Too Good to Be True

"Well maybe we could try baking together," Matt said. It surprised him only slightly how quickly the evening had grown tense. He almost couldn't believe that barely thirty minutes ago, they'd been carefree enough to have sex in the hot tub. He cut a bite from his steak, chewing it slowly and washing it down with a large gulp of wine. "We'll fly out on the seventh, then," he said, hearing Charlie list the start and end of her break. "And we'll fly back on the nineteenth. That's twelve days, plenty of time to relax and do all of the fun things we want to do in the Bahamas. Like cliff jumping. And it won't put too much on you, having to catch a flight right after you get out of class or before you go back."

Matt reached for his wine glass again, frowning slightly when he found it empty. He hadn't expected to drink the whole thing so quickly, but he was trying to keep his temper in check and drinking sometimes helped to mellow him out. Of course, it could also exasperate his temper, but that was only if Charlie did something to warrant it. He poured himself another glass as he thought over his answer to Charlie's most recent question. "I know you have to have your clinical class time," he said, his voice even but flat. "And I know you have to go to that in person. But I'd prefer it if you'd do your regular class time online. That way I won't have to worry so much."

Charlie drew in a shakey breath as Matt spoke. She offered a sad sort of smile. She almost wanted to yell, almost. Matt was being so considerate of what days they would and wouldn't fly. And in the next, she was wondering if she should even continue with schooling. At some point, Matt wouldn't be able to be with her. Whether that was in class or when she graduated and was offered a job. Matt wouldn't be able to keep an eye on her at all times. The thought was enough to make her want to just give in. "Okay," she answered simply after a long stretch of silence. She was quiet as she continued to eat, sometimes just pushing food around on her plate.

Finishing off most of her steak, Charlie lifted the corn to her mouth and began to nibble on it. "I'm going to need a new swimsuit if we're going to the Bahamas," she said, lifting her eyes to his finally. A small smile on her lips, she was hopeful to turn the conversation in another direction. "Gotta be able to impress," she teased, winking at him.

Charlie's attempt to steer the conversation in a different direction did not escape Matt's attention. But he saw no reason to say anything about it, since she was readily agreeing with his demands and stipulations and he actually quite liked the change of subject. "Well hopefully you'll only be aiming to impress me," Matt said, smirking slightly at her. "Although I'm sure you'll be impressing every man who lays eyes on you. Your body is so fantastic, how could you not? And you could impress me in baggy sweats, even though I would much prefer to see you in a swim suit. Or less." He winked at her as he paused, stabbing a piece of asparagus. "But if you want a new swim suit, then we'll buy you one when we go shopping for supplies for the trip. I could probably use a new pair of swim trunks, anyway."

Matt fell silent as he started to mull over the thoughts of how he would delegate things while he and Charlie were on vacation. Usually if he needed to go somewhere or be away for an extended period of time, Brian took his place. But he'd never been gone for as long as he would be when they went to the Bahamas and it made her nervous to leave things for so long. Perhaps he would just tell the guys to leave things alone while he was out of the country, to just leave things be. Then there would be no chance of anything going wrong while Matt wasn't here to make sure that they didn't.

On any other day, Charlie would have rolled her eyes and laughed at Matt. Probably would have threatened to flick something at him. She rolled her eyes, a slight smile on her lips, and shook her head. "Have to be able to compete with you, don't I? Can't have you outshining me," she countered back. A usual thing for her to say, she didn't even consider that it may be pushing a button she shouldn't have. "You just have to promise you won't yell at anyone. I've only got eyes for you," she said. Setting the corn cob back onto her plate, Charlie stabbed her fork into a piece of asparagus. She nibbled at the end, thankful for the silence that drifted over them. It was comfortable enough and it let her relax.

Once Charlie finished eating, she stood with her plate in hand. She scooped her nearly empty wine glass into her hand and looked over to him, brow raised. "Did you want another glass?" Charlie smiled as she neared him, leaning so she could press a light kiss to his temple.

