Jim, Chris, and Joey talked about plans for the night as I watched Blaze. She was so beautiful! I knew she kindred spirit and desperately needed a "home". She's basically been alone since she was sixteen. My home life wasn't that great, but I can't imagine what the hell she's been through. She looked up to wipe her brow and noticed me. I smiled at her, making her smile in return.I couldn't figure out why, but everytime she smiled at me it made my heart flutter. Perhaps Joey was right. It's no secret she's a gorgeous woman. Anyone with a pair of eyes could see that. There was something more to her, I knew it. Was it possible she kept a guard up, much like I'd been doing since the divorce? I began wondering what exactly happened with her family that caused her to leave home at sixteen.
Jim and Chris decided they were gonna meet the rest of the guys at a local bar. I told the guys I was gonna stay here, to which Joey said he's stay to "keep me company". I'm certain he wants to talk more about what feelings I have for her. Not that I have any, I mean, I barely know the woman. But I did want to know her, I wanted to know everything about her. Why was I having such a hard time admitting that I'm seriously interested in her? It's not like I haven't dated before, it's not like I haven't loved or had my heart broken before. 
It got kinda slow, so Blaze came over to hang out with us again. Sitting in between Joey and me, she seemed so relaxed and at ease. She started yawning and went to lay her head on the back of the couch. Joey was talking with Jakob, so I patted my leg to let her know that she could lay her head on my leg. She smiled warmly at me before settling down. I watched as her eyes fluttered closed. Looking up, I could see both Jakob and Joey watching me.

I just went back to watching Blaze sleep on my leg. Subconsciously, I began running my hands through her silky black hair. She turned on her side and sort of snuggled up to my leg, making me smile. Feeling eyes upon me, I looked up to see Joey staring at me with an all-knowing grin on his face.
"What?" I questioned

"You're actually gonna tell me you DON'T have feelings for her? I never saw you run your fingers through your ex's hair like that." He said, grinning at me
"I don't know what you're talking about, Joey." I replied defiantly

"Dude,it's alright. You deserve to be happy. And from what I can see, she makes you happy." He said
"Joey....." I started
"Corey, you've kept women at bay since the divorce. I know it was painful, but you have to move on. You need to start dating again. Obviously your ex wasn't the right person for you." Joey 
wisely said
"And you think Blaze is?" I asked, cocking my eyebrow at my friend
"I don't know. But I think that's a relationship worth persuing." Joey replied, giving me a warm, reassuring smile
Was my friend and bandmate right? Did I really keep women at bay out of fear from my divorce? Should I really try and persue a relationship with Blaze? Was she even interested in me? The way Jakob reacted, seemed to indicate he knew exactly how she felt about me. I looked down to her beautiful sleeping face and smiled. She had such a troubled past, she probably has more baggage than I do!

 **BLAZE'S POV** 
I heard voices so I kept my eyes shut. They were talking about the festival and the band that were playing. Suddenly, I felt someone running their hands through my hair. I sighed contentedly, immensely enjoying the feeling. I'd never had a man just run his hands through my hair like this before. I fluttered my eyes open to find that I was laying on someone's lap.I turned so that I was laying on my back and looked up. The blue eyes of Corey Taylor were looking down at me, smiling. I smiled back before sitting up and rubbing my eyes. Jakob was talking with a customer as Jim, Joey, and Corey were sitting on the couch with me. Smiling at the trio, I got up and stretched.