Unintended

Another week flew by since my lunch/ambush with David, Chris, and Dom and still, I heard nothing from Matt. I know he had come back from Teignmouth a few days ago because I could hear movement in his apartment but I had yet to find the courage to go over and speak to him. I wasn't sure if I wanted to see him yet, given my feelings were still rather unresolved. Despite the fact that I was too much of a coward to speak with him, Matt hadn't stopped by to chat with me either, which made me worried that he didn't want to see me either, like I had gone and ruined one of the only friendships I had acquired in a long while.

Though Dom, Chris, and David all pointed out that Matt and I would be good for one another, I couldn't be sure that Matt wanted more than friendship with me. That night after we kissed, he apologized. I'm pretty sure that if he wanted more than friendship, he wouldn't have apologized for kissing me. There was no way he looked at me as more than just a friend. I just couldn't believe it. I wanted to believe that Dom, David, and Chris were just reading way too much into things.

Today, I was busy in the kitchen, preparing some lunch for the boys that I would deliver to them at the studio. I had promised Chris that I would make him a new sandwich, since Dom had eaten the other one meant for him, so I figured that since it was my day off, it was as good a day as any to make some lunch for them. Besides, I figured that if I delivered the food to the studio, there was a good chance of running into Matt, which would force me to talk to him.

Currently, I was finishing packing the food I had cooked into a bag for transport, bopping my head along to the Kaiser Chiefs playing loudly on my iPod. Today, I decided to make them some egg salad sandwiches and sliced fruit on the side since it was fairly simple enough to assemble. I had made myself egg salad the other day so I had plenty left over for sandwiches. Since I was looking for any kind of excuse to see the guys, I knew it would make more sense to show up unannounced with food, since Dom was always up for eating anything not nailed down.

Once everything was packed, I flipped the stereo off, grabbing my iPod off the dock and plugging in my headphones. I grabbed my purse and the food before walking out the door, still nodding along to the Kaiser Chiefs. Once I got to the main street, I cursed myself for not grabbing a scarf. The air was still rather chilly, despite the sunshine, but I didn't feel like going back up the stairs just to get a scarf. I would have to survive without one.

I walked up the road a bit towards the busier part of the neighborhood, looking for a taxi. The great thing about living in Holland Park was that the streets were a lot quieter than the parts with the shops. I wasn't bothered by car alarms going off in the middle of the night or the sound of sirens hurrying past like in other parts of London. It was a little quiet neighborhood where I could remain to be Gabriella Nightingale, normal human being rather than Gabriella Nightingale, the actress.

Finally, I reached the busier parts of the street and hailed a taxi. The black car immediately pulled up alongside the curb and I hopped in, the smell of peppermint and stale cigarettes immediately hitting my nose as I got in. Taxis always had the same kind of elderly gentleman-type smell of peppermint candy and old, stale cigarettes. For some reason, it was just the constant smell of every taxi I took, and I liked it. I told the cab driver my destination and leaned back against the seat comfortably, settling in for the ride.

I scrolled through the artists in my iPod and decided that I was in the mood for Incubus, just to calm my nerves. The closer we got to the studio, the more I started to shake. I was actually nervous and it was rare for me to be nervous. Even when I had performances, I never got nervous. The only time I ever got nervous about anything was when I had to deal with emotions. I wasn't the type of person that expressed themselves well through conversation. If I were performing, I could convey emotions through language, facial expression, and body language perfectly but when it came to talking about how I, the real Gabriella Nightingale, really felt, I clamed up and shut down.

I attributed this to my lack of real friendships growing up. Only recently had I started to allow myself to become friendly with people. Before that, I usually kept to myself or immersed myself in work because I wanted to make a name for myself. At twenty four, I was still socially awkward when it came to making friendships work. I'm surprised that I'm able to get along so well with Dom, Chris, and David. Matt and I were on the road to a wonderful friendship until the tiny kissing incident, which still made my heart pound rapidly and cheeks burn red when I thought about it.

