Hello Sheffield

I shoved the key into my door and stumbled into the house. It was shockingly warm contrasted to the freezing cold I had just been walking in. I shut the door quietly and crept into the kitchen. Matt was still asleep and I didn't want to wake him up before he was ready.

Since there had been no food in the house, I had walked to the corner store at the end of the block to retrieve breakfast items. I picked up a box of pancake mix, some eggs, oil, milk, and orange juice. I had to walk back when I realized I'd forgotten butter and syrup. Thankfully, the store had all these items. Though they didn't have pickles, which I sorely wanted.

In any case, we now had breakfast.

I pulled my iPod out of my purse and plugged it haphazardly into its home. It was on shuffle, still, from when I had it playing on the walk. Ironically, the next song to play was a Bring Me the Horizon song. I chuckled at the irony and pulled out a bowl to mix my pancakes. Pancake mix first, then to find a measuring cup. I danced around the kitchen looking for the small cup.

"We will never sleep, 'cause sleep is for the weak. No we will never rest, 'til we're all fucking dead," I sang quietly as I found it.

I hummed through the rest of the song, concentrating on finishing the batter. It was a little lumpy but I thought it was perfect. I placed the frying pan on my stove as the song transitioned into Fall Out Boy. I felt energized instead of slumpy like I usually did in the morning. When the butter was sizzling in the pan, I started ladling raw pancakes into circular shapes onto it.

I sang along with the song as I stood over the pan, waiting to flip the pancakes. My dad used to make these fabulous pancakes. I never knew how they came out so good but he always used to let me flip them. Over the years I became an excellent flipper. But then, when my brother died, we didn't make pancakes all that much anymore.

Two arms wound their way around my waist when I reached that depressing thought. Matty nuzzled his head into my hair. I jumped slightly but then grinned and leaned my head back on his shoulder.

"Good morning to you too," I said in a chipper voice. He grumbled.

"Why are yeh up so early, hm?" he asked. I flipped the three pancakes on the pan.

"Maybe you're just up late," I suggested, slapping at his hands so I could get a plate. I scraped the pancakes off of the pan and placed them on the plate.

"Here you go, you poor, sleep deprived baby," I said, pouting and handing him the plate. He mumbled something and sat down at the table. I poured more batter and looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

Seeing a shirtless man in sweatpants sitting groggily at my table was definitely a new sight. Though it wasn't exactly a new sight I would complain about.

"So what exactly are we doin' today?" he asked. I sighed. There was so much to do.

"I need to be directed to a paint store, a linen store, and I'm in desperate need of food," I answered, flipping pancakes onto my plate and sitting down at the table with him. "Then I wanna paint my bedroom and put up my curtains. I don't need you for that though."

We ate in silence for a while, listening to my iPod shuffle through its course. He finished eating before me and stared as I finished.

"You go get dressed, I'll clean up okay?" I suggested. He shrugged and handed me his plate and silverware. As I started washing the dishes I heard him trampling upstairs like an elephant.

These British boys were exceedingly over affectionate. I didn't mind it either.

When the dishes were done, I turned off my iPod and shoved it back in my bag. As if on cue, Matty came stampeding down the stairs, fully clothed.

"You sound like an elephant," I said blatantly. He grinned and shrugged.

"Shall we be off then?" he asked, starting toward the front door.

"We shall." I zipped up my black hoodie before we stepped outside. It was probably cold enough for a coat but I couldn't really give more than half a fuck about it. Goosebumps erupted over my body and I immediately regretted wearing jeans with holes in the knees, just like I had when I walked to the store. The thin white v-neck under my sweatshirt was barely a cover for my skin.

As soon as he turned the car on, I reached for the heat controls. He switched on the radio and I sat back, my hands glued to the vents. I was used to the cold but it was different here, more biting. He pulled out of the driveway and shot down the street.

"You're driving really fast," I stated. He chuckled.

