“Have you been working out?” I asked him when he finally left me on the couch.
“Of course, baby, these muscles don’t just grow themselves,” he said showing me his arm. “What do you think?” he asked proudly. “Hot or not?”
“Do you actually think I’ll say that you are hot?” I asked him laughing. “You’re my little brother.”
“I’m anything but little, sis,” he scolded me with a smirk. Yeah, he got the all the confidence.
“Ems, I have to go now,” Matt said, coming back from the bedroom with his shirt on, and his hair looking as perfect as ever. “I think you’ll be safe now, right?” he asked, biting his lip before he started laughing again. “I’m sorry. I’m mean.”
“What’s he talking about?” Rick asked. “Um… Matt? Do I know you from somewhere?”
“Matt went at the same high school as we did. He was my Prom date, actually.”
“Oh.”
What? Oh? What does that mean? I felt the tension in the air, or maybe it was just me. Matt just shrugged, decided not to let my brother ruin his good mood. God, he looked good in the morning. Where is that coming from, Emma West?
“I’ll call you later, okay, Ems? And you’re safe now, you’re running out of Supernatural episodes,” he joked as he kissed my forehead, and headed out the door before I said something.
“What?” I asked Rick when I noticed his insistent look. “There is nothing between me and Matt. He just came because I was afraid last night and…”
“And you had no other friend to call, right?” he asked almost laughing. “You’re crazy about him, Em. And he’s pretty much into you, too. More than that. He didn’t let me annoy him. If he did, he would’ve left sooner. He’s hard to intimidate, that one. And he’s not bad looking at all. He really works out…”
“There is nothing between me and Matt,” I repeated, cutting him off.
“Dude, I remember how much you’ve cried after Prom. It was because of him! What did he do to you? Because I can kill him now.”
“Stop it, Hulk,” I laughed. “He didn’t do anything. My Prom was actually perfect thanks to him.”
“But you do think he’s hot, don’t you?” I punched him in the shoulder, and laughed. “If you don’t, you’ll need some analysis. You can’t just… sleep next to that one and not feel something. Just saying. Technically impossible. It’s pure chemistry!”
“Just shut up,” I scolded him.
“So you do like him?” he insisted.
I rolled my eyes and sighed. I started telling him everything that had happened between Matt and me. I haven’t told anyone about Matt and what happened between us, but I knew Rick would never judge me. He understood me.
And he was dying to know this. He was the most curious person in the world. And I really needed to share this with someone. I’ve been thinking to tell Gabrielle, but never knew how to start. “You know Prom, when your awesome boyfriend dumped you for your best friend? Yeah, I’ve had sex with my Prom date, Matt Nicholls. Then I decided I made something really stupid and he definitely doesn’t want something serious and I can’t allow myself to get hurt.” Although I had.
“So… My perfect big sister had a friend with benefits!” Rick said, pretty excited about this. I gave him an angry look, and he laughed. “I was just teasing, sorry. Why would you not try with him? I mean, he’s here now, Emma. Don’t be stupid. And you can’t tell me you two are just friends.”
“I do have a boyfriend.”
“Really?” Rick sounded really surprised.
“Why the tone of surprise? Couldn’t I get a boyfriend or what, Mr. Perfect?”
“No, look…” he looked actually pretty serious. Rick was never serious. “I’ve been here a couple of hours, and seen your boy toy walking shirtless in your apartment… Boy toy left… And the only think you’ve talked about was him. So… You do not love your boyfriend. Doesn’t matter if you lie to yourself, Emma.”
“No, Morgan and I are actually…”
“Sis, I know you better than you know yourself, remember? Just finish with this Morgue guy.”
“His name is Morgan!” I corrected him, crossing my arms and trying to look mad, but a smile gave me away. “Matt called him the same,” I whispered and Rick started laughing.