This was a first for me. I've had my fair share of kisses in my time but usually they were scripted for the stage so they didn't really mean anything. It was a rare thing for me to actually kiss someone without it being written in the script for me to do so. When he kissed me that night, it was like I had been struck with lightning. It felt right for us to be kissing like that, though it did lead to this complicated mess we were in now. It was just one of those spur of the moment things that had forever been ingrained in my brain since. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't shake the memory from my mind.

I just wondered how things were going to be now that we've crossed that bridge. I never anticipated having to sort through my relationship with Matt because I never thought in a million years that we would wind up in this kind of situation. Now that we were at this stage, I had to figure out what I would say to him, especially since it's been nearly two weeks since we last spoke. No doubt, Dom and Chris would make it all the more difficult for us to try and carry on a conversation but that's why I planned ahead and brought the food. The both of them would be too busy with their sandwiches to notice the awkward tension between Matt and me all due to my surrender of my hormones. I hated surging hormones. They always caused the worst kinds of messes to deal with.

The cabbie broke my train of thought by telling me that we had arrived at my intended destination. I looked out the window briefly, seeing the blue door that led to the inside of the studio in between an ATM machine and a small café, and sighed. This was it. It was now or never.

I paid the cabbie and stepped out of the black car onto the busy sidewalk. I walked up to the blue door and tried to pull it open, finding that it was locked. Cursing aloud to myself, I rang the buzzer on the side of the doorframe, hoping someone would let me up. I leaned against the wall, watching as the cars whizzed by on the busy streets, trying my best to swallow the nervousness that was building in my stomach. Any appetite I thought I had before was now long gone now.

"Yeah? Who's there?" I heard Roger's familiar voice say over the intercom.

"Hey Roger. It's Gabriella. Are the guys here?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah, they're here. Come on up," he replied, buzzing me into the studio.

I pulled open the door and walked inside, sighing deeply with shaky breath. The further down the corridor I walked, the more my stomach nervously flipped around. I looked behind me, discovering that the street door was too far away now to run away. In no time at all, I found myself in front of the black door marked 'Studio B', which was the studio the guys practically lived in for the last few months. I hesitated when I reached for the door handle, wondering if this really was the best plan or not. I didn't feel ready to face Matt yet. I had no idea what I was going to say to him.

With another deep breath, I quickly opened the door and walked inside the studio. Roger was at his usual place, behind the mixing board, nodding his head along to the music that flowed through his headphones as he started pressing buttons. Dom was sitting in the black chair next to him, spinning around in fast circles and laughing maniacally while Chris, who was lying on the couch, warned him that he would get too dizzy if he kept it up. Matt wasn't anywhere in the room.

"Gabriella! Is that you?" Dom asked, stumbling over to me and nearly knocking me onto the ground. "There's like seven of you and I can't tell which one you are."

"I told you that you would get dizzy but did you listen to me?" Chris said knowingly, sitting up from the couch. "Gabriella, you can just drop him."

Shaking my head, I did as Chris said, letting go of Dom as he collapsed to the floor of the studio with a thud. He started whining about how his body hurt as I stepped over him and walked over to Chris, giving him a hug.

"So, what brings you down to the studio today?" he asked, plopping back down onto the couch.

"Well, I thought it had been a while since I've been here so I decided that I would bring that sandwich I promised you," I said, holding up the bag containing the food.

Dom quickly shot up from the ground, almost stumbling over himself once again, and yanked the bag out of my hand before I could even register what he was doing. He pulled out all the food and placed it on the table, salivating over the prospect of eating it. He went for one of the sandwiches, tearing it out of the bag and shoving it into his mouth, moaning in delight as he chewed. Chris reached over and smacked Dom on the forehead, momentarily surprising the drummer with half a sandwich in his mouth.

"Oi! That hurt you bastard!" he bellowed, his words muffled by the sandwich in his mouth.

