That's Where You Take Me

Rowan walked to the door and knocked waiting for someone to answer the door. She tried to hold back her tears but when Brian answered the door all she could do was cry at the smile that changed to concern the minute he saw her. She collapsed into his arms and he closed the door behind her as he walked her into the living room where everyone was. Suzy immediately sent McKenna upstairs to her room and told her to get ready for bed when she saw the tears falling from Rowans face. Median moved to her and touched her shoulder. Rowan looked at her and she just broke down more.

“Rowan honey what’s wrong?” Median asked.

“M…Matt!” She half yelled half cried and Median and Suzy pulled her down on the couch.

“Tell us what happened.”

“He… I can’t…!”

“What he do Rowan?” Brian asked as his father stood and walked from the room.

“We had a fight… and he left.”

“He’ll come home it’s not like he went out and…” Rowan looked at Median as she spoke and the woman shut up immediately.

“I’ll fucking kill him.” Brian yelled. Brian Sr. walked back in a moment later and he handed Rowan a glass of water. She took it and drank. Median watched her wipe away her tears and sniffle as she looked at the people around her.

“Do you know where he went?”

“He was with…oh god…” And Rowan burst into a fresh wave of tears.

“Who Ro?” Suzy asked.

“Val” she said and it came out in a whisper that they barely heard.

---

Matt kicked the door shut behind him as he removed Val’s shirt from her body. He broke their kiss to pull it over her head and then lifted her so that she was against the wall her legs wrapped around him. She leaned forward placing her lips to his and he pressed her back against the wall using it as leverage as he felt her press her body against his. She moaned as he ran his tongue over the sensitive skin on her neck. He knew all her sensitive spots and she knew exactly what he liked. He released his tight grip on her and carried her to the closest surface which happened the be the couch and the rest of their clothes were gone moments later.

---

Rowan sighed as she walked into Median and Brian’s house and glanced around. Median wrapped an arm around her and lead her upstairs. As soon as Rowan was in bed she was asleep worn out from all the crying she had done earlier in the day. As soon as Median closed the door she looked at Brian and he shook his head and walked downstairs and grabbed the phone and called Matt. His phone went straight to voicemail and Brian left a message, but something told him that his friend wasn’t calling him back.

Brian and Median stayed awake watching movies most of the night and only heard Rowan up a few times to use the bathroom. Median looked into Brian’s eyes and saw anger in them and she knew why. Matt had fucked up, from what Rowan had told them he had been practically sober. Median moved off towards their room and Brian went to check on Rowan. When he walked in the room she was laying there on her side staring at the wall. Brian didn’t need to see her face to know that she was crying. He could hear her sniffling every so often.

“Ro…”

“Go away Brian.”

“I just wanted to check on you. Make sure you were…”

“That I was what? Okay? I don’t fucking think so!” Rowan yelled and down the hall Median sighed as she pulled her tank top on over head and her pajama bottoms up over her legs. She was listening to the yelling coming from across the hall. “I just… I’m going for a drive.” And a few moments later she heard Rowan leave out the front door. In the car Rowan sat for a moment and once she started the engine and her CD player automatically started up she saddened even more as she backed out listening to Paramore. She sighed as The Only Exception began to play and as she listened to it she began to cry again. Her heart was breaking and she didn’t know what to do. She had put it all on the line by taking him back after she left him the first time. She suddenly remembered leaving him and the tears fell as she sat at a red light.

“Yes…Matt please, don’t do this to us… we finally get the nerve to…” He moved and pulled her to him. She put her hands on his chest to stop him from kissing her. “Let me finish.”

“Fine…”

“I finally got the nerve to make my move, and you want to just end it?”

“Rowan, look at us…”

“Matt, you’re killing me, and I don’t think you see it.”

“Rowan…”

“You know what just forget it, I don’t see how you can do this. It happened ten years ago. I had to move on Matt. Looks like I’m gonna have to try to again. Maybe Frankee was right. I should’ve gone to New York after senior year.” and with that Rowan walked back through the house and didn’t say a word to anyone as she left.

Rowan found herself parked in her and Matt’s driveway and a part of her was hoping that his car would be there, but it wasn’t. She sighed as she got out of the car making up her mind one final time.