Hey There, Delilah

"Alright everybody, I am about to assign your favorite type of homework, so be prepared." Mrs. Johnson pauses, shuffling through a stack of blue colored papers. "You are to do a paper on an assigned partner, and in learning more about said person, you will analyze their psychological tendencies. For example, sympathetic, a sociopath, et cetera. More information will be given the closer the due date comes.

"Tomorrow, I plan on seeing a rough outline on your partner. I don't care if it's on their favorites or how old they were when they finally stopped sleeping without a night light...or if they still do." Laughter breaks the silence in the classroom until Mrs. Johnson holds up a hand to quiet us. "I'll read out partners now."

She shuffles papers on the table next to the white board, looking for the paper with our partners on it, and I feel someone's gaze on me. I look up, staring around, searching for whoever it was and I see Matt across the room. There's a sudden drop in my stomach as I realize that my luck, we would be paired up. We would have to dig in each other's mind. We'd have to spend time together again.

"Ah, here we are." Mrs. Johnson says, moving her reading glasses further up her nose. "Rebecca and Tom. Katie and Kellan. Matt and Delilah..."

That was all I heard and my heart simultaneously swelled and broke. I glance back over at Matt and I can tell he's trying to keep a smile off his face, rubbing his hand across this chin, and biting his lip.

He sees me looking and just watching his eyes study me, the second part of me, the part that wants to stay away from him, completely dissipates. I smile softly at him and the bells rings. I sling my bag over my shoulder, sliding my books inside of it, and stand up only to be met with Matt right in front of me. "Let's get started, eh?"

"Shouldn't you let your girlfriend know?" I ask quietly, fiddling with my bag's zipper.

"She has a basketball meeting until four," Matt says, not-so-slyly playing with my fingers. It's a lot more distracting than it should be.

I sigh, "Alright, fine. Your house or mine?"

"Your's. I like your house better."

I roll my eyes before dragging him out to the hectic hallway, fighting my way toward my locker. Once we get there and I stare at my lock a lot longer than necessary, I say, "You do know this doesn't change anything, right?"

Matt groans and rests his head on my shoulder, "Whatever you say, Delly."

I freeze and whip around, "I told you not to call me that."

He swallows hesitantly, "I thought it was just because we hated each other --."

"You thought wrong," I hiss, grabbing whatever textbooks and binders I need before slamming the door shut and fighting my way back outside to the parking lot.

"What's so wrong with it? In kindergarten I called you that all the time!"

I get to my car and swing the door open with enough force it surprises me that hinges don't break. "That was kindergarten, Matt! Things changes, shit happens."

"And you don't think I know that?" He opens the passenger side door, looking at me over the roof of the car, "You don't think that I understand that?"

I groan and slide in the car, starting the engine. The car jumps as Matt slides in next to me, slamming his door shut as I say, "I don't know what to think."

"What?"

Backing out of the space, I yell, "I said I don't know what to think!" I let out a big breath and stop at the sign at the end of the school parking lot. "Don't you see, Matt? Even if we were together, without Meghan in the picture, we argue more than we get along...It'd never work."

Matt doesn't say anything until we pull into my driveway, and even then, he just slams the door shut and walks into my backyard. Rolling my eyes, I leave my bag in the car and follow him. He walks past the swing set from my childhood, past the picnic bench covered in snow, and ends up in the very back of my yard, where my lawn meets the woods.

"Matt...where are you going?" There was a gust of frigid wind and I pulled my jacket closer around my thin frame. The snow was up the ankles of my Uggs and the barren trees swayed above us -- the snow creating a pure white blanket on the limbs. "Matt?"

He had his back turned to me, his shoulders rigid as he thought of something to say next. "Delilah, I don't know what happened. I'm not going to force you to tell me, but that's besides the point." He turns around, running a hand through his already messy hair, hazel eyes pleading me to look at him instead of the snow at my feet. "Del, I know we've had this...this discussion before, but when we did? I didn't know that these last few weeks would be as painful as they were. I miss you. I need you. I need --."

"Matt, you don't think I feel the same way? Because I do. Trust me, I do. But that doesn't change anything. You know that, I know that, and what Meghan doesn't know makes us know that she knows that." I hadn't realized how my throat constricted, but now I can feel my eyes burning as I watch Matt's expression contort in pain. He stepped toward me, and I stepped back until a tree trunk stopped me.

"Delilah, I might possibly be falling in love with you, and you keep pushing me away." He puts his fingers under my chin, making my eyes meet his, "Why?" He pauses. "And don't say Meghan."

"But what if that's the answer?" I whisper, really hoping my breath didn't stink as it washed over Matt's face.

"Because it's not the only one. You're scared."

"Of what?" I say, stunned even though I try to convince myself it's because of what Matt said and not because of how intense his gaze was.

"Letting yourself fall," he replies, leaning his head in closer, "I promise, Del, I'll be there to catch you."

"How can I be sure?" My words lingers between us, and Matt actually smiles as he says, "Because I'm right here with you."

He leans in the rest of the way, and just how his lips feel against mine jump starts my mind. I thought I remember how it felt to kiss him, but honestly? I didn't. It was invigorating, alive...

I kissed him back, pulling him as closely to me as I possibly could. His arms locked around my waist, pulling my hips against his. Too soon he pulled away, and I let out a breath, watching it fog around his face. My back was pressed against the tree trunk and Matt studied me, that beautiful smirk pulling at his lips. "So what does this mean?"

I kiss his cheek before trailing my lips toward his again, pulling away a few seconds later. "This means that I trust you enough to catch me."

"Just enough for me to catch you? Nothing else?" He smiles and plays with the tips of my hair.

"We'll see what else when it comes to that," I laugh just before his lips meet mine again. And there's only one word that can really describe how this feels.

It's something called perfection.