"See ya..."
The hug broke and she walked away, almost as if she was walking out of his life forever. At least that's what it felt like.

For the longest time, Melissa had been falling in live with Jake. They met about a year ago, in a sense, by accident. It wasn't expected nor planned, but it sparked a friendship that grew with every encounter.
Jake was in a band called Down on Sunday with a few of his friends, John, Ryan and Ted, and for the last four years, Melissa had been a very supportive fan. That's how they met; at one of his concerts.
It was in July of last year sometime. Melissa had gone to a concert with a few of her friends, but at some point during the night, they all left the room of the local Teen Center, and Melissa found herself all alone, not knowing where anyone was. A bit frustrated, she went outside looking for one of her friends. She made her way around to the other side of the Teen Center but to no avail. On her way back, her life changed forever.
As she was making her way to the front of the building, Jake and John were walking in the opposite direction. Melissa was wearing a Down on Sunday shirt and when Jake saw it, he was not only happy, but very surprised.
"Down on Sunday!" he exclaimed excitedly, as he reached out his arms to hug the stranger.
"Of course; you guys are amazing!" Melissa was very flattered, but also a little bit nervous. This was all so unexpected. After all, she was just looking for her friend.
After a few minutes of talking, they parted ways only to meet up later on that night. During the DoS (Down on Sunday) show, Melissa had stood in front of Jake, where she had always stood, simple and meaningless. Or was it?
It was, at one point, but about an hour before, things had changed. Now he knew who she was, and they had talked to each other. They weren't strangers.
The band was loud, but melodic; abrasive, but meaningful. They were better than most professional bands. Melissa couldn't get enough of them. Their drummer was amazing, too. For the last few months, Melissa had been falling for Ryan without any hope. Unaware of his actions, he had captured her heart and she couldn't do anything about it. It would take something extremely powerful to get her over this one, and she just couldn't see it happening.
In the middle of one of their songs, Jake started talking to Melissa, and suddenly, he was trying to get her to go up and dance! They barely knew each other but everything had changed. He was acknowledging her, and treating her like they'd known each other for years. He didn't even know her name. Yet, he knew more about her than Ryan ever did, and she'd known him for much longer.
Everything had changed. Only, Melissa wouldn't find out until many months later. Jake was just a guy in a band that she talked to at concerts; that was their relationship for the first few months they'd known each other. But somewhere down the line, after failures and heart breaks, Melissa gave in to her silent screams and accepted that everything had changed. But changed for whom? Melissa, yes; but Jake needed to feel the same way before anything really mattered. Everything had indeed changed, but everything isn't always enough, as she would soon find out.

Alone in her room, Melissa sat wondering. She had been thinking about her life a lot, and loneliness and fear always seemed to be prominent in her mind. She was lonely, and even miserable. She felt like she was losing all her friends and every guy she fell for seemed to be a dead end. She feared her future, and what was in store for her. She feared that nothing was in store for her, and that her life was meaningless and destined for nowhere. Inside, she was falling apart and losing hope in whatever meaning her life was supposed to have. She was in dire need of positive in her life; something to look forward to, to count on, to be there; something permanent, but something good.
So she sat in her room, all by herself as she did every night, thinking of what her life was made of.
Friends? - Can't really count on them.
Family? - Doesn't really exist in her life.
Hope? - Gave up on that a long time ago.
Wishing? - Unfortunately, this one seemed to be the winner.

Melissa had all but wished her life away for the last 18 years. Everything she wanted in life, and a lot of what she needed, were all just hopeful, or maybe even hopeless, wishes.
She went to bed crying that night, but amongst the tears, there was a slight smile on her face because she had one thing good to look forward to. Down on Sunday had a show the following night. The thought of Jake's face in her mind made the pain in her heart slowly disappear, and with ease, she fell asleep.