"Be an adult and chew your food," Chris said, reaching for one of the sandwiches.

"So, where's Matt?" I asked curiously, trying to make it sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Oh, I see," Chris smiled knowingly, glancing at me. "He's in the recording booth working on the keyboard. He wanted to finish up some last minute bits to 'Uprising' before lunch," he explained.

I looked through the thick, clear glass of the recording booth and spotted Matt, back to me, in front of the keyboard. He was nodding his head to whatever was playing through his headphones as his fingers gracefully moved across the keyboard. Though I could not see his face, I knew his eyebrows were furrowed and that his beautiful blue eyes were closed shut, concentrating on the music that flowed through his headphones. I knew enough about him to know what he was like when he was working on something productive.

I rose from my seat on the couch and walked over to the soundboard, closer to the thick glass that separated us. I stopped a few inches short of the soundboard, my eyes still transfixed to his back, letting myself smile at the sight of him. Something about our separation made me feel drawn to him now, like some force was tugging me forcefully towards him in some sense of great desperation. Though I could go no further towards him without going unnoticed, I was unable to pull my gaze away from him. My heart raced wildly at the mere sight of him and now, I felt rather idiotic for avoiding him for such a long time because I had missed him so much.

"Hey Gabriella," I heard Roger say from beside me. I glanced to him and noticed that it was one of the first times that he had removed his headphones from his ears since I'd been around the studio. "Want me to get Matt for you?"

"Oh no," I replied quickly, shaking my head for emphasis.

"Are you sure? We can always finish this stuff after lunch," he countered, repeating his offer.

"I don't want to interrupt his productive creativity. I can always wait but thanks anyway," I smiled. "I brought some sandwiches and stuff from home for you guys to eat, if Dom hasn't consumed it all yet," I said, glancing back to the drummer who was happily munching away on a piece of fruit. "Help yourself."

"Thanks," he replied with a nod, reaching for one of the sandwiches.

Roger slid his headphones back on over his head as I walked to the couch, plopping down beside Chris once again. He was typing on the keypad of his cell phone vigorously as Dom spun happily in the chair, making noises of delight as he continued eating. Chris snapped his phone shut and placed it on his thigh, glancing at me with a curious expression as I leaned back against the cushions.

"So, is there a reason why you're sitting here with me and that simpleton rather than making nice with your sweetie pie in there?" Chris asked as I laughed.

"Oi! Who're you calling a simpleton?" Dom asked in offense, frowning at Chris.

"You and don't deny it. You're easily amused by the littlest things, like that piece of melon for example. I don't think I've seen someone so giddy over food before," Chris laughed. "Now all I need is a shiny object to distract you and I will have proved by point once again."

"I'm not that easily distracted," Dom grumbled with a pout on his lips, solemnly munching on his sandwich.

"Anyway, back to the point I was making before Dom started whinging on me," Chris said, glancing back to me curiously, "why aren't you in there talking to Matt like you should be? You two need to make nice with each other once again."

"Yeah," Dom nodded in agreement. "You both are acting like a couple of bloody teenagers."

"How ironic of someone who acts like a five year old all the time to comment on our behavior," I laughed, shaking my head.

"I'm being serious! Go in there right now and talk to him!" Dom commanded, pointing his finger at me.

"That's quite alright. I don't want to interrupt him while he's working. I can wait for him to finish," I replied.

"You just don't know what you want to say to him, do you?" Chris asked as if he could read my mind.

"Pretty much, yeah. Besides, how rude would it be for me to just walk in there while he's in the creative flow and demand that he be my friend again? I can't do that. I don't even know if he wants to see me right now, you know," I said, prattling on nervously. "Maybe coming here was a bad idea."

"Don't go doubting yourself now! There's no backing out of here until you make up with Matt!" Dom said enthusiastically, throwing his arms in the air. "Don't make me call David and have him talk to you yet again!"

"You say that as if talking with David is actually threatening," I scoffed.