"Did yeh think I'd follow the limits?" he asked in a disbelieving tone. I thought about it for a minute.

"No, I guess I didn't. You could slow down a little bit though, at least try to have some self preservation," I said, thinking more about myself than him.

"Self preservation eh? Yeh might wanna forget about that if yeh're gonna be hangin' out with us."

I smiled to myself and stared out the window. I imagined nights filled with parties and stupid actions. My heart beat excitedly at the thought of fucking shit up with my friends. I bit my lip.

"Maybe I'll let my risky side come out more often then," I said, looking over at Matty. He glanced at me and smiled. I grinned back at him. From then on, we were quiet but it was comfortable and easy.

After ten minutes, we were parked in front of a small, dumpy building.

"The hardware store," Matty presented to me.

The paint section was small and somewhat shitty, to be honest. I tackled that first, choosing a light turquoise for my office and two different light greens for my bedroom. Matty was busy collecting the supplies he thought I would need to paint when I went to the counter. The guy behind the counter was probably close to my age, nineteen at the least, and the way he kept looking me up and down made me severely uncomfortable.

When an arm found its way around my waist, I was incredibly relieved. I glanced up at Matty and smiled. Ignoring the now sullen boy behind the paint counter, I found an older man at the front of the store. He was dressed in an old plaid shirt and his hair was all gray.

"Excuse me, I just moved here and I don't have any tools really, I was just wondering if you could give me the basic things I might need around the house," I asked politely.

"Oi, I believe I could rifle up somefink for yeh," he said and proceeded to amble about the store. He had a very thick accent that was kind of hard to decipher. Everything that came out of his mouth was a joke though, and he continually made me laugh as he picked out screwdrivers and wrenches.

"Ah, now, 'ere is a hammer. Yeh can use it if this one," he gestured to Matty, "Gets out of line. I very well know my old bat prefers to use this brand."

I giggled. "We're not a couple," I corrected as he started to ring us up, the paint included. He eyed our intertwined fingers.

"Mm, coulda fooled me," he growled. I smiled as the boy, now hopeful, bagged the items.

"My mate has his eyes on 'er. He'd have his hands there too, if she'd 'ave 'him," Matty joked, though I didn't laugh. It was obvious that Oli had a thing for me, Matty didn't have to go around telling people. And what was this, 'if she'd have him' nonsense? Who said I wouldn't?

"I see, one of them, 'ard to get birds. Don't go breakin' all their 'earts Missy." I smiled and rolled my eyes playfully.

"I'll try my hardest." I paid without problem, just like I'd done this morning and grinned at my small triumph as we walked to the car. We put the bags and cans in the trunk and got back in the car.

"Linen store then? I think I know this one place my aunt always used to rave about to my mum. Let's see if I can locate it," he said. I laughed.

"If you can locate it? That's a weird way of putting it," I commented. He rolled his eyes over to mine.

"As if the way yeh talk isn't odd at all." That got me thinking. Their accents were so funny and strange to me and I never thought how I must sound to them.

"I never thought of that," I said honestly. He snorted.

"Right well, it's bloody strange to me, though I'm used to it from the fans and all, yeh know?" he said. I contemplated this all silently. The fans, oh my word, I'd forgotten the guy driving this car was famous and loved by thousands of kids around the world. All those kids were dying to be in my place. If Matty continued driving like this, I could possibly die being in this place.

Let's just say driving with Oli was not something I was looking forward to.

After making a few wrong turns, Matty and I were walking into a large store called simply, Beds and Baths. It seemed promising enough and when I walked in, it gave me the immediate air of the Bed, Bath, & Beyond I worked in when I was a sophomore in high school. There weren't many things I needed, since I just packed up my stuff from back home, but I hustled straight to the bathoom section.

