My Heart's Always With You

A month later Amber stood in the living room, watching as her family sat around waiting. Esme was smiling, Lisa was grinning like a maniac, and Anthony looked worried. It was the big night that the Davis sisters had been waiting for since the night of the confrontation. They were starting over at last, how it should have been from the beginning for them.

Lisa and Johnny were going to Homecoming together while Amber and Matt were going out on whatever date Matt had arranged. Lisa had wanted to put off having Johnny meet her parents as her date instead of a boy from the “other” side until tonight. Amber had asked Lisa if she thought it might be better for both of them to get it out of the way at the same, the sisters agreed that it would be better.

“Anything?” Lisa asked her sister as she fiddled with her fabric of the dress that rested on her knee. She knew that Amber was glancing out the window every few seconds as it was. Amber looked out the window again and smiled.

“They are coming. Matt will be here first.” She watched as the two cars parked, and the boys got out.

“I can’t do this. I’m too nervous. Do I look okay?” Lisa jumped up, already panicking.

“Sweetie you look beautiful.” Esme smiled.

“You both do.” Anthony looked between his daughters and felt that guilt again. The past month he’d realized exactly how much that he had to make up for. How much he’d missed and how much he’d hurt them.

“Thanks.” Lisa smiled and fidgeted with the dress again.

“Thanks but I’m pretty comfortable with my outfit. I just hope the damn buttons don’t come undone.” Amber looked down at the buttons on her shirt and made sure they weren’t going to give her any trouble.

The knock on the door sent Lisa into a further state of anxiety and it sent Amber straight to the door. As soon as she opened it she saw Matt, standing there with the sweetest smile on his face. She smiled back instantly, thinking how cute his dimples made him. “Hey.”

“Hey Amber.” He kissed her lips quickly before she pulled him inside, revealing Johnny. Lisa looked at Johnny and smiled as she temporarily forgot her fears. He looked about as terrified about how tonight would go as she felt.

“Hi Johnny.” Lisa walked forward as a smile spread over his face.

“Hi Lisa.”

“Who wants to go first with this?” Anthony stood up and looked between the two couples. Now he felt the anxiety set in, he’d been waiting to it all night.

“We will. Dad this is Matt, Matt this is my dad. Be nice to him Dad.” Amber avoided the chit-chat and went straight to the point.

“Fine I’ll be nice. Its nice to meet you Matt and you better be good to my daughter.” Anthony glanced between the two as Amber burst into laughter.

“Nice to meet you too Sir. Don’t worry, I will.” Matt smiled at Amber, who was sitting laughing hysterically.

“Nicely done Dad, nicely done.” She finally stopped laughing as Esme told Matt hello.

“Well what was I supposed to say?” Anthony was fighting the smile that was threatening to break through.

“You did fine, really. Now I think we might as well take off,” Amber grabbed Matt’s hand and turned them both around. “You two kids have fun. Johnny don’t worry you’ll do fine and Lisa stop playing with the dress. You look beautiful sis.”

It was already dark outside as the couple set off for their date. Amber looked over at Matt as he drove towards their destination. “No Amber, I’m not going to tell you what I have planned. You might as well give up.”
“I’ll pout if I have to.” Matt laughed as Amber announced what she was willing to resort to doing.

“It won’t work. I have to watch the road so I won’t be able to see.” He smiled as he saw her start pouting through the corner of his eye.

“You are driving towards that little burger place we eat at a lot.” Amber smirked as Matt’s smile fell.

“Damn it, you couldn’t let it be a surprise could you?”

“What would the fun in that?”

***

“We’ve had some good times here.” Amber snuggled closer into Matt’s side later that night as the couple sat on the beach. They’d managed to find a spot that wasn’t overly crowded and had settled in. The sky was clear as the stars shined brightly in the sky, a nice addition to the soft sound of the ocean and the silver reflection of the moon on its waves.

“Yeah we have. It feels even better now that we aren’t hiding though.” Matt smiled as he looked at Amber. For the first time they didn’t have to be looking over their shoulders to make sure that no one saw them.

“I can’t believe that after all this time its finally over and we are together in the open. I like it, I really like it.”

“Me too.” A comfortable silence fell over the couple. Amber gently traced over the flaming heart tattoo on Matt’s arm as she thought. Matt watched contently as she traced over it repeatedly, thinking about how to tell her the good news.

“And to think that the first time we met it was here.” Amber closed her eyes as thoughts of that first night flooded into her mind. The hours they’d spent talking to each other while everyone else talked with different people. She even remembered having to tell Alyce everything the minute they were back in to car.

“So much has happened its hard to believe that was only a few months ago.” Matt suddenly felt overwhelmed. Although it felt like that night had been so long again it hadn’t even been a year ago. It opened his eyes to how much life could change in a matter of only months. Suddenly he felt uneasy about telling Amber the news.

“Life can change so much in just a few months can’t it?” Amber had felt Matt when he froze, she could feel the tension in his body. When she looked up at his face she saw that his eyes were focused on the ocean, some unknown emotion in them. He appeared to be torn between pure happiness and anxiety.

“Amber?”

“Yeah? What is it Matt?”

“The band got signed.” The happiness was beginning to break through, winning the fight against the worry that had attempted to set in.

Amber let out a small scream of excitement before she tackled him back into the sand. “I am so happy for you guys!” She placed her lips against his, both of them smiling.

“You do realize this means that I’m going to be gone for months at a time right?” Matt asked several minutes later. The two were comfortably lying in the sand, Amber’s head resting on his chest as his hand moved up and down her arm.

“Yeah I know. What is your point?”

“With how much life can change in a few months doesn’t it make you wonder if while I’m gone you’ll find someone else?”

“Matt,” Amber propped herself up so that she was looking at him. “you are being completely and utterly ridiculous. If either of us have to worry about that it would be me. I mean come on, you are going to be the huge rockstar.”

“Maybe we are both being completely and utterly ridiculous. I mean look at what we’ve already been through to be together.”

“Yeah I guess you are right about that one.” Amber settled back into the sand, replacing her head on Matt’s chest. She could hear the sound of his heart beat as she closed her eyes and took in the sounds around her. Matt’s heartbeat, the soft waves of the ocean, and the gentle breeze.

Matt kept still, just looking directly up at the night sky above him. “Amber I love you.”

“I love you too Matt.” She smiled and nuzzled her head against his chest, feeling that familiar feeling of happiness again. When she was with Matt she couldn’t help but feel this way. It felt right for them to be together.

“You know another way I know that we’ll be okay even when we are apart?”

“How Matt? What did you just realize?”

“No matter where you are and where I am, my heart is always with you.” Amber smiled at Matt’s words and moved enough so that their lips met.