Dom opened his mouth to comment back but then quickly shut it closed, at a loss for words. I smirked at him, knowing I had won this round as he glared evilly at me. He crossed his arms over his chest and sulked in his loss.

"You may have won this battle Nightingale but I shall win this war," he declared.

"Bring it on Howard," I replied, gesturing with my hands for emphasis.

"Alright kids, settle down," Chris laughed, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Jeez, you'd think I have two extra kids to take care of with the way you two carry on."

Suddenly, the black door to the recording booth swung open, preventing Dom and me from laughing along with Chris. Matt walked through the door, eyes focused on the writing he was doing in his thick notebook, and headed towards Roger. He didn't bother looking up from his notebook until five seconds later when he finished scribbling, pausing in his step when his perfect ocean eyes met with mine for the first time in weeks.

The expression on his face read with shock as he clutched the notebook closer to his body, as if to shield his vulnerability from me. I bit my lower lip, unable to tear my eyes away from his intense gaze and shifted nervously beside Chris. Matt opened his mouth to say something but closed it back up again. He repeated this action a few times, obviously having trouble with deciding on what he wished to say to me as my heart pounded against my ribcage so hard I thought Chris could hear it thump.

Finally, Matt took a deep breath and seemed to compose himself enough to actually speak to me.

"Hey Gabriella," he said, his voice cracking as he spoke casually. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Yeah well, I thought you guys could do with some lunch," I replied quietly.

"Oh," he said, eyeing the food spread out on the table, "how thoughtful of you."

I smiled weakly at him in response, wracking my brain for the next bit of conversation. Everything between us screamed 'awkward tension' as we remained locked in a staring contest. It was actually going a lot worse than I thought it would, mainly because I couldn't shake the thoughts of leaping off the couch and right into his arms for a comforting hug I desperately yearned for.

"Oi Space Cadet," Chris said, nudging me with his elbow. I snapped out of my thoughts and glanced at him curiously, wondering what he wanted. "Would you run and get me a coffee from next door? I'm in desperate need of a caffeine fix."

"Oh! Me too! I want a white chocolate chip frappachino!" Dom cheered, spinning around in the chair.

"Um, sure," I replied with a shrug as I stood from the couch. "I don't mind. Do you want anything Roger?"

"A cup of tea would be lovely," he replied, not looking away from the mixing board.

"Would you like anything?" I asked quietly, turning to Matt.

"I'll go with you," Matt said quickly, setting his notebook down on the free chair and grabbing his coat from the arm of the couch. The other guys all looked at him oddly as Matt quickly gave an explanation to his volunteering. "You'll need some help carrying everything back into the studio."

"Oh, alright," I nodded.

"We'll pay you back when you return," Dom said, standing from the chair and walking towards the recording booth, shutting the door behind him.

I followed Matt out of the studio, glancing back at Chris as I passed. He mouthed 'go on' to with, encouraging me to follow him by holding two thumbs' up in my direction. With a sigh, I looked ahead of me once again and followed Matt down the long, narrow hallway. We walked in awkward silence, neither of us willing to speak yet to break it. I was slightly worried that I had made a mistake in showing up to the studio unannounced. Maybe he wasn't interested in talking to me now and didn't know what to say now that I had ambushed him.

He held the door to the street open for me, letting me walk out first into the chilly London air. I stuffed my hands into my pockets and walked beside him into the coffee shop next door. Matt and I walked up to the counter of the slightly busy shop and looked over the menu before ordering everyone's drinks. Before I had a chance to whip out my wallet to pay, Matt had handed the cashier the money, telling him to keep the change.

"You didn't have to pay. I could've done it," I told him.

"It's alright. I don't really mind," he shrugged.

We both took a seat at the bar along the coffee shop window overlooking the street, secretly stealing glances at one another from time to time as the silence loomed over us. I started playing with the sugar packets nearby while Matt locked his fingers and looped his thumbs around each other. I glanced at him through my messy hair only to find him looking back at me. Minutes later, we both let out the same small laugh that school children gave one another when they've been caught doing something.