It took me exactly twenty five minutes to choose the towels I wanted. I knew this because Matty kept bothering me about it and a store attendant had to come over to stop him from trying on towel togas. It took me less time with sheets since I knew I wanted black ones though the curtains were a different story and by this time, Matty decided to go around whipping people with towels.

"Look, miss, I'm sorry but yeh're gonna have to control 'im," the woman was saying, her hand firmly on Matty's shoulder. He was pouting and glaring at her. I tried to restrain a smile.

"I'm sorry, I'll try. It's difficult, taking him out alone," I told her. Her eyebrows furrowed together as she let Matty stumble into my side.

"He's a bit slow, if y'know what I mean. Never really been right in the head since the accident," I leaned forward and whispered. Her mouth made a perfect circle and her eyes were as wide as baseballs. She gasped.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know! Is he your brother?" she asked. I shook my head and frowned a little, playing up my act.

"My boyfriend, though I use the term loosely. It isn't really the same anymore but I can't bear to let him go," I said softly. Matty leaned his head onto my shoulder. Her brown eyes softened and her lipstick covered mouth sagged a little bit. She grabbed my arm in a comforting manner.

"That's very sweet of yeh love. If he wants to run around the store, yeh let him. Yeh hear meh now?" she said. I smiled at her and kissed Matty on the forehead.

"Thank you. That's very nice." She walked away shaking her head sadly. I grinned mischievously at Matty who gave me an accusing look.

"A bit slow in the 'ead? Mind you, I just enjoy runnin' around linen stores. Yeh're gettin' punished fer that one when we get to the supermarket," he threatened, a glint in his eye.

"I'll kick you where the sun don't shine," I threatened right back.

"Is that a threat?" he asked, drawing himself up and bringing a hand to his chest.

"No, it's a fact."

Matty groaned, and took advantage of the woman's pledge to let him run around the store, while I finished up. She took the liberty of ringing me up and when Matty took my hand and laced his fingers through mine, I gave her a wavering smile. She looked as though she might cry. I grinned up at him and winked when she was loading a bag.

"Livi," he whined, as we walked out to the car. I rolled my eyes.

"What?" I whined back. He said nothing, just opened the trunk and put the bags in.

"Yeh made me a retard." I ignored his statement and turned up the radio a little bit. He looked at me and then shook his head, grumbling.

As it turned out, the grocery store was a lot closer than I thought it was. In fact, we had to double back towards my house to get there. My mind was at peace knowing this, and I shrank back in the seat.

We got a shopping cart, which Matty insisted was called a wagon, and I just started walking down the aisles, shoving anything and everything inside. I needed to stock up, even if that meant buying nutmeg I would probably never use.

As I browsed through the cereal selections, Matty wrapped his arms around me and lifted me in the air.

“Oh hello,” I said, as he carried me to the cart.

“Thought yeh might like a ride,” he said, grinning and placing me on top of all the food I placed inside of it. I rolled my eyes.

“You could have done this when the cart was empty,” I pointed out, swiping a box of frosted flakes off the shelf next to me.

“I could have,” he said, “but the thought only occurred to me now.” I laughed until he started running with the cart, which took me off guard.

After going up and down a few aisles at an insane pace and only asking him to stop when I needed something, an employee was standing in our way.

“Yeh can’t do that,” he said. He was tall and bulky and actually somewhat menacing.

“Sorry mate. She’s just still a bit, eh, sore from last night. Isn’t tha’ right?” he asked, pinching my cheek. I glared up at him. The guy smirked.

“That’s right baby.” I smiled. “His best friend is just beyond good in bed,” I said to the man. He laughed then and uncrossed his arms.

“For that I wish I could let yeh race ‘round in yeh wagon but rules are rules.” He walked away after that and I leapt out of the cart. Matty raised an eyebrow, speechless, and I just shrugged.

“What was tha’?” he asked incredulously.

“You had no idea what you were up against,” I said, throwing a can of corn in the cart, “Therefore you lost.”

If only I had taken my own words to heart.