Looks Can Be Deceiving

"Alright, baby, it's time for me to go," I cooed, scratching beneath the ears of the Boxer in front of me. He looked up at me with sad eyes, and I couldn't help but to feel bad, "Baby, if I could take all of y'all home with me, I would, but I can't, okay? I'll see y'all tomorrow!" I smiled softly, grabbing my bag, my keys, and stepping outside.

As soon as the door was closed, I locked it with my key and headed towards my car. I frowned, hearing all the cries from inside the building. I loved working at the pet adoption center I was at, but every time I went home, it broke my heart to hear all those dogs and cats cry because they'd be left alone for the night.

"Just keep walking, keep walking," I muttered, suddenly feeling the urge to go back inside and play with the animals a little while longer. That wasn't such a good idea, as it was not only my day off, but eleven at night. I was sure that Lyndsey was probably at home, having some sort of fucking conniption, no doubt.

Stopping at my car, I quickly got in and turned the engine on. I allowed the car to idle for a minute as I pondered what I would eat this late at night. Nothing I was really interested in was probably open at this time, as it was a weekday, after all. Just as I got ready to put the car in gear, a tapping at the window caused me to shriek and whipped around.

I glared furiously when I saw Matt, of all fucking people, standing next to the car with a sheepish grin on his face. Rolling down the window, I reached a hand out and slapped his leg, fixing him with an unpleasant look, the other hand pressed against my chest, "Damn you, Matt! You nearly gave me a fucking heart attack!"

Again, he smiled sheepishly at me with a shrug of his shoulders, "My bad, my bad."

I frowned, looking around for his car, "What are you even doing over here this late?" I asked curiously, spotting his car a few parking spaces away from mine.

He pointed towards a building just a few down from the one I worked in, "I work over in the Meissner building. I had a lot of last minute filing that needed to be done before one of my morning meetings tomorrow."

I nodded slowly, "What do y'all do?"

He cocked an eyebrow, "What do we do?"

"Yeah, what kind of business are y'all?" I answered unsurely, watching as he stared blankly at me for a minute, "Matt?"

He blinked before coming to and flashing me a quick smile, "Ah, a little bit of everything. Mainly photography and...film? And....yeah."

Cause that wasn't the vaguest response I've ever heard.

I nodded slowly, "Oh, okay. Cool."

He chuckled, "Yeah. So you just getting off?"

I snorted to myself, "Something like that. It's actually my day off but I came to play with the animals anyway."

"Ah," he smiled, looking towards the door to my own building, "You're at the pet adoption place?"

I nodded, "Yeah. Sometimes I have to force myself to go home, you know?"

He laughed loudly, "Yeah, I understand. On your way home?"

I sighed, "I guess. I was gonna stop somewhere for food first, but I have no idea what's open now."

Matt grinned just then, "There's a place I go to all the time that's still open, wanna follow me there?"

The idea sounded appealing enough to me. I wouldn't have to go anywhere alone this late at night, and if any problems arose, I would have Matt there with me. No one in their right fucking mind would mess with someone of his build, it'd be suicide. He seemed to have good taste in food, too, so I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with my meal.

I nodded, "Sounds like a plan. Lead the way."

I watched as Matt jogged down to his own vehicle a few spaces away, climbing into a dark Range Rover. I waited until he backed out his space before following suit and trailing him down the dark roads. The drive wasn't far, nor did it take that long, and within a few minutes, I pulled in beside him at a small building.

"What's this place?" I asked quietly, running a hand through my windblown hair as I met up with Matt in front of his car.

With a small smile, he directed me towards the door, "Tamera's. They serve all sorts of stuff here."

I nodded, biting my lips as I felt his fingertips graze the small of my back ever so gently. He directed me towards the back of the restaurant, towards a cozy looking booth in the corner. We seated ourselves, and a server was immediately at our assistance.

"What can I get for you two?" she smiled brightly, eyes clearly lingering on Matt for longer than was necessary.

I stifled a laugh as Matt ordered, "I'll take a water."

She smiled at him, "A water? Are you sure you don't want anything else? Maybe a beer, or soda, or...?"