"No promises," Matt said. He smirked. "I know that you would never stray and I trust you. It's other men that I don't trust. Sometimes they don't know when to keep their hands and their eyes to themselves. So I might have to yell at them, just to make sure that they understand that I'm the lucky bastard who gets to take you to bed." Matt finished off his plate rather quickly as his thoughts rambled, only snapping out of things when Charlie spoke to him. "I would love another glass if you don't mind, darling," he said, smiling as she kissed his temple. As she poured them each another glass, Matt rose to his feet, picking up his plate. He took Charlie's from her as well, carrying both plates inside and over to the sink. When he slipped back onto the deck, he went over to Charlie wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"You look absolutely ravishing in the light of the sunset," Matt whispered, pressing a kiss to her cheek. He reached out and picked his wine glass up from the table, taking a small sip. "Not that you don't look ravishing all the time. Just especially so right now." Matt always became rather affectionate when he drank wine; it was one of the reasons he'd suggested it instead of having a beer or a glass of rum and coke. And now that he was on his third glass he could feel the beginnings of a buzz and he just wanted to have Charlie in his arms. "So, did you enjoy the candlelit dinner?" he asked next. "I don't like to toot my own horn, but I thought it was a fantastic idea."

[skipping]

The past few days had gone relatively well - Charlie had accompanied Matt to someone's house but thankfully had been allowed to stay in the car while he went to do whatever. Thankful, Charlie had made sure to be in her 'best' behaviour. She smiled and did as she was asked because it seemed to work best, Matt didn't get angry if she agreed to whatever he asked.

Friday rolled around and Charlie was up early to get ready for her shift at the cafe. She showered and braided her hair before getting dressed in her usual outfit - a black t shirt and pants. The bruises a rounded her neck had faded quite a bit but to be on the safe side, she opted to wear a small scarf. Nothing she could do about the small scabs that were still on her wrists, Charlie was simply hopeful that none of her coworkers would say anything about them.

Charlie was too nervous to eat much, the idea of possibly messing up today had her on edge. She sat at the breakfast bar with a banana and a small glass of milk, waiting for Matt to come downstairs. They would need to leave soon if she wanted to be on time.

When Matt woke up, Cassie's side of the bed was empty. He figured that she had gotten up early to get ready for her shift at work, but he didn't need to. He required a lot less preparation than Charlie to leave the house. He tossed the covers away and went over to his dresser, pulling out a pair of jeans and a faded Slayer T-shirt. Once he'd gotten dressed he went into the bathroom and put on deodorant, spritzing on a bit of cologne before he headed downstairs. He spotted Charlie sitting at the breakfast bar, a banana and a glass of milk sitting in front of her. "You just about ready to go?" he asked, going to grab his car keys from the hook where they were kept. "I'm hungry and I didn't plan on eating until we got to the cafe."

Matt waited for Charlie to finish her small breakfast before he followed her out to his car. He buckled his seat belt and turned on the car, making the short and familiar drive to the cafe. He was almost a little sad that he wouldn't be able to visit the cafe and have Charlie wait on him after much longer. He remembered when he was trying to win her affections, how he would come to the cafe every day, hoping Charlie would be working, and if she was, he would specifically ask to be seated in Charlie's section. He would flash her his dimpled grin over his menu, loving the way she would blush and look away. Those were some of his fondest memories with Charlie and he was a little sad that there would be no more memories made here.

Charlie was quiet even as Matt appeared in the kitchen. She was feeling a lot of conflicting feelings, mostly frustration that she was quitting at the cafe and she didn't really have a choice in the matter. But she couldn't really argue that it was the smarter option, knowing Matt's side of the argument. Even if she had tried to stay, things wouldn't have worked for very long because they were like a family there and someone would pick up on things being different. Charlie was doing her best to put on a brave face but they knew her too well and it didn't help that Matt or one of his friends would be there consistently. She rinsed the glass and set it on the top rack of the dishwasher. Grabbing her purse, Charlie went through her normal motions. House keys, check. Purse, check. Phone, no. It took her admittedly longer than it should have to realize why it wasn't on her - she hadn't seen it since Monday night.

The silence as they drove toward the cafe grew tense as Charlie fiddled with the bottom of her shirt. She let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and glanced out the window, "I might see if someone can take the rest of my shifts. Just so we don't have to deal with this headache after today."

