Like Nobody Else

"Why in the hell do you not own one pair of heels?" Rhia laughed loudly, watching as her sister shimmied out of one of the hundreds of dresses she had tried on. The last one she had tried on was turquoise, and while it complimented her eyes, it did nothing to flatter her figure.

"I find them very uncomfortable, and it's just not my style." Marley murmured as she glided past her open closet door in nothing but black, lacy undergarments.

"What's with the nice underwear? Expecting to get laid, hmm?" Rhia's laughter echoed through the room once again as a string of cursewords flew out of Marley's mouth, and Rhia guessed it was from her stepping on her studded sandals.

"How about this one?" Marley didn't bother trying the short, red dress on, just holding it up to her frame as she stepped into Rhia's view.

"No—it looks like you're trying too hard." Although Rhia's fashion sense was unique, she knew a lot about colors and what went well with what—Marley passed it off due to her vast amount of knowledge about everything.

"By the time I go through all these dresses, I'll have nothing good left in my wardrobe." Marley snorted with an eye roll as she skimmed through the dresses still hanging on their racks, organized by color.

"Hey, you wanted my advice—I'm being honest. Why not try something black? You can never go wrong with it...unless you look like a two cent whore." A chuckle left Marley's lips as she shook her head at Rhia's words. It seemed that the two had been warming up to each other ever since Marley told herself to loosen up around Rhia—she was her sister after all.

"I really hope this one looks good. I think it's the most expensive one in here." Marley said as she slid into her black Herve Leger dress. When she stepped into the doorway so Rhia could see, the seventeen-year-old smiled brightly.

"That is the one. You're going to knock your date off his feet." Rhia spoke genuinely with a smile. The clock was nearing seven, and she would be leaving at seven thirty when her girlfriend picked her up. She had already gotten fully dressed over an hour ago, and she had even taken the time to straighten her hair—something she hardly ever did due to how long it took her to tame her naturally curly locks. "What shoes are you going to wear?" Rhia pondered out loud, and when Marley appeared in the doorway seconds later to put the black gladiator sandals she planned on wearing on display, Rhia nodded in approval.

"And to answer your earlier question—which anyone else would have considered rhetorical—no, I do not expect to get laid." Marley was speaking the truth as she secured the sandals on her feet. Although Matt was a hunk of a man—Marley wasn't easy enough to strip down on the first date. Though, she did decide if anything was going to happen between her and Matt, that she wouldn't make him wait as long as she made Auden wait. In her eyes, it didn't matter how long she made a guy wait, they were always desperate for more. She could only hope Matt wasn't the same way, but she could only be so optimistic given her past.

"Well, I do believe that I need to pack. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon, and I might just bring my girlfriend over. Please warn me ahead of time if you and lover boy are here so me and Sophia don't walk in on something that will scar us for life." Rhia began to climb off Marley's bed, pausing when her sister exited her closet with a smile.

"Sophia, huh? Pretty name." She commented before crossing the room to her bathroom so she could brush her teeth and apply make up.

"Oh, shut up." A blush rose on Rhia's cheeks as she mumbled, "It fits for a pretty girl." She left the room quickly, heading down the hall to her own room to pack an overnight bag.

Rhia bid her goodbye fifteen minutes later when a car horn beeped outside, and Marley couldn't help but let her curiosity get the best of her. She sauntered to the window, barely drawing the curtain back to see a navy blue 2001 Honda Civic sedan sitting in front of the house. Marley was unable to catch a glimpse of the mystery driver in the night, and was only able to make out a dainty arm reaching to open the door—apparently, it couldn't open from the outside.

Less than ten minutes later, Marley was standing in front of her full-length mirror and examining her appearance. She had tried something "different" with her eyeshadow, as Rhia suggested she should do to really draw attention to her eyes.

When she heard the doorbell ring downstairs, she just about jumped out of her skin. She peered into her room, staring at the digital clock to see it was 7:47...he was early?