Matt turned his gaze from his menu to me, "Just a water. Brittany?"

I noticed the scowl on the girl's face as she turned to me with a disgruntled expression, "And you?"

I cocked an eyebrow and sat up straight, fixing the girl with an intimidating stare, "Sweet tea, thank you."

Holding my stare, I handed back the drink menus we'd been given, placing them rather roughly in her hands. With a brilliant smile, I turned from her dismissively, watching out the corner of my eye as she huffed and walked off.

"You'd better hope she doesn't spit in your drink." Matt chuckled with a shake of his head.

I rolled my eyes, "She'd better hope I don't haul off and smack the shit out of her, looking at me like she's got a damn problem."

This had Matt laughing hysterically for some reason. I honestly wasn't trying to be funny, I was dead serious. I hadn't been to my anger management class since Tyler and I had broken up, and in my emotional state, I was bound to snap one day if I was provoked.

At that realization I made a mental note to not miss my next session.

"You know how girls are, they're catty."

"Oh, I know how girls are. And I know how I am, so she best be able to back her shit up. Grumpy ass clearly thinks I'm your girlfriend or something and is jealous for no reason. What's with that?"

"Typical female reaction," he smiled in amusement.

"Very typical." I agreed with a roll of my eyes, just as the girl with our drinks came back.

"So, what've you been up to lately? It's been a while since you've been around." Matt said, eyeing his menu with scrutiny.

I shrugged, "The usual. Work."

He chuckled, "I understand that perfectly. I'm constantly called on business trips and meetings. I'm all over the place sometimes."

I nodded, "Gotta pay the bills."

"Gotta pay the bills." he agreed with a small laugh, leaning back in his seat as the waitress came back.

"Here you go," she smiled cheerily, setting Matt's water in front of him with a grin, before turning to me, less enthusiastic, "Here."

"Mmhmm," I eyed her carefully, turning to examine my drink. I was gonna end up getting her ass by the time we left here, that much was for sure.

Matt nodded at her before turning to face me, "You know what you wanna order?"

I shrugged, "I haven't really looked. I'll have whatever you're having."

He smirked, "You trust me?"

"I trust you," I nodded with a laugh, taking in the look of anger on the waitress's face.

"Alright," he said, taking a lot at the menu, "I'll take a burger with everything on it, and the chili cheese fries. The lady will take....a bacon burger with cheese, chili, and barbeque sauce. And an order of fries, thanks." he finished, handing both our menus back to the waitress.

"Is there--"

"That's all, thank you." he answered, gazing down at his glass of water.

I giggled. The girl wasn't happy, that was for sure, "Good job."

"Ladies love me, what can I say?" he sighed dramatically with a smile, "Can't take 'em all home, now can I?"

We didn't spend much longer there. Our food was brought to us relatively quickly, and while Matt tried to get rid of the desperate waitress, I dug into my food. The burger he'd ordered me was absolutely amazing. One of the best I'd ever had. I ate some of my fries before reaching across the table and digging into Matt's chili cheese ones, noting that he was still trying to cut off the small talk that she was trying to engage the two of them in.

Just as I got ready to put another handful of Matt's fries in my mouth, he looked over at me out of the corner of his eye with an unpleasant glance. Giggling, I watched as he inched himself closer to the wall of the booth, further away from the girl. I nearly choked when I felt a rather sharp kick to my shin from under the table. Stifling a laugh, I did my best to put on a serious face as I butted into the conversation.

"Baby, you haven't even started on your food and I'm almost done!" I exclaimed, feigning surprise as I gained his attention, "I thought you wanted to get home within the next ten minutes or so? Remember, I was gonna show you that...um, well, y'know..." I then feigned embarrassment, biting my lip as I obviously tried to convey something I didn't want the girl to know about.

"Oh," Matt suddenly smirked in my direction, turning his body completely to me, "Yeah, I guess we should wrap this up then, huh? I'll eat fast, don't worry, babe."

With that, he begun shoveling food in his mouth, forcing the waitress to find something else to do. I snickered as I watched her slam her notepad down on a table on the other side of the room. Matt grinned, cheeks protruding at the sides from all of the food that filled his mouth.

