A Shot in the Dark

The flat was dark, illuminated only by the TV screen. Kelly had gone out hours earlier with a "friend," the name of whom she refused to disclose. Becca had assumed it was Lee and later, when Matty came over, he agreed. After they had eaten takeout picnic-style on the living room floor, the couple had cuddled up on the couch to watch movies.

Nights in with Matt were Becca's favorite. Nights out with Matt were also Becca's favorite. Being around him at any time was her favorite really. She treasured these times with him because as a touring musician in an increasingly popular band, she knew that he wouldn't be around forever.

"Matty," she whispered, nuzzling her face into his neck. He grunted shortly and shifted. He had obviously fallen asleep with his arm wrapped tightly around his girlfriend.

"Yeah Beck? What is it?"

"What's gonna happen when you have to go on tour or something?" she asked, brushing hair out of his eyes. He smiled down at her and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Don't yeh worry about it, we'll figure it out as it goes," he said softly. She furrowed her brows and then left a light kiss on his neck before settling back into his side. Becca was mildly worried but chose not to push the subject further. They would roll with the punches when tour came swinging.

Just as Matty placed his fingers under his girlfriend's chin to raise her face up to his and kiss her, the door of the flat came swinging open wildly, slamming into the wall. This caused both Matty and Becca to jump and the form in the doorway to let out an indiscreet "sh!" and a throaty chuckle.

The door was shut and in the dim lighting, Becca could make out two figures; a taller, slim man was pushing a thin woman into the door as they kissed intensely. Stunned, Matt and Becca stared at each other with wide eyes before turning their attention immediately back to the couple. Neither was sure what to do.

Finally, after an awkward amount of time listening to the passionate makeout session going on in front of them, Matt had the good sense to clear his throat.

The pair jumped apart immediately, the woman gasping shortly and the man groaning. Becca got up quickly and flipped on the lamp on the coffee table next to the couch. Her mouth fell open and then Matty began to laugh.

Kelly stood there, looking absolutely stunning in an outfit Becca couldn't quite recall her leaving in. In fact, Becca now realized that she hadn't seen Kelly leave at all. She was wearing a fashionable Bowler on top of wavy hair. She wore a white, button-down blouse tucked into a short black skirt with a loose cardigan thrown over it. Covering her thin legs were thigh-high black socks ending in a pair of killer platform heels.

"Kelly...you look so nice! What the fuck?" Becca said, confused beyond belief. Matt was already on his cellphone texting. Kelly bit her lip and looked up at the man next to her before smiling sheepishly and shrugging at her best friend.

"Well, uh, I went on a date tonight," she explained, running her hands over her skirt to smooth it out.

"With Jona!?" Becca screeched, crossing the room to stand next to Kelly, who towered over her with heels on. Kelly shrunk back into Jona's chest and he reached his arms down around her waist and kissed her cheek tentatively.

"C'mon Beck, ya can't say we aren't cute," he said, smiling coyly at the short Australian girl.

"Leave 'em alone Becca," Matty called from the couch, "It's a nice couple there and they ain't doin' anyone harm."

Still confused, she whirled around and looked at her boyfriend who merely raised an eyebrow and motioned for her to come back to the couch. She took a few steps towards him and then stopped.

"Where'd he take you?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at Kelly.

"Oh, um, we went to this vegan restaurant and then we saw a movie," she said, smiling up at the guitarist.

"And then I decided to attempt to be romantic..."

"...and we almost went for a swim in this little pond down the way," Kelly finished for Jona, who had sprung into the conversation. "We had some ice cream too, and we walked a bit."

Becca observed the two of them and then nodded. Instead of walking around the couch, she slid over the top of it and fell into Matt's lap. She turned the lamp off and then let her boyfriend cover her with the blanket again. She heard Kelly and Jona whisper a short conversation to each other and then heard them wander off towards Kelly's bedroom.

In the darkness, Matty ran his hands over her smooth, shaven legs. "That was...interestin' to say the least."