Chapter 11
A very Matt Christmas
~*~ Emma West ~*~
The next two days went by really quick, mostly because I was busy with the preparations for Christmas. And I was going crazy, because I had no idea what should I get Matt for Christmas. Of course, it was really easy to get Rick the latest FIFA video game. He was into football and all kind of stuff. But Matt? I had no idea what I could give him. A t-shirt or something would be too impersonal, but then again if I chose something different, it would be too personal.
Rick practically didn’t give a crap about Christmas, and he was always out. I’d introduced him to the rest of my friends, so he started hanging out with Curtis and Marshall, and he was never home.
I was about to get my phone and call Rick to tell him to move his pathetic ass home and help me, when I heard the doorbell. I was surrounded by glass ornaments and other tree decorations, and it got me a few minutes to escape. Running a hand through my messy, ruffled hair, I opened the door and saw Matt standing there, as perfect as always, wearing a blue suit. Suit?
“Seeing something you like?” he smirked, and I moved aside to let him in, rolling my eyes.
“Definitely,” I replied sarcastically. “You’re here to help me decorate the Christmas tree, aren’t you?” I asked using the puppy eyes. I knew that always worked, especially with Matt.
He opened his mouth to say something, and then he looked at all the decorations in the middle of the living room, and the empty Christmas tree was standing in a corner. He looked at me and sighed, running a hand through his perfect hair.
“Sure,” he said a few seconds afterwards. “So, I’ve met this guy, and he said I should come to an interview for a company… And we had lunch today to talk about it. And it seems great. Do I look like an idiot wearing this?” he asked sitting on the couch.
“That’s great, Matt!” I said sitting next to him. “And yes, you kinda do,” I laughed, knowing he won’t believe a single word. He was too confident.
“You don’t mean that,” Matt said tucking a strand of hair behind my eyes and smirked.
“Maybe I do,” I told him sticking my tongue at him. “Would you help me or what? Rick isn’t even home. I haven’t seen him today, as a matter of fact. He’s MIA,” I sighed.
Matt laughed and took off his jacket, and we started decorating the Christmas tree. I did most part of the work, because he was just joking around and fooling himself as he always did.
He helped me with the garlands as he climbed on the couch to stick them to the wall, I think Monica would go a little crazy if she saw this, but then again she wasn’t here. While doing that, he kept saying that he would fall and break his neck and it will be my fault. Yes, sure.
We finished about two hours later, because Matt couldn’t be serious more than 5 minutes, and then he would start laughing about some tree decorations. But I was a good friend and I didn’t say anything. He came next to me, watching proudly everything we’ve done. It was actually perfect. Even Monica with her perfect decorating skills would be impressed. He put his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him, and I rest my head on his shoulder.
“Um… Emma? Isn’t that mistletoe above us?” he asked more like a whisper. My heart just stopped when I realized his words. Was he for real? I turned my head to face him and he still had his hand on my back and now he was even closer than I planned. “It’s a tradition, you know,” he whispered so softly I felt my entire body melting. I couldn’t see nor hear anything else other than him.
He couldn’t be serious about this. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I couldn’t feel my legs as he slowly caressed my burning cheeks. I refus
ed to look into his blue eyes, knowing I’d just lose myself in them. Why was Matt doing this?! He leaned into me, his breath on my cheek gave me goose bumps. The moment his lips touched mine, I felt nothing else mattered; it was like this was the only thing that mattered, like I would disappear once he stopped kissing me. He pulled me closer, his right hand still on my back while the other one cupped my check as he deepened the kiss, passionate and slow at the same time. I wrapped my hands around his neck, maybe more because I couldn’t even stand on my feet.
Matt backed out of the kissed way too soon, still holding me in his arms, and he put his forehead on mine, his breath as harsh as mine. I wondered if he realized how much it affected me. I couldn’t even dare to look into his eyes. I hated myself for not having that feeling with Morgan. Oh, Morgan! I’m an awful person. Totally horrible and terrible.
“So, what are we eating for Christmas?” Matt asked casually sitting on the couch with his feet on the coffee table.
