If Only Tonight

Blurry Dividing Lines:
Chapter Forty: Tug Of War

Hearing the ringing in her pocket, Mia sighed. It could only mean one person. Stacie...

Sitting at her desk, Mia saved the file she had been working on. Pulling out her phone, Mia answered the call.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Came the shriek, stunning Mia, before she could say anything.

"You have five seconds to tell me why you wanted me to set you up, when you already were going out with him."

"Hello to you too." Mia muttered.

"No. not hello to you too. Tell me what the hell you've been up to!" Stacie sounded unhappy with her.

"What are you talking about?" Mia asked, running a hand through her hair, she had no idea what her friend was going on about.

"How do you not know? Did you not see my email?" Stacie asked her.

"No...I've been busy with work since I came in this morning." Mia told her pointedly.

"Okay, well open it."

"Fine. Give me a minute to login to my email." Mia sighed, knowing it was the fastest way to deal with Stacie.

Putting her cell on the desk, Mia typed in her email and password. Sure enough there was an email from Stacie. Once she had clicked it open, Mia saw that there was only a link in it. Clicking on it, Mia's jaw nearly dropped as she saw the page that opened.

'Rossi debuts new girl friend at cancer benefit, insists they are just friends.' Was the headline, the article went on in depth about Matthew's past relationships and about her being some mysterious girlfriend. There were a few pictures of both of them. One included a caption asking the viewers if perhaps she was the one? Mia looked at the top corner. The story had come from the Daily Mail.

"You've got to be kidding me." Mia muttered, as she picked up the phone.

"So...is it true?" Stacie asked, impatiently.

"No!" Mia replied, shocked.

"Are you serious?" Stacie asked in disbelief.

"Yes! I would have told you if it was true. We're not going out."

"Aww..." Stacie sounded disappointed.

"What aww?" Mia said, trying to guise her own minute disappointment.

"You two are so cute together. Come on, you have to admit that." Stacie told her.

Looking closely at the pictures, Mia could see what she meant. Matthew looked perfect beside her. In the picture for the article, Matthew's arm was around her, Mia couldn't even remember that. It was odd...but they looked right together.

"Nah...we're not each other's types." Mia said, bookmarking the page and closing the tab in her internet browser.

"Really? Who said?" Stacie asked, sounding puzzled.

"He did." Mia admitted, feeling the sting once more. She had hoped that would go away, now that a few days had passed.

"What did King Cold say?"

"Nothing. Just that he implied his type are models and the like."

"Aww, poor Mia."

"No, not poor Mia. That suits me just fine." Mia said trying to convince them both.

"So you still want me to set you up?" Stacie asked.

Shaking her head. Mia gave it a minute's thought.

"As much as I don't want you to...sure why not...it might get me out for once." She conceded.

"Alright!" She heard Stacie rejoice on the other end of the phone.

What have I gotten myself in to? Mia wondered.

-----

The week had not been going well for Matthew. The days had been going by slowly, and to top it off he was busy playing interference with Nathaniel. Since the younger player had given him the heads up that Mia would be going on a date a few nights ago. Matthew had been able to intercept the guy, with Nathaniel's help. The two of them looking menacing, they had managed to convince him to stay silent and far away from Mia.

That had meant the two of them had walked in to the apartment only to find Mia pulling her jacket over a pair of jeans and a blue frock. She looks...Matthew stopped himself from thinking any further.

"Where are you off to?" Nathaniel had asked, once she had greeted them.

"Coffee shop." She had told them, as she checked her pockets for her phone.

"You don't drink coffee." Matthew had said, watching as she looked up in surprise.

"Yea, and it's late." Nathaniel had piped up.

"I know, but you can drink hot chocolate any time. I'm going to meet up with a friend. And, it's not that late, Father!" She said with a small smile.

Before Matthew or Nathaniel could have said anything to convince her not to go, her phone beeped.

Watching as she looked at the screen, Matthew saw her face fall. What am I doing to her! He thought, remorsefully. If Oliver was had been there, he would not have been happy with Matthew. Pushing the guilt aside, he saw her shove the phone back in to her pocket, and start to pull off her jacket.

"What's wrong?" Nathaniel asked before he could open his mouth.

"My plans have been canceled." She told them, looking rather upset.

"Sorry to hear that." Nathaniel said, giving Matthew a You-idiot-say-something-to-her look. He had tried to think of something on the spot.

"Why don't you come with us? We can go watch a movie or something." Matthew offered, not entirely sure how it would help him keep his feelings at bay. All he had known at the time was that she was hurt, and needed company. When she agreed, he couldn't stop himself from feeling elated.

The day after that Matthew had walked in to another guy just about to knock on their shared apartment door. Before the guy could say anything, Matthew pulled out his keys. The unsuspecting guy, did a shocked double take.

