A Shot in the Dark

The morning had been tired and quiet.

Jona's alarm had gone off at 7:45 and Becca woke up to the soft murmur of Kelly's whining. She remained half-conscious in her boyfriend's tight grasp, both hands wrapped tightly around her waist. She listened to his soft breathing until his own alarm went off ten minutes later, jolting him awake to the sight of his smiling girlfriend.

The group had eaten a quick breakfast standing around in the small kitchen. It was mostly silent, as Kelly and Becca looked distraught in their exhaustion. The boys were more excited and exchanged flashes of smiles. After getting dressed and waking up some more, the girls began getting excited and Becca was the first to start rambling about where they could possibly be going.

She sat in the passenger seat of Matty's car when they finally left at 8:22 in the morning. Kelly had already curled up in Jona's lap for a short nap as Matty announced it would be a three hour drive. Becca had bothered Kelly for a bit, causing the American girl to get frustrated and her Australian boyfriend to give her a stern look. Becca laughed as he stroked her hair gently, turning in her seat and settling into it for her own nap.

When Becca woke up, only an hour and a half had passed by and they were passing by Leicester. She'd never heard of the place and realized that, despite living for so long in this new country, she knew very little about it. After that, she remained silent and observed every town and city they passed attentively.

No music played in the car and if Jona and Matty had been speaking while she was asleep, they didn't continue their conversation. After a while, Matty grabbed Becca's hand and laced her fingers with his. She looked over and grinned at him. He smiled and turned his attention back to driving, though she let herself stare at him for a while longer.

Kelly woke up with a sudden burst of energy after they passed a place called Milton Keynes. The silent peace of the car ride was over then, as if the extra two hours of sleep had given her a full battery charge. She demanded that Matty turn on the radio, and when she wasn't satisfied with the songs, demanded he turn it off.

Then, with an immediate burst of clear, unadultered knowledge, she screeched, "London!"

Becca almost died of pure excitement then, and the two girls babbled for the next forty minutes about how they'd never been to London. The guys made fun of them for never having made the trip. Becca scolded Matty for that ("the moment I stepped foot in Sheffield you decided to take all of my attention, didn't you?"). He, of course, rebutted that with, "exactly why I'm bringin' yeh now."

When they were finally out of the car, stretching and groaning, the girls were begging the boys to show them around, pulling eagerly at their hands. The sun was peeking out between the clouds and it was warm enough for Becca to wrap her sweater around her waist. Jona and Kelly walked ahead of her and Matty, his tattooed arm wrapped casually around her shoulders and hers lazily hanging around his waist.

Becca opted to just hold her boyfriend's hand as he chattered about the places they planned to visit. She enjoyed the busy city as they walked and the fact that there was so much to see and do. The excitement that Matty had to show her everything had her melting, like some soppy lovesick puppy. Then again, she acknowledged that maybe that's exactly what she was.

"What are we doing first?" Kelly asked and Jona turned to look at Matty as they walked.

"Are yeh hungry?" he asked, "We could eat and then get your opinion on where to go first."

"Let's see something first! Where's Big Ben?" Becca pushed excitedly. Jona and Matty shared a roll of the eyes and continued walking in the same direction they'd been walking in, gently pulling the girls along with them. They could navigate the city in their sleep.

"How 'bout we see him from the London Eye first, hm? We've got tickets already," Jona said, smirking down at Kelly and then back at the couple behind him. Kelly shook her head, obviously in amazement, before leaning up to kiss his jaw. Becca merely smiled at her boyfriend.

"You're unbelievable," she said quietly. He grinned and kissed the top of her head without responding.

The wait wasn't dreadfully long. Kelly spent it taking numerous selfies of her and Becca with Big Ben and the London Eye in the background. She sent some of them to her mother on Facebook, which is how she kept most contact with her parents. Her mom responded nearly immediately and Kelly rolled her eyes at the message.

"She wants a picture of us," she said to Jona, who was peeking over her shoulder with curiosity. He grinned as she handed her phone to Becca and they posed, his hand draped around her shoulders and her arms wrapped casually around his waist. Both smiled widely, probably unable to contain their happiness.

"You're so cute!" Becca squealed, handing the phone back to her friend but hovering so she could watch as Kelly typed a message to her mother. Kelly nodded and smiled over at her friend as she sent it. "Really though, I can't imagine a cuter couple."

"Besides us babe," Matty reminded. Becca giggled and leaned up to kiss his lips quickly.

"Yes, besides us," she agreed.

