground.

"I want you out of our apartment now. I want you out of this country right now! I WANT YOU OUT OF MY BEST FRIEND'S LIFE! RIGHT! NOW!" Her face begins to go red and I know she is genuinely concerned for Melody.

"I am not leavivng until Melody and I come to terms with our relationship." I cross my arms and raise an eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure she came to terms years ago when she left your ass!"

"Watch your mouth woman! What happened between Melody and I all those years ago is irrelevant now. I will win her heart again and all will be fine." She sighs and leans against the wall.

"Do you really believe that?" For the first time in years I let some vunerability through.

"No I don't believe that. And no I don't deserve her forgiveness either. I already know that... I just..." I sigh and sit on the bed.

"Listen you need to leave. Melody... she's getting better. She's becoming stronger and she is happier than she has been in years. She's finally moving on and you can't just show up here and ruin that." And just like that my anger comes back.

"AND HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL? HOW DO YOU THINK IT FELT FOR ME TO HAVE THE ONE PERSON IN MY LIFE THAT I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO LOVE LEAVE ME? I KNOW WHAT I DID WAS WRONG! I KNOW THAT I F*CKED UP! I STAYED AWAY DIDN'T I? I GAVE HER THE F*CKING SPACE SHE WANTED! I CAN'T STAY AWAY FROM HER ANYMORE! I NEED HER DAMMIT! SHE'S MY EVERYTHING!" My heart is pounding and my fists are clenched. I can barely see straight I'm so angry.

"I'm sorry... but you need to leave. I won't tell her you were here but you need to stay away." She cautiously walks towards me and I grunt.

"I already said I'm not going anywhere. But I will leave this apartment." I reach into my back pocket and pull out a business card. "This is my card, my personal number is on there as well. I want you to call me as soon as she gets back." She takes the card and I get dressed. "I understand your concern for Melody and I respect your devotion towards her... so if you really want her to be happy again, I suggest you call me." I leave her standing in my love's room and walk right out of the door.

End of Flashback

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. I'm going to give her another 2 minutes before I chase after her and teach her lesson. She's not allowed to walk away from me. Not again. I look down at my pants and groan, my member is hard, aching and begging me to bring her back here. Melody definitely threw me off guard when she touched me like that. I... I liked it. She was so fierce and sexy and confident. Just like how she used to be. My phone rings and I answer it quickly.

"Jacob here."

"Hey Jake its Beth!" I groan.

"What is it Beth I'm busy." I can just see her rolling her eyes.

"Have you found her yet?"

"I did."

"And" She drawls out the A and I bite my tongue from lashing out at her.

"Things got out of hand. I am dealing with it now." She gasps and I can hear the phone being shuffled around.

"What did you do Jacob? Please tell me you didn't bring up her boyfriend." When I remain silent she screeches. "Are you stupid or crazy? This first time you see the damn girl in 3 years and instead of f*cking getting down on your knees and begging her forgiveness, you bring up her boyfriend! You idiot!" My jaw ticks as she continues. "She misses you Jake! Even I could tell and now you just blow it!" My heart skips a beat at the thought of her missing me... maybe even as much as I've missed her.

"I said I'm going to deal with it." I fix my suit jacket while she continues seething.

"Oh and what the hell are you going to do? What can you do now?" I smile to myself.

"I'm going to kiss her." Beth sighs.

"Gosh you're an idiot." She hangs up the phone and I run a hand through my hair before exiting the room. Entering into the wide space of her office I can see her co-workers are still shaken up about what happened. So I take the time to clear the air.

"Everything that has taken place within the past hour never happened. I know you will all respect my privacy and you're aren't stupid enough to try and spread rumours now are you?" They all shake their heads no and I continue. "Melody Peters is much more than you know. She is one of the most magnificent women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and a beloved old friend. That is all you need to know." I take the woman's phone from my pocket and place it on her desk. "It was a pleasure meeting you." Leaving them staring at my retreating figure I walk out of the office and race down the stairs to find my woman. I've given her more than enough time to vent, now it's time to make up. I reach the exit and feel a hand on my arm. Turning I see Layla and I frown.