"Nonsense," Matt said, killing the engine to the car. He pulled the keys from the ignition and reached over to touch Charlie's cheek, running his thumb over her cheekbone. "It would be rude to just stop working, you've at least got to work until your notice is up. I can with it until then. You know how much I love eating at the cafe, anyway." Matt stepped out of the car, pocketing his keys, and walked around to the front to wait for Charlie. He followed her into the cafe, giving a short wave to the girl standing behind the counter before he went over to his usual seat in Charlie's section: a small table made only for two, in the corner near the window. This had been where he'd been sitting the first time he'd come into the cafe, when he'd seen Charlie for the first time. The only time he didn't sit here was if someone else was already there, and after awhile, no one else would sit there, at least not when they knew Matt was coming. "I'll have a black coffee and a country fried steak, with mashed potatoes, when you get the chance," Matt said, smiling at Charlie. "You know, the usual."

He hadn't eaten breakfast, so he was hungry. But he knew Charlie had things to do at the beginning of her shift that didn't include tending to him. But Matt knew she would come to see him first. She always did. And now that things were different, he didn't think Charlie would dare ignore him. Things had been going smoothly the past few days, but Matt and Charlie both knew that that could change. And Matt wanted to leave for the Bahamas on a good note. He just had to try and keep his temper in check and Charlie had to try not to push his buttons. "Zacky will be the next one to stop by, just so you know who to be expecting," Matt told Charlie the next time she was close. He'd told the guys what order to come, but only because he wanted to make sure that Johnny came last, right before Matt came back to pick Charlie up. He knew that Johnny didn't like how Matt made Charlie be a part of the work, and he didn't want Johnny to get himself or Charlie in trouble.

Charlie bit back a sigh as Matt spoke, a shiver ran down her spine as Matt brushed his thumb over her cheek. She wanted to relax into his comfort but she felt like she was losing control. She didn't know what to say to Matt, not one bit, so instead she simply nodded when he finished speaking. Of course she was listening, there hadn't been a word he said over the last week that she had missed. Charlie had been afraid far more times than she would ever admit that she was about to piss Matt off and generally, things had gone surprisingly well. She had expected him to lose control over the past few times and he hadn't, she was getting a little more bold as the days wore on. Maybe Matt would realize things didn't need to change and they could return back to normal. Charlie forced a smile to her lips as she walked into the cafe, waving to the baristas behind the counter. She followed Matt over to his usual seat and pressed a quick kiss to his lips, feeling like everyones' eyes were on them. One toe out of line and if someone got suspicious... Charlie nodded, not able to hide her smirk. "Do you ever get anything else?" She teased, "it'll be right out."

Before she even clocked in, she called the order to the chef in the back. As soon as she clocked in, Charlie rang the order in before pouring a mug of coffee for Matt. Charlie hesitated by the kitchen door before putting on her brave face and making her way out, toward Matt. She flashed a smile as she set the mug on his table, "Just call me over if you need anymore," she spoke quietly, only for her face to scrunch at the mention of who was coming next. "Of course," Charlie forced the words through, nodding as she turned to greet the table that had just been sat in her section. She hoped it would be busy so she would have an excuse not to pay too much attention to whoever was in at the time.

"I'm a simple man, Charlie. Once I find something I like, I stick to it," Matt replied, grinning. He thanked Charlie when she brought his coffee to him, watching as her facial expression changed as he mentioned that Zacky would be the next one to stop by. He knew she was unhappy that he was doing this, having the guys here to keep an eye on her, but he also knew that she would never say out loud that she didn't like it. It seemed that being locked in the basement had been enough to scare Charlie into submission. Matt hated that he had to do that, but what other way was there to make sure that Charlie listened to him and kept her mouth shut? And besides that, using fear as a tactic to get what he wanted was just something Matt was used to; it was something that he knew worked.

As he waited for his food, Matt watched Charlie while she flitted around the cafe, tending to her other tables and interacting with her coworkers. He knew that they were like a family to her and that she hated lying to them, and it showed in the way she talked to them. At least, it seemed that way to him. "Everything looks delicious, darling," Matt said, smiling at Charlie as she sat his plate in front of him. He picked up his empty mug and handed it to her. "I could use a refill. No rush though, I know you're busy." And besides, Matt wasn't in a hurry. He wasn't going to leave until Zacky showed up, and he'd given instructions to Zacky to do the same with Jimmy, and so on. He'd made sure to give Johnny the most strict instructions, making sure the youngest man knew that under no circumstances was he to leave until Matt walked through the door again.