When they stepped into one of the capsules, the girls were buzzing with excitement. Jona was excited too, since he'd never seen London from this way before. Matty was the only one who wasn't exceedingly excited, though his chest swelled with pride to show Becca this side of his country. Looking over the business district first, the girls took as many pictures as they possibly could.

With a proud moment of knowledge, Becca pointed out Tower Bridge to the group before Kelly then asked if she was seeing the Tower of London or just imagining it. Matty pointed out Cleopatra's Needle when they got nearer to the top and then, as they started to notice the more prominent features of London, they needed no help figuring out what was what.

"Oh, can we go to Trafalgar Square?" Kelly pleaded, "I've always wanted to!"

"We'll go everywhere yeh want to baby, I promise," Jona answered, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. She smiled up at him and Becca pushed her shoulder.

"You've got him wrapped around your finger," she said, winking. Kelly smirked as Jona disagreed loudly. Matty made a whip sound and Jona punched him lightly in the shoulder, asking him which side he was on.

"I wouldn't talk Matty," Kelly said, "You're worse than he is."

"Of course I am," he said, tightening his arm around Becca's waist, "Look at how gorgeous my girlfriend is."

They stepped out of their little capsule and wandered out into the street again as Becca cooed over him, before scolding him for being a suck up. They decided to eat before making their way toward Tower Bridge. They strolled about before finding a small cafe to eat in, sitting outside as it was nice out, and ordering quickly.

The place was nice and Becca loved the simplicity of the day. She knew that Kelly and Jona hadn't put a label on their relationship yet, but it felt like a double date. Everything was falling into place nicely. A breeze rippled lightly across the table, shifting Becca's hair. She flipped her bangs out of her eyes and leaned back. Matty's arm was draped over the back of her chair and she smiled up at him.

"Okay so we're seein' Tower Bridge and goin' to the Tower of London," Jona said, "Then we can head over to Trafalgar Square."

"Then tomorrow, we can go back near Big Ben and have yeh see that," Matty continued, pretending not to notice the girls' puzzled stares, "And we know how much yeh both love literature so we're takin' yeh to see Shakespeare's Globe; that'll be loads of fun, I'm sure."

"Wait, tomorrow?" Becca questioned. Matty and Jona smirked simultaneously as their waiter put their food down in front of them. No one said anything for a long moment until he'd left.

"Well, we figured if yeh were gonna see London the right way we'd have to give it at least, oh I dunno Jona, how long are we stayin'?" Matty played. Jona shrugged.

"I dunno Matty, we have the hotel room for three nights so I guess that leaves us here for four days then."

"Four days?!" Kelly repeated, astonished that they'd pulled off such a massive surprise with no hint of it at all. "You guys are awesome, honestly. Thank you so much this is amazing!"

"Yes, thank you Matty," Becca said as Kelly launched herself at Jona, wrapping him in a tight hug. Becca kissed Matty gently before hugging him. "You're the best."

"Nah, I'm just doin' somethin' for my girl, that's all," he replied, "But I'm glad yeh're happy."

"Does this mean we have to go shopping for clothes?" Kelly complained, picking at her food. Jona laughed.

"I'm gonna have so much trouble with yeh, aren't I? Yeh're only happy for a moment before yeh find somethin' wrong," he pointed out. Kelly blushed immediately, grinning sheepishly at her plate. "Yeh don't have to shop. Matty and I snuck into your rooms to pack for yeh while yeh were gone the day before yesterday."

"Creeps," Becca commented, making the table laugh. "I was wondering why some shit was missing, I thought Kelly did my laundry!"

"I didn't even realize anything was missing," Kelly admitted with a shrug, "I have too many clothes."

"I picked out my favorites on yeh," Jona commented casually. Kelly stared at him for a moment before looking down at her plate and smiling. Becca smiled too, her happiness doubling just by seeing her friend's happiness. She scrolled through tweets on her phone as she ate, favoriting the ones Kelly had tweeted and leaving one herself about how amazing her boyfriend was.

"Becca," Kelly said. The tone of her voice caused Becca to look immediately. Kelly was squinting at the entrance of the restaurant. "Is that...look, is that Marek?"

The girls knew Marek the same way they had met each other, from the Internet. He was 6 years older than them, though interested in the same music. Becca had met him twice before and Kelly only once. They knew him fairly well though, and it only occured to Becca now that it was embarassing that they hadn't met up with him already.

"Oh my god," Becca said, glancing at the blonde man walking in. "I think it is!"

Kelly was already out of her seat and sauntering over to intercept him as he went to his table. The group watched, though Matty questioned who Marek was. When Kelly reached him, she must have said his name because he turned with such astonishment and gathered her into a sweeping hug. She pointed over her shoulder at the table and Becca heard her own name and the word "boyfriend" drift over the tables.