"Can I help you with something?" Her grip becomes harder and I flex so she can break her hold.

"Don't go after her. Trust me. I didn't call you here so you can make her crazy. You said she will be happier with you... and I believe you." She pauses and pulls something out of her purse. "Just wait for her at the building. Don't yell. Don't argue and DON'T BRING UP DEAN! Just be patient and let her vent. Once she's cooled off you WILL apologize." She hands me her keys and I smirk.

"If I needed your advice I would have requested it." I take the keys from her but she doesn't let them go.

"Don't screw this up Jacob. I swear to you if I find Melody inconsolable I will kill you myself." She lets go of the keys and storms back to the elevator. I leave as soon as her elevator door closes and I hail a cab. It only takes 10 minutes for me to arrive at her apartment and I can see her in the lobby speaking to a boy. He looks vaguely familiar but I dismiss it. When he wraps her in his embrace I lose it.

"Thanks Zack. I just..." I don't give her time to complete her sentence as I tear her out of his arms and into my own. She melts into my embrace for a few seconds before she pushes against me.

"What the hell Jake! I thought I made myself clear! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Her nose scrunches up in anger and her lips form a pout. Her beautiful brown eyes are narrowed and her fists are clenched. Damn it I hate when my thoughts get dirty but seeing her like this reminds me of our fights in Anguilla... and the steamy makeout sessions that would come after the fight.

"Melody just relax so we can talk." Her eyes widen and the boy goes to stand beside her. The look in his eye causes a flicker of recognition to hit me and I begin to smile.

"What so damn funny huh? You shouldn't be smiling! You shouldn't be here!" Her chest is heaving up and down and I force myself to look at her eyes.

"There is nothing funny about this matter. I want to talk to you Melody and I will not do so when you are upset." I reach out for her and she flinches away from me.

"You're the reason I'm so upset Jacob! Just leave me alone!" She backs into the boy and I suppress a growl. Holding in my temper is getting harder to do.

"Melody can we please just talk upstair-"

"NO! GO AWAY! JUST GO AW-"

"MELODY WE WILL SPEAK UPSTAIRS NOW!" My voice booms throughout the lobby and onlookers scurry back to their business. Even the boy backs away. I reign in my anger and glance down at Melody. Her eyes are glossy and her bottom lip is quivering and I feel my heart break all over again. I soften my voice and slowly caress her shoulder. "Melody please." She looks up at me and nods her head. The boy tries to stop her but she just lifts a hand to him.

"It's fine Zack. I'll text you later." The boy, Zack, is smart enough not to look in my direction. I remember who he is now and I won't hesitate to let Melody know. We walk into the elevator and she presses her floor slowly. I can feel the tension in the air. It surrounds me like a blanket of wool, causing an uncomfortable itch I cannot scratch. Each floor passes and the tension grows. I can feel how much she hates me right now, but I must work past her anger so she can see reason. We've only reached the 10th foor and I can't resist the urge to look at her, so I stare at her reflection through the elevator wall and slowly grin. Her shoulders are tense, her fists are still balled but her eyes are closed, which means she is considering everything that is about to happen. That also means that she is considering forgiving me. The thought makes me smile and move closer to her. She notices the movement immediately.

"What are you doing?" Her eyes narrow and she backs up against the elevator wall.

"I'm moving closer to you... Is that a problem?" I smirk and cage her between my arms. Her breathing picks up and so does my arousal.

"Wha- what are you doing?" I lean my head down and skim my lips against hers. "D-don't" My heart lurches forward as I begin to kiss her jaw. As expected she moans and I place soft, butterfly kisses to the side of her mouth. I'm a breath away from her lips when the elevator dings and we reach her floor. Her head jerks forward and hits my nose. She slips under my arms and nearly runs out of the elevator. I crack my neck, straighten my shoulders and fix my suit before I follow her into the apartment. She casually drops her purse on the couch and turns to face me

"What just happened in the elevator will not happen again." She crosses her arms and leans on the arm of the couch. "You said you want to talk, so talk." I sigh and walk towards her. She stiffens.

"Relax I just want to sit on the couch. Will you sit with me?" I walk to the couch and sit down knowing she is watching me the entire time. It takes her 30 seconds before she sits with me. "Thank you." I give her a small smile and she scowls.

