Seize the Day

“Aw, fuck,” I said in the middle of our conversation.

“What?” she asked, worried.

“I haven’t talked to Alex in a couple of days,” I said. “Dude, she is going to shit a brick.”

“Oh, god yes!” she said laughing. “Yeah. Good luck with that, man.”

I dug around in the couch cushions for my phone and called Alex.

“Hey, what’s up?" she answered her phone.

“Just getting all my shit together to head back to KY tomorrow morning.”

“So, how did the date go the other night? I haven’t talked to you!”

“It went great, actually. And I know I haven’t called, I’ve been pretty busy, actually.”

“Busy doing what, hooker? It’s your vacation!”

“Yeah, I know, tell me about it. Anyway, I have something to tell you.”

“Oh shit, what happened, V?” She started panicking, but with this kid, it’s hard to tell what exactly was running through her mind that could have caused such a panic. She’d likely get just as upset over the fact that I’d accidentally nailed Zacky V. in the balls with my forehead as she would if I’d been maimed in a gang shooting. I grimaced as that image popped into my head. Zack had told me about that part of the limo ride while we were shooting zombies. Matt had conveniently left it out.

“Nothing happened,” I started, and hesitated. “Well, that’s not true either. Long story short, I’ve got a job and I’m moving to LA.”

*silence*

“Hello?” I asked into the receiver, hoping she hadn’t fallen over.

“You what?” she breathed. I could tell it was all she could manage to let me know she was in fact still alive.

“Ok, as long as you’re still with me.”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“Ok, here goes. Matt and I have kind of hit it off, and when I was talking about going back to Kentucky, he suggested that I don’t, that I stay here. He helped me apply for a job at their management group, and I got called earlier today offering the job to me. I start two weeks from today.” I took a deep breath, since most of that string was sputtered out in one breath.

“WHAT?”

“Please tell me you actually heard it, and you just don’t believe it, because I can’t say it again,” I begged her.

“Well, I guess I heard it. I just can’t imagine that I heard any of it correctly.Matt Sanders asked you to stay in California?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I said, and exactly what happened.” Of course it’s theMatt Sanders part you’d emphasize, doofus, not that I was literally throwing everything I had down the drain to move across the country. “So yeah, there’s that.”

“Holy shit, Viv, you’re kidding me!”

“I am actually not kidding you. Not in the least, I’m not.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“I’m coming home tomorrow, putting in my notice at work, packing up all my shit, making phone calls trying to find somewhere to live out here, and then coming right back in two weeks to start my new job.”

“Whoa.” I’d gotten that response a lot the last couple of days. It was starting to weird me out that I could make both Sara and Alex completely speechless in one day. This was just not a normal feat.

“Whoa, indeed,” I replied. “I’m not sure that I believe it just yet myself.” I was deliberately leaving out the bit about Matt inviting me to stay with him indefinitely. I couldn’t even handle that piece of information; Al would absolutely flip out. Not to mention try to convince me that it was a good idea. I was having enough trouble trying to keep away from that notion on my own. “But anyway, yeah,” I finished.

“So, him and Val are really done?”

“Looks like it.”

“Hmph,” she pouted.

“Really?” I asked. “Really? You’re going to pout over the fact that he got divorced? I mean, hello? What the fuck am I? Chopped liver? I know, I know, everyone thought they’d be together forever, blah blah blah.”

“Oh, fuck off, Vivienne. I just didn’t want to imply that I was secretly excited by the fact that his previously perfect relationship has disintegrated, he’s recently divorced, and now seems to have taken a shine to my big sister. I could have squealed, but you’d have shushed me for that too!”

“Ugh, you’re right.” She is, too. Precisely. Too smart for her own good. “I don’t even know what to think anymore. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you knew ahead of time, so you weren’t totally in the dark.”

“And I appreciate that, jerk.”

“Face.”

“Ass.”

“Toe?” We both started laughing. “I’m gonna get the rest of my stuff together, and try to get some sleep. Matt’s picking me up at 7:30 to get me to the airport.”

“Aww! He’s taking you to the airport? That’s cute!”

“Bite me.”

“Love you, V. Be safe tomorrow!”

“Love you too, Al,” I said as I hung up.

“I take it she didn’t freak out too much?” Sara asked from the kitchen.

