“Matt?” Rhylie interrupted with a movie case in her hands. “Is this one okay?” She held a movie out for him to look at. His eyes fell upon Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. “I think pizza falls from the sky.”
His smile this time was the right one, reaching his eyes and my heart. “Sounds perfect, Rhylie.”
Her eyes fell to the floor, a new emotion washing over her.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her.
This time she looked straight at Matt, overcoming her nerves. “You can call me Bug…if you want.”
I found the smile I loved so much.
“I’d love to.”
The three of us curled up on the couch, listening to Rhylie’s chuckle as the movie played across the screen. She sat between Matt and me, but she seemed to be the only thing I could focus on. Whereas I was the only thing for Matt.
Rhylie got bored of movies after a while, ready to do something else. She played with toys in her room, leaving Matt and me alone to talk. He scooched closer to me, pulling my legs on top of his and caressing gently.
“Hi,” I whispered, feeling calmer with him near me.
“Hi.” He smiled down at his lap. He exhaled greatly, “I’m really happy to see you.”
“Me too.” I physically felt my heart rate slow, feeling more comfortable. “What did you do today?”
“Aunt Nicole took Dani and me out this morning. She told us about what happened last night.”
“Did you tell her you overheard it?”
He said no. “I just listened when she talked about it, let Dani take it all in.” I could see his thoughts scanning across his face, the confusion he was feeling clear as day. “We said goodbye to Aunt Nicole and when we got home, Dad was waiting for us, said he wanted to talk. He apologized for a lot, for how he was acting and for all the drinking.” His fingers swept through his hair, replaying everything that happened. “He agreed to stop drinking, to stop being so absent and be there for us.”
“That’s great, Matt.” I smiled, hoping he would respond. All I got in return was a head nod.
“I mean yeah, it is. At least it will be if he follows through.”
“You don’t think he will?”
He shrugged quickly. “I’ve just heard it before.”
I reached for his hand, trying to give him strength. “Don’t overthink it, just take it one day at a time. If he doesn’t drink today, it’s a start. Then we focus on tomorrow. But don’t overthink it. Don’t wait for him to mess up. Just be happy if he makes it another day.”
He smiled sweetly, squeezing our hands together. “I seriously don’t know what I would do without you.”
“You’d get through it, probably in a way that is much more complicated than my way,” I joked, trying to make him laugh. “But you’d get through it. You’re strong.”
“I just really want him to get better.”
“I know, me too.” I curved my hand to his face, trying to take his worries away. “What did you guys do with Nicole this morning? Breakfast?”
He nodded. “Yeah, breakfast.” There was something else on his face that I couldn’t pinpoint. Something was up.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he avoided my eyes.
I inserted my crease. “What are you not telling me?”
When he finally looked at me, he exhaled loudly. “Fine,” he ran his hand through his hair. “She uhm…she took us to get our tattoos…”
“What!” I shrieked. “You got a tattoo this morning?” I pushed at his shoulder. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I was calling to tell you I got it, but then I thought you were pissed at me and we’ve just been talking about everything that happened. I didn’t know how to bring it up.”
I rolled my eyes. “You are unbelievable.”
“Do you want to see it?” he asked nervously.
My eyes grew to the size of golf balls. “Of course, I want to see it!”
His smile came back quickly. He lifted the front of his shirt until I could see his bare chest, only it wasn’t bare anymore. Written directly over his heart were the words Love you Always, Mom… The sight of it brought tears to my eyes. The artist got her handwriting perfectly; like she put it there herself.
“What do you think?” he asked, looking back at me.
I reached forward and barely touched my fingers to his skin, dancing around the newly scarred area. Tears were already welling up in my eyes.
“It’s beautiful.”
Each day that passed, I found myself growing more and more hostile toward the people around me. It didn’t necessarily matter who the person was, it all revolved around one thing and one thing only: college acceptance letters. Letters had gone out and it seemed like everyone around me was making plans. Crowded groups in the halls of people opening their letters and cheering with their friends; hugs and hollers surrounding everyone. And then it was the chatter, hearing who got accepted into where; it was never-ending. At first, I was positive about it, a lot of people happy to be moving forward, I was happy for them. Then it got worse, and each passing day I groaned verbally, rolled my eyes into the back of my head, or sighed louder than I had planned. So many letters, so much frustration.
Matt spent a lot of time trying to calm me down. I appreciated it, but I was just aggravated. I worked hard and it seemed like everyone else was getting answers except for me.
“Try not to overthink it,” he told me. “The letter will come.” I knew it would, but whether it was a happy letter or not was my issue.
One day while I was at home, studying for a test, Matt surprised me by stopping by after work.
“This is a surprise,” I grinned as I opened the door. “I didn’t think I was going to see you until tomorrow.” He kissed me sweetly before closing the door and following me to the table.
“I have an idea,” he sat down with a devilish smile. “And I think it’s going to make you feel better.”
“I didn’t know I was feeling bad,” I joked, looking at him curiously.
He rolled his eyes with a smirk. “You know what I mean. This whole college thing is stressing you out, I think you need a break.”