"Are you looking for someone?" Matthew had asked, trying to keep a level tone and blank look on his face.

"I think I have the wrong address." The light brown haired boy said, before quickly walking away.

Reflecting on his last attempt, Matthew knew he had to step up his interference. She had gone out to lunch with some 'friends' over the last few days, and since he had practice; Matthew hadn't been able to get rid of them. I bet her friend is the one setting her up...he thought miserably.

He had, decidedly, changed his tact. With Lina and Leon still on vacation for another week, Matthew had decided to stay at the apartment...all the while keeping an eye on Mia. Roaming around the large house without his family was quite lonely...something he wasn't used to since moving to the country. He had always been around Oliver and Nathaniel, or had Lina and Leon at home.

Sitting on the couch, he rehearsed what he would say to Mia. She was bound to ask, since he was encroaching on her alone time.

-----

At a loss to understand what was going on around her, Mia packed up her things with the last few nights on her mind. Stacie had set her up with two guys, who seemed fine when they went out to lunch, but when it came to dinner...both guys had stood her up. It was odd. She just didn't get the disappearance act.

The strange part was that even Stacie was in the dark about it. She had no better an explanation than Mia.

"You know what, Mia? Just forget those jerks. I'll find someone else. I just don't get it..." She had said sounding truly puzzled.

Locking the door of her office, Mia walked down the hallways leading to her apartment. With her dates mysteriously disappearing, Mia had been hanging out with Nathaniel and Matthew. Part of her suspected that Matthew was being nice to make up for the cancer society dinner.

Unlocking the door to her apartment, Mia heard the television before seeing Matthew seated on the large couch, eating.

"Hey." She greeted him.

"Hey." He said looking at her as she put her bag in front of the closet.

Taking off her shoes, Mia glanced over at him quickly before returning to take off her jacket.

"Is there a match I don't know about?" Mia asked, as she racked her brain for any up coming matches.

"Nope." He answered.

"Hmm..." She thought to herself. Why would he be here if there wasn't any team event?

"Wondering what I'm doing here?" He asked her.

Trying to mask the accuracy of his question, Mia turned to see him, hoping that her expression was blank.

"No...you still share the apartment."

"Really?" He asked, looking smug.

"It may have crossed my mind..." Mia admitted.

"Lina and Leon are on vacation for another week...and it's too quiet at home, so I decided to stay here. Nathaniel and I are going to go out tonight, so you'll have peace and quiet." He told her, a smirk on his face.

"Ha...ha...like it's peace and quiet that I worry about." Mia muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Matthew asked.

"Nothing. I'm not going to be here tonight anyway." Mia said quickly, covering up her previous comment.

"Where are you going, then?" He asked her, as she walked over to the kitchen sink to wash her hands.

"I have a dinner..." Mia answered evasively.

"Cool...so it would be pointless if Nathaniel and I invited you to come with us?"

"I guess so." Mia said, thinking how she would much rather go out with the guys than to a dinner with some guy Stacie had set her up with.

Walking over to the couch, Mia saw what Matthew was eating. Ketchup chips...more precisely...her ketchup chips.

"Move over." She told him, catching his eye.

As he did, she sat down beside him. Handing her the bag of chips, he smirked.

"What?" Mia asked with confusion.

"Sorry, I stole you're food." He told her with a grin.

Shoving him lightly, Mia shook her head and smiled.

"You owe me." She told him, jokingly.

Settling down, she watched what was on the TV. Apparently, Matthew had decided to watch a re-runs of Two & A Half Men. Sharing the chips, Mia made herself comfortable.

As the commercials came on, Matthew turned to her.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready?" He asked, curiosity in his voice.

"Nah, I'm thinking these clothes will work. Besides it's not like I'm going to a club or something. Maybe I'll go to Nando's or Wagamama's or something." She answered, shrugging.

Having dressed in black pants, and black v-neck frock, Mia didn't have any plans to change. She would probably just redo her eyeliner and put on some lip gloss before leaving.

"What time are you going out, anyway?" He asked her.

"Eight. You?"

"Same."

They sat quietly, eating the chips together. Mia snuck a peak from the corner of her eye. It was still hard to believe that the two of them were sitting on the same sofa, let alone the same room, when this time last season; Matthew had been driving her crazy with his mind games.

Yet the closer she looked at him, the more it felt right. It was like this moment was meant to be. That he belonged on the couch next to her. He wasn't just some prized footballer, or her favorite player in the league. Here it felt as though it should have been something else...together, they were something else...

Mia stopped herself, before she could think any further. She returned her attention to the show.

…..

Leaning on to one of the arm rests on the couch, Matthew looked over at Mia. She was completely immersed in the show.

Something about the moment caught him off guard. There they were, just the two of them, sitting on the couch watching TV and relaxing. Yet it felt normal. It felt right. In that moment, he could picture himself with her leaning her head on his shoulder, while his arm wrapped around her...and in that moment, for the first time Matthew found himself wanting that ...exactly that.

