Promise Me This; Never Let Go

I was packing a small suitcase when Rafael walked into the living room with his gym bag. We smiled softly at each other before returning to our previous actions. I counted the seconds in my head before he took notice of what I was doing.

"Belleza, where are you going?" he finally asked.

I rolled my eyes and looked up at him. "I'm going to Huntington to visit my family. I'll be back by tomorrow night in time for your next match."

"Oh, okay. Have a nice time." He bent down to kiss the side of my head before walking out the door to go work out.

I couldn't be happier when I found myself on the airplane, waiting patiently for the flight to take off. I hadn't been in Huntington in months. This time around, I would be able to stomach things the guys tell me about their band. Now that Matt and I are okay again, everything felt so much better.

The seat next to me made a noise as the person sat down in their seat. I turned my head and grinned, my breath almost caught in my throat. "Hey Fran," Matt grinned back, taking a hold off my hand,

I mimicked his exact smile, minus the dimples. "Hey," I replied.

A few hours later, I was back in Huntington. I missed the pungent smell of the ocean. New York had a stench of overpopulated city pollution. As convenient as New York could be, Huntington will always be my home.

"How much did you miss this place?" Matt asked while he was driving on the highway. I expected to go home on a taxi, but Matt insisted to drive me back home. The fact that he left his SUV with the airport was another surprise.

"I missed it a lot," I admitted, resting my arm out the open window.

I zoned out at the continuing scene of cars zooming by on the roads. After being away for so long, I should have paid more attention to the road and cherish even this normal everyday action such as driving along the highway. However, the only thing I was paying attention to was how happy I felt with Matt here. I realized that I shouldn't feel this happy. I wasn't planning to keep the emotion in check though. I haven't felt this type of happiness in a long time so I'm going to let it take over me.

When Matt's large hand flew back and forth in front of my face, I shook myself away from my haze. I turned my head to see him with a huge grin on his face. He seemed to have that smile a lot lately.

"Did you seriously forget that we have a date at the beach?" Matt gasped in mock horror.

I giggled. "No I didn't! How could I when you forced me to change into my bikini at the airport?"

"You have a point there. But anyways! We are here and you need to get your butt out of my car so we can go have some fun!"

I laughed again and did as Matt told me; taking my towel with me. He reached for my hand—I'm not sure if he knew he did this&#151but I obliged and held his warm rough hand. Sweet, sweet silence was the only sound we listened to while walking along the shore. It was wrong of me to think that, but everything felt so right walking with Matt. It was a strange feeling that's difficult to describe. I just know that I felt happy, nervous, intimidated, and shy all at once with Matt.

Once I understood these feelings, Matt pulled me down so I was sitting on his towel with him. I subconsciously played with a loose strand on the towel. "So why did you want to come here before home?" I asked, dodging his eyesight. I wasn't positive why I was doing this, but I was.

"Memories," he said, looking out towards the water.

Some photographers from a mile away were trying their best to run over to us while being inconspicuous. They're stupid people. Even without the fact that I'm a photographer, there aren't many hiding places at beaches so their ninja attempts fails horribly.

"I see some paparazzi," I told Matt, gripping his arm. I could never get over how Matt worked out so much, but mostly in his arms. Yeah, he does have a trimmed stomach, but his biceps are fucking huge!

"It's because of the band," he sighed and looked at me. Why did it take 26 years for Matt's eyes to hypnotize me? Seriously, his eyes are amazing. I read all the time on the Internet from other females of his "amazing" eyes. I hate how oblivious I've been to about, everything.

"They always want big news," he continued. "It's annoying."

I nodded in understanding. "The same with Rafael."

"We should give 'em a headliner."

My neck cracked at the impact of me turning my head furiously to the side. At first I thought he was joking, but his face was too serious. "What?" I practically squeaked like a mouse.

In one swift motion, his body was on top of mine. I gasped as my hands pushed against his chest; his warm and chiseled…I need to stop.

"Headliner," Matt repeated.

I could feel his arms buckle since they were resting on either sides of my body. His broad shoulders tightened as well as his biceps. There was a heavy concentration on his facial features, I almost laughed at how cute he looked. Seriously, his eyebrows scrunched together so tightly it looked as though he was focusing on a hard test.

The flash of a camera's light made me realize the situation at hand. I finally figured out what Matt meant when he said "headliner." He wanted to make it look like we kissed. He's horrible! Does he know how much stress and drama that will add onto Rafael?! The man already has to deal with reporters constantly asking him if he's concerned about the new hotshot Djokovic who's dominating the courts so far.

My jaw clenched as I pushed Matt away using all of my strength. He grabbed my arms, an almost pleading look in his eyes. My breathing was shallow as I watched Matt lean down. He closed his eyes and let out a single breath, shortly stopping, before continuing. I shut my eyes again in anticipation.

"Ugh, shut that alarm clock off!"

I jumped out of bed, breathing heavily. All around me were the familiar surroundings of the hotel suite. I dry sobbed and slammed the button on the alarm clock. That was all a dream, all a stupid non-existent dream.