Beautiful Mess

Lacey got totally caught up in moving out and making plans for her wedding, and I began seeing less and less of her. The last time she called she told me that when it was time for me to fulfill my duties as maid of honor, she would call me.

Other than the people I worked with, the person I saw the most was Matt. He still came in every Monday and bought those roses. This week was no different.

He walked through the door with his usual smile plastered on his face. "Hello, Lindsey. How are you today?"

"I'm lovely," I said, sarcastically. "Oh, the joys of working all day."

He laughed and gave me the money, and like always I gave him the flowers in return. I watched him, waiting for him to turn and leave like he always did, but today he just lingered at the counter. "Um...you wanna have lunch with me today? If you're not busy, of course."

I raised an eyebrow. "You really think you're girlfriend would approve of that?"

He chuckled. "She won't care. She knows I would never do anything bad to her."

I just looked at him for a while, still confused. "I guess it would be okay," I finally answered. "I haven't taken a day off in months, so I'm sure it'll be okay."

"Good," he said, grinning crookedly. "I'm gonna take Val her flowers, and I'll pick you up in an hour."

I nodded and watched him walked out the doors. Lisa was next to me in a flash. "Do you just get yourself a date with hot stuff there?"

I rolled my eyes and started walking to the back to ask my boss for the day off. "It's not a date."

"Keep telling yourself that, honey."

>>

The car ride to the restaurant was completely silent. Actually, neither of us said anything until we ordered our drinks. "So Val's really not going to mind this?" I asked.

"It's fine," he said with a laugh. "Look, I just asked you to lunch because you're my friend, not because I want to tae you home and sleep with you."

I felt my cheeks turn red. "Okay. I just don't want her to get mad."

"Nah, she won't. Me and Val have been best friends for a long time."

"I have to say, you guys are a pretty cute couple," I said. "Too cute, actually."

He smiled and looked down and that table. "Yeah, I get that a lot. Honestly, I was never the guy for public displays of affection until I started dating her."

Thankfully, the waiter brought our drinks and ended our conversation about Valary. We told him what we wanted to eat, and he rushed back to the kitchen. "Matt," I said, trying to get the nerve to ask the questions dancing around my mind, "why did you ask me to lunch today?"

He picked up his napkin and started picking around the edges. "I don't know. I know that's not a great answer, but it's the best I've got."

"Okay," I said with a nod. "What was with you dancing with me at the bar before you left?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I was upset, you were there...it just seemed right, in the moment."

I smiled. "Yeah. In the moment."