'If I pictured anyone with you, it would be a girl like her.' He could hear the reporter's voice.

The problem was...that he could too.

Unable to shake the thoughts away, Matthew got up abruptly.

"Do you want anything to drink?" He asked, as he walked over to the fridge and opened it.

"Water, please!" She replied.

Grabbing a bottle of water, and a Coke for himself, Matthew returned. Hoping that the cold drink would keep him from thinking any more about her, he sat down and handed the water to her.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was almost eight. What do I do? He wondered. How was he going to stop her this time?

Putting his bottle of Coke on the coffee table, Matthew got up.

"I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm going to go check if Nathaniel's ready." He said, excusing himself. I'm an idiot! He thought...Nathaniel had no idea they were going anywhere tonight...especially since Matthew knew the younger football player was going out on a date tonight.

Closing the door of the apartment behind him, Matthew crossed his arms behind his head and paced across the hallway and back.

What was he going to do this time? He thought, as he walked. She was going to suspect him if he kept this up...but how else was he going to keep those guys from stealing her heart?

Not knowing where to turn, Matthew walked to the stairwell and ran up the stairs. It wasn't long before he found himself knocking at the door of the only person who could help him.

"What's up, Matt?" Nathaniel asked.

Matthew blurted out the first idea that came to his head.

"I need you to get rid of the guy Mia's going out with tonight."

"What?" Asked Nathaniel, looking both shocked and amused.

"I need you to go downstairs and keep the guy from taking Mia out." He said carefully.

"Matt...I have to go in a little while to pick up Blair for our date. You remember...the girl from the cancer dinner..."

"I know...but if you come quick it'll only take a few minutes." Leaning against the door way, he was surprised how much he was willing to do, including pleading with Nathaniel, to keep Mia for himself.

"Okay, fine...but Mia better not find out about this." Nathaniel agreed, a little hesitantly.

"She won't...besides you were more than happy to play interference last time." Matthew sniped, as they walked down the hall towards the stairs.

"Yea well...if Oliver finds out...he'll be a little more than ticked with us." Nathaniel said.

"Oliver's not going to find out." Matthew told him.

Silently, they started walking down the stairs. It was then that Matthew saw him...the blonde haired guy walking in the direction of his apartment.

"Here take my keys, and make it look like you are living in my apartment. Then ask the guy if he's looking for some one and glare at him."

Matthew shoved his keys in to the younger boy's hands.

"What? No! That's not going to work!" Nathaniel exclaimed.

"It did last time. Just go!" Matthew said, shoving Nathaniel in front of him.

"Urgh, okay...fine. Stop pushing me!" Nathaniel hissed at Matthew.

Matthew stalled on the last few steps, watching as Nathaniel made his way to their door. Holding his breath, he watched as Nathaniel got there only seconds before the blonde male was about to knock on the apartment door. Excusing himself, and pulling Matthew's keys from his pocket, Nathaniel was about to put them in the lock when he turned to the blonde haired man.

"Are you looking for someone?" He asked, sounding a little annoyed.

A small smile crept on to Matthew's face. Nathaniel sure knew how to play the part of the stereotypical diva footballer.

The guy standing beside him looked awestruck.

"Well, no...I mean y-yes." He stammered.

"Can I help you?" Nathaniel asked, sounding as though his time was being wasted. What are you doing? Matthew panicked upon hearing this.

"I was looking for a girl-" But before the visitor could say anymore, Nathaniel interrupted.

"Look, this is the men's dormitory. If you're looking for a girl, she'll be in the women's dormitory. East wing." Nathaniel said, rudely.

The new comer took one look at Nathaniel cold expression and left. Matthew watched from the stair case as the man walked out of the building towards the parking lot.

As Nathaniel headed towards Matthew, he looked a little amused.

"Don't ever make me do that again." He told the older player.

"But you were so good at it."

"Yea...but I feel horrible for doing that..." Nathaniel said, handing over Matthew's keys.

"Well if you didn't...then I would have to..." Matthew muttered.

"You're the natural at being cold, Matt. I like being nice." Nathaniel said, with a grin.

"Yea, yea...thanks..."

"You're welcome. Anyways, I have to go out."

"Alright...but if Mia asks...just say you ditched me for Blair." Matthew told him, before walking towards his apartment.

"Sure...whatever. I don't want to know what you told her." Nathaniel snickered, running up towards his room.

Taking a few moments, Matthew arranged his features so that he looked unhappy. Checking himself in the reflection of his phone, he decided he looked dejected enough to enter.

-----

Thinking she heard noises outside the door, Mia had gotten up. At that moment the phone in the apartment rang.

"Hello?" Mia answered.

"Hi, are you interested in a cheap long distance calling plan? We have the lowest rates compared to any other company."