I shook my head, "I'll fix her trifling ass. She's getting a shitty tip," I grumbled, eyeing her momentarily to see that she was glaring in my direction. I cocked an eyebrow at her, and she straightened up once she saw the challenge in my eyes from across the room.

"Why don't we just not tip her at all?" Matt chuckled, reaching across the table and stealing a few gulps of my tea, "Wouldn't that get the message across?"

"For most people, it would," I nodded in agreement, "However, judging by the clueless act she put up when you kept trying to get rid of her, I'd say she needs a less subtle reminder of how shitty her customer service skills are."

"I see," Matt cracked a grin, shaking his head, "And how will this be done?"

I simply smiled at him, digging through my purse and dropping some coins on the table.

Matt took one look at the coins on the table and laughed loudly, "Two cents, Brittany? Really?"

I eyed him warily and huffed, going back into my purse, "Fine. Indirectly insinuating that she's a two-cent whore is a little uncalled for."

He snickered, "I'd agree."

"Mmhmm. So I'll just add these," I shrugged, tossing two dimes and a nickle onto the table as well, "Let her ass try me. I'm not the one, trifling, uncouth bitch." I muttered the last part to myself with a roll of my eyes.

"You're not one for other females, are you?"

"They're just so fucking melodramatic and catty," I screwed up my nose, causing Matt to laugh.

"And what you did wasn't melodramatic and catty?" he raised an eyebrow as he teased me.

"Hey, you fight fire with fire, and I haven't been to my anger management classes in a few weeks."

This seemed to catch his attention as he finished his food, "Anger management? You?"

I shrugged, "Sure. I'm easily aggravated by most things people do."

He chuckled, "Sweetheart, I'm sure you couldn't hurt a fly!"

"Believe what you want," I chuckled as well, tossing my shoulders up in another shrug, "I'm sure it won't take long to prove my point. It never does."

He shook his head and stood, tossing a twenty on our table that covered our meal before motioning for me to lead the way out. I stepped out of the booth and began walking, nearly yelping as a warm hand lightly touched the small of my back. I relaxed some as I realized it belonged to Matt, though I fought hard to watch my emotions. A gesture as simple as this was something I hadn't had in so long, yet I'd craved such attention for quite some time.

The waitress continued to watch us out the corner of her eye as we passed her, and she didn't bother with saying a word to us. But that was okay. As soon as we were next to the door, she was already back at our table, frowning at the tip we'd left her. I could hear her huff and stomp her foot all the way from outside the diner as we both made our way back to our respective vehicles.

"You on your way home?" I asked, and Matt shrugged.

"I guess so," he answered, sticking his hands in his pockets as he walked me over to my car.

I was thankful for that. It was late out, and as peaceful as Huntington seemed, every town had its share of creeps. As I unlocked the car, he opened my door for me and held it as I got in, settling in the driver's seat and cutting the car on, "You guess so?" I cocked an eyebrow, wondering what that meant.

Again, he shrugged, "Yeah. The night's still young for me, so I'll probably find something to do with the guys. Are you heading home?"

I nodded, "Yeah. I have tomorrow off as well so I might as well enjoy it. Work can get overwhelming at times, so I probably should rest up before I go back."

He nodded in agreement, "That sounds like a smart idea. Be safe, alright?"

I smiled at his concern, "I will, Matt. Thanks for dinner, by the way."

His smile mirrored mine just then, "You're very welcome. I'll see you later."

With that, he jogged over to his own vehicle and got in, the headlights flashing and the engine roaring to life a second later. I waved at him as I threw the car into gear, Matt's headlights falling behind in the dark streets as I drove in the direction of Lyndsey's place.

As soon as I got home, I hurried up the front steps and went inside. I heard the TV on in the living room, and smiled lightly when I saw Brian sitting on the couch, eyes glued to the large screen. I set my things down in the corner and waved at him before making my way upstairs.

"Lynds?" I called, padding through the hallway to Lyndsey's room, "You in here?"

"Yup!" I heard her muffled voice through the door.