"I should have known she was up to something when she ran out of here. I thought she was with Lee though, poor thing's gonna be crushed when he finds out," she said, running her hands through Matty's hair absentmindedly. He chuckled and leaned in to kiss her lips delicately.

"I don't know about that. Lee will bounce back from it I'll wager; he's already seein' someone anyway. He'll be a bit miffed that Kelly's also got someone but, he'll live."

"I don't understand the two of them," Becca sighed, swiping her bangs out of her face and letting her head fall onto his shoulder. She let out a huge yawn and Matty chuckled before putting an arm under her legs and standing with her. She let out a small squeak as he balanced with her small frame in his arms and turned off the TV.

"Yeh're so cute in those little pajama shorts of yours, yeh know that?" Matty whispered to her as they passed Kelly's room. No noise came from behind the closed except the quiet hum of conversation. She smiled and kissed him quickly before they entered her bedroom. "Yeh want me to stay? I told Oli I'd go back but I don't really mind lettin' him down."

"Stay," she answered softly as he laid her gently into her unmade bed. He grinned through the darkness at her before stripping down to his boxers and curling up beside her.

The only light in the room came from the window above Becca's bed. The moon was exceptionally bright and left the shadows of the window panes scattered across the floor and bed. It was quiet and peaceful. The rare car rattled by, making noise through the slightly open window. It had rained earlier and the spring scent rolled through with the breeze. Through the wall, Becca could hear Kelly and Jona's conversation though she missed more words than she caught.

"Yeh're perfect Becca, yeh know that?" Matty whispered, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder. She turned to gaze at him and then smiled.

"No I'm not, not alone. I'm only perfect when I'm with you," she whispered back. His smile grew crookedly on his face, lighting up his eyes. He kissed her gently but passionately and Becca's head felt light with the sensation. Her stomach felt like a gilded cage holding Monarch butterflies and her heart beat with all the excitement of a bassline at a night club.

After a few more kisses and gentle caresses, Matty and Becca fell into a comfortable position tangled up in each other. They dozed on the verge of sleep, listening to the cars pass quickly and conversation lull on slowly.

*

Becca woke up tired the next morning, her boyfriend was mysteriously missing. She had padded down the hallway and looked for him, to no avail. She wasn't worried though; he had skipped out on Oli last night and had more than likely woken up early to go appease the man.

She'd also taken a peek inside Kelly's room to see the most delightfully adorable sight. Kelly and Jona, still in their nice clothes from the night before, were cuddled on top of the covers on Kelly's bed. Their legs were tangled together and Kelly's head was leaned on Jona's chest. Becca closed the door quietly and let them sleep.

After a shower, some styling, and a quick trip to the pharmacy to look at her schedule for the next week, Becca was making lunch for herself in the flat. It was quiet and she kept the television off, tranquility following her steps. She suspected that her quiet happiness was rooted in the moments before she'd fallen asleep.

"Oh you're making breakfast? How sweet!" Kelly's voice drawled, breaking Becca out of the spell she was in. She snorted.

"Get real girlfriend, this is lunch, my lunch," she replied. Kelly groaned and sat at the dining room table. Her outfit was crumpled and her makeup smudged ever so slightly. Becca sat at the table with her food and smiled. "Jona huh? What a catch."

"Well, I am pretty good at fishing," her best friend responded without missing a beat. The girls laughed.

"Alright Captain," Jona said, emerging from her bedroom while putting on his jacket, "I'm about five and a half hours late to my band meeting thanks to you."

"Oh shush, as if you mind," Kelly rebutted, standing up to hug him. Their hug lasted long and was almost as intimate as the kiss they shared. Jona held her chin between two of his long fingers and studied her face for a moment.

"I don't mind at all," he whispered, "You're the most intriguing, beautiful creature I've ever met."

Becca blushed just as Kelly did. She'd never seen Jona so serious, or Kelly so bashful. Her usually obnoxious best friend was muted today, giving off her good vibes in calm doses. The Australian guitarist left a kiss on Kelly's forehead before saying goodbye to Becca, promising a phone call, and showing himself out.

