Just Another Man

Rhian’s eyes scanned over Scarlet, if there was ever a time to say over dressed, it was now. Rhian gazed down at her own outfit, a denim skirt, flip flops, a black tank top, she wore minimal make up and had just one bracelet and her owl necklace on. Simple.

However Rhian could not help but compare it to Scarlet’s, a red top that’s neckline plunged down just stopping above her belly button, a pair of stupidly tight black skinny jeans and a pair of black heels to add height to an already tall girl. Plus some rather thick black eyeliner that could rival Niki’s usual attire. It reminded Rhian of Niki, completely badass and didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought of how she dressed; she was happy that’s all that mattered.

However Scarlet was not Niki. She did not dress like that because it made her happy.

“Am I missing something?” Jason muttered into Rhian’s ear, appearing at her side with Jimmy and Mattie.

“You and me both,” Rhian replied still starring at Scarlet.

“Baby don’t stare,” Jimmy chuckled. “You starring at hot girls is well-” He paused with a smirk as Rhian turned round and glared at him.

“I’m feeling very underdressed!” Rhian finally added looking around.

“You and me both ducky, you and me both!” Sarah mumbled appearing by Jimmy’s side with Zacky. “I can’t believe she’s dressed-”

“Scarlet my god!” Taylor blurted out as Scarlet walked past her, Rhian and Sarah both smiled realising Taylor rarely kept her thoughts to herself. “What are you wearing?”

“Clothes Taylor!”

“Well yes just about!” Taylor smirked looking around the room. “I mean my god Sarah’s wearing a hoodie!”

“A hoodie with cupcakes on! I’m cold!” Sarah defended her choice indignity.

“It’s a lovely hoodie hun,” Rhian smiled patting her arm. “At least you’re decent!”

“You’re wearing a tiny skirt Rhian!” Scarlet muttered. “That shows off everything,” Rhian shrugged, missing the dirty smirk Jimmy was giving her.

“Oi! Whore is that my top?” Niki’s voice was heard over the crowd as Brian and her appeared down the stairs; no prizes for guessing what they had been up to. Scarlet looked round and shock her head.

“No,”

“You sure? Sure fucking looks like mine,” Niki muttered eyeing the top suspiciously then shaking her head. “Nah you’re right, my boobs are far to big to stay in that,”

“Lovely,” Rhian muttered as Brian high-fived Jason and Jimmy who were the closest guys to him; and almost defiantly thinking the same thing about Niki.

“What are you all dressed up for anyway?” Niki looked over to Scarlet, who just rolled her eyes.

“Why is my clothing choice such a shocker? I just pulled it out of the closet that’s all!” She snapped.

“Ooo touchy!” Jimmy chuckled, quickly stopping when Scarlet glared at him.

“I’m getting a drink, anyone want anything?”

“I’ll come with,” Jason replied as everyone else shock their heads or muttered a simple no thanks.

“Watch her,” Brian’s last words were to Jason, as he followed Scarlet into the kitchen. “She’s up to something,”

“No shit,” Taylor muttered. “That’s one hell of a cleavage she’s got going on!”

“Well we all know why she’s doing it,” Rhian sighed, everyone nodded expect Jimmy and Johnny who both glanced at each other.

“Well all I can say is, if only Matt could see what he was missing out on!” Johnny added.

“Well done shit head,” Taylor groaned. “Repeat what Rhian said,”

“She didn’t she said-” Jimmy paused and looked down at his rather amused girlfriend. “Ah gotcha!”

“Thank goodness you’re cute,” Rhian sighed looking over to Niki. “Drinks?”

“Way ahead of ya girl,” Niki chuckled kissing Brian on his cheek and walking off with Rhian to the kitchen. Brian sighed and glanced at Niki, his sister in the background. He only hoped she wasn’t doing all this because she was hung up on Matt. Brian wasn’t stupid, he’d watched all his friends go through breaking up with people and then having some form of rebound person brought into their life. He didn’t want that for his sister, he didn’t want to watch her get even more hurt.

