Accident Prone

I gripped onto the railing of the stairwell as I slipped on a stair and almost tumbled down. It wouldn't have been a good thing either. I was known as the accident prone of my group of friends, but only Matt was the one who didn't always make fun of me for it. I could understand the times that he would because I was just being stupid and not paying attention. I hated being the one who always got hurt, but everything I did to try and prevent it always tended to make the injury worse, so I stopped trying to prevent the accidents.

After making it down to the lower level of my house I walked into the kitchen and made myself a simple bowl of cereal for breakfast. I wasn't all that hungry to begin with. Once I was finished I washed my bowl and placed it in my dishwasher. That was another unattractive trait I had, being anal about cleanliness. That habit, however, I blame on my dad. He was the one who drilled it into me growing up that everything had a place and everything needed to be clean. It was unattractive at some times, but other times it made holding parties a little easier. I pulled my vibrating phone out of my pocket and smiled at the screen. I pressed the answer button as I brought it up to my ear.

"Hello," I answered.

"Hey, Kaylie, what are you up to today?" Matt's voice rang through the speaker.

"Nothing much. Why?" I asked.

"Wanna hang out today then?"

"Sure. My house or yours?"

"Mine," he replied.

"What time?"

"How about at eleven and then we can get a bite to eat," he said.

"Sounds good," I smiled.

I hung up and refrained from squealing in delight. I knew that it was bad to harbor feelings for him that he knew nothing about, but when he was so perfect it was hard not to. I don't even remember when the feelings started to grow from just friends to something more, but I wouldn't change it. The only thing I'd change was the fact that he doesn't know. I want him to know, but at the same time I'm afraid that he won't feel the same. It's an internal battle I hold every time that I hang out with him.

I walked into my living room and sat down on my couch after putting in a movie to watch. I still had a good three hours before I had to leave to go over to Matt's house. I had an idea on what we would be doing, but I was hoping that it might change. It's not that I minded playing video games with him or anything, but it's something that gets old really fast. I watched one of my favorite Disney movies only because I knew they were short, yet simple and sweet at the same time. The Little Mermaid was my favorite Disney Princess and has been since I was a little girl. Once the movie was over I went back into the kitchen and made the lunch that I knew Matt would love. I always made it when we ever hung out just the two of us.

None of the others liked it, so I knew Matt always enjoyed it every time. After I finished making the lunch and packing it into the usual cooler I used I walked up the stairs as carefully as possible. I went into my room and changed my shirt and re-brushed my hair. I walked down the stairs again, but this time without tripping. I felt very proud of myself at that accomplishment.

I grabbed the cooler and then walked into my garage and climbed into my car. I opened the garage door and pulled out of the garage. I then made my way towards Matt's house after everything was locked up. It wasn't long before I pulled into Matt's driveway. I parked my car and made sure my emergency brake was on before climbing out with the cooler in hand. I walked up to the front door and was just about to raise my fist to knock when it swung open.

"KAYLIE," Matt exclaimed.

I giggled. "Hi, Matt," I said.

I gave him a quick hug, not wanting to crush the lunch. I walked into his house and headed to the kitchen.

"You brought it didn't you," Matt said from behind me.

"You bet I did," I said.

"Sweet. You're the best cook ever," he said.

I laughed. "Matt, I'm the only one who ever cooks for you besides your mother," I said.

"Well, I like grilling more than cooking," he replied.

I shook my head at him as I unpacked the lunch. It wasn't anything fancy either. It wasn't like I really slaved over a hot stove to make it. It was just some toasted Panini sandwiches. They weren't that hard to make either. I grabbed some paper plates and loaded them up with the food.

"Living room or kitchen?"

He stared at me as if I was crazy. "Living room it is," I laughed.

He grinned showing his dimples and I literally felt my heart skip a few beats. I cleared my throat and grabbed the plates. Matt grabbed a couple of cans of soda and followed me into the living room. I bent over the coffee table and set the plates down. When I straightened up I bumped into Matt and almost fell face first into the table and plates full of food.

"Whoa there, Miss Accident Prone," he chuckled, grasping my elbow.