"This is ridiculous," I said, shaking my head.

"I know. You'd think we'd be able to be a bit more grown up than this," Matt replied, grabbing a few of the sugar packets. "I'm sorry for acting like a right git before. I should've just called you after that awkward happenstance."

"You call a kiss an awkward happenstance? Wow Matt, I can see why they call you the ladykiller," I teased with a playful wink. "But I'm sorry too. I avoided you as well for no apparent reason. All we did was kiss each other in the heat of the moment. It's not like I murdered your dog or something."

"Exactly. I was just worried that you would think I was an idiot and that you wouldn't want anything more to do with me after that embarrassing episode," Matt explained. "After being away in Teignmouth for a week without speaking to you, I can tell you, I was stupid for not calling. I missed speaking to you so much."

"I missed you too Matt," I replied quietly, focusing my gaze back on the sugar packets I was stacking on top of one another. "It was stupid to overreact to something as small as a silly kiss and I shouldn't have. I know you're only interested in me as a good friend and I appreciate that. We're not in the point in our lives where a relationship would be convenient."

"Yes, exactly. We're just good friends who happened to get caught up in a silly moment and kiss. I'm sure it's happened to the best of friends from time to time. I know it's happened with Dom after a few beers in a pub," Matt laughed.

I shook my head, laughing, "I can imagine that. Are you the initiator in that scenario or is it Dom?"

"No, I'm the victim in that scenario," he replied. "Dom fancies giving me a cuddle when he's had too much to drink at a pub and sometimes, the cuddle leads to him forcing kisses on me. I don't know why he chooses me," Matt shrugged.

"Maybe he likes looking in your pretty eyes," I said. "Or maybe he likes the way your arse looks in a pair of white trousers."

"So because he likes the way my arse looks in white trousers is the reason he needs to rape my mouth with his tongue?" Matt questioned seriously as I laughed. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"God, I've missed talking to you. I forgot how much you make me laugh," I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

"I was just thinking how much I've missed hearing your laugh," Matt replied. "I didn't like it when we weren't talking. I was so bored and then I would always have the urge to pop by your place when I heard you rummaging around in your flat."

"I know. I wanted to see you too when I would hear the late night piano pieces as I fell to sleep," I said. "Let's not suffer through another no talking to each other phase again. It was torture."

"Alright, shall we shake hands on that decision Madame?" he asked with a very posh accent.

"Wow, calling me Madame and everything. I don't think the upper class, snobby British accent suits you very well," I laughed.

"It's about as bizarre as your British accent for the stage," he replied.

"Oh! I'm insulted! I worked hard to get the hang of that accent," I pouted.

"No, what I mean is, I prefer your American accent. It's more you than that British accent you do so well for the stage," he said.

"Well alright, since you put it that way, I guess I'll forgive you and shake your hand," I said, grabbing onto his hand and shaking it.

He pulled me toward him quickly, wrapping his arms around me for a hug I was totally unprepared for as I let out a small shriek of astonishment. He held me against his warm body tightly, his warm breath tickling the nape of my neck as I was still too shocked to move. After an apprehensive moment, I allowed myself to hug him back, lightly placing my hands on the upper part of his back as my body melted against him. I shut my eyes, relishing the feeling of being in his arms and wished that I didn't have to pull away from him.

Something about being in Matt's arms felt right. It was almost like I belonged there, fitting quite perfectly together the way jigsaw pieces do.

"I have a large black coffee, a medium black coffee, a large white chocolate frappachino, a large Mocha, and a large Earl Grey tea for Matt!" the barista called from behind the service counter.