“Alright, I’m intrigued. What’s your idea?”
He rubbed his hands together quickly, his eyes raging full of eagerness. “What do you think about this weekend? Me, you, dinner?”
My eyes gleamed with excitement. “This weekend meaning Valentine’s day?”
He nodded slowly. He reached for my hand and held it tightly, caressing my knuckles with his smooth fingertips. “Spend some time together, away from everyone.” He brought my palm to his lips and brushed it softly with a kiss. “And then, I have a surprise for you afterward.”
“Really?” My voice came out a whisper like a shy little girl.
“All I need you to do is pack a bag with warm clothes, I will take care of the rest. What do you say?” he asked gently. “Will you spend Valentine’s day with me?”
I nodded greatly, matching my grin. “I would love to.” I pulled his lips to mine and thanked him properly.
Friday night came, and I was nervous. I don’t know why I was nervous, but there I was, standing in the bathroom mirror, full of nerves.
Matt and I have spent holidays together before, it wasn’t new. But I think because it was a holiday specifically for spending time with your person, specifically for love, I was nervous. I wanted it to be great. Matt was right, it was what I needed.
I decided on wearing a navy-blue skater dress with my leather jacket and black ankle boots. I straightened my hair and wore deep makeup with the burgundy lipstick. When I put the coordinate necklace around my neck, the nerves slowed down. I couldn’t wait to see him.
It wasn’t long before the doorbell rang, and my heart jumped. I met his face through the door and his smile was already present.
“Hey, you.” He smiled, entering my home.
“Hi.”
“You look beautiful.”
“Thank
you,” I couldn’t help but take him in. He wore a dark blue sweater over a white pin-striped button-up with dark wash jeans and brown dress shoes. He looked so grown up and sexy. My body was already tingling. “You look amazing.”
“Thank you,” he leaned forward and pecked my cheek sweetly. “Where’s Bug?”
“She’s not here. Ryan took her out to get ice cream.”
“Oh, okay,” he looked back at me. “Are you ready to go? We have kind of a drive ahead of us.”
“We do?” This was a surprise. “Where are we going to dinner?”
“Not here. I told you I wanted us to spend time together away from everyone. Is that okay?” There was something nervous in his voice, it was adorable. I wrapped my arms around him and calmed down both our heartbeats.
“It’s more than okay.” I kissed him quickly.
“Did you pack a bag?” I nodded toward the door, my duffle bag sitting patiently. I didn’t know what to expect, but I trusted him. He took my hand in his, pulling me outside. I expected to see his car in my driveway, but instead I found a pick-up truck that read Murphy’s Auto Shop on the door.
“Why are we taking a truck from the shop?”
“I was short on gas. Just easier this way.” There was something about his face that made me think he was lying. Something was up, I just couldn’t put my finger on it.
We drove the fifty-five minutes south from home to a very crowded restaurant covered in twinkly lights. It was really pretty, making my heart flutter again. We got to the front and there were already so many people waiting to be seated, I imagined it to be over an hour before we even saw a table. But my man was full of surprises.
“I have a reservation under Murphy, for two.”
The waiter brought us to a table in the middle of the restaurant set up with white roses as the centerpiece.
“Does this work for you two?”
Matt smiled. “It’s great, thank you.” Matt pulled a chair out for me, making me blush.
“This is very magical of you, Matt.”
“I do what I can.” He reached across the table and touched our fingers together. “I hope you like it here.”
We sat and talked for the evening, smiling and laughing with each other. We drank lemonades and sodas, ate fancy food, and loved. There was something so amazing about easy conversations and just being with someone without difficulties.
“What are you thinking about?” Matt asked, eyeing me carefully.
“I love how easy this is,” I sighed with comfort, leaning back in my chair full of carbs. “How easy everything is with you.
“Three and a half months and it feels like forever.”
“A lot in a short amount of time,” I added.
“Would you change anything?” he asked, curiosity in his eyes. “You can be honest. I really want to know.”
I thought about it. My initial answer would be to say no, because there wasn’t anything, nothing serious at least. But then there was something.
“I think I would’ve given us more time.” I thought of my words carefully. “I don’t like the connotation that love can’t happen this fast. That after three months it’s not real, or real enough to be love.” He went to say something, but I cut him off. “I know I shouldn’t worry about what other people think. But I just don’t like the idea of someone doubting what we have, because I don’t. Not for a second.”
He smiled and shook his head. “You think too much for one person.”
“Imagine being me, dealing with all these thoughts.”
The waiter came back, and Matt collected the check, paying for our meals and sending us off for the evening. We held hands and strolled back to the truck full of food and love. I reached for my door handle, but Matt pulled me back to him, bringing our chests together quickly. His breath was on my breath before I could even think, and all I wanted to do was kiss him and rid him of his clothes.
“Thank you for coming to dinner with me.” He smoothed the side of my face, making my goosebumps come alive.
“Where else would I be?” I smoothed down the front of his sweater, loving the touch of the fabric as well as the body tensing up underneath.
“Are you ready to go?”
