Maybe Holding Hands Wasn't Such a Good Idea

It was finally Friday afternoon and I was sitting in the passenger seat of Matt’s silver-grey truck, the windows were down and the soft, summer like breeze made my hair fly around my face, while Matt slowly made his way out of the school parking lot turning the radio to the local rock station.

Kara and Mr. and Mrs. Sanders left earlier that afternoon, so Zacky and Jimmy were the ones to walk me to my afternoon classes despite my protests.

“So why are you taking me to your house now?” I asked Matt as he turned down the street. “I thought I was going over tomorrow?”

Matt shook his head. “I told Tiffany that I had the house to myself all weekend and told her to come by tomorrow. But I don’t know if she’ll actually wait till tomorrow to show up. She might come by tonight and I want you with me just in case. Think of it like any other Friday night you stay over at my house.”

“Speaking of Tiffany, aren’t you afraid she’ll see us?” I asked.

“No, she had to leave early for some kind of an appointment today,” Matt smiled. “So we’re in the clear right now. Unless, of course, you’re worried about Vaughn finding out that you’re with me through his extensive spy network.”

“Since when is one lonely freshman an extensive network of spies?” I shook my head with a smile. “He’s at practice. What kind of appointment does she have?” I wondered curiously.

“Fuck if I know,” Matt shrugged. “She told me, but I wasn’t paying attention. I usually just tune her out and nod.”

“Crap. So that means that Jimmy and Zacky didn’t have to babysit me today!”

“Aww man, I forgot to tell them they didn’t have to,” Matt said. “Sorry about that.”

“I guess it doesn’t matter now,” I chuckled and looked out of the window. “I’m gonna need to get my things for tonight.”

“Sure, we can go to your house now,” Matt said.

After a moment of thought I spoke again. “No, wait. Let’s go to the mall first.”

Matt turned to look at me with a raised brow. “The mall? Why?”

“There are some things I need to buy.”

“Things like what?” Matt said as he turned the truck around in a wide U-turn to get to the highway.

“Things I don’t have,” I answered vaguely as color flooded my cheeks lightly.

Matt snorted before asking wryly. “You mean to tell me that you don’t own everything under the sun?”

I rolled my eyes at him with a smirk. “Not yet, but after we leave the mall, I’ll be that much closer,” I said measuring a small distance between my thumb and index finger.

Matt laughed loudly as he entered the traffic on the highway, merging with them seamlessly.

Matt and I got out of his truck after he found a space in the parking lot. With a punch of a button, his truck horn beeped enabling the alarm system. We had been walking in companionable silence before Matt broke it.

“So, where are we going first?” He asked as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

“I don’t know about you, but there’s a store I need to go to and you can’t come with me,” I said.

Matt shot me a glance as he opened up one the doors to the mall.

“Which store do you need to go to that I can’t go with?” He asked, a small smirk lifting up the corner of his mouth.

“Just a store,” I said smoothing down my wind-tousled hair a bit. “I’ll meet you at the food court in about thirty to forty-five minutes, okay?”

“Yeah that’s fine with me,” Matt said before we parted ways. He walked toward the east side of the mall and I walked toward Victoria’s Secret.

Sure, buying lingerie might have been a little over the top for Matt’s plan for tomorrow, but part of me—the over-dramatic part of me that was still pissed that Tiffany shoved me into my locker—really wanted to get Tiffany back as much as possible.

When I met back up with Matt at the food court about thirty to forty-five minutes later, he cast a knowing glance at the signature pink striped bag in my hand, not even sparing a look at the other bags I carried.

“Oh,” Matt smirked devilishly as his hazel eyes sparkled. “That’s why you didn’t want me to go with you.” The smirk never left his face. “I kinda figured that was the reason. Of course, I wouldn’t have minded going with you.”

I fought off the blush that I felt scorching my cheeks and did my best to appear as though I walked around with a Victoria’s Secret bag full of sexy, provocative lingerie all the time and that it wasn’t a big deal; completely old hat.