"Hey you!"
It had almost become accustom for Melissa to go to a show then casually watch the band that was playing while she eyed the room in search of Jake. Then, once she found him, she would ignore him like she had no idea he was even in the room and wait for him to come over to her. It always worked, too. The moment he saw she was there, he would walk over to greet her.
"Hello! How are you?"
"I'm great!"
"I'm not too bad myself."
"Thanks for coming tonight. And thanks for wearing the shirt. I really appreciate it."
"Anything for you, Jake. You guys rock!"
"Ehh..."
"You do, trust me!"
His modesty was untouchable. He was always thankful and appreciative, but sometimes he couldn't understand what she saw in his band. Ironically, Melissa couldn't understand why the band insisted they sucked. They didn't! They were so good!
Jake laughed as he walked towards their designated table, set up for the sales of merchandise. Melissa smiled but suddenly felt all alone. That happened a lot. She would be in a room with 100 people, sometimes more, and still, she would feel completely alone.
"Melissa?!" A voice yelled from across the room.
"Yea?"
"Come here!" He gestured.
Melissa walked over to the table where Jake was sitting. He was by himself at the time. The other guys were carrying equipment in so Jake was watching the table.
"Yes, sir?" Melissa said jokingly as she sat down next to him. He didn't ask her to sit; she just knew the invitation was there.
They began talking. They talked about everything; whatever they could think of; whatever came to mind: the band that just played, the weird people that had shown up, the shirts that they were selling and how they made no sense at all and so much more. They had fun, they laughed, and they got along. Everything was perfect. At least to Melissa it was.
She had no fears when she sat next to him. Everything in her life made sense when he spoke to her. Her life was complete and her heart was mended, all by his presence in her life.