He was right, they were all right actually, Scarlet Haner was up to something. Something she probably would regret in the morning.

“Where’s Scarlet?” That was the question of the night, the small group of friends who knew her so well tried hard to keep an eye on her and it had been going quite well. As soon as Matt had turned up Scarlet had hidden in the kitchen, quite close to a bottle of vodka. So Sarah and Taylor had followed her, keeping her company and helping her drink. It had only taken a few drinks for Sarah to decide it was time to dance and dragged a reluctant Taylor and slightly less willing Scarlet into the living room of the Haner’s house and scream requests at Johnny who made the mistake of standing closest to the speak system.

Matt had left the room as the girls had entered, his turn to drown his sorrows, with Rhian, Jimmy and Niki. Though just like Sarah, Rhian’s drinking rapidly slowed and she insisted she needed fresh air to sober up a little. Dragging Jimmy out side, and leaving Niki to cheer up Matt; or at least get him more drunk. Though as soon as her favourite song was heard over the speakers she was gone. Matt was left alone in the kitchen, and seemed pretty drunk.

Rhian wasn’t the only casualty of heavy drinking, only a few minutes after Sarah had collapsed in a heap on the sofa dragging Zacky down with her. While George and his friends appeared, giving Taylor an excuse to drink more; Scarlet soon found herself alone and pretty tipsy.

Scarlet wondered into the kitchen, thinking maybe more alcohol would help. Her eyes gazed across to the table of bottles, where Matt sat alone three shots of jack in front of him. He was the only one left in the kitchen, so as soon as Scarlet entered he gazed up to see who was joining him.

There eyes met, and for some reason Scarlet just smiled at Matt and edged closer.

Matt pushed one of the little shot glasses in front of the chair next to him, and kicked the chair out a little; a gesture for Scarlet to sit down.

“Thanks,” She muttered sitting, then picking up the shot glass and downing it. Scarlet picked up the bottle of jack and filled the glass up again as Matt took his last shot.

“I’m sorry,” He suddenly spoke up turning to look at her, Scarlet placed the shot glass down on the table and looked towards him. His soft brown eyes keeping her attention. “Whatever I did, I am truly sorry Scar,” Scarlet nodded, feeling tears prick up in her eyes; and within those few seconds she was questioning her plan for the night.

She picked up the bottle of jack taking another shot from it, she at least needed a little dutch courage to stick to the plan.

“Can we just forget about it?” She suddenly voiced, thinking that was the way forward. “Move on, enjoy tonight,” Matt looked at her quizzically. “Ya know, just have fun like we use to,” Matt shrugged.

“If you want?”

“I do, I mean what happened, it’s okay, I’m-I’m over it,” Matt narrowed his eyes.

“You’re over it?”

“Yeah,” Scarlet said coolly, taking another shot from the bottle; 5 shots down only a few more and she’d be on the floor.

“Well,” Matt muttered. “I’m so glad you’re over it!” His eyes fixed on Scarlet. “Because now you are over it can you do me the decency and tell me exactly what the hell I did wrong Scarlet? Because it is completely unfair to leave me anything but over it!”

Scarlet gazed at him biting her lip, he wasn’t angry but instead just annoyed or maybe even disappointed in her.

“I’m sorry,” Matt just nodded sitting back down in his chair and putting an arm round Scarlet, it just felt like the right thing to do; she hesitated for a few seconds before falling into his arms. It was one of those things that just felt right for both of them. “I-I heard what you thought,” She whispered so quietly it was almost inaudible, and it was definitely to quiet for Matt to here. He was lost deep in thought, he was realising how much he missed having Scarlet in his arms.

“I love you Scarlet,” He suddenly spoke up, even shocking himself when he heard those words escape his lips. Maybe he was a little more under the influence of alcohol than first thought but he knew he meant those words. “I never meant to hurt you, whatever happened,”

“I heard you,” She repeated a little louder.

“What?”