With my head held high, I nodded once and took a seat opposite Matt at the table catching the eye of an elderly couple sitting at the table across from us. I quickly lowered my head and tried to shrink into myself at their disapproving glances.

Matt made a derisive sound in the back of his throat and I looked up in time to see him turning his back pointedly at the couple and their judgmental, haughty expressions.

“Let’s get out of here, babe,” Matt said loudly as he stood up, he grabbed the bags out of my hand before clasping my hand in his with a gentle squeeze. “I wanna see what you bought just now.” His voice was infused with so much innuendo that I thought I would burn to a cinder right where I stood while the old couple gasped and coughed as though shocked that Matt would be so bold with his statements in a public place.

Matt’s heavy arm slung around my shoulder as he led me away from the food court, the pink bag swinging back and forth freely in his hand as we walked. I buried my face into his chest as my arm went around his waist, I breathed deep and his cologne entered my nose. I couldn’t wait to get out of there and hoped like hell I’d never see them again.

“Forget them,” Matt said suddenly. “They don’t know you and you don’t know them. It doesn’t matter what they think of you.”

I felt a surge of warmth flow through me at Matt’s words and I relaxed against him. “Thanks,” I said lifting my head away from his chest to smile up at him. “I know all of that, but it feels good to hear it anyway.”

“No problem, Liv,” Matt said as he squeezed my shoulder a bit.

There was a sudden twinkle in Matt’s hazel eyes and a playful smirk on his lips. “So what are my chances of seeing you in whatever it is that you bought?” He asked wiggling his eye brows suggestively and shaking the pink bag lightly.

I laughed hard and loud, the last bit of tension flowing out of me as the sound bubbled out of my chest. I wondered if that had been Matt’s intention when he asked me that.

“About the same as a snowball’s chance in hell,” I answered once my laughter died away, a smile still lingering on my lips. “Maybe even less.”

“Figured as much,” Matt smirked as we exited the mall and walked through the parking lot to his truck. “So did you buy this stuff for Vaughn then?”

I thought I heard a bit of an undertone in Matt’s words but I wasn’t entirely sure I’d heard anything at all.

“No,” I shook my head. “I bought that stuff for Tiffany.”

That got Matt’s attention. “What? Why?”

“You’ll see when we get to your house,” I said as I climbed into Matt’s truck.

“So I am going to get to see you in whatever you bought?” Matt asked eagerly.

I laughed at his enthusiasm; he was like a little boy with a big chocolate chip cookie. “In your dreams, Sanders,” I smirked.

Matt mumbled a response that I couldn’t make out as he drove away from the mall.

“So what’s the most romantic thing you’ve done for Tiffany?” I asked once Matt and I had been driving for a while, we were almost at my house.

Matt was silent a moment before answering. “Remember her name mid-make out,” he smirked over at me.

I snorted. “No really. What’s the most romantic thing you’ve done for her?”

“I really haven’t done anything nice for her,” he scratched the back of his neck. “I mean, hell, I didn’t even ask her out. We hooked up one night at a party and the next thing I know she’s telling everyone she’s my girlfriend. Guess that was a sign she was fucking nuts right from the jump.”

“Wow,” I murmured as I shook my head. Tiffany really is a piece of work.

“I guess the most romantic thing I’ve done for her is walk her to her English class all week,” Matt said. “But that was only to set her up for tomorrow.”

“So nothing then,” I nodded. “I’m surprised she’s put up with you for so long,” I said jokingly.

“Hey! I’ll have you know that I can be a damn good boyfriend. I just don’t like being shanghaied into things I don’t want to do. And being with Tiffany was something I definitely did not plan on.”

“Hey, calm down, Romeo,” I held my hands up in defense. “It was just a joke.”

“I know,” Matt said with a smile on his lips. “I guess I’m just a bit anxious to get this whole mess over with.”

“So did you want to come in with me?” I asked once we pulled up to my house.

“Depends,” Matt said slowly.