"Let's just get this over with." She crosses her arms again and I watch her breasts squeeze together. Again I try to focus my eyes to her face but she looks so tempting. "Well are you going to say anything?" She huffs out in annoyance, but I know she is just getting nervous that we are alone again.

"You don't need to worry Melody. I won't try anything again." Her body relaxes a little but she watches me warily. I take a deep breath and begin.

"I know you're mad at me." She rolls her eyes and falls into the couch.

"No shit Sherlock." I ignore her comment and continue.

"At first I didn't know why. I was so confused and hurt and I missed you so much. It was hard not to go after you. I went into a deep depression and craved to be near you. The time that we had spent together felt like an eternity ago and it was hard to cope with. I had constant nightmares about the horrors I had done and most nights I would wake up in a cold sweat. Being away from you was excrutiating Melody." I pause and stare at the floor. The memories of the sleepless nights and dreadful dreams come back to me and I try to stop myself from shaking.

"I was going to have you followed you know? I was going to get a PI and have him report to me everyday so I knew you were ok. Then I thought maybe I could force you to come back. Maybe even blackmail you? I had some pretty desperate ideas to try and bring you back to me. But in the end I stayed away because I figured if you really wanted to come back to me... you would have." I release a breath and rub my hands over my face.

"I've dreamt about this day for years now. I had everything planned; I was going to show up with hundreds of blue roses, lillies and gardeniases surrounding every area of your apartment. I was going to get down on my knees and beg your forgiveness. I was going to be the perfect man for you and you in turn would forgive me. It was supposed to be perfect but... I searched your Facebook a few days ago and saw your new relationship status." I catch my breath and Melody looks over to me finally.

"So you're telling me all this time you didn't know I was dating Dean?" I refrain from cringing when she says his name.

"I had no idea." But in truth I should have known. I've had Cameron at her side for more than a year now and not once did he mention this... man to me. I will have to deal with him later.

"So that's why you came here?" Her voice is quiet and she stares down at my legs.

"It was what gave me the final push." We both remain quiet for a few deafening seconds. Melody looks up to me with the most heart-breakingly beautiful brown eyes, and speaks.

"Wow all this time a small part of me was hoping that maybe you decided to get off your high horse and apologize, but instead you come because you find out I have finally moved on? Pathetic! And let me guess, you're jealous of Dean?" I stare at her incredulously, feeling completely shocked that she would say that to me.

"No I'm not jealous because there is nothing to be jealous of. You were and always will be mine. I just... I figured I gave you enough time away from me." She scoffs.

"You're acting as if I want you back." She rolls her eyes and I smirk.

"I know you do. You wouldn't have touched me the way you did if you hadn't had any feelings towards me." My smirk gets wider and Melody turns to face me, pressing her arms into the side of the couch so there is still some distance between us.

"I won't deny the physical attraction Jake because it has always been there. But emotionally you're dead to me." Her eyes seem darker and shut off of emotion. I can tell she honestly believes what she just said.

"I don't believe you." Again she rolls her eyes.

"I don't care. I love Dean. He makes me so happy and he loves me so dearly. He is more of a man than you'll ever be. The quicker you understand that, the quicker you can get the hell out of here. I don't want you Jacob Worthington." Her confession causes something to boil in me. I can feel my anger building by the second and I feel myself grab her wrist.

"Then prove it." Her eyes widen and her mouth falls agape.

"Pr-prove what?" Her voice is becoming shaky and she bites her bottom lip. This is a new habit. I like it.

"Prove that you don't want me anymore." I can hear her breathing becoming shallow and I grin. "Kiss me Melody. Kiss me like you would as if I were... Dean. And if you feel nothing I will leave you alone. But if you feel the same burning desire I feel every time I think of you then you will stop this nonsense and reconcile our relationship." My grip on her wrist gets harder and she frowns.

"I-I don't want to kiss you..." She looks away as she says this and I attempt to pull her closer to me.