Marley grabbed her black, tiny clutch, dropping her keys, wallet, and cell phone into it as she yelled, "Coming!" She doubted he would be able to hear her, so she shouted it twice more as she was going down the steps. As soon as she reached the door, she took a deep breath and released it before pulling it open.

Matt was looking down, but his head came back up the moment she opened the door. It was then that Marley decided he was the epitome of perfection...for a man, at least. He was wearing a black, button-up shirt that was tight on his muscles, and he had rolled the sleeves up to his elbows to expose his tattoos. A deep purple tie was in place around his neck, and his hands were casually stuffed into his black slack's pockets.

"You look absolutely beautiful," He finally spoke, a dimpled smile appearing as he took in the woman before him. He found it ironic that they...well, matched.

"Thank you. You look rather handsome yourself," Marley returned the smile, locking the door before pulling it shut behind her.

"I would have gotten you roses, but I didn't want to come off as cliché." Matt explained as he escorted her to his car, opening the door for her with a smile.

"Good thing you didn't, I'm allergic." Marley slipped into the passenger seat elegantly, shooting Matt a smile as she buckled herself in.

"I'll make a mental note of that for future reference." After getting into his seat, he buckled himself in and started the car up.

It immediately began to blast some screamo music where Marley couldn't make the words out. Matt turned it down as fast as he could, a blush rising as his cheeks as he muttered an apology.

"No need to be sorry," Marley shrugged it off, smiling at him as he pulled onto the street.

While driving, the two sat in a comfortably silence, and halfway through the ride, Matt reached over to hold hands with Marley.

Once they arrived at the restaurant, Marley laughed out loud at how ironic it was that he chose this place of everywhere there is to go.

"What?" Matt was confused, and for a fleeting second, it looked like he was worried he did something wrong. "Do you hate Thai food or something?" He gestured to Leela's, prepared to leave if she said yes.

"It's nothing, really. I thought it was funny how you picked this place of all places. I come here at least twice a week; it's my favorite restaurant ever." Marley cleared it up, making Matt breathe out a sigh of relief.

Marley waited patiently as he cut the car off and got out, rounding it to open her door and offer his hand. As she laced her fingers with his, she thought about how dressed up she was. While it was a date, Leela's wasn't all too formal.

"Ooooh! Luna, back again! How many time you come this week now? And who this with you? What a good looking guy!" Kai was always on the energetic side, so Marley wasn't the least bit surprised that she was talking at a rapid pace the moment they entered the restaurant.

"This is Matt, and he's my date for the night." Marley explained, smiling at the woman as she leaned on her wooden hostess's stand.

"That good for you! You deserve somebody good after that bastard. You go girl!" The only problem with Kai—she didn't know when to shut up, and believe it or not, she followed Australia's surfing, but that's because her daughter, Leilani, had gotten into it three years ago. According to Kai, Marley was her favorite aside from her daughter, and since she tuned in weekly to watch competitions and things of that sort, she was aware of the split between Auden and Marley.

"I, uh, made reservations. Under Sanders." Matt said, hoping to ease the tension the woman had just created. He hadn't planned on asking about ex's, and hoped it wasn't inevitable at this point.

"Oh, yes. Right this way." Kai motioned for the pair to follow her, and she led them outside to the patio where only one other couple was dining. The view was amazing, overlooking the beach at night. A single candle was the only light provided on the table, but it was enough. Matt was a gentleman—as always—and pulled out Marley's chair for her, allowing her to take a seat.

"So, tell me about yourself," Matt smiled, skipping the "ex" conversation, and by the look on Marley's face, she was happy he didn't bring it up.

"Well, what do you want to know?" Marley raised an eyebrow with a smirk as Kai sent a waitress out to take their drinks.

After Matt ordered a Singha—beer that was imported from Thailand, Marley decided to take a risk and order a shot of Mekhong whiskey and a glass of water. While in Australia, Marley refrained from drinking any sort of alcoholic beverages—she had come to another crossroad where she said "fuck it".