I smirked, guessing at Matt’s hesitancy. “I don’t know if Carver’s here or not.”

“I don’t know if I like those odds.” Matt’s intense hazel gaze was locked on my house as though he were trying to see through the walls to find out if Carver was actually inside or not. “I think I’ll wait right here, where it’s safe.”

I smothered a laugh and nodded. “Okay, be back in a bit,” I said unbuckling my seat belt and letting myself into my house.

“Carver!” I called out as I raced up the stairs.

No answer. The coast was clear.

Matt could have come inside.

I really hadn’t planned on staying over at Matt’s tonight, especially when I knew Kara wasn’t going to be there. With haste speeding up my actions to an almost comical degree, I found my overnight bag and quickly packed it with my pajamas, a change of clothes for tomorrow, and the things I would need for Tiffany’s downfall. I grabbed my toothbrush and other toiletries and shoved them into my bag as well. Slinging my laptop case onto my shoulder, I took one last look around making sure I had everything I needed, flipped the lights off and exited my room.

“Carver wasn’t in there,” I said breathlessly when I got back into Matt’s truck in just under five minutes.

Matt glanced over at me. “Better safe than sorry.”

“So what did you want to do?” Matt asked as soon as we got to his house.

“Don’t know,” I shrugged. “What do you usual do on Fridays?”

“Hang out with the guys,” he replied. “But I guess I won’t be doing that tonight.”

I smirked. “Because of me?”

Matt laughed shortly. “No, because of Tiffany.” He sighed as he tiredly ran his hands over his face. “I’m just glad that all this shit with her is gonna be over soon.”

“Okay, how about we set up this little trap and then watch a movie or something?” I suggested.

Matt’s expression went from wary to slightly confused. “What little trap?”

I didn’t say anything I picked up the Victoria’s Secret bag off of the couch where Matt had dropped it and swung back and forth slightly.

Matt just looked at me with a raised eyebrow, curiosity written all over his face. “I don’t get it,” he said simply.

“Well, after that little incident I had with Tiffany on Wednesday, I figured I could have some fun with this plan of yours. So I bought some things at Victoria’s Secret that I will scatter around strategically for Tiffany’s benefit,” I said pulling out a black lace thong and twirling it around my finger.

Matt’s smile slowly widened as he realized what I meant. “I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, you are downright devious, Olivia Masters.”

“I try,” I said with a laugh. “I also bought a short bright red skirt that I think is completely slutty and looks to be skin tight. Thank god I won’t actually have to wear any of these things,” I said with a mock shiver of relief.

“Yeah, thank god you won’t,” Matt repeated less enthused.

I rolled my eyes at him. Typical guy. “Anyway,” I continued, “since you’ve never done anything even remotely romantic for Tiffany, I came up with a little plan of my own.”

“Oh really now?”

“Yeah. I figured we could cover the floor with rose petals that lead to the dining room and upstairs to your room. Tiffany will follow the trail and see that an intimate dinner for two has already been set up and eaten and then she’ll follow the rest of the trail to your room and find my shirt at the base of the stairs tangled with your shirt.”

Matt’s expression dawned with understanding. “And she’ll keep finding more of our clothes the closer she gets to my room.”

“Bingo,” I said tapping my nose. “And then she’ll find you and me together. You’ll act like you had no idea she was coming over. She’ll cry a bit, yell a lot and then dump you,” I smiled.

“And I’ll finally be out of this fucking nightmare!” Matt exclaimed. “Let’s get busy!”

I laughed at Matt’s choice of words.

Matt’s eyes widened briefly as he realized how he sounded before he laughed. “You know that wasn’t how I meant it.”

“I know,” I said in between laughs.

“Okay, okay, calm down, Masters. Let’s get started on making it look like we had a cozy night in.” He opened up another bag from Bath and Body Works. “You bought candles too? What else did you buy? Do you have Barry White stashed away in one of these other bags ready to sing ‘Can’t Get Enough of Your Love’?” Matt asked with a faint hint of amusement in his voice.