"And why is that?" My voice sounds smooth, soft and completely seductive. There's no way I'm going to pass up the opportunity to kiss her again after all these years. I stroke her leg slowly and run my fingers from her knee to her inner thigh. Her soft moan lets me know I won't be stopped. I pull her leg closer to me and her body willingly moves. I wrap my arms around her waist and lightly trace her spine.

"Because..." She tries to reason but her hands begin to run up my arms and I suppress a shiver. Leaning my head closer to her I softly kiss her neck.

"Because what?" I pull her to straddle my waist and she does as I want. Her hands softly touch my chest and her eyes widen at the feel of my erratic heartbeat.

"Jake..." Her beautiful brown eyes finally meet mine and I lose my patience.

"Melody..." Sliding my hand up her back I cup her neck and bring her lips closer to mine.

"Don't..." She tries to protest but I won't stop now.

"I love you." I kiss her lips softly and her tongue licks my bottom lip. My cock twitches at the action and I push her further into the couch. The kiss is soft and slow, as if it's taking its time to remember how every touch felt before. But it doesn't last long. Her tongue keeps playing with my bottom lip causing me to groan. Melody takes that opportunity to dip her sweet tongue into my mouth and I suck on it as hard as I can. My teeth nip her lips softly and we begin to battle for dominance. She pulls me further into the kiss and I oblige. Her nails scrape my back and she pushes her core against my hard on. My mind begins to go blank and all I can think about is finally being able to delve into her sweet, hot core again. I want it so badly that the throbbing of my cock is almost unbearable. Melody nibbles on my bottom lip and pulls on my hair, telltale signs that she is horny. Good. 

This is the moment I've been waiting for. I can feel it in her kisses. Hear it in her breathing. Taste it on her tongue. She is giving in to me. She is letting me in again. I groan as she wraps her legs around my waist. My hands find her breasts and I massage them gently. Her nipples are already hard and begging for my attention. I rub myself against her and she moans out.

"Jake... stop..." I kiss her neck and suck on her sweet spot. I lick and nip it endlessly as her nails dig into my shoulder blades.

"Make me stop Melody." My movements on her breasts become more vigorous and she begins to pant. "Tell me what you want baby. Say it." My voice is deep and guttural and I know she likes it. I suck on her nipple through her shirt and she cries out. Her skirt has already risen past her panty line and her hair is a mess. Her head pushes further into the couch and I bite into her neck. "Say it." I growl out. Her eyes widen and she looks at me with so much passion I feel my stomach drop.

"Make love to me Jacob." The words are like a key that unlocks the door to my heart. Everything becomes a blur. Our clothes are flying all over the place. Our hands touch every inch of skin. Our mouths are hot and swollen from kissing. And our eyes are darkened with lust. I'm just about to latch on to her nipple when someone knocks on the door. I ignore it and continue to kiss her collarbone but Melody freezes up. The moment is ruined.

"Get off of me now!" She pushes at my chest and covers herself. Sighing I do as she wishes and reach for my pants.

"Melody there's no point in fighting this." I try to tell her as she runs around the room gathering her clothes. She looks crazy and frantic and I realize something.

"Melody." I call her name but she is still disorientated.

"Melody!" She turns to me but the person knocks on the door again and she rushes to put on her clothes. I put on my pants and leave my shirt unbuttoned so the person can know what they disturbed. I walk over to her slowly and put my hands on her waist.

"Melody." I nibble on her ear gently and she begins to relax. "Where is your... Dean?" Her body stiffens and she sniffles.

"Get out." She pulls away from me and opens the door. I can't see who she is talking to but I am ready to confront the person and teach them a lesson in manners. When I reach the door though I am shocked and a little happy to see who is waiting.

"Tara. It's so nice to see you again." I smile in her direction and her head snaps towards me. Her eyes widen as she takes in my state of undress and a brilliant smile breaks onto her face.

"What was I interrupting? Hmm?" She walks into the apartment and some boy behind her drops her bags beside the couch. She gives him a soft kiss on the cheek and he blushes before running out the door. Tara takes in her surroundings, most likely looking for where we could have tried our sexual encounter and her eyes land on the couch. Melody is still by the door looking ghostly so I pull her into my arms and calm her down.

"You did nothing wrong baby. Just relax it's ok." She pulls out of my arms, slams the door closed and frowns.