“Nah, she actually took it pretty well. For now, until it really hits her, I think.” I slumped over on the couch. “I think I’m going to crash.”

“That’s cool, I was just gonna say I needed to get to bed anyway,” she said around a yawn. “See? Still sorry I can’t take you to the airport, though.”

“No big,” I said. “I’ll see you when I get up. Gives me another chance to see Matt again, anyway.” I winked at her suggestively.

“Ew.” She wrinkled up her nose and stalked into the bedroom. “Night, bitch. See you in the morning.”

“You too, skank,” I called back, as she shut the door.

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6:30am rolled around way to early for me. I’d tossed and turned most of the night on the couch, thinking about the snap decisions I’d made in the last 24 hours. Luckily, I’d figured out how to set the timer on Sara’s coffee pot, so by the time I was getting up and ready, it was already finished brewing. I’d gathered all my stuff right by the front door, laid out some nice comfy clothes to wear on the plane, and had everything else ready to just run out the door. I just wanted to give myself time not to have to rush. Of course, poor Matt, on the other hand, had to drive almost an hour just to get here to pick me up. I tried to explain how ridiculous that idea was, but he wasn’t having any of it. Of course, I wasn’t complaining about the situation, just being logical.

He called at about seven o’clock. “Morning, beautiful.” His velvety voice was even sexier in the morning. Husky, full of sleepiness.

“Uh, hey,” I managed to choke out, completely distracted.

I heard him laugh. “I’m on my way, just wanted to make sure you were awake.”

“Yes, I do actually know how to operate an alarm clock.”

“Well, I just remembered the last time we tried to wake you up,” he said, still laughing, “and how you sleep like the dead.”

I giggled with him, remembering him telling me about Brian allegedly jumping on my bed trying to wake me up. “Yeah, I know. But I’m up and getting ready.”

“Ok, I’ll see you in a bit.”

Sara got up about five minutes later. She wanted to see me off, but I knew she’d go straight back to bed as soon as I hit the door. She helped me double check the bathroom, kitchen counter, and her room, as well as the couch cushions, since my stuff seemed to like to accumulate there, to make sure I had everything packed up. After we made sure I had everything, we sat at the counter having some coffee.

“I’m glad you came out to stay, dude,” she said. “I really missed you. I sure as hell don’t miss home, but I miss some of the people.”

“I know, I missed you too. But just think, another two weeks and I’ll be right back here!” I couldn’t mask the excitement in my voice. After fretting over it all night, I’d actually come to terms with the decision I’d made and what it meant. I was anxious, sure, but ready to start a new life.

“I know!” she trilled, setting down her coffee to come over and hug me. “And I’m not gonna say anything cheesy about Matt, just that I’m happy that you’re happy again. And that I’m happy that you’ll be happy while you’re close to me!”

I squeezed her back and laughed, as I heard a knock at the door. “Gotta be Matt,” I said, getting up to open the door. He was standing there, grinning at me from the other side.

“Hey, you.” I greeted him with a hug. I heard Sara behind me making gagging noises, that she tried to hide with a faked coughing fit afterward.

“Hey,” he whispered into my ear as he hugged me back.

“Come on in.” He followed me in and joined Sara at the counter, where she handed him a cup of coffee.

“Thanks,” he said as he threw her a smile.

“Whoa,” she breathed at me, but not taking her eyes off Matt. I climbed onto my stool to finish my coffee. “You were right!”

Matt looked to me quickly. “What is she talking about?”

Sara giggled, as I blushed. “V told me that you could probably talk her into walking off the top of a building, as long as you were smiling when you did it.” I banged my head down onto the counter and groaned as she continued. Matt just kept smiling. “And, I have to say, I think she’s right!”

“Is that so?” he asked. I knew he was looking right at me, and smiling that smile again.

I smacked my head down a couple more times for good measure. “Sara, I could kill you right now,” I growled, and he laughed. “I won’t look at you.” I kept my forehead fastened to the countertop, but I pointed at him. “I know you’re smiling, and I won’t look at you.” He poked me in the ribs, trying to tickle me into looking up. “Sucks for you that I’m not the least bit ticklish, huh?” Of course, this statement made him try harder, running his fingers along my ribcage. I still didn’t move.

“Not even a little bit?” he asked.