I nodded. “Do I need to change before we get there?” I still had no idea what his plans were. I just wanted to be prepared.
He looked down my body, biting his lip as he went, making my skin heat up. “Absolutely not. If those clothes come off, it’s because of me.”
“Come here.” I hooked my fingertips in the front pocket of his jeans and brought our bodies together. Matt grasped my lower back strongly in his hands, a low grumble of a moan coming through his throat as our lips crashed together. We continued kissing for a few moments, slowly getting carried away within each other. He pushed me against the truck and roamed his hands. I didn’t care if we went anywhere, I didn’t care about a surprise. I just wanted to be with him.
I reached for the bottom of his shirt, but his hands covered mine to stop me.
“Wait,” he dragged out with a hoarse voice. “Wait, baby.”
“Sorry,” I whispered on his lips, not truly apologetic.
“I want to take you somewhere first.”
I nodded quickly, “Okay.”
We drove for a while, Matt driving with one hand and the other holding mine carefully. I didn’t know what he had planned, but my body was calm, my breathing in sync with his, feeling serene almost. If I wasn’t so curious about his plan, I could’ve fallen asleep right there.
Matt drove quickly up a dirt road. Not even a road, it was more like a trail. It was steep, but when we got passed the dense forest around us my eyes spotted a clearing. The snow had melted and left a massive field of nothing but open grass and a spotlight from the moon. It was breathtaking.
I got out of the car and took in the scene. Everything was so quiet, the stars shining so brightly down on me. The wind was blowing lightly, giving me a slight chill under my dress. But none of it bothered me, the fresh air was like drugs. I closed my eyes and took it all in when strong arms wrapped around my stomach and pushed me into a strong body.
“What do you think?” he whispered in my ear, making me push my body even closer to his.
“This is beautiful,” I whispered back.
“I thought you might like it.” His face snuck into the crook of my neck and he started peppering slow, thoughtful kisses.
“How did you find this place?”
“Don’t laugh,” he joked. “But Google.”
“Google?” I chuckled, trying to stifle it with my hand.
“I googled the best places to see the stars. It was a little far away, but I figured we could make the drive. I just hoped it was worth it.”
“So worth it.” I held my hands over his, sucking in his body heat. “It’s perfect.”
“You’re perfect,” he whispered again, deepening the kisses on my skin.
“I am not,” I smiled. His words were making me melt in his arms.
“You are perfect to me, and for me.” He squeezed me quickly one last time before walking back to the truck.
“Where are you going?” I asked. “And what are we doing here?” He reached in the backseat of the truck and pulled out a plethora of blankets, including the blanket from his bed.
“Well, I know how much you think about the sky, how much you look at it and think about the stars or think while looking at the stars. So, I thought maybe we could spend the night here. Under the stars.”
I could feel the tears entering my ducts, but my smile came so much quicker.
“What do you think?” he asked, unsure.
“I think you’re amazing.”
He smiled greatly, filling in his cheeks. “Is that a yes?”
“Of course.”
We laid the blankets in the bed of the truck, curling together in the night. Our shoes were kicked off and our breathing matched once again. I was the epitome of happiness.
“Happy Valentine’s d
ay, baby.” He kissed the top of my head.
“Happy Valentine’s day to you too.”
We laid together silently for a while, no sound between us, just the wind rustling the trees. It was so peaceful.
“I’d love to live in a place like this one day,” I said.
“In the woods?”
“Just away from everyone, where it’s quiet so it feels like you’re alone. And there’s nothing else for miles so there’s no pollution and I can always see the stars.”
I could feel him smiling. “What else?”
“A spot just like this to lay and watch the stars.”
“Sounds amazing.”
A buzzing came from the pocket of his jeans. Matt looked at his phone and we both saw DANI on the screen. He ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket.
“You’re not gonna answer it?”
“Not tonight. Tonight is about us.” He tilted my head up and kissed me deeply. It didn’t take long for us to get going, just like normal. Our limbs were entangled together, grabbing at each other aggressively. It caught me off guard when I felt his phone go off in his pocket again.
“Are you sure you don’t want to answer it?” I asked, barely taking my lips away from his.
He shook his head with that devious grin I loved so much. “I’m more than sure.” He pulled my body on top of his and kissed me deeply. I was still curious about his phone, but I couldn’t get enough of him.
I reached for the bottom of his shirt when his phone went off again.
“Oh my god, Dani,” he groaned, covering his face in his hands.
“I got it.” I reached in his pocket, making him smile more than I thought he would. “Hey, Dani, what’s up?”
“Where is Matt?” she shouted. This was not a typical Dani tone. Something was wrong.
“He’s right here with me. What’s up?”
“My dad was in an accident; you guys need to get here. Now.”
My eyes went straight to Matt. His smile slowly disappeared, clearly confused about what was happening.
“Is he okay?” I asked, unable to look back at the man below me.
She exhaled loudly. “He was drunk, but he’s alive. But seriously, I need you guys here. I’m at the hospital. Hurry, please.”
I Go Where You Go Page 47