Best Friend Next Door (Love Next Door Book 2) *Rough Draft*

Chapter 16

Melanie didn't know when she'd ended up on Shaggs' couch. She's promised herself it would be a catnap and she'd be gone when Shaggs got home. She almost didn't even want to bother coming over, but the truth was she needed the space. She'd even gotten bored and rummaged through Shaggs closet.

She didn't find much just that Shaggs was the khaki king and still had a box in the back of his closet of his pictures with his ex-wife. She didn't know why she felt a stab in her gut when she saw that. Flipping through them she realized the life he had when he shut her out. She didn't want to care, but she did. This man that went rock climbing, and dressed up in fancy clothes and saved receipts from fancy restaurants marked 'first date' and 'anniversary', even cards from her, the box was full of 'I love yous' and empty promises. She felt like an idiot going through it but somehow it was her putting things in perspective. They didn't have this. They didn't date, they didn't have cute valentines dates that they shared. They just had the stupid box of necco conversation hearts every year, but there was no box with their 'romantic' memories. They'd never had anything real. They had never been boyfriend and girlfriend, because he was so bent on going from zero to one hundred.

A velvet box slipped off of the shelf and fell onto the floor. Melanie picked it up. She figured it was the ring he'd proposed to Rachael with but it didn't stop the memories that came flooding back like a bad movie burning her eyes.

Shaggs' gentle tongue dipped in her mouth hungrily. His hands danced over her body. They weren't pretending this was real. She wasn't acting. She'd spent all these years feeling this for her best friend and keeping it bottled in. This is what it came down to. Not that it was nothing. There were to many what ifs. But this is what they had. She remember her first and think of him. The man she'd loved so many years. He'd have that piece of her. For always. She couldn't say it, it was too late.

They were both leaving for college and taking different paths she was going to New York and he was going to Georgia Tech. She had already decided she wasn't coming back. He told her he wanted to stay here and have a family and she wanted that for him. Not for her.

"You have a condom right?"

He chuckled, "Yeah," He nuzzled her neck gently,"Melanie, if you don't want do this."

"I do, Shaggy. I do." Her nose pressed against his relishing in the feel of him touching her. "I want this." She breathed.

He cradled her face, "What is it?"

Her breathing grew more ragged, "Did you go to Joann's?"

"I stole it from Christian." He laughed, "Trust me, he won't miss it." He drug his nose down the side of her face and chuckled again, "Mel, you're the spontaneous one, remember."

Her heart rattled in her chest as her fingers traced the belt of his pants reaching for the condom, but she felt the feel of velvet, a box. Her heart sank. What else could it have been?

"Baby, I love you. I've always loved you."

She was still thinking about the ring. Shit! This wasn't how this was supposed to work, he was supposed to find someone else and have his kids and live happily ever after. Shit! Shit! This was not supposed to happen this way. Was he expecting her to stay? Her chest started vibrating and tears welled in her eyes.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

She couldn't stop once one fell more started to fall.

He slipped away to the other side of the tent she could feel her chest cave.