Becca stood when they started walking over, spreading her arms and letting him hug her tightly. She hadn't seen him in more than a year and having been so close to him for so long, it was great to actually see him again. He didn't let her go for a long moment.

"Yeh come to live in my damn country and yeh never even come to visit me, huh? Doesn't seem fair to me!" he said.

"Oh Marek, I'm sorry! I was busy unpacking and then I met my boyfriend and I know they're lame excuses," she rambled, pulling him into another hug. "Please sit and eat with us so we can catch up!"

"I wouldn't want to impose..." he trailed off, glancing at the boys for the first time. Then he stopped short, his eyebrows knitting together. "Wait a second..."

"Oh yeah, Marek this is my boyfriend Matty," Becca introduced. The pair shook hands as Kelly introduced Jona, not saying he was her boyfriend.

"I hate to sound thick but...aren't the two of yeh in the band Bring Me The Horizon?" Marek asked.

Becca and Kelly burst into laughter at the look on his face. Jona chuckled though Matty looked less than amused. It was clear to Becca already that he didn't really like Marek, though she wasn't entirely sure why. His hostility garnered her rebellion. She was thrilled to see her old friend and insisted that he sit down after Jona cleared up that they were, in fact, in the band.

He finally agreed and they immediately spoke about how Becca and Kelly had managed to meet the two men with them as soon as they arrived in England. Becca explained that it had been just a bit of luck before Jona, being polite, asked Marek how he knew the girls. That conversation took them through most of lunch, as the three spent time reminiscing about old times from when they'd all video chatted and met in real life.

Becca pretended not to notice Matty's moody silence throughout lunch. He spoke to Marek only when absolutely necessary and continued to remind everyone that they had to get going, despite them all not really being ready to leave the table. Kelly and Jona noticed too, their glances between him and Becca spoke volumes. If Marek noticed, he said nothing and didn't react.

"I've kept yeh for too long now," Marek said, glancing at the watch on his wrist. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and smiled at the group. He had always been effortlessly good-looking. He straightened his dress shirt. "I'm late to get back to work now anyway."

When he stood, the girls hugged him tightly. Jona stood and shook his hand while Matty remained seated, nodding and waving a hand in his direction. Marek waved a goodbye, begging them to not be strangers and to visit him again soon though he knew they would be going back to the States for Warped soon.

The group left right after, finding their way back out onto the streets of London and walking briskly toward the business district of London, where they would find Tower Bridge. This time, Matty and Becca led the way and he held her hand very tightly in his, walking so quickly he almost dragged her.

"Jesus, Matty what is wrong with you?" she asked. This, apparently, was the wrong thing to ask because Matt jerked to a halt and turned angrily to her.

"What's wrong with me? Are yeh fuckin' serious? What's wrong with yeh? That's the real question. I'm your fuckin' boyfriend and yeh're just runnin' around so excited with all these other guys!"

"All these other guys? You mean, Marek who has been my friend for years, that I haven't seen in ages? I don't see him as more than one guy Matt, what the fuck are you attacking me for? You're the one who was rude!" she fought back. He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry that I didn't like seein' some random guy all over my girlfriend. Besides, we were supposed to be in London together, as in the four of us, not to play catch up and shit," he growled at her. It was her turn to roll her eyes.

"Matt, really? We spent forty minutes the most with him, okay? I didn't realize it was such a big fucking deal."

Kelly and Jona stood there, looking anywhere but at their friends. People on the street were starting to look at the group as they passed. Becca couldn't even believe this was happening. She had never had any fight with Matt before and now, he was being unbelievably ridiculous. Marek was just her friend and he was acting as if he'd been more than that.

Every new word that fell off his lips made her both angrier and sadder. She already hated being mad at him but he was wrong.

"Whatever Becca, I don't know how yeh don't realize," he said, turning to walk away. She merely followed him though, still angry.

"You can't just walk away now! You were rude to my friend and I'm mad at you for it!"

"Oh what? I'm mad at yeh so yeh have to be mad at me now? Yeh can't just accept that yeh pissed me off, hm?" he asked, still walking. Becca was struggling to keep up with his long, angry strides.

"Well maybe you're the one that pissed me off! I didn't do anything wrong okay? I ran into a friend that lived across the world from me up until recently and decided to catch up for fucking forty minutes, what is the big deal? Can I not have friends?"