“Not even a little bit,” Sara stated matter-of-factly. I was violently shaking my head, as well as I could with it still on the table. “Believe me, I’ve tried.” He finally put his hands down and stopped assaulting my sides.

“Thanks,” I said, picking my head up off the counter, beaming a proud smile of my own. “There’s only one spot on my entire body that’s ticklish, and only two people on the planet know where that is.” I saw the wheels turning in his head. “Don’t even try it, you’ll never guess.”

Even Sara resigned to this. “She’s right. Even I don’t know.” She shrugged.

“Then who does?” he asked.

“Not either of you two, and not anyone who does anything with the information anymore,” I said too quickly, and a little too curtly. “But it’s fun holding that over everyone’s head,” I added playfully, trying to cover the tone in my voice just a second earlier.

“Fine,” he said, trying to pout. Again, it did nothing more than make his adorable dimples stand out even more.

I groaned again and finished the last of my coffee. “Cut it out, you.” I poked the end of his nose. “We’ve got to get me to the airport, I guess.”

Matt finished his coffee, then walked toward the door and my bags. He stopped to hug Sara.

“Looks like I’ll be seeing you around,” he told her, echoing her words from the night before.

“Ha ha.” She hugged him back. “Yeah, looks like I can’t get rid of you now.” She turned and hugged me. “I’ll see you in a couple of weeks. I’m so excited you’re moving here!”

“I know,” I told her. “Me too. I’ll call you when I get back to KY.” I kissed the top of her head. “Be good ‘til I get back, ok?”

“Yeah. Sure,” she said sarcastically.

Matt grabbed my duffel and I grabbed my carry-on backpack and we headed outside. I was almost disappointed when I didn’t see my favorite car sitting in the spot.

“Yeah, I know,” he said, grinning. “But I’d forgotten how rough that thing is on gas! I hardly ever actually drive it, and now I remember why.”

I chuckled. “Eh, it’s cool. I’ve never ridden in a BMW either.”

My duffel bag barely fit in the tiny back seat of the deep crimson red car. The front seat was roomy enough, though. It had to be to accommodate someone of Matt’s stature. He wasn’t exactly a tiny man.

“You really are coming back, aren’t you?” He put his hand on my thigh as he made his way through Beverly Hills traffic toward LAX. I could tell he was trying not to beg, but was being completely serious.

“Yes, I’m coming back.” I took his hand in mine and squeezed. “I’ve got a job here now, remember? I just have to take care of stuff in Kentucky, and I’ll be back.”

“Just making sure,” he said, satisfied. “When you make your calls about apartments, and find something that might work, let me know. One of us will go check it out for you.”

“Shit!” I exclaimed, as another realization washed over me.

I caught him off guard, and he nearly jumped. “What?” he asked.

“I just realized. They’re going to want a deposit on whatever apartment I find out here, and I don’t have anything saved up,” I sighed. “I have no idea what I’m going to do.”

“We can talk to your bosses. It’ll be a work-related move, so they’ll cover your initial expenses. Probably even pay for a truck to move your stuff out here, if you need.” His calm was calming me.

“Really? They’d do that?” I asked.

“Of course,” he said, almost laughing. “Like I said, work-related move. I guess you’ve never dealt with that before?”

“Nope,” I said. “The only time I’ve ever moved was to Kentucky from Ohio for college, and I just stayed right there. Never left.” I squeezed his hand again. “Never wanted to. Until now.”

He didn’t look at me, but I could easily see the huge grin spreading across his face. He was certainly pleased with himself at accomplishing all this. “Good,” was all he finally said.

When we arrived at the airport, I had expected him to just drop me off. I should have known the whole time that wouldn’t happen, but I hadn’t really thought about it. He parked in the short term lot, helped me gather my stuff, and escorted me into the massive complex. We were earlier than we needed to be, so once we found my gate, we grabbed a couple of seats in the corner, trying to get as far away from any crowds as we could. We snuggled up, as best we could in the separated seats, and just relaxed for a bit. I pulled my iPod out of my backpack, handed him one the earbuds, and set it on shuffle. It was nice just sitting there, the two of us, calm and relaxed.

