Learn to Love the Ride

"So where's your girl?" Tom asked one night while the guys all hung out at a restaurant.

"My girl?" Matt asked, turning his phone over in his hand a couple of times.

"Camille!" Tom laughed. "Where is she? You two are attached at the hip lately."

"She had to help her mum out tonight," Matt replied. "And she's not my girl."

"Could've fooled us!" Oli laughed. "You two are always together, you act like you're dating."

"We don't," Matt laughed. "You're mental."

"You spend the night together all the time, you kiss her face all the time, you hold hands, you call each other 'baby' and all that shit," Oli replied. "You're thick if you think you two aren't meant to be together."

"We're friends," Matt shrugged. "Maybe more affectionate than most friends."

"Have you slept together?" Jona asked, sipping at his water.

"No," Matt laughed, shaking his head. "No."

"Do you want to?" Tom asked.

"Fuck yeah, I want to! Have you seen her?" Matt asked. "Curves in all the best places, the most gorgeous face with these beautiful green eyes, this brown hair that I just want to grab onto. And her body is incredible and I want nothing more than to put my hands all over her."

"Then why haven't you?" Oli asked.

"It just doesn't feel like something I should do," Matt replied. "I want to keep her in my life, I don't want to ruin it with sex. When you bring sex into it forces us to choose what we are a couple or just friends who fuck. Then eventually someone gains feelings and it gets messy. Why bother?"

"So you're dying is what you're saying?" Tom laughed.

"Yes," Matt sighed, throwing his head back. "I'm around this beautiful girl all day and I can't do nothing about it."

"We'll help you, mate." Tom laughed, giving Matt a slap on the back.

An hour later Matt was chatting up a pretty redheaded girl at the bar. She seemed nice enough and was sending all the signs back to Matt. When he asked her to leave with him a part of him felt guilty. He felt like he was betraying Camille.

"Wait," Matt sighed as they stumbled through the front door of his apartment.

"What?" The girl, Hilary, asked. "Are you okay?"

"This doesn't feel right," Matt stated.

"Right?" Hilary asked. "Matt, it's sex. Not marriage."

"It's just there's this girl," Matt sighed.

"You're with someone aren't you?" Hilary scoffed. "Why does this keep happening?"

"No! We're not together," Matt stated. "I just really like her."

"You feel like you're cheating on her," Hilary stated, nodding. "What's her name?"

"Camille," Matt replied, smiling.

"Love at first sight?" Hilary asked, leaning against the wall opposite Matt.

"Kind of," Matt nodded. "It was really more of I thought she was cute and wanted to hang out with her. She barely looked at me she was so nervous around me."

"She make you laugh?"

"All the time," Matt nodded. "She makes me so happy. She's my best friend and I kind of just want to be with her. All the time."

"What's stopping you?" Hilary asked.

"Her," Matt shrugged. "We're kind of opposites. She's really shy and conservative."

"I think you should just go for it," Hilary smiled. "You obviously really like this girl. If she makes you talk like that and smile like that, I think you should just do it, Matt. If she can't handle it, then it's just not your place."

"Thanks, Hilary." Matt smiled. "And I'm sorry about all of this."

"No, I get it." Hilary smiled. "Go get your girl, Matt. If it doesn't work out between you two, call me okay?"

"Okay," Matt laughed, following her out of his apartment. When they parted ways Matt ran. He ran as fast as he could to Camille's apartment. He bounded up the stairs and banged on her door.

She opened the door wearing one of his t-shirts he'd lent her and from what he could tell a small pair of bed shorts. Matt couldn't help himself any longer. He wrapped an arm around her waist and the other held onto her face as he kissed her forcefully.

"Matt!" She gasped, her body stiffening. "What are you-"

"Shut the fuck up and kiss me back," Matt ordered against her mouth. Camille eased into the kiss, her hands on his strong back. Matt kicked the door shut, lifted her up and carried her towards her bedroom.

"What are we doing?" Camille whispered between kisses.

"I have no idea," Matt smiled, dropping them on her bed.