"No Jake it's not ok. I've cheated on Dean twice now. With you no less! This is Anguilla all over again!" She shakes her head continuously and I frown.

"Melody all I asked was for you to prove to me that you don't love me anymore and you couldn't. You still love me and you want to be with me. Just admit it!" The sense of dejavu washes over me and I have to take a deep breath to clear my head.

"No Jake! No not again! I won't be hurt by you again! I can't give in! Dean deserves so much better than this. I love him! NOT YOU!" Melody cries out. Tara rubs Melody's arm softly and shoots me a look I cannot decifer. She tries to pull her in for a hug but I won't let her go. Instead chooses to speak up.

"How about we all just take a break?" She takes Melody from my arms and I have to clench my fists so I don't take her back. Tara leads Melody to the couch and she looks it over before sitting down with her. I however remain rooted in my spot and glare at the two of them.

"Tara, although I am more than happy to see you again, Melody and I were in the middle of something and I mean to finish it." I state through clenched teeth. Tara laughs and wraps her arm around Melody's shoulder.

"Oh I know what you two were in the middle of and I must say I'm surprised Melody was able to put a fight in the first place." She smiles at me and I begin to relax. Melody doesn't seem too happy though.

"What do you mean by that! He shouldn't even be here!" She pinches the bridge of her nose and blows out a breath.

"What are you talking about? He was your first love Mel! Sure he hurt you but you knew you would forgive him instantly if he dared to show up! Didn't you just say to me that you wanted to see Jake again like three days ago? Didn't you tell me you missed him?" Tara raises an eyebrow at her and I begin to move closer to the women.

"Why would you say that Tara?" Melody's voice is quiet and shaky.

"Because it's the truth. Why are you making this harder on yourself? You know how you feel. It's obvious how Jake feels, let's not have a repeat of three years ago. Please." Tara tries to rub her shoulder but Melody flinches away.

"Why is everyone against me!" She jumps up and glares at the two of us. "I don't want to get back with Jake! I am happy with Dean!" As soon as she says that her phone rings. We all stare at her purse and she takes a deep breath before picking it up and answering. Both Tara and I wait anxiously to know who is on the phone.

"Hello?" Her eyes widen and she looks at me. "Hi Dean!" Her voice is too high, which means she's nervous and she should be. My chest tightens as she smiles at whatever he said to her. "Oh yeah everything is fine. Yeah I'm ok. Dean can you call me bac-" I snatch the phone away from her and try my best to speak calmly to this... boy.

"Is this Dean Collins?"

"Yes? And who is this?" I can hear his voice beginning to deepen in tone. Good I want him to get mad.

"It's Jacob Worthington... oh you know Melody's first and only love? Yeah well, I have to thank you Dean. If you never left to wherever the hell you are I wouldn't have been able to hold Melody in my arms again. And she fits perfectly in my arms. Damn does she smell good. Her skin is just as soft as I remember and her lips..." I can hear him huffing and I smile as Tara holds Melody back.

"YOU KISSED HER?" He barks into my ear but I just laugh lightly.

"Yes and it felt good... so good." Melody tries her hardest to push against Tara.

"I SWEAR TO GOD I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Come and get me boy." I hang up the phone and toss it on the couch. Melody looks like she is going to faint and Tara seems to be holding back a smile. I walk to her slowly and touch her arm. "Don't be upset Melody. I had to say it." A single tear rolls down her cheek before she looks up to me.

"Did you have to be so cruel to him? Did you have to tease him that way? Isn't it bad enough that I was the one to initate all of this, let alone rub it in his face? What kind of man are you?" She chokes on a sob and Tara pulls her in for a hug.

"Melody how else would you have liked me to handle it? I wasn't going to baby him and I wasn't going to lie." She continues to sob and my heart lurches. "Melody please let's just end this frustration. Please come back to me. Please." She looks up at me with those sorrow filled eyes and runs into my arms. But instead of letting me embrace her she begins to hit my chest.