What? How can he be that cool about it? I stood there, in the middle of the living room, completely astounded, and there he was as confident and cocky as if nothing happened!
“I don’t know yet. Surely not pizza,” I said sitting carefully next to him and sighed. It’s incredible! He just can’t do that!
“We could always go out. To have dinner out.”
“At Destiny’s?” I asked, feeling a little uncomfortable. Was he actually asking me to have dinner with him? Of course he’s not, Emma, Rick would come too.
“Not really. We hang out there all the time, Ems,” he complained, pulling me closer to him and placing his arm around my shoulders. “We could go somewhere nice. It’s Christmas, right? It’s not that I don’t like Destiny’s, but it’s quite ordinary for Christmas, don’t you think?”
I nodded and rested my head on his shoulder, trying to make all the feelings which struggled inside of me disappear. But it was so damn hard!
*
Matt was supposed to come and pick me up around 7:00. Rick should come, too, but I haven’t seen him since last night. I ended up making Matt a nice frame with a picture of us at Prom, I actually managed to find one where I looked pretty enough to not ruin the whole picture since he was there in his black suit and being as perfect as always. It actually looked nice.
I chose to wear a little black dress, a little too short. I straightened my hair and it took about an hour, because usually Monica helped me with it and I was slow at this. I missed her already. She sent me an e-mail last night, and said everything was awesome in Canada, but it was really cold. Of course, Sherlock, what would you expect? My makeup took around twenty minutes and at 6:47 I was ready. I wanted to know where Rick was. And I couldn’t stop but think that my night with Matt looked a lot like a date. And normally it should bother me, because I had a boyfriend, who didn’t call me in the last 48 hours, but I was pretty excited about this.
Ever since he left I couldn’t get my mind of that perfect kiss we shared. It was abnormal and it shouldn’t be like that! I should hate the fact that my best friend kissed me under the mistletoe, and I had freaking enjoyed every second of it.
When the doorbell rang I checked myself in the mirror one more time. Yes, I looked pretty tonight. Somehow I felt a little more confident. I opened the door and there he was, as flawless as ever, with a bright smile on his beautiful face. I smiled back at him and invited him in.
“This is for you,” he said, giving me a bouquet of white lilies. My jaw literally dropped when I saw just how beautiful they were. “Also, I got you this,” he said, giving me a small box.
“I got something for you too,” I told him taking his present from the coffee table and giving it to him without making eye contact. I was so curious about his present and I unwrapped its purple paper. Inside was another small box and when I opened it there was a beautiful golden necklace with a heart medallion. Seriously?! “Dude…” I started, without knowing what I should say to this. Obviously he had spent a lot of money on this. “This is…”
“Do you like it?” he asked excited, looking at the frame in his hand. “Ems, this is awesome!” he told me with a smile, and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, and then he bit his lower lip.
“No, this is awesome!” I told him, still in shock. “You know you shouldn’t have…”
“Oh, stop it. You deserve it. Plus, I’ll get a job soon, so no worries,” I tucked my hair on a side and turned my back on him as he put the necklace on my neck. I felt my heart pounding but I decided to ignore it. “You’re beautiful, Emma,” he said with a smile. “And we should get going. Are you ready?”
I nodded, and put on a pair of Monica’s black shoes. Matt took my hand and I didn’t say anything. When we reached his car, because he knew L.A now so he could drive safely, plus Ben gave him for Christmas a GPS so we won’t get lost, he opened the door for me and I had this strange deja-vu, reminding me of Prom.
The restaurant we went to was really small, but beautiful, with a vintage style, and I could see the ocean from our table. They had very good music, creating a cozy atmosphere, and the waiters were really nice. Matt and I talked all evening, laughing while he convinced me to drink about three glasses of wine, because he couldn’t drink since he was driving. I liked the way he kept touching my hand, or how he moved every time closer to me, and he didn’t pay any attention to any waiter who tried to flirt with him. And they were actually beautiful, but he didn’t pay attention to them. I noticed that while they glared at me. Yeah, I was pretty lucky, but Matt was my friend. I guess.