“I heard you say all those things about me,” She whispered holding on tight to his hand, because admitting the truth was one of the hardest things. Telling someone you love the faults you find in yourself was not easy, and hearing them agree made it even harder. Scarlet knew she wasn’t always fair when it came to sex and everything that came with it, but hearing Matt say that had always been the hardest bit. He saw her faults.

“What things?” Matt was completely lost.

“Well one thing to be more accurate,” Scarlet explained, Matt sighed and moved away from her keeping there hands together but moving to look her in the eyes.

“What?” Scarlet closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. “What did I say?”
“You called me a prude!” Matt almost laughed as he heard the words come out of her lips but held it in.

“When?”

“At Rhian’s meal,”

“You weren’t at-” He paused gazing at her before groaning and dropping her hand. His own hands went up to rub his eyes and down his face. He vaguely remembered that day and the conversations that had been spread around the table. He knew they’d been about him and Scarlet, but it had been okay cause she had never heard. “Who told you?”

“No one,” Scarlet muttered. “I walked in as you shouted it out,” Matt groaned again, that was even worse.

“Scar I never meant it, I was just venting frustrations,” He sighed. “Quite literally,” Matt paused looking down at his ex-girlfriend and realising how one simple word had really messed her up. “You realise this whole us sleeping together thing has been blown out of proportion, I would have waited forever for you Scar, but I just-I just felt that maybe you wanted as much as me but needed a little push, because god woman that’s how you made it seem, everything else but actually letting me fuck you,” Matt paused noticing her roll her eyes. “I’m fucking serious Scarlet, you teased and pushed your luck on that, any girl would tell you that, this isn’t me just being some prick, Scarlet you drove me wild, you teased far to much!”

“Just cause I wouldn’t let you in my pants!”

“You fucking well did let me in your pants, that was the problem, it was my dick you stopped!” Scarlet bit her lip trying not to laugh at his explanation, she should have been pissed off but Matt had a way of making her smile. “I’m serious, don’t laugh,” He muttered shaking his head. “Scar I don’t understand why you stopped it so much?”

“Scared,”

“Of it hurting? Of the consequences?”

“No,” Scarlet shock her head. “Of not know what to do, it being the worst thing you‘d ever experienced,” Matt chocked back a laugh, hearing her reasons.

“You’ve got to be joking me, Scarlet I wouldn’t have cared if you’d been the worst lay in the world, because it would have been you making it the best thing that would have ever happened to me!” He groaned. “Shit kid, everyone’s first time is pretty rubbish!”

“I know, I just,”

“It’s all about who you do it with not what happens,” He added with a smile.

“Did you make that up?”

“No I heard Rhian say it once,” He smirked making Scarlet laugh. “She’s pretty good with cute stuff,” Matt added. “You okay?” Scarlet nodded and pulled on his arm a little. “Scar?”

“I felt it was one of the moments where I really needed a hug, and since Jimmy’s not around you will have to do,” Matt chuckled and pulled her in tightly to his body.

“Jimmy?”

“Yeah he gives amazing hugs,”

“Better than mine?” Matt asked pretending to be hurt.

“Well,” Scarlet smirked looking up at Matt, he just chuckled and moved his head to gaze down at her. There eyes met and for a split second Scarlet felt her whole body squeal in excitement, she felt the same she had the first time they’d touched, hugged, and kissed. “Matt?”

“Mhmm?”

“I love you too,” Scarlet said sincerely starring him right in the eyes and keeping her grip on his body. Matt’s expression stayed cold for a few seconds, that seemed like an eternity, before a small smile etched across his face.

“Me too,” He whispered leaning down and kissing her lips softly.

The simple kiss turned in to heartfelt, passionate kisses. That turned into Scarlet straddling Matt’s lap’ rarely breaking their locked lips only for air. Matt’s hands moving up and down Scarlet’s back, every so often venturing lower onto her tight jeans, and then up again across her stomach. While Scarlet’s hips would push down every now and then, giving Matt a very good idea of where this emotion, and alcohol, fuelled session could end up.

At least Scarlet's plan would have been forfilled, just not quite in the circumstances she had first thought.