"Why! Why did you have to betray me like that? Why did you have to break my heart? Why couldn't you just be honest? Why couldn't you just leave me alone?" She continues to hit my chest and Tara quietly leaves for Melody's room. "I hate you! I hate you so much! I don't ever want to love you again! I don't want to give you my heart! I don't!" I keep her in my arms as she continues to hit me. "I HATE YOU!" She screams and hits me harder but I don't let her go.

"And I love you beautiful. Please forgive me and believe me when I say I tried to stop it. I tried to make everything stop but it was too late. I didn't want to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you. I was angry and stupid and I was hurting so much. I felt like you betrayed me for him. It hurt so damn much that all I wanted was revenge. I am so sorry Melody. I love you so much that it seemed to cloud my better judgement... but I won't lie... I would do everything all over again if it meant I could spend those glorious last two weeks with you." She tries to hit me some more but slowly she melts into my embrace. I decide to move us towards the couch and I craddle her into my chest. She continues to cry softly but I know she has forgiven me.

"I hate that I still love you. I hate that I couldn't stay mad at you. I don't want to forgive you. I hate-"

"Stop saying that. You're happy you're still in love with me. And I am grateful that you let go of your anger towards me. I love you Melody let's not dwell on the negative." She hits my chest hard and hiccups.

"What about Dean? He's been so patient with me and so kind. Did you know we didn't have sex for four months? He waited four months for me! You couldn't even wait a day! He's so loving and fun to be around and he earnestly cares for me. Gosh this is so much like Anguilla that I'm getting a headache." I kiss the top of her head and smell her hair all the while trying to reign in my fierce jealousy and anger.

"I don't want to hear anymore about him. EVER. You will break up with him. Make it quick and painless. I'm not interested in repeating Anguilla either. This would have been a lot easier if you had stayed single in the first place." She looks up at me and frowns.

"I'm sorry if I wasn't going to wallow in my own self-pity until you got the damn courage to apologize to me."

"I made sure no one dated you Melody for the specifc reason of keeping you at an arms length. If you had just waite-"

"Wait what did you say?" She sits up in my lap and runs a hand through her hair.

"I said I made sure no one dated you. There's no point in lying about it." She shifts so she is straddling me and my stomach tightens in desire.

"And how did you do that?" I pet her face softly and kiss her lips.

"I did what I had to do... but obviously it wasn't enough." I murmur the end of the sentence in frustration.

"Did you have people watching me?" Yes.

"No."

"So how did you do it?" I hired some students that I knew would be in your class for your last two years and had them update me bi-monthly on your progress... And I may have hired a young man to pretend to be gay just to get close to you.

"I just made sure no boy dated you. I didn't take into account that your own teacher would be interested in you as well." My fists clench at the thought of that man touching what was always mine.

"AND HOW DID YOU DO THAT?" She pushes at my chest and her brows furrow.

"Through your friends. And no not those who are close to you, just people that I could make sure I could use to my benefit." She frowns and pulls away from me.

"You're sick! No you're crazy!" Her words make my temper flare again.

"No I was desperate! There was no other way for me to know you were happy and safe without actually going to you."

"Then you should have just come to me!" She pushes off of me and walks away.

"If I came to you, you would have pushed me away!"

"No I wouldn't have!" Liar.

"YES YOU WOULD! YOU HATED ME! YOU LOATHED ME! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO APOLOGIZE WHEN I KNEW YOU WOULDN'T EVEN LOOK AT ME? HOW THE HELL WAS I SUPPOSED TO APOLOGIZE WHEN I HAD NO F*CKING IDEA AS TO WHY YOU LEFT IN THE FIRST PLACE?" She turns her back to me and holds herself.

"You never even tried." In response I get up and wrap my arms around her.

"I was too scared. I didn't want you to reject me. I was terrified of getting my heart broken all over again. It was bad enough that you left me without a word... but having to confront you face to face... I couldn't do it." It bothers me to be so vunerable, but for Melody I would pour my heart out and relive the pain of her absence over and over again if it meant we could be together.

"What else have you done? Who were the people you used?" She turns in my arms and pouts. "And I want you to be honest." I used Max, Heather, Joshua, Zena, Rachel, Zack  and Cameron.

"No. You don't need to know. All that matters is that we are together now."