Keep Matt happy, keep his temper under control. Most important in public because deep down, Charlie wasn't just worried about herself. She didn't know if he would lash out at someone, whether she knew them or not, if they picked up on all the clues that Charlie was unknowingly laying down. She took the mug from him and nodded, "I'll be right back," she murmured, setting a hand on his shoulder for just a moment. Be affectionate. Charlie turned and went back over to the freshly brewed coffee was, making sure to pour from the newest urn for him. She made her way back over to him, setting the glass down. "How's the first few bites treating you, mister?" She teased and when she was satisfied he was good, Charlie turned to tend to the rest of her tables. She helped the other servers where they needed it, usually just a greeting and a drink order taken.

Charlie did her best to keep her smile up, though it never quite reached her eyes like it normally did. Every time she opened her mouth to talk, she was afraid that she was going to end up saying the wrong thing. She could tell that the girls knew something was up, just by the way that whenever she walked into the back, they would stop talking when she appeared. Or maybe they were just upset that she quit. She kept telling herself that and moved on, giving a shy smile before rushing off with the excuse that she had a customer that she needed to tend to so she couldn't stay and chat for a moment like she normally would have.

"They're treating me well, everything's delicious," Matt said. He couldn't help but run his eyes over Charlie's body, smirking lightly as he returned his gaze to her face. "Not as delicious as you though, darling." He watched as Charlie walked away, going around to the other tables in her section. He'd nearly finished with his food when Zacky arrived; the other man pulled out one of the chairs and sat down next to Matt. They didn't speak, both because Matt had his face stuffed full of food and because they hardly ever did when they were working, and that's essentially what this was: a job. Matt didn't like that, but things had to be done. When it came time for Matt to pay his check, he decided not to wait around for Charlie to bring it to him. He stood up and went to find Charlie in the kitchen. He'd been back there many times and never been told off for it, so he didn't see why now had to be any different.

"I'm going to go now," Matt said softly to Charlie. "I'm going to go home and start booking the room and flights for our vacation." He smiled as he pulled his wallet from his pocket. He pulled a twenty from inside to pay his bill and then pulled out another, which he discreetly tucked into Charlie's waist apron. "There's your tip, for being such a good waitress." He pressed an affectionate kiss to her cheek, well aware of the fact that they were being watched by the other people in the small room. He couldn't have them thinking that things had changed between him and Charlie, that would defeat the purpose of everything he was having Charlie do. He had to play the part of good boyfriend. "I'll see you when I come to pick you up, okay? I love you, darling."

Charlie was even more on edge when Zacky stepped into the cafe, knowing full well that now she had two sets of eyes watching her every move. Disappearing into the kitchen to take a moment to gather her thoughts, Charlie struck up a conversation with one of her coworkers. One of the cooks called out for service and Charlie stepped up with a tray in hand to take the food out. Reaching for the first plate, she let out a small 'eep' as Matt spoke up from behind her. "Jesus," she breathed, turning around quickly to face him. "Don't do that," she said, a slight smile on her lips as she gave him a shove on the shoulder. Charlie nodded as he spoke, her smile growing just a bit at the first kiss. This was her Matt, the only that had made her fall crazy in love. Rolling her eyes at the second bill, Charlie fixed him with a look. "Of course. I love you, too," she answered back, leaning up to press a kiss to Matt's lips.

---

The moment that Jimmy left the cafe, Charlie set her tray down on the table that they had each sat at in succession. She pulled Johnny into a tight hug and whispered a thank you in his ear. She could only hope that he would piece together why because this wasn't the time nor the place to discuss her reasoning. Turning, Charlie went ahead and put Johnny's order in before tending to the rest of her customers. There was only an hour and a half left in her shirt and she was looking forward to getting off. Her feet had started hurting a bit ago and the promise of being off soon had her excited.

Booking the things for the trip was easy enough. Charlie might not happy with how early their departure flight was, but even if she was, Matt was sure she would get over it, since after all, they were going to the Bahamas. Since he still had quite awhile before he needed to go and pick up Charlie from work, Matt decided to settle back on the couch with a beer and watch a movie. He kept an eye on the clock, just so he knew who was probably at the restaurant, just in case something happened. Shortly after Zacky was supposed to have switched out with Brian, Matt's phone vibrated, signaling that he had a text message. He frowned when he saw that it was from Zacky, wondering what could be the problem. Not sure if it's something you want to know, but a few minutes before I left, I saw Charlie talking to one of the other waitresses. I probably wouldn't have thought anything about it, but she turned around to look at me and when she noticed me watching her, she shut up really fast and walked away from that other girl.