"Jesus Christ Kell, you're making my fairy tale love story look cheap in comparison!" Becca gushed, leaning forward as Kelly sat back down. She looked just as amazed as Becca felt.

"I've never had a connection with someone like that. It's almost like...he understands everything about me. It's like I'm talking to you which makes almost no sense considering I've known you for years and him for weeks. And just wait until Matty tells you..." she trailed off. Becca's heart rate spiked.

"Till Matty tells me what?" Her voice was a pitch too high, showing panic. Kelly's face dropped and she quickly tried to smooth over her mistake.

"No, no, no. It's not bad! It's like, a surprise. Jona just got the okay to tell me last night, I mean, wow I should just shut the fuck up while I'm ahead."

"Tell me now ya shittin' brat," Becca said, her voice quiet and deadly. Kelly eyebrows spiked and she got up quickly.

"You know what? Do we have any vodka left? Maybe I'll spike my morning juice," she took a quick look at Becca's face and then re-routed her defense, "Actually, wow I feel dirty. I'm gonna take a shower, see ya in a few!"

She disappeared faster than Becca could try to lunge at her to torture the information out of her because she knew that Kelly didn't mean a few minutes, she meant a few hours. After creeping up to the bathroom door to test if Kelly had been smart enough to lock it (which she had been), Becca tackled her phone and immediately placed a call to her boyfriend.

"Hey love, what's up?"

"What the fuck do you have to tell me?" she asked, her voice rushing out in a single breath.

"Whoa, whoa what are yeh talkin' about?"

"I don't know, you tell me! Jona left this morning and Kelly was all googly eyed," she could hear the boys laugh in the background at that one. Jona wasn't there yet that was impossible but they'd undoubtedly give him shit for it later on. "And she said something about you having something to tell me!"

"Damn that bird can't keep her mouth shut for shit, can she?" he grumbled into the phone, more to himself than her. "Alright, alright I do have somethin' to tell yeh but I was planning a nice way to tell yeh okay? It's nothin' bad babe, please relax."

Becca took a few deep breaths before laying down on her bed, a chill running down her spine as a cool breeze blew through the window. She was nervous now but hearing Matt's voice calmed her down marginally. She was surely overreacting anyway but her heart still beat frantically.

"I'm relaxed Matty, I'm sorry. I get kind of weird like that I guess," she said, shifting her cellphone from one ear to the other. He chuckled lightly into the phone before speaking again.

"No worries, hakuna matata and all that. Just...roll with the punches yeh know? How about we go to dinner tonight, hm? Just the two of us, a little date night, and I'll tell yeh all about the news that Kelly's overeager little self can't wait for yeh to hear."

"Sounds perfect," she breathed, clutching the phone with two hands and closing her eyes. She was already mentally flicking through her wardrobe for an outfit.

"Alright, I'll pick yeh up around seven then? Is that good for yeh--oi Jona! Yeh're a right arse yeh know that?!" he was cut off as Jona walked in apparently, "And that damn bird of yours probably couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it!"

Before he replied back into the phone, there was a chorus of cat calls and whistles before Jona's voice rang through the receiver, telling everyone in the room to kindly "shut the fuck up."

"Sorry about that love, is seven good for yeh?" Matty asked, the background noise disappearing as she assumed he'd walked into another room. She was giggling from the other conversation.

"Yes, seven's good, I'll see you then babe," she said. He said his goodbye and she hung up, leaping off the bed and heading for her closet. She was still slightly nervous but definitely more excited for his news now. As she threw clothes around in her closet, there was a small knock on the door and a timid Kelly peeked around the corner with a towel wrapped around her head.

"Is the coast clear?" she asked, standing in the doorway in just a bra and panties.

"Yes! Matty's taking me to dinner and telling me whatever it is that Jona told you apparently and I have no idea what to wear!" she exclaimed animatedly, tossing a sundress into Kelly's arms. Instead of placing it on the bed, the tall girl slipped it over her head and spun around, sitting in her desk chair.

"I can't wait for you to know but I have been sworn to secrecy," she said solemnly, before cracking a grin. "It's gonna be awesome."