Justin Timberlake and Wine | Mel

It was a Sunday night, which could arguably be the worst night of the week. It was literally the calm before the storm. It still felt like the weekend, but had the daunting shadow of Monday looming overhead in a way that made it almost possible to really enjoy the day. Espn was sitting on her couch sending all manner of text to her old friend Melanie. Having been swamped with grading to do, Espn wasn't able to make it to the big opening bash at the new club the night before. But she had heard that Melanie was there, and was hoping to get a full report.

E : I have Friends With Benefits and pink wine. Come Oveerrrrrrrrr. (sent to @accaila)

M: On my way.

Melanie couldn't have been more relieved to see a text from Espn after the night she had. The entire time at the hospital with Braxton had been spent wishing she had a girlfriend to talk to and now...Espn had perfect timing. Seriously, she would probably hug her the instant she reached the door. Running back to the House of Hades and changing into a more comfortable pair of jeans and a plain read shirt, she made the trip to Espn's in record time.

Knocking on the door to Espn's apartment, Melanie was suddenly nervous. How much should she tell her friend? Everything? Anything? Was it right to come and dump all this on her after ignoring her for so long?

Espn giggled with excitement when she heard the knock on the door. She was wearing a comfortable pair of Nike shorts that were flamboyant colors and a cute neon pink tank top. He brown hair was in a messy pile on her head and the make up she had on was from yesterday, but somehow she still looked amazing, "Mel!" Espn yelled, wrapping her arms around her friend's neck, "I didn't think you would actually come! This is awesome!" Espn dragged the dark haired girl in to the apartment and slammed the door behind her.

Melanie hadn't been to Espn's apartment in at least a year, probably more along the lines of two or three if she actually forced herself to sit down and think about it. The feeling of it hadn't changed too much, even if everything else had. "Why wouldn't I?" The soft smile on her face was almost playful, but she knew Espn was right. On a normal day she wouldn't have come or would have rescheduled and hoped that Espn would forget. She almost felt bad, knowing that she was basically using Espn because she had no where else to turn. Then again, with the way things were going now...maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to start hanging out with Espn again. She needed a friend in the worst ways.

"Thank you for inviting me." she said after a long moment, hugging Espn again even though she knew it was out of character. That was it, the girl was a psychic. Her choice in movies needed to be reevaluated, but hey. It could be lived with.

Noticing Melanie's feelings, Espn narrowed her eyes, "What happened?" She said bluntly, closing the door behind Melanie and leading the other girl into the living room, "And don't lie. I can tell that your confused about something..."

"It's....complicated." Melanie started, not quite sure what to tell Espn. Even if she told her everythinf, she wouldn't know where to start. Deciding to start at the part that had her the most confused, the part that Espn could actually help with, she sighed before looking up at her friend. "I went home with Brax last night." There. Espn knew now and it had opened up the conversation. She'd have to tell her everything now, even if she was reluctant.

Open mouthed and quiet, Espn stared at her old friend, "That blond guy from camp? Braxton Wyatt? No way." She leaned back into the couch as if that would help her take in the information better, "But he hates you." She said curtly, no caring if that bothered Melanie or not. Espn could tell she wasn't much in a sharing mood but, once again, she didn't care much.

"See, that's the thing...I thought so too, and until last night...he did!" Melanie wasn't sure if Brax still hated her or not. There was a good chance that this was a one...well...technically two...time thing, but what if it wasn't? "Things just got so complicated so fast. Last night, and again this morning. Es, I don't even know where to start!" That's it. Melanie had officially reached breakdown territory and took a left into crazy town. None of this made sense anymore.

"We were friends, and then we weren't. He hated me, but now he doesn't. The hot and cold thing is driving me crazy. And the worst part is...I can't even be mad at him." Pulling her knees up to her chest, Melanie couldn't help but think about how good it had felt to have him not look at her with hate in his eyes, to actually see him smile. Did she love Brax? Was this a real thing? So many questions and not enough time to answer them in, even if Espn could.