"No! What matters is for you to be honest with me. Who are the people?" They're just simpletons that took the $2000 each I offered to watch you. One of which I am paying higher than that.

"It doesn't matter now. Please let it go." Again she pulls away from me and I sigh in annoyance.

"So you were just going to keep this from me as well." She says quietly to herself. Yes you didn't need to know.

"You don't need to know everything baby." Her eyes widen and her fists clench.

"The hell I don't! It's my life! Now tell me who the people are or get the f*ck out! I can't deal with anymore lies!" I guess I'm leaving, I think to myself as I sigh again and kiss her lips softly.

"There is no point in continuing this argument. There are many things that are better left unsaid and this is one of them. I did what I had to to make sure the love of my life was getting everything she wanted. Except finding comfort in another man's arms. I couldn't prevent that but it doesn't matter now. I am back, he is gone and we will finally start the rest of our lives together." I kiss her again and she pushes me back. Feeling dejected I turn from her so she can't see my pain. "Get some rest. I will see you tomorrow my love." Reluctantly I gather my belonings and leave the apartment. As I button up my shirt and fix my clothes I try to seem strong but deep down I am crumbling in on myself for walking away from her. When I close the door I feel the pang of loss again and I have to breathe deeply to refrain from crying. I only walk three steps before Melody walks out. I try to hide my absolute joy at her sight but it's hard to conceal.

"Jake... I don't know what's going to happen with us. I want you back... I know that. I've missed you like crazy and the thought of seeing you again made me happier than I have been in years. But we can't start this relationship on lies and mistrust. I'm still coming to terms with how I feel about you and what I'm going to do now, so I don't want you coming back tomorrow. For now please just stay away. I'm not saying go back to New York because it would kill me if you did. I just need time to deal with everything. I need talk to Dean and Tara and Layla. I need time to breathe." She walks closer to me and wraps her arms around my waist. "I love you Jake. I can't lie about that. But I am still hurting and very confused. Please give me time. And when I am ready to talk again... then we can lay everything out on the table. I don't want you disrupting my work again, and I don't want you to hide behind fake accounts to talk to me. You can call me but that's it." She lifts up her hair and begins to unlatch the necklace I bought her. My heart lurches at the action and I stop her immediately.

"Please keep it. I need to know that you still wear something I gave to you." She nods her head and releases her hair. "I will oblige with what you want only because you're not rejecting me. But I can't promise to stay away for long Melody. You do understand that right?" She smiles and rests her head on my chest.

"Yeah I know. You've never been a patient man. I love you... but please tell me... who are the people." She pulls back till she is at arms length and I groan.

"Melody..." She nods her head and turns back towards her apartment.

"That's fine. Goodbye Jake. I hope, for your sake that you will tell me the truth." She leaves me standing there and I turn towards the elevator so I can leave before I think otherwise. I press the lower floor button and wait patiently. The elevator dings and I step in just to be joined by Tara. It seems like sighing is becoming a bad habit for me.

"Who are the people?" She crosses her arms.

"If I didn't tell Melody I'm surely not going to tell you." The elevator opens and an old couple walks in. Tara and I move to the furthest corner of the elevator to get more privacy.

"I can't believe you had people watching her... actually never mind yes I can. I just... damn it Jake!" She takes her hair out of her ponytail and shakes it free. "Just tell me who the people are." I roll my neck and feel the satisfying crack.

"It doesn't matter who the people are, the majority of them aren't even in her life anymore." Tara rolls her eyes and follows me out of the elevator.

"How many?"

"Throughout the past 3 years there have only been 7 people. Out of those 7 she is still in contact with 2. I am going to relieve them of their services soon, as I am now able to watch over her myself." Tara scoffs, sounding just like Melody, and puts a hand on my shoulder.

"You better tell her who these two people are or consider yourself officially out of Melody's life. She won't let this go. She's become an independent woman now." We reach outside the building and I give her a small smile.

"She's not as independent as you may think. If Melody knew even half of the things I've done for her in the past 3 years... well findout who was keeping an eye on her would seem miniscule." Tara's eyes widen before they narrow.

"You never really left her did you?" I smile wide and hail a cab.

"I've been with her the entire time."