For the last two months or so, things had been a little different between Jake and Melissa. Not bad, just different. You see, DoS had a show that was about 45 minutes away, back in March. The week before the show, Jake told Melissa not to go because it was too far. He never wanted her to go out of her way to see his shows. In his opinion, she did so much for them already, just by going to their local shows, wearing their shirts, passing out flyers and just being their fan, that he would never ask and didn't expect Melissa to do anything beyond that. He was so grateful for what she did do, but he felt guilty when she did anything more.
Well, besides that fact that Melissa was a very devoted fan of the band, she was also on a mission to make a point. So against Jake's wishes, she attended the concert.
She got a little lost on the way there and ended up missing the majority of the DoS performance, but she did catch the last two songs. Once they had stopped playing, and Jake realized she was there, he was flabbergasted.
"Oh my god, you came!"
"I told you I would."
They played their last song, and began clearing off the stage. Melissa found herself standing there, in front of the stage, waiting.
Waiting... It kind of seemed like Melissa did a lot of that when it came to Jake. She always found herself waiting for him to show up, or waiting for him to notice she was there, or waiting for him to come back, or, in the big picture, waiting for him to come around.
Melissa had been trying to win his heart over since January, but since she was kind of shy, she wasn't too sure how to go about approaching the situation. But after several days of debating, she decided that on this particular night, she would take a risk.
After traveling so far to see DoS, she made an assumption that her actions would speak louder than words to Jake. She thought that by going to the show, he would look between the lines and realize that she was willing to do anything for him. She wanted him to see that she would travel any distance, against all odds, just to be with him. Yes, she enjoyed the music his band played, but on this night, it went far beyond music.
About fifteen minutes later, she turned around right as Jake was walking towards her. He immediately gave her a hug and thanked her for going to the show. Another band was playing, so they had to talk loudly and directly into each other's ears in order to hear. Their bodies brushed against each others as they talked, sending chills down Melissa's back. She had never felt so close to him. Even when they hugged, it was a different feeling than the one she had been experiencing at that moment in time.
If she had it her way, the moment never would have ended and she would have stood there with Jake in complete Nirvana forever. But then, like everything else, it did end and Melissa found herself waiting for Jake to come back as he had claimed he would.
"I'll be right back, okay?"
"Alright," she said with an approving smile that was hiding the loneliness that was beginning to take over once he walked away.
He never made it back, but they did meet up again outside the venue about twenty-five minutes later. They talked for a few more minutes. Jake again thanked her for going so far to see the show. He wanted to make it up to her and also do something to show his gratitude towards her.
"Do you still have my number?"
"Yea."
"Call me before the next show and I'll get you in for free."
"Oh ok, thanks. I appreciate it."
"It's the least I can do."
"You really don't have to."
"Melissa, you spend so much money on us!"
"It's worth it," she wanted to say you're.
He laughed. He appreciated her support, but still, he didn't understand it. That was the problem, too. It was more than just supporting his band, and he didn't understand that.
"I'll see ya around, okay?" He said it so reassuringly, but she couldn't let him leave just yet. She couldn't."
Melissa discretely pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket and refused to say good-bye just yet.
"Um...," she stuttered, "I wrote this for you. Read it later."
"Okay."
"Later."
"Okay..."
"Later!" she finally said, trying to convey "privately" to him through her insistence.
"Okay," Jake looked Melissa in the eye as he reassuringly accepted her request.
They both turned around and walked in opposite directions. Melissa instantly wondered if she had just made the right choice, or a big mistake.
It was about three weeks later before she had finally gotten a response from Jake. It wasn't that Jake was avoiding her either. When Melissa wrote the note, she assumed he still had her number, but he didn't. So he had no way of contacting her. It was the night before the next DoS show and as Jake had requested, Melissa called him about getting in for free. For some reason, she felt kind of guilty taking the free admission, but at the same time, it was nice to get something in return.
When she called, she was pretty nervous about the conversation that was about to take place. She wondered if he would mention the note and if he did, she wondered how he would react. But if he didn't... well, she didn't really want to think of that.
The phone rang and rang and rang. Then finally she heard "Don't leave a message, just call back later."
Her heart sank. The anticipation was so built up, only to get his voice mail. He'd call back, though. She knew he would. And she was right.
"Hello?"
"Melissa?" The unsure voice asked.
"Yes..." She played dumb and acted like she had no idea who was calling or why.
"It's Jake."
"Oh, hey!"
"What's up?"
"Not much."
"Yea same here." Out of no where, and much to her surprised, he continued, "By the way, I've been meaning to get back to you about that note. I really appreciate everything you said. It was really sweet of you. Thank you so much. It was very sweet. I appreciate it."
She blushed. She couldn't see it, but she could feel it.
"You're welcome. I was just trying to be honest with you. I was a little apprehensive to give it to you, but I decided that you would be ok with it either way, and just said, ‘What the hell,' and gave it to you."
"Well, I appreciate it. It means a lot to me. I'm glad I can make you feel that way."
"I am too," damn, she thought to herself. Probably should have kept that comment to myself.
The conversation continued on as Jake finalized the free admission to the upcoming show. But it was that brief discussion about a note she had written almost a month ago that changed their relationship... again. Melissa was very anxious to see how Jake would react to her in person after finding out how she felt. He was fine over the phone, but how would he act to her face?
Well, as usual, he greeted her with a hug that night, and everything was fine. He didn't act any differently and neither did she. The only difference was, this time they both knew more than either was letting on.

Hi, I'm Ashley. What's your name?"
"Melissa." They shook hands.
Ashley was Jake's girlfriend. They hadn't been going out that long, but one second was long enough in Melissa's eyes. For the last few months, Melissa felt things were changing between her and Jake. She felt that they were getting closer and that they were beginning to trust each other and really treat each other like friends. She felt that if she just stuck with it, and kept proving herself to Jake, something would happen. And then she saw Ashley and her whole world fell apart.
"It's nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet your, too," Melissa lied as Jake stood in front of her looking a little worried. Obviously, he knew how Melissa felt about him, and now his girlfriend was introducing herself to her.
The rest of that night wasn't the same. It started off with Melissa sitting at a table for over an hour with a guy that she cared deeply about, and it ended with her sitting at that same table, by herself, selling their shirts while Jake was watching the other bands perform with his girlfriend. How could things have possibly gone so wrong? A really good night turned into an occasion of hurt and pain, and Jake had no clue.
Well, it seemed like Jake had no clue, but he probably did. The look of misery and hopelessness on Melissa's face easily gave it away. That night, Jake barely touched his new girlfriend while Melissa was around, and she felt that that was because he cared about her, and he didn't want to hurt her. He didn't care about her the way she wanted or needed him to, but he cared about her. He actually cared about her.