Matt felt his anger flare. After how well things had been going, Charlie wasn't seriously going to ruin things by running her mouth, was she? His anger stewed until it was time to go and get Charlie, and he knew he would have to talk to her about it when they got home. The restaurant was getting ready to close up for the night when Matt got there, so it was easy to spot Charlie, standing behind the counter. Johnny still sat at the table, but stood up quickly when he noticed that Matt had walked in. The younger man hurried out the door, and Matt watched him leave before going over to Charlie. "Hurry up okay, I'm ready to go to bed," Matt said flatly. "And we need to talk when we get home."

Charlie leaned against the counter, taking with the waitresses that were meant to officially close. She had gotten off a few minutes earlier, before they would close for the day. Watching Johnny stand out of the corner of her eye, Charlie's eyes shot to the entrance where Matt stood. She had been with him long enough that she knew he wasn't in a pleasant mood, with the way he glared at Johnny as the shorter man all but ran for the doors. Letting out a sigh, Charlie ran a hand through her hair that she had let down once she was off her shift. She opened her mouth to greet Matt, only to go silent once he spoke. Her brows knit together and she hesitated, eyeing him warily. What was wrong? She was sure she would find out soon enough. Bidding her coworker goodbye, Charlie followed after Matt.

Arriving home didn't take more than fifteen minutes. The silence that stretched between them was tense and Charlie was left to wonder why, she hadn't done anything worth such a strong reaction or so she thought. The moment that Matt parked in their garage, Charlie was climbing out and heading inside. She kicked off her shoes by the door and dropped her purse on the table. Charlie's shoulders tense as she turned around to face Matt. "What's up, Matt?" She asked softly, stepping forward in hopes that she could smother whatever harsh feelings he was having before they got out of control.

On the drive home, things were tense. Matt knew that Charlie knew that he wasn't in a pleasant mood. But he wasn't sure if unpleasant was the right word to describe his mood right now. He almost wanted to say that he was disappointed and he was definitely irritated. When they arrived home and Charlie spoke to him like they were about to have a normal conversation, Matt couldn't help but let out a dry laugh. "You know, I was actually starting to rethink having someone at work with you all the time," he started. "I was starting to think that maybe I was overreacting by doing that. You've proven that I could trust you. At least I thought I could." He paused, pulling his phone from his pocket and pulled up the message from Zacky. He shoved his phone at Charlie's chest. "What were you talking to that girl about, Charlie?" he asked. "And don't fucking lie to me, I swear to God."

Matt stalked across the kitchen, reaching out and sweeping his arm across the island, knocking a few things to the floor. "You know, I thought we had this little system figured out," he said. "But you just seem to want to find every way possible to piss me off. Why do you do that m, Charlie? I don't like being this way with you, okay? When we're here at home, I want to be how I used to be. But I can't when you do things that make me not trust you, Charlie. So just...tell me what you were talking to your coworker about and tell why the fuck you stopped when you saw Zacky watching you."

A frown formed onto Charlie's features as he laughed. "What are you talking about?" She asked, almost sounding hurt. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him move, hands clutching at his phone so that it wouldn't fall to the ground. Charlie doubted it breaking would be the best of things for his temper right now. Looking down to the phone, she read over the message once. Twice and a third time. What in the hell was going on? Charlie's attention jerked as a few things went crashing to the floor. Her heart skipped a beat and her instincts kicked in, taking a small step back. Distance would hopefully keep her safe, keep another bruise forming on her body. She drew in a shakey breath, held it for a long moment, before exhaling through her nose. "Are you serious?" She asked her own question, letting out a sarcastic laugh. Matt couldn't be serious.