"To answer your last question, anything and everything. Favorite food, color, music, movie, hobbies..." Matt trailed off as he took Marley's hand in his, holding it on top of the table.

"Favorite food—too many to count. I like trying new stuff all of the time. Though I'm allergic to kiwi, avocados, and as I said before—roses. My favorite color—blue. As for favorite music, I don't know—anything really, just no pop or rap. Movie—Point Break. And hobbies—well, surfing and cooking." Marley answered just before their drinks were brought back.

"You surf? Should have figured, seeing as how you're from Australia." Matt smiled, taking a sip of his beer.

"Yeah, I was a pro, before I had to come take care of Rhia." Marley said, grabbing the shot glass and taking it in one gulp. It had been a long time since she had anything with alcohol in it, yet the burn running down her throat was familiar.

"That's cool." When Matt said this, Marley looked at him to see if he was being sincere, and seeing that he was made her smile.

"Yeah, it was my childhood dream to go pro." Marley took a sip of her water to chase the stinging that still remained.

"What about your adult dream?" Matt chuckled, and Marley did too before shrugging.

"I always wanted to surf Shipstern Bluff in Tasmania. It's in Australia on the Tasman Peninsula. The waves there are dangerous, as are the waters considering great white sharks inhabit them. You fall, you got a good chance of never coming back up." Marley explained, moving her straw around in her cup as Jessie, their waitress, came back to take their order.

Matt ordered Thai Chicken with Basil Stir Fry while Marley got Curried Coconut Chicken.

"That seems pretty intense, going into the water and knowing that you could die any minute." Matt whistled lowly with a shake of his head. "I wasn't kidding when I said you were brave, huh," He smiled as he stroked her hand with his thumb subconsciously. "How many people have done this anyway?"

"Three. All guys, and they all stayed on the board." Marley chuckled with an eye roll.

"Well, I think you could do it." That surprised Marley; Auden hadn't even supported her when she told him about it, but that might be because he's in the surfing world—and knows just how crazy it is to try to surf it.

"Thanks for the encouragement." Marley smiled before adding, "Enough about me. Time to tell me about you. Why'd you become a teacher?"

"I always wanted to help kids—teenagers. Since I didn't want to spend more than four years in college studying adolescent psychology, I settled with pursuing my passion—painting. I got into a good Art school, but eventually switched my major so I could become a teacher. Ironically, an Art teacher." Matt explained, grinning softly.

Then their food arrived, and they ate mostly in silence. Marley thought they were lucky that nothing spilled—something that always seemed unavoidable on every date she had ever gone on, and before she knew it, the date was coming to an end as Matt pulled up to the curb of her house when it was almost eleven o' clock.

After rounding the car the second time that night to open Marley's door, Matt helped her out and began to walk with her down the cobblestone path to the porch. "I had a really good time tonight, Marley."

"Me too." Marley smiled as they stopped at the front door.

"I'd like to do this again sometime—if you want too, of course." Matt appeared nervous as he looked down at the "Welcome" doormat, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yes, I'd love that." Marley stated, and as soon as Matt looked up to see if she was being serious, she leaned in to brush his lips in a gentle goodnight kiss. "I'll see you soon then. Night." Marley smirked, opening the door as Matt touched his lips in surprise.

Marley wasn't scared to make the first move, and she was making sure Matt knew that.


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I hope you all enjoyed that (: I also just wanted to mention that the spelling errors I make for Kai in her sentences are on purpose.

WhitneySheree—here the next chapter was! Hopefully you enjoyed it and were satisfied (: Thank you for commenting, as always.

My Guardian Angel—thank you for your comment! I'm glad that you like the story, and I'm glad you think it's good (: It means a lot to me!

bloodyvengeance—yeah (: and hopefully you enjoyed this chapter :D I could have written the date out to be longer, but eh, I think it was best like it was (:

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