All night I only thought that I had made a terrible mistake sending him that e-mail. Maybe we could’ve been pretty awesome together. But then, when I realized how every girl in the room looked at him, it seemed impossible. Not that I was jealous type or something, but he could have anyone he wanted. And it was damn difficult to compete with anyone.
“A penny for your thoughts?” Matt asked when we walked out of the restaurant around 11 PM. He took my hand in his and we slowly walked towards his car. The air was cool, and it was perfect for a walk.
“Why don’t we take a walk on the beach?” I asked then realized it sounded cheesy. Seriously, dinner, holding hands, a walk on the beach? I wanted to tell myself this wasn’t a date, but I knew it kind of was.
“Sure. Perfect idea, you know,” he told me with the smile that drove me crazy.
The fact that everything was so normal with him annoyed me. I wished there would be an awkward moment, and then hear him say “what the fuck are we doing, Ems, we’re just friends, stop dreaming,” or something like that. But there wasn’t a moment like that. We walked holding hands, occasionally he put his arm around my waist or shoulder. We talked all the way, and it felt so right just to stay next to him. After an hour we returned to his car, and sang along the random songs played at the radio, mostly ruining the songs because we had no idea what they were about. He almost ran the red because we were laughing so hard at some crappy band, messing the words so badly. Also, Matt held my hand in his all the way until we arrived at my place.
“Let’s watch a cheesy Christmas movie,” Matt suggested when we entered my apartment.
“Good idea,” I said while I was taking off my shoes. “Sure, Rick’s not home,” I sighed and sat on the couch, running a hand through my hair. He was supposed to be good! And I was supposed to watch him. What had happened with my brother?
“I’ll talk to him if you want me to,” Matt told me, sitting next to me. “It was an amazing night, wasn’t it, Ems?” he asked, rubbing my back. I nodded, and climbed out of the couch and looked through Monica’s DVD collection.
“Love actually?” I asked holding the DVD. “It has Alan Rickman, so whatever you say, your argument is invalid,” I told him laughing.
He didn’t say anything when I took the DVD out of his hands and played it. I turned the lights off, and Matt took off his jacket, opening the two top bottoms of his shirt, and I decided to act cool as I sat next to hi
m, with my head on his shoulder like I used to.
Obviously Matthew talked all the time during the movie, like he’s always doing at romantic movies. He just can’t help himself not to say that is a cliché or something like that. And he laughs at every emotional scene. I punched him twice in his shoulder, but he just wrapped his arms around me, and I couldn’t do anything anymore. After the movie was over we decided to make a snack, or more he decided, but dragged me with him in the kitchen, and walked around without turning on the light, and he stood for a couple of minutes in front of the fridge, just looking at it.
He took some things out, and left them on the counter, and looked at me and I burst out laughing. Matt looked at me and took a step closer.
“Let’s dance,” he suggested, pulling me into him, placing one hand on my waist and he held my hand with the other one.
I looked at him in disbelief since we had no music, or light as a matter of fact. The only light was coming from the fridge, and I was uncomfortable, but we started moving around, and Matt was holding me so close to him I could smell his masculine cologne, and felt my heart pounding in my chest. I’m pretty sure he could feel it too, from the way he looked down at me.
He took my hand and twirled me until I ended up again in his strong arms. He slowly lifted me until we had the same height, and that was quite a lot, considering Matt was taller than six feet tall. He looked into my eyes, and I felt the breath catching down my throat. Even in the darkness, his piercing blue eyes shined. I felt my heart stopping, and suddenly I started trembling. Just kiss me, dammit! I thought to myself. I wouldn’t say that out loud, because it was weird to wish that your best friend would kiss you.
He held me in his arms like I weight nothing, looking hesitantly at me, then my lips, then in my eyes again. I never wanted anyone so bad in my entire life. He slowly closed the distance between us, and I closed my eyes and right when his lips touched mine…
Perfect Match Page 10