"Of course yeh can have friends Rebekah," he spat. He never called her Rebekah and she hated hearing it in that tone of voice. "I'd just prefer if yeh didn't catch up while I'm out with yeh and it's obviously time for us!"

"Well, Christ Matt, I'm sorry! I didn't realize your time was so precious it couldn't be fucking wasted!" she said, her voice raising now. Kelly cleared her throat as Matt groaned in frustration.

"Um, we're looking at the--uh, we're looking at Tower Bridge guys," she pointed out. Becca and Matty both looked at her before snapping their attention to the direction she was pointing. Becca looked back at her friend, though she was now on the verge of tears.

"Awesome Kell, just amazing," she said, walking away. Kelly gave an exasperated look to Jona, who raised his hands in the air before following her friend. Becca was crying now, not very hard, just a few tears. Kelly hugged her when they were far enough away from the boys and then wiped the tears off her cheeks.

"Relax Becca, it's alright. You'll be back to normal in no time, I'm sure," she said, trying to soothe her friend. Becca shook her head.

"We've never fought before and I dunno, I hate it! Why is he being so stupid? Like, did he really expect me to just not say anything to Marek after all that time of not seeing him?"

"I think he just meant that he would have preferred that we not have sat down to lunch with him right then, because it was our time with them y'know?" she said, trying to make light of the situation. Becca already realized the misunderstanding and she hated it.

"Jona didn't freak out on you," she pointed out. Kelly sighed, leaning against the rail that was on the sidewalk to protect passerby from falling in the river. All around them tourists took pictures of the bridge. She pinched the bridge of her nose as Becca stood in front of her.

"Jona is...not my boyfriend, not officially at least. Jona is also not Matty; they handle things differently," Kelly said, shrugging. "I dunno. I guess y'all had to fight sometime. I wish that time hadn't been now..."

Becca groaned. "I wish that time hadn't been now either! Now I'm stuck."

"Or you can just apologize and tell him that you see his point of view and that you understand where he's coming from though you would have rathered that he had been nicer to your friend and told you calmly that he was upset with you," Kelly suggested.

"That would be letting him win," Becca said. Kelly groaned this time, rolling her eyes and letting her head fall into her hands. Becca chewed on her lip, glancing down the sidewalk to where Jona and Matty stood. He glanced over at her and then they both turned their heads.

"Why don't you just 'let him win' then?" Kelly asked, "You just said you hate fighting with him."

"Yeah but I'm still pissed at him!"

"Becca, I don't know what you want me to do then!"

Becca didn't know what she wanted to do either. Ideally, this wouldn't have happened at all and nothing would have went wrong. Everything was messed up now and she wondered briefly if they'd just end up back in Sheffield. She shook that thought from her head. They were adults and Kelly was right. Even if she was mad at Matty, nothing would get solved if they just didn't talk to each other.

She sighed, nodding at Kelly and walking towards her boyfriend. She could tell he was still angry, the tension rolling off him in waves. Jona said nothing, just stepped away and walked over to Kelly. When Matty saw Becca approach, he shoved his hands in his pockets and watched her expectantly.

"Listen, I'm sorry okay? I understand that this is our time together and that I shouldn't have invited Marek to sit with us," she said, "I always appreciate being with you and I'm so glad you did all this for me but I was upset that you treated my friend the way you did and I just wish you hadn't yelled at me over it."

"I dunno, it just felt like yeh were puttin' him over me and it made me feel bad," he admitted, shrugging and looking out over the river. "I didn't like bein' second best and I was just jealous, I s'pose, so I am sorry for treatin' him badly but yeh can't blame me for it neither."

"Okay," Becca said carefully, "I just...don't be jealous. I don't want anyone other than you, there's no reason for you to feel that way."

Matty rolled his eyes, opening his arms for his girlfriend to step into them. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, resting her head on his chest as he held her close. She was happy that they'd made up so quickly and it made her hopeful that this relationship would last a very long time.

"I know, it's just an instinct thing. I can't help it when I'm around yeh," he answered. She giggled, kissing his jaw before tucking her face back into his chest. Everything always went right with him and, if she was being honest, she was the tiniest bit flattered that he'd been jealous. She figured that they could talk more about it when they got back to Sheffield, if she needed to at least. "Now where were we?"

"I believe we were in London," Becca answered. He smiled down at her when she looked up at him and he pressed a kiss to her lips. She kissed him back earnestly when she felt something hit her back. She turned, looking at her friend and then at the ground, where she saw the balled up receipt paper. "Honestly? You're a child."

"And you're in fucking London, so stop kissing your idiot boyfriend and let's get to the sightseeing!"