“Ha! No, but that would be kind of cool,” I said with a small smile. “Barry White is like the ultimate cure for E.D.”

Matt laughed his hazel eyes alight with humor. “Young girls such as you shouldn’t know about things like that.”

“I’ll be sixteen in a couple of weeks,” I said. “Is that still too young to know about man problems?”

“Probably not,” Matt allowed. “God, where did you hear about that shit anyway?”

“Late night infomercials,” I shrugged. “There’s never anything good on TV at three in the morning.”



It was around eight in the evening and Matt and I had successfully managed to set up the rose petals on the floor along with the clothing trail that would lead up to Matt’s bedroom and I put up some tea light candles in his room and lit them up before blowing them out after fifteen minutes.

As I wandered back downstairs, I realized just how romantic the place actually looked.

“What are you thinking about?” Matt asked, his eyes were narrowed on my face intently.

“Tiffany’s gonna flip her lid,” I said glancing at him. “I mean if I were her and saw all this and then caught you cheating, I’d freak out. Hell, most girls would freak out, too.”

Matt walked up to me and I had to tilt my head back so I could look up at his face, his hazel eyes were locked on my brown ones, muddling my thought process slightly.

“You’re not backing out on me now, are you, Masters?”

I took a step back and created some space between us before answering his question. “You know I’m not. We’ve both gone through too much at this point for me to not see it through to the end.”

“’Atta girl,” Matt smiled.

The door bell rang then.

“And that would be dinner,” Matt said before going to answer the door.

I decided to go set the dining room table while Matt was busy with the delivery person.

“Liv? Where are you?” Matt called after a few minutes.

“In here,” I shouted as I lit both white tapered candles with a match.

Matt’s eyes widened as he entered the dining room. “Whoa,” he breathed. “This looks amazing.”

The lights in the chandelier over the table were dimmed low and the dancing twin flames of the candles in their holders on the dark cherry and oak table added to the slight ambience of the room. I wanted to go for classy instead of cheesy.

“Thanks,” I smiled. “Are you ready to have a fake romantic dinner with me, Mr. Sanders?”

Matt grinned slowly as he looked at me, my breath caught in my throat under his intense gaze. “I most certainly am, Ms. Masters,” he said without looking away from me.

I had to look away in order to remember how to make words come out of my mouth and felt a faint blush rest on my cheeks. I took a deep breath before turning back to Matt, his eyes were still on my face and there was a slight smirk on his lips. “Great,” I said, making the word sound as normal as I could. “What did you order?”

Whether Matt could sense my unease or if he was just answering my question, I’ll never really know, but he—thankfully—broke his eyes from mine and went along with the change in subject.

“I ordered some Chinese, hope that’s okay? I remember you telling me last weekend that you like Chinese food and you made that stir fry, so yeah.”

I smiled warmly, he remembered. “Yeah, that’s great.”

Matt and I worked quietly for a few moments getting the food on the table and ready to eat.

“So what does Vaughn think you’re doing tonight?” Matt asked.

“That I’m hanging out here with Kara like every other Friday night,” I answered. “Why?”

“I was just curious. So I’m guessing he doesn’t know she’s visiting my aunt with my folks this weekend then?”

I nodded.

“Did you tell Carver?”

“No,” I shook my head. “After Wednesday, I figured it was best if he didn’t know that Kara wouldn’t be here and that we were alone together tonight.” A faint blush rose to my cheeks at the memory of Matt’s lips on mine and I hoped in the dimmed light that Matt wouldn’t be able to tell how flushed I actually was.

“Yeah, about Wednesday,” Matt started with a sheepish smile. “I didn’t mean to get so carried away,” he bit his lower lip to hide a burgeoning smile. “I just wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s okay,” I said quickly. “I mean, uh, its fine because according to Carver it looked...believable, so we’re good. When Tiffany sees us, she won’t have any doubts about you and me,” I smiled.

“Oh okay good, that’s good,” Matt cleared his throat.

