I Can't Make You Stay

I dashed out of the house as quickly as I could. I didn’t want to keep him waiting. Today was supposed to be a special day.

First impressions are the most important, right?

I was glad for both of my parents being at work today. My father, George Spencer, the head chef at this really successful restaurant up in the city, was rarely ever home. And if he was, it was to do inventory stuff and take Julie and I someplace. My mother, Debra Spencer, was your average lawyer. She spent most days at her office in her firm, which she was partner of: Spencer, Gladding, and Topton.

Since they rarely ever inhabited our lovely home, I could dress however I wanted when I needed to go out. Things could never be that easy though.

We had the nosiest neighbors, who love to gossip and chatter about with both of my parents. We live on a cul-de-sac, so it was really quiet over here, and everyone stayed close (and in each others business).

Which is why I had to meet Matt on the only street that led to Jefferson Court, Washington Lane, the only street that could take you to Main Street from over here.

…I lived in the president’s street district of town.

As I turned off of Jefferson onto Washington, I quickly typed a text message to both of my parents to let them know I was ‘on my way to Adam’s’, and that I’d text them later.

Not that either of them would respond. But if I didn’t tell them where I was going at the minute I was going, they’d call out the whole cavalry to come find me.

Cops stop by the restaurant a lot for free food. Go figure.

The only way I could ever get out was if I mentioned Adam’s name, or said I was at Adam’s place.

Matt was parked two houses away from where McKinley Court was, Adam’s street. He had aviator shades on, with one arm stretched to the steering wheel. His window was down, metal blaring through the opened space.

I smiled and raised my hands, waving a hello to him. He smiled back and unlocked the passenger side of his car from his end, letting me open the door and jump in.

“Hey Matt,” I said softly as he lowered the music and turned to face me.

“’Sup Aubrey? …You look nice.” He compliments well, doesn’t he?

Can’t wait to tell Adam.

“Eh, it’s not really my thing,” I told him truthfully. “But I felt like dressing it up a little. Glad you like it.” That was a lie. I would’ve preferred to wear shorts and a t-shirt.

But Julie insisted this was my chance at something good (how, I’m not sure. I wish she’d stop trying to set me up with people), and to ‘do it up nice’.

Matt gave me a sly grin and started up the car, inching down Washington towards our date.

--

…It was nice.

I thought Matt would be something different. Most of the kids at school feared Matt. He was ‘Big Matt Sanders’ that people either befriended out of fear, or just stayed away from.

Matt had gotten kicked out of his other 3 schools for fighting and all other kinds of trouble. He smoked. He drank. His massive, muscular arms were filled to the rim with tattoos, and he had a lip ring. But behind it all, he had kind hazel eyes that stared at me intently throughout the night.

I found Matt to be funny. Charming. Sensitive, almost. He was very courteous too, and honest. He opened doors, pulled out chairs, asked my opinions, and laughed at all my jokes. We had good conversation about movies, music, and our families.

We were a little different though. I listened to David Bowie, The Smiths, Billy Talent, and local bands. Matt was big on heavy metal bands, which obviously helped push his bad boy image. He liked Metallica, Megadeth, Children of Bodom, and stuff like that.

How we got along so well is beyond me.

The ride home from our typical date of dinner and a movie was silent. Matt put on a slow Metallica song (they make those, apparently), called ‘Nothing Else Matters’. It was nice, with sad but self-storytelling lyrics. It was almost my type of stuff.

I made a mental note to download it later.

Matt had captured my hand midway through the drive back into town from the city, and even asked, ‘May I?’

I nodded and giggled, feeling the warmth radiate off of his large palm and fingers. He almost swallowed my entire hand whole, but the feel of the spaces between his fingers I could get used to.

“Matt, can I be brutally honest with you?” I said suddenly, as a guitar solo came up. He lowered the music a little to hear me better and nodded, keeping his visual attention on the road.

I’d also come to find he was extremely serious about driving, and very careful. Especially with me in the car, which he expressed over dinner.

“I didn’t think tonight would turn out like this,” I told him. “I mean…this whole dress thing. It isn’t really me. Well actually, come to think of it, nothing is really me in the first place. But I’d expected you to be really rough and the silent type throughout the date.”

“Probably because I was so weird at first, right?” He said, and briefly took his eyes off the road to shoot me a grin. “I was nervous. I froze up after I saw you coming down the street.”

“Oh? Matt Sanders has nerves?” I joked.

He squeezed my hand as he grinned at the road ahead of us. He turned off of Main Street and was on Washington in a matter of seconds. He inched past my street and stopped in the same spot he was at before.

“Think you could do me a favor?” I hoped this went well. “I’m going to my friends house, just around the corner on the next cul-de-sac. Think you can just drop me there? I would walk but it’s kinda dark now.”

“No problem.” He swerved away from the curb and drove down McKinley Court. I was thankful that Adam’s mom’s car wasn’t in the driveway, which meant Mr. Lazzara was probably downstairs.

Writing his book or whatever.

“The white one with the light brown door,” I told him, quickly texting Adam to let him know I was outside. I could just walk in anyway. Matt stopped right in front of the walkway and put the car in park.

He turned to me.

“Aubrey, in fear of sounding extremely corny but realizing I’m going to have to anyway, I had a really nice time tonight…and I hope you did too.”

I did.
He paid.

“I was hoping we could do this again…”

I couldn’t help but grin at him and chuckle softly.
He wanted to go on another date with me?

“I’m glad I didn’t scare you off today,” I told him.

“You could never…” I leaned up close to him. “Aubrey, I…”

“What?”

“I…don’t kiss on the first date, believe it or not from what everyone says about me at school.”

I giggled and blew in his face, “You weren’t gonna get one. That was just for show.”

I kissed my hand, lightly tapped it against his face and reached for the handle on the door.

I heard Matt chuckle and whisper a soft ‘Goodnight’ as I closed the door. I quickly dashed up the walkway to Adam’s, where I could already see the living room light on. I heard Matt drive away when I opened the door and stepped into the house.