There were three things that Espn was aware of instantaneously. The first was that Melanie was confused. To this, Espn could only smile and think how lucky she was to even have a guy to be confused over. It's like the best part of the game to win someone's heart, in her opinion. Not that there aren't other fun things about the initial start up phase, like watch Owain squirm in his seat and all that, but this confusion is something to cherish because you are growing as a person. The second, and probably most prominent feeling that Espn picked up on was love. This thing is, the love was undefined to Melanie's head. as it brotherly, or lover? Even Melanie couldn't decipher between the two causing Espn a headache when she tried to delve deeper. Finally, she knew that in order to know for sure what Melanie was thinking, she would need to hold her hands. This would strengthen the empathetic connection and give Espn a perfect idea of what Melanie's feelings were. But even Espn had some restraint when it came to this moment. Such a personal level of self awareness can be terrifying and life altering if they aren't careful. Espn tilted her head and looked concerned as she said finally, "Want me to see?" She asked, knowing Melanie would understand that Espn was offering to read her emotions.

It wasn't like they hadn't done this before, so why did it make Melanie so nervous now to reach out and grab Espn's hand? Yes, it was personal, but it always had been. Deciding that, despite the lack of communication of the pat few years, Espn was still the only person she could trust with something like this, Melanie finally nodded. Of course it could change everything, but she needed to know. If the chaos made sense, then maybe she could at least handle it accordingly.

"What's the worst that could happen?" She joked as she laid her hands in Espn's, a nervous laugh that almost didn't sound like her own escaping her lips. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes for a moment, Melanie tried to push down the anxiety and overall nervousness that was threatening to over take her. It would be best for Espn if she didn't have to deal with all of that jumbled mess.

The minute that Melanie touched Espn's hands, the other girl's emotions completely took over Espn, as if she were feeling them herself. She sucked in a deep breathe and closed her eyes so she could push past the overwhelming feeling that she wanted to throw up. It was like the butterflies in that suddenly appeared in her stomach were battling for a way out. But behind that, behind the nerves and the confusion was a very clear feeling. In fact, the feeling stuck out so much because it as Espn's specialty. Love. Sure, it was just the beginnings of love. More the infatuation, lusty stage than anything, but she could tell where it was going. Espn pulled her hands back and raised her eye brows at her best friend, "Whoa, Mel." She shook her head and leaned back, "If only I could get into his head too."

Laughing quietly at the look on Espn's face, Melanie couldn't help but feel a little better. "Is it that bad?" Really, they had just hated each other yesterday. It couldn't be...could it? Even now she felt as if knowing was helping her to relax a little bit. Maybe she wasn't crazy. Foolish, stupid, slightly masochistic, but not crazy. "What do I do now, Es?" That was the loaded question though, wasn't it? Maybe she should con Braxton in to coming over...then Espn could work her miracles on him. That was probably the worst idea of the century though. She'd shelve it for later.

Espn bit her lip and looking at the ceiling for a moment to think, "Its not really my place to tell you what to do next, but I can tell you that, if he is feeling the same way, this could be a great thing." She sucked in a quick breathe, "But it does completely hinge on his feelings!" She said suddenly as if trying to make it perfectly clear that she wasn't promising the world to her friend. She leaned back into the couch and looked at her TV, "Until you know, let's watch a movie?"

"I'm trying to decide if you are a psychic or an empath." Melanie finally stated after a moment of confusion. Espn was right, it was all up to Brax now. If she dwelled or obsessed on it, she'd drive herself crazy before everything was through. "A movie sounds like heaven right now." Pushing herself farther in to the couch, she made herself comfortable beside Espn. "Are we still seriously going to watch Friends with Benefits though? I'm not sure whether or not to be amused."

Espn laughed and squinted at her movie case, chock full of romcoms and dramas, "Well there's always No Strings Attached." She suggested, knowing full well that it is basically the same plot with different actors. She bit her lip and looked at Melanie for a moment before getting up to have a closer look at the case of DVDs, "Or that Trinity Blake movie where she fell in love with the Prince of the enemy nation and they thought they hated each other but were brought together over a mutual concern for his sister." Espn looked up and arched her eye brow, trying her hardest to hold back the laughter.