We ate in silence for a while, trying not to drown in the sudden awkwardness that had settled upon us.

“Are you ready to watch that movie now?” Matt asked quietly.

I breathed a silent sigh of relief. “Yes.” Truthfully, I was up for anything so long as I could get out of the dining room with Matt and all of that thick awkward tension flowing between us. “I’m just gonna change into my pajamas really fast.”

“Okay, come to my room when you’re done and we’ll watch a movie,” Matt said walking up the stairs.

I froze at his words. We were going to watch the movie in his room?

As soon as I sequestered myself in the confines of the guest bathroom behind the locked door, I took several deep breaths to calm my racing heart. I didn’t see why I was getting so worked up anyway. I spent all afternoon with Matt today and I was fine, and I would be fine now watching a movie with him.

Just the two of us.

In his bedroom.

Alone.

Once I calmed down, I amended in my head.

I changed quickly and removed my make-up. I took a few more deep and somewhat calming breaths and left the safety of the bathroom and walked into Matt’s room careful not to step on the rose petals or disturb the carefully placed undergarments in my path. When I walked into his room, I noticed he was busy trying to tidy up. He was putting clothes into the hamper in his closet.

“Sorry my room is such a mess,” he said with a grimace.

“Don’t worry about it,” I smiled as I noticed that he had changed too. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt and some blue basketball shorts. “What movie are we watching?”

This was the first time I’d ever been in Matt’s room before and wasn’t surprised to see that walls were covered in posters of the bands that he liked. The desk in the corner of the room was buried under clutter and battered notebooks. And it smelled faintly of Matt’s cologne, whatever it was, and I breathed in slowly, letting the smell enter my nose before releasing my breath again.

“Whatever you feel like watching is fine with me,” Matt said. “So long as it’s not a chick flick.”

I smiled. “Okay, not a problem. I felt like watching an action movie anyway.”

“My DVDs are over there,” Matt pointed to an overburdened shelf by his TV that had definitely seen better days.

“This thing is gonna collapse one day,” I said kneeling down and skimming over the titles.

Matt smirked. “It hasn’t happened yet.”

I picked out The A-Team and put the disk into the player and skipped straight to the menu and pressed play. I turned around to see Matt lying down on his bed and patting the empty space next to him in invitation on the black bedspread.

The memory of the first time he did that at my house on my bed popped into my mind. The only difference was this time I wasn’t afraid of laying down next to him. I quickly turned the light off and crossed the room to lie down next to him, keeping some space between us.

“I’m gonna go make some popcorn,” Matt said about ten minutes later, after the first sequence of the movie was over. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“Just some water,” I answered. “Do you want me to pause the movie?”

“Nah, it’s cool. I’ll be right back,” he said exiting his room.

About a minute later, I heard my phone ringing and looked around Matt’s room to see that he’d brought my stuff up here. I dug my phone out of my purse and saw Tyler’s name flash on the screen. With an eye roll I muted his call and put my phone back in my purse. We’d already made plans to go out tomorrow night; surely he could wait until then to talk to me. I went back to Matt’s bed and lay down on my stomach; my head was now at the foot of the bed, propped up by my hands.

Matt came back into his room about five minutes later, his arms were occupied with the large orange popcorn bowl that Kara and I used for our movie marathons and two large cups.

“Let me get that,” I said reaching up for the popcorn bowl.

“Thanks,” Matt said as he put the drinks down on the floor in front of the bed. He lay down next to me on his stomach. “Here,” he said tossing me a yellow packet. “Kara said you like peanut M&Ms with your popcorn.”

“Thanks,” I smiled as I tore open the candy bag. “Do you want some?”

“Sure.”

Matt held his hand out and I poured some of the colorful chocolate into his palm.

I don’t know when it happened, but thankfully the awkward tension that had sprung up between Matt and I while we had our dinner had disappeared and I finally felt like I could relax.

I tried not to think about tomorrow and focused all of my attention on the movie on the TV screen.