I shot him a playful glare before sitting down on the couch. I pulled my plate onto my lap and started eating my sandwich. We sat and ate our lunch as we caught up on our lives. Matt has been in the studio a lot lately with the others so hanging with him has been put on the backburner. I was glad that he had called this morning. I cleaned up our lunch stuff and walked the trash into the kitchen.

"So, what do you want to do now?" I asked walking back into the living room.

"Do you want to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3?" he asked.

I looked at him for a few minutes. No, I didn't really want to play the damn videogame, but I knew deep down that the game helped him relax at times. I looked into his hazel eyes and regretted it almost instantly. His damn puppy dog eyes always got me.

"Okay, sure, but go easy on me. You know I suck," I said.

He grinned at me and showed off his dimples for the second time that day. "Sure, but it's cool that you always manage to become accident prone in the game," he teased.

I glared at him again. "Watch it, mister," I said.

He chuckled. "Or what?"

"Or I just might kick your ass," I said.

He laughed. "I highly doubt that, Kaylie. You'd end up getting hurt before hurting me," he said.

"Are we going to play or what?" I asked picking up the controllers.

I knew that my tone was a bit colder than usual, but Matt was picking on the fact that I was accident prone a little too much today. I heard him sigh as I plopped down on the couch again. He took a controller from me.

"Kaylie, I'm sorry. I know it bothers you and I shouldn't pick on you for it so much," he apologized.

I sighed and looked at him. "It's cool. Just tone it down. You're the only one who doesn’t seem to do it as often as the others," I admitted.

"I'm sorry," he said again.

I nodded and bumped his shoulder with mine. "Come on let's play," I said.
He grinned and placed the game in the console and then picked everything out. I leaned back into the couch and we started playing.

****

"Oh come on," I yelled. Matt just chuckled at me. We had been playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare for over three hours now and of course Matt was kicking my ass at it. I may not like playing it every time that we hung out, but that didn't mean I never had fun. When he first asked me to play with him I was skeptical. Then I got into the game. I never realized at the time that screaming at a TV could be fun.

"Kaylie, you need to practice at this game," Matt teased.

I stuck my tongue out at him. He chuckled, but didn't take his eyes off the screen. After a few more hours of both of us playing I got tired of it and Matt started playing solo. I curled up on the couch and watched him. I must say he looked really cute, yet funny at the same time. His mouth was slightly open as if he was in a trance. In a sense, he was in a trance. He probably wouldn't notice if I left. I stood up from the couch and walked towards the bathroom. Once I was done I went back to the living room and sat back down on the couch. Matt hadn't moved a muscle. I found it funny.

Matt played for a few more hours until he finally put the game up. He leaned back into the couch and looked at me. He chuckled softly.

"What?" I mumbled.

"You're half asleep. You should just stay the night," he said casually.

I swallowed hard. I didn't realize that I was almost falling asleep. Matt always offered for me to stay the night, but I always declined because I was scared that I'd do something stupid. I lifted my head and looked at the time. It was nearly nine at night. We had spent the majority of the day playing the game. It was fun though. I blinked to try and get my eyes to open.

"No, it's okay. I'll just drive home," I said, sleepily.

I yawned as I sat up and placed my feet on the ground. I stood up and swayed a little. "Uh, I don't think so. You're going to stay the night in the guest room. There is no way I'm going to let you drive home half asleep," he said firmly.

I looked at him and nodded. "Okay," I mumbled. I didn't realize that I was so tired. He merrily smiled at me.

"Do you want help up the stairs?"

"No, I can walk," I said.

He nodded and followed me towards the stairs. I held onto the banister and started to climb. I stumbled a little, but Matt was there to steady me. I walked into the guest bedroom and Matt came in a few minutes later with a pair of ball shorts and a large T-shirt. He left and I changed my clothes. I lifted the shirt and inhaled the scent. Matt always smelled so clean with a slight muskiness to it. I loved it. I climbed into the bed and covered myself up before letting my eyes drift close.

"Goodnight, my accident prone friend," a soft masculine voice whispered.