Matt and I suddenly pulled away from each other as the barista called out our drink order, both of us laughing nervously. He scratched the back of his neck for a moment before standing from the barstool and heading to the counter. I watched him walk across the café, trying to slow the pounding of my heart against my ribcage. I could still feel the heat of his body against mine, slowly fading away as the seconds passed, making me miss his warmth. Though part of me longed for something more than just a friendly hug, I knew that it couldn't be. We had decided to resist the temptation and continue on as friends. It was in both of our best interests, though a tiny voice in the back of my mind loudly objected.

Matt walked back with a carrier of four hot cups and a medium coffee in hand, slowly sipping it. I stood from my stool, finally composed after that much needed and desired hug, and grabbed my Mocha from the carrier, smiling at him as he led the way out. I grabbed the door for him, since his hands were full as we walked back to the studio in a comfortable silence as opposed to the earlier awkward silence. I felt a little better knowing that Matt and I had resolved things and went back into our friendship like nothing had happened.

Unfortunately for me, I couldn't just pretend that nothing happened. The kiss was still freshly ingrained in my memory down the very detail. I could still taste the sweet red wine on his tongue as he gently ran it across my lower lip. I could feel his course, calloused fingertips tenderly caressing the soft skin of my right cheek as he deepened the kiss. I still felt my fingers combing through his short, soft brown hair as I pulled him closer to me. Everything about that single kiss was still running through my mind as if it had happened seconds ago and yet, it was the last kiss I would ever receive from Matt Bellamy. That thought made me feel slightly disappointed.

I pulled the black studio door open, allowing Matt to walk into the studio first as I trailed behind him, shaking my head of any thoughts revolving around Matt's single, yet rather powerful, kiss. Chris looked up from his resting place on the couch with a smile, obviously able to tell that things between Matt and me were a lot better. Dom was sitting on a stool in front of an electronic drum kit, banging away happily with large headphones covering his ears until he saw us walk in. His face lit up with delight as he sprang up and dashed towards the recording booth door.

"Coffee!" he cheered happily, running straight to Matt and seizing his frappachino.

"I feel like we will regret allowing him to drink this coffee later when we're forced to pry him off the ceiling," Matt laughed, shaking his head and handing Roger his cup of tea.

"We'll probably have to take the poor fellow outside to run around the park later just to tire him out a bit," I said, plopping down next to Chris once again.

Matt took a seat in the black office chair next to me, handing Chris his coffee and setting the carrier on the glass table in front of us. Roger informed us that he was going to play back the keyboard recordings that Matt had laid down earlier before I arrived, unplugging his headphones and letting them dangle from around his neck.

"So, I take it you two have sorted everything out, right?" Chris asked curiously glancing at the both of us.

"Was there anything ever wrong with us before?" I asked Matt, feigning ignorance to Chris's question.

"Not that I can recall," Matt replied with a tiny smile.

"I think you've mistaken us for other immature teenagers that you know," I laughed.

"Oh I see. Alright, if that's how you want to play it then fine with me. I'm just glad we're able to all be in the same room again and able to breathe," Chris smiled.

"Shut up you lot! I want to hear the song!" Dom said, causing us to look at him funny since he was always the one that made the most noise during the playbacks. "Alright Roger, I got their attention for you now can I have my frappachino back?" he asked.

We all laughed, knowing he only said that so we would listen to the playback as Roger handed him his coffee. Dom happily took it in his hands and continued spinning around in circles in his office chair, gleefully sipping his cold, sugary drink. Roger began the playback to one of the new songs, explaining a few minor things that needed to be tweaked in the mastering of the track. Everyone was listening attentively except Dom, who was staring at the ceiling as he sipped his drink and spun in the chair.

Things had been resolved and we were all back to normal for the most part. Matt and I were speaking again, which was good considering my nervousness in seeing him once again but now that we've clarified our friendship as only friendship, things fell back into place as they were before that night. The only thing I had to do now was find some way of erasing the voice in my head that continued shouting for more than just another friend. It was going to be hard continuing as nothing happened when the memory of that kiss still lingered in my mind. I just hope I would be able to contain myself better this time. There would be no more troublesome situations that would lead us in this mess again.