You're Not What I Was Expecting To Find

Matt and Charlotte waited for several more minutes, talking quietly, before the waiter came over to their table with two Styrofoam cartons and a bill. He set them down and walked away. Charlotte reached into her bag to pull out some money but Matt stopped her.

“Let me pay half,” she insisted.

“It’s a date. I would never make you pay when I invited you,” he told her, pulling money from his own wallet and then putting them on the table. Both he and Charlotte stood up as he grabbed their food. They walked together, hands clasped, to the street where Matt flagged for another taxi. Once settled inside, Matt put his arm around her shoulders like he had before, their food sitting on the seat beside him. He kissed her temple and felt her shiver. He chuckled just as his phone rang. His smile turned into a frown as he moved his arm from Charlotte’s shoulders to retrieve his phone from his pocket. He glanced at the caller ID before answering.

“What?” he growled. “Fuck you, I’m on a date.” Charlotte watched him roll his eyes. “Yeah, with Charlotte. We’re going back to my place. Not like that, asshole. I’m hanging up now.” He slammed his phone shut and shoved it back in his pocket. Shifting, he put his arm back around her shoulders. “Sorry. Brian never got my message from Zack,” he explained. But Charlotte didn’t care. She was too worried about her hands shaking and her heart racing and him noticing just how nervous she was. They were going back to his house. Where they would be all alone. He had told her they would watch a movie. But how long until he put his rock star charm on? How long until he expected more than just a couple kisses?

“Is everything okay?” Matt asked, breaking Charlotte from her thoughts.

She stumbled. “Uh, yeah... I’m fine,” she told him. Yet he still felt unconvinced.

“I can just take you home, call it a night,” he suggested. She gulped and shook her head. It couldn’t hurt, she reasoned, going back to his house for a movie. She would just leave if it got out of hand. She knew how to handle herself.

“What movie are we going to watch?” she asked, changing the subject.

“I was thinking we could decide when we get there.”

“What time is it?” He glanced at his watch.

Charlotte’s eyes widened when he told her the time. She rarely ever stayed awake this late. But soon they were pulling up to a curb in front of a large house with a lush green lawn. Her jaw dropped and she turned slowly to look at Matt, who was chuckling beside her.

“It’s not much,” Matt told her, “but it’s home.”

Matt opened his door and climbed out quickly with his long legs. Holding the food in one hand, he leaned back into the cab to take Charlotte’s. Pulling her out, he let go of her hand and handed her the containers of food before reaching for his wallet which he had slipped back into his pants pocket. He pulled out bills and handed them to the driver before taking Charlotte’s hand again and striding toward the front door. Opening the door, he quickly punched a code into the security system before closing the door again.

Charlotte looked around the entrance and gaped. It was bigger than her apartment, that’s for sure. But Matt didn’t give her time to admire the view, as he was quickly pulling her into the living room. He pushed her down on the couch and stood high above her. He set the food on the coffee table and reached toward her feet. She stiffened as she felt his large hands on her ankles.

“Relax,” he cooed. “I’m just taking off your shoes. How are we going to cuddle if you have your shoes on?” he asked, not expecting an answer. He slipped her shoes off and threw them into a corner. “Do you want anything to drink?” he asked.

“Just water,” she told him, sitting stiffly on the soft couch.

“Should’ve known.” Then he was walking into the kitchen, kicking his own shoes off as he went. Alone, if only for a moment, Charlotte took in her surroundings. She was sitting on a brown couch, with a coffee table in front of her and a recliner on an angle to the side. There were pillows, plants, and large TV, which was mounted on the wall. To both sides were cabinets with solid panelled doors, and she wondered what was inside.

Matt returned, holding two glasses of water and a fork.

“No beer?” she asked. He just shrugged. But the truth was that he had already made a conscious decision to curb his drinking, now that Charlotte would be around. And she would continue to be around, he was determined. There was something special about this girl, he could feel it. Matt wanted her in his life. He just couldn’t believe he felt like this after barely one date.

Matt handed Charlotte one of the glasses of water and the fork for her salad before sitting down beside her. He took one big gulp of his water before setting it on the coffee table. Charlotte put hers down as well and they both reached for their food. Matt took one massive bite, then set it down and stood up.

“What do you want to watch?” he asked. Charlotte shrugged, though his back was turned.

“Anything,” she told him. He smirked and picked one case out of the hundreds he had stored in his cabinets. Popping it in, he grabbed the remotes and sat back down beside Charlotte, although considerably closer than he had been before. After watching the previews and the main menu screen popped up, he felt her stiffen.

“You don’t like horrors?” he asked, looking sideways to meet her eyes.

“I, uh...,” then she sighed. He laughed and pressed play. Then he leaned over to kiss her temple, hoping it would soothe her, if only a little bit. Her breathing became a little bit shallow.

“I’ll protect you,” he whispered against her soft skin and felt the satisfaction of her shiver against his lips. The movie started with blood-curdling screams and Matt finally pulled away, facing forward again. Charlotte hid her hands behind her eyes and snuggled closer to Matt. He laughed, but moved his arm to her shoulders, keeping her close to his body.