"You watched me like a damn hawk the moment I began working. You left, Zacky took your place. You think no one was going to notice that? If you honestly did, you're about as stu-" Charlie's words were cut off by the fear that pierced through her gut. The last time that she had called Matt stupid, she had wound up tied up in the basement until the next morning. She turned her head away, shoving her hands into her pockets. "Told them that you were there to make sure no one bothered me because last time we went out, a guy wouldn't leave me alone. So fuck, I don't know what you want me to do but I'm trying. I don't think you are, you're reacting without even bothering to wait to see what happened. You're taking Zack's word above mine, go fuck him instead if you want. I'm going to go soak my feet because they hurt and then I'm going to sleep because this isn't going anywhere."

Matt's anger only rose as he listened to Charlie speak, and rather quickly at that. He knew he shouldn't get so angry, but he couldn't help it. He didn't like being spoken to like he was stupid. It was Charlie's snide comment about Zacky that made Matt's vision practically go white; his anger was almost blinding. The last time he'd been this angry with Charlie, he'd locked her down in the basement. "You're not fucking going anywhere," he growled. He reached out and grabbed Charlie by the wrist, yanking her close. "You think I should go fuck Zacky, huh?" he hissed into her ear. "Well he's not here, so how about I fuck you instead?" Matt had no idea what he was doing. He was so angry that he almost felt like he wasn't in his own body. He dragged Charlie over to the couch and threw her down, crawling over her and pinning her to the cushions. His hands went to the button of her pants; when he had it undone he pulled the jeans roughly down her legs.

"I don't like it when you talk to me like that, Charlie," Matt said, pressing his face against her neck. He pinched her skin with his teeth, mostly likely adding to the bruises that still littered her neck as he pressed his hips against hers. "Eventually you're going to learn to stop pissing me off." But not like this. As soon as the thought passed through Matt's mind, he jumped away from Charlie like he'd been shocked. He looked down at Charlie, laying on the couch with her jeans around her knees and suddenly his anger was gone, replaced by nauseating guilt. What was he doing? Locking Charlie in the basement was one thing, but he couldn't do this to her. The fact that he'd almost actually done it terrified Matt to his core. "I..." He started to speak, but then paused. "Just go to bed. I'm going...out. I'm sorry."

Regret hit her like a semi-truck the moment the anger set in Matt's features. Uh oh. She had messed up, Charlie realized before he even pulled her close. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out a way to smooth things over. Make the impact of whatever Matt was going to do lessen, at least a little. She let out a surprised gasp as she was yanked to his chest, only for her body to rigid as he growled in her ear. Her blood ran cold, realizing all too quickly what was running through Matt's mind. No, he wouldn't. He couldn't. He was still her Matt, still loved her. He had said so himself. He loved her... Her mind was already preparing to pull away from the situation, to put as much distance between the action as she could. Charlie flinched as she was thrown to the couch, instincts kicking in to allow her to push herself an inch or two up the couch before Matt was atop her. She let out a small whine as Matt's hands moved south, a hand resting on his shoulder tried to push him away. No, no. No. "Matt," she heard someone say, the word so small that she nearly missed it herself. With a shock, Charlie realized the name came from her lips. When Matt leaned up just enough to be able to yank her jeans down, Charlie's hands dropped to try and cover herself, ending up pinned between their two bodies. She swallowed a lump that formed in her throat and closed her eyes tight, not wanting to see anything that was about to happen. Biting into her lip, Charlie pushed back a sob that bubbled up inside. She wasn't going to cry, she wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. She hadn't even realized that Matt wasn't laying on her any longer, body rigid and waiting for the next move, until the door slammed signaling he had left.

Several long minutes passed before Charlie forced her eyes open, herself to her feet as she pulled her pants up back up her legs. Phone. She hadn't seen her phone in days and maybe if she could... Charlie began to look around, careful to put everything back into place after she flipped through them. It took her the better part of an hour before she found it shoved into a rarely used china cabinet in the formal dining room, behind a pile of plates. She didn't dare try to use it right then, instead she took the stairs to the guest room. Charlie jerked a book off of the shelf in the corner and didn't bother to pay attention to what book it was as she began to rip out pages. Once Charlie was satisfied that she knew it wouldn't be found, she shoved it back onto the shelf and set out to bury them in the kitchen garbage downstairs. No way of knowing when Matt would return, Charlie quickly went back upstairs to change and lay down in the guest room, with the door locked, to hopefully play the part that Matt wanted her to. She had no intention of using the phone now, or even in the near future, but it was more of a just inc ase.