The sunshine beamed brightly through the windows of Melissa's bedroom. As she began to realize she was awake, she thought back to the previous night and dreaded opening her eyes. Eventually, she gave in only to find herself greeting a picture of her and Jake that was taken a few months back.
"Urrgh! I can't get you out of my head no matter what I do!" She groaned with frustration.
Everything seemed to remind her of Jake, and knowing that the night before she had shaken his girlfriend's hand wasn't helping the matter. She needed him in so many ways and it didn't seem possible for him to find out. Obviously, she could tell him, but it didn't seem appropriate under the circumstances.
She looked at the picture.
"You're hopeless... Just like everything else in my life."

Three weeks had gone by and Melissa was just hours away from seeing Jake again. DoS had a show that night, and obviously, she was not about to miss it.
After asking several people to attend the show with her, it became obvious to Melissa that she would have to entertain herself that night and go all alone. It was okay though, because she was used to being alone.
Feeling depressed about the upcoming night, Melissa left for her destination... alone. She arrived about a half hour early and entered the venue. She walked up to the DoS merchandise table, where Jake had his back turned and therefore, did not see her.
"Where am I supposed to pay?" She asked.
"I have no idea," John replied.
Jake turned around, "Oh my God! Hi!" He actually seemed happy to see her, yet for some reason, surprised she came.
"Hi"
"You came!"
"Of course I came," of course, she thought.
They talked for a few minutes, and then Jake asked, "Do you want a wristband?"
"Sure," Melissa said, "Thank you."
They walked behind the table and Jake gave her a wristband to cover the cost of the $8 entry fee. He was so kind to her. He always had been. He appreciated her, and she appreciated him.
"Have you met Ron?"
"I don't think so..."
"Ron, this is Melissa. Melissa, this is Ron."
"Hi," the stranger said quietly.
"Hi, nice to meet you," Melissa replied.
Awkward silence took over and Melissa was at a loss of words. Sometimes this would happen. She just wouldn't be able to come up with anything to say. Luckily for her, Jake was being very talkative.
"Start a conversation with him."
"Why?"
"Because! He doesn't talk. Just start talking to him."
"No!" she laughed.
He gave her a serious look in a playful way, "I gave you a wristband!"
"So? I came to your show!"
"So? I don't care!"
"Well, I don't care if you gave me a wristband. Besides, I don't like talking to strangers."
Jake laughed, "Why not?"
"I don't know. I just don't, which is weird because I work with the public so I meet new people every day."
"Oh yea, you told me about that."
It was kind of a meaningless conversation, but it made Melissa happy.
The night continued on, and Melissa spent most of her time sitting at the DoS table by herself. No one wanted to go with her to the show, and now she was stuck there all alone. Granted, she was with Jake and the other guys, it didn't really make much of a difference because they always spent so much time talking to other people that they were hardly ever in the same place for very long.
Melissa started text messaging a friend to fill the void of emptiness that had taken over. Aside from that, she was trying to keep Ashley off of her mind. She knew his girlfriend would show up any moment and she knew she would have to be pleasant.
Finally, DoS went on and Melissa was in her glory. She loved this band more than any other. Their music was so incredible and she couldn't help but to admire it. As Melissa watched the show, she noticed someone was missing. Not anyone on stage, but someone who should have been there as support. Ashley wasn't there. Her boyfriend was performing and she didn't even show up. This drove Melissa crazy. It wasn't that she wanted Ashley to be there, it was just that Melissa knew how lucky Ashley was to have such a great guy as her boyfriend, and it pissed Melissa off to see her taking advantage of such a great person. It just seemed like she didn't care. She should have been there supporting him. As happy as Melissa was that Ashley didn't show up, she still should have been there.