Stepping forward, I pushed open the door and walked inside, laughing as I saw the mound of colorful clothing on top of her bed. I'd just been in here this morning, and the room had been spotless. Shaking my head, I joined Lyndsey as she stood in front of her closet, scrutinizing the contents inside.

"Having trouble?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I looked at all the empty hangers.

Lyndsey nodded, "You have no idea."

"You going somewhere?" I asked curiously, and she nodded, "Want some help?"

"I'd fucking love some help!" she sighed in exasperation, causing me to giggle.

"Okay, where are y'all going?"

"Dinner and a movie. Though I don't know how, seeing as it's late and most things around here are closed. But he said he has everything planned out, and I'm just gonna go with it, but I just don't know what I'm gonna wear. I mean, what if what I wear isn't good enough, and then he--," she began, a hint of nervousness in her tone.

I snorted, "You've already fucked the guy, yet you're nervous about a movie date? Really? C'mon, Lynds, that's--"

"Are you gonna help me out or not!" she whined with a stomped of her foot. I snickered, backing away from the closet and digging through the pile of clothes sprawled about on the floor. I spotted a flowy top with a nice print and grabbed it, before grabbing a pair of denim skinny jeans.

Throwing the clothes at her, I then began looking for shoes, "Strip and put those on."

I narrowed down the shoe options that would work well with her outfit. I then decided to get rid of the choices that seemed a little too dressy or casual for the occasion. I figured that she didn't need to be all done up if they were going for a movie, but knowing Brian's style, he'd probably take her somewhere nice for dinner. I finally decided on a pair of nude cork wedges, figuring it would pull off the dressy, yet somewhat casual look we were going for.

"How do you fucking do it?" Lyndsey shook her head at me as I handed her the shoes, "Do you know how long I've been up here trying to figure this shit out?"

I giggled, "You've got your emotions in it, Lynds. Looking at things objectively makes it easier to think straight."

With that, I shooed her into the bathroom across the hall so that she could finish getting ready. The only thing she really had to worry about now was her hair and makeup, and I knew she could easily do that on her own.

I then excused myself and went to my room, changing once inside. I found a pair of shorts and a tank top to wear before pulling on a long pair of socks. I threw my hair up into a ponytail and grabbed a small blanket, heading downstairs to the living room. I smiled, seeing Brian sprawled across the couch in the same spot where I'd last seen him.

Hearing me come in, Brian turned and flashed me a quick smile, "Hey, Britt. She ready yet?"

I shook my head, "Not quite, but almost. Give her a couple more minutes and she should be down."

He nodded, "Alright, that's cool. So I hear you and Matt were out tonight?"

"Yeah, I followed him to this diner after work," I rolled my eyes, "He happens to work next to my building, so I ran into him on my way out."

Again, he nodded, "Where'd you go?"

"Tamera's," I answered with a yawn, "The food was pretty good. The waitress was a bitch though."

She frowned, "What for?"

"Cause she thought Matt was cute and that I was his girlfriend," I rolled my eyes, "So she did the mature thing by flirting with him the entire time."

Brian laughed loudly, "He gets that a lot, Britt, don't pay it any attention."

I shrugged, "I didn't really care about her attempt at flirting, but the fact that she was rude is what annoyed me."

He grinned, looking back at the TV, "I heard about that, too."

"Well, news just travels quick around here, doesn't it?" I stated sarcastically, placing a hand on my hip.

Brian smirked proudly, "It does in this group."

Just then, Lyndsey rounded the corner, and Brian's eyes were immediately glued to her. She looked great, the outfit I'd chosen for her catching every ounce of Brian's attention. I watched as he hurriedly stood up and walked over to her, pulling her into his arms and planting a kiss on her lips. I smiled and turned back to the TV, giving them some space as they exchanged a few words.

I was happy for my best friend, I really was. Brian seemed like such a nice guy, and the fact that he completely adored her made it even better. He was willing to spend time with her and take her places just because he wanted to. I was glad she'd found someone who was worth every ounce of her time.

But I couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy when I looked at them. They were everything that I once was a part of. Memories of the good days plagued my mind for the rest of night, starting the very second they'd left.