He chuckled at each song change, amazed by the eclectic collection my iPod contained, from Johnny Cash to Nirvana, Sarah MacLachlan to Nine Inch Nails. I thought he was going to have a heart attack from laughter when “What’s Your Fantasy?” by Ludacris came on. Oddly enough, we both knew all the words, and rapped along with it, what we could manage between laughs. Then, of course, the inevitable Avenged Sevenfold song made an appearance. He sighed softly as he heard it. “Seize the Day,” of course. Great. Just fucking great, it couldn’t be anything else, right? I thought to myself. I reached for the device and said, “I can skip it...” leaving the end of the statement open.

He took my hand, moving it away from the skip button. “No, let it play,” he said, and cuddled me closer. He situated his head so that his mouth was at my ear, singing the song to me again. He squeezed the hand that was still encased with his as he sang the second verse.

I found you here,
Now please just stay for a while.
I can move on with you around.

I looked up at him, and kissed him. “I’m not going anywhere,” I whispered. “I’ll be back in two weeks. I promise.”

He kissed me in agreement. “I know,” he said nodding. “It’s just that this song, while it meant a lot to me when we wrote it, means a lot right now. And it’s completely different.” I just nodded and laid my head back on his shoulder, as he sang the rest of the song softly, nearly singing me to sleep.

Finally, after another couple of song changes, including Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” which I attempted to dance to while still sitting in my chair while Matt just cracked up at me, they made the first boarding call for my flight. We gathered up my gear and started meandering toward the gate, hand in hand. We were stopped a couple of times by people who recognized him, and asked for pictures or autographs. Of course, each time, I was shot some sort of evil death glare for even being in the same zip code. Believe me, I don’t understand it either, I thought to myself, before I had another light bulb flash on. Fuck. They don’t know he’s not with Valary. I bet this does look awkward.

After the fans subsided for a moment, I stopped Matt. “Hey, you don’t think this is weird, do you?” I asked, glancing down at our intertwined fingers. “I don’t think they,” I shot a glance to the crowd that was still watching us, “know that you’re not married. And I’m obviously not Val.”

“As right as you are,” he started, smiling, “I don’t care. I’m not with her anymore, it’s going to get out eventually, there’s nothing they can do about it.” He just tightened his grip on my hand.

“If you’re ok with it, I’m ok with it. I just don’t want any press backlash or anything, over plain unimportant ol’ me.” I felt my cheeks glowing red again.

“I really wish you’d stop that.” He stopped walking, pulling me to a stop with him. “You aren’t plain, unimportant, or any of that. If you weren’t important, do you think I’d have begged you to come back to be closer to me?”

“You did have a little dignity.” I was recalling the same conversation we’d had a couple of nights earlier. “You didn’t actually beg.” I winked at him, trying to change the subject. He was about to start doting on me again, and I wasn’t having it.

“And I actually talked to Valary last night,” he admitted, looking down sheepishly.

“Uh, you don’t have to be embarrassed or whatever that you talked to her,” I interrupted him. “It’s not like I have any place to say anything about it.”

“Thanks,” he said. “Anyway, I talked to her, and everything’s gone through. We should get the finalization paperwork today or tomorrow.” He pulled my hand to his lips. “And as soon as I get the paperwork, the press release drops, and everyone will know. Then this,” he paused to kiss me deeply, “won’t matter to anyone.” He finished the sentence in a whisper.

“Hm. I don’t think that it ‘won’t matter to anyone,’” I said. “It’ll certainly matter to me.”

“Fair enough,” he grinned. “Me too.”

There was another small crowd gathered near the gate where I was boarding. “Ugh.” I was not going to like this crowd thing.

“Come on, you have a flight to board,” he said, trying to calm me.

I showed my boarding pass, checked my duffel, and said goodbye to Matt.

“You’ll be back in two weeks,” he said. I wasn’t sure if he was telling me this, or himself. We both knew it already though.

“I’ll be back in two weeks,” I repeated.

“Have a safe flight, get your stuff taken care of, and call me when you get there, ok?” He seemed nervous, suddenly.

“Of course I will,” I promised. “You’ve got my number, too.” I grinned up at him. “You can call me anytime,” I said, adding a wink. “Well, just remember that there is a three hour time difference when you pick your anytime to call.”

He scooped me into his arms. “I’m gonna miss you,” he whispered. It was almost like he didn’t really want me to hear it.

“Me too,” was all I could reply. I kissed him and then waved as I walked through the gate and up the ramp to the plane that awaited me.