After DoS performed, Melissa went outside to get some fresh air. She had been sitting in the basement of a church for several hours and she was beginning to feel light headed. She walked out the doors to her right and started for a tree that was standing in the small field of grass before her. She was about half way to the tree when she stopped. She just stood in the grass, with her back turned to the world she knew. She stood there, thinking.
It's not possible for me to be good enough for him. She doesn't even bother coming to his shows, but that's enough for him. I don't get it. I really don't get it. I give up.
Melissa stood in the yard with her arms wrapped around herself for what seemed like forever when Jake walked up from behind, startling Melissa.
"Are you ok?"
She jumped a bit, "Oh, jeez! You scared me... Yea I'm fine."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to."
"It's ok, Jake." She faked a smile.
"Are you sure you're ok? You don't look like you're ok."
"I'm fine Jake. Don't worry about it."
"What do you mean, ‘don't worry about it'? You're standing out here all by yourself and you look miserable! And you want me to just walk away and leave you alone? I think alone is the last thing you want to be."
Melissa just stood there. Jake was right. She didn't want him to leave. She never wanted him to leave. That was always the hardest part of seeing Jake. It always had to end. No matter how hard she tried to stall and stick around even a minute longer, it always ended.
Jake had been standing in back of Melissa the whole time, and suddenly, she felt him put his arms around her. He rested his chin on top of her head from behind; Melissa couldn't breathe.
"I care about you Mel. I know that you and I never really... express feelings to each other, but I do care about you. You mean so much to me. I hate seeing you so depressed like this, and I really hate trying to pretend I don't know it's because of me. I thought I had something special, but with someone else. I thought Ashley cared about me and I thought she supported me. But when I called her to see where she was, she told me she was at work, but I could hear her friends laughing in the background. So basically, she blew me off to hang out with her friends, and then lied to me about it instead of just saying she had other plans.
"I expect her to be at my shows because we don't really have them that often, so it doesn't really seem to me like it's a big inconvenience. But she's never there. Even when she does come, she's not really there, if that makes any sense. I expect her to be there and she never is, and then she lies to me. I never expect you to be there and you always are, and you're always honest to me about everything you say. So now I'm gonna be there for you, and I'm gonna be honest with you," Jake turned Melissa around and looked her in the eyes, "I made a mistake."
They stared in each others eyes as Jake held Melissa's hands. Finally, he reached out and put his arms around her. He held her tightly in his arms and swore to himself he'd never let go, even if he did have to let go.
"So now what, Jake?" Melissa said out of no where, pulling away from him. "Am I supposed to just pretend that everything is ok?" She continued in a voice so quiet it was almost a whisper, "I don't think you realize how painful this is for me. I don't think you realize how hard it is to live with knowing that you felt Ashley was better than me. You made a mistake, but you made it at my cost." Her voice increased slightly, "I was always there for you, I always tried to support you and I did the best I could to make sure you knew how I felt. And you just ignored it. Now, you want something better so you come to me, but only after your girlfriend blew you off. So does that mean I have to blow you off to get your attention? Because I-"
"Melissa!" Jake cut her off. "I didn't do this on purpose. I didn't plan this and I never meant for you to be hurt by it. I know you have feelings for me and you care about me, and I know that you've felt this way for along time, but if you really think that I did this on purpose, and that all along, my goal was to hurt you, then tell me right now, and I'll walk away."
Silence.
Melissa and Jake just stood there. Neither one of them knew what to do next. Melissa didn't want to leave, but it was hard to stay with so many thoughts of infidelities screaming at her in her mind. Jake had hurt her so many times, completely unaware of his actions. Now, he was trying to convince himself and Melissa that nothing had ever happened. It wasn't working.
"Jake... I..." she stuttered, "I don't even know what to say to you. I feel like you're asking the world from and just expecting to get it."
"That's not true Melissa. You know that. I just want us to be together. I made a mistake; a huge mistake. But at least I'm admitting it, and I'm telling you I was wrong. And I'm telling you that if I could turn back time, on the day you told me that you liked me, I would have asked you out. And even though it took something stupid like my girlfriend blowing me off, I still realize now that I wasted a lot of time that I could have happily spent with you. I can't change the past. But we can the future."
Jake stared at Melissa, hoping her eyes would tell him the answer to all his questions. They did. Her eyes were screaming for him. He was all she ever wanted and he finally saw it. He saw how serious she was and he knew everything would be ok.
Jake lowered his head to Melissa's level and after moments of hesitation, he finally kissed her.
Everything was perfect and they both knew that they would be ok.