Mia bit back any rude reply she had in mind. Telemarketers were her least favorite people to deal with.

"I'm not interested." She told the man on the other end.

"Our rates are the best. We have 0.5 cents per minute call to the States..."

I don't call the States, Mia shook her head, annoyed that the man kept going on and on.

"Look, I'm sorry but I really don't need a long distance package. I already have one." Mia told him, trying to get off the phone as fast as she could.

"Are you sure they are giving you the best price?" He asked her.

"Yes!" She told him, exasperatedly. "Look, I'm sorry but I'm not interested in switching. So thank you and good bye."

As Mia put down the phone, she heard her cell phone ring. It was in her jacket. Walking over to the closet, Mia opened it and pulled the phone from her pocket.

Turning her phone to see the screen, Mia saw that there was one new text message waiting for her. It was from Greg, her date that night. Disappointment settled over her. This had happened too many times before, Mia had almost come to expect this, and here she was facing it once again.

Breathing out loudly, Mia clicked to open the message.

Sure enough, her suspicions were confirmed.

'Sorry...maybe some other time.'

What the hell? Mia thought. It was hard to believe that each of her dinner dates had turned out the same way since Jeremy. Stacie sure knows how to pick these guys, Mia thought feeling upset. Deciding against calling Greg, Mia walked back to the couch.

Falling back on to the sofa, Mia threw the phone beside her. Great...just great, now I'm stuck on my own tonight, she thought miserably.

As she picked up the remote, she heard the door unlock. Looking up, she saw a rather rejected looking Matthew walk in.

"I thought you were heading out?" She asked him.

"So were you." He said, a questioning look in his eyes as he sat down on the other end of the same couch. Picking up her phone, he handed it to her.

Mia took it from him, avoiding eye contact.

"Change of plans." She told him, vaguely.

"You're not the only one." Matthew muttered.

"What happened to yours?" She asked, curiously.

"Nathaniel decided to go on a last minute date with the girl he met last week."

"Who? Blair?" Mia asked, she had heard Nathaniel talk about her a few times when they went to the gym. She hadn't known he had liked her more than he let on.

"Yea."

Sitting there with him so close, Mia could felt herself feel better. It may have been disappointing to be stood up once again, but at least she wouldn't be alone.

Quietly, they sat staring at one another.

"So...what do you want to do?" Matthew asked, being the first to break the silence.

"I don't know...you?" Mia asked in return.

"I'm starved."

It was then that Mia realized that she was quite hungry.

"What do you want to eat?" She asked, not wanting to go out anymore.

"Want to order pizza?" He asked her.

"Sure. What toppings?"

"Chicken." They said at the same time.

"Okay. I'll call." He told her.

Sitting there, Mia flipped through the channels while Matthew told the pizza place what they wanted. It was strange to be alone together. There was no Oliver or Nathaniel to watch over them.

As he sat down beside her, Mia glanced at him. There was something about him, and there was no way to explain the hold he had on her.

"Anything good on?" He asked her.

"Oh...The Vampire Diaries is coming on in a few minutes! You don't mind do you?" She asked, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed about her favorite shows. There were only a few shows she had to watch, and that was one of them.

"Not at all...my cousin Lina is obsessed with that show." He told her, a huge grin on his face.

She's not the only one, Mia thought to herself.

"Who's your favorite character?" Matthew asked her.

Surprised that he would ask her anything, Mia tried to mask the look on her face.

"Lina loves Stefan, the vampire guy." He told her. He must have seen the uncomfortable grimace on her face.

"My favorite is Damon." She said quietly, Mia could feel her cheeks heat up from his intense gaze.

"Really? I would never have guessed." He said, with a short laugh.

Puzzled, Mia looked over at him.

"What? Why?" She asked a little unnerved. He was silent at this. Mia could see he was trying to figure out what to say.

"Well...isn't Damon the evil one?" He asked.

"Yea...so?" She shrugged.

"It's just that he's bad...and you're not." He told her. "I would have thought you would pick the nice one."

"Just because you think I'm good?" She asked, curiously. This was turning in to an interesting conversation.

"Well, yea...no offense."

"None taken." She replied.

Mia found his statement amusing. She may have been good, but she had quite often found herself associating with the villains of her favorite shows. There was something about the bad guy that she found appealing. Of course the same could be said about her liking Matthew. Had he not treated her horribly? Yet instead of running the other way from him, here she was sitting on a couch waiting for pizza and talking to him about one of her favorite shows.

"So, why do you like him?" Matthew asked.

"I guess...because he's forbidden. He's this guy with a dark past and I guess maybe I feel like I relate to it." She answered. Of course...it doesn't hurt that he's good looking, her mind trailed off.

Before Matthew could quiz her any more, the show started.

'Previously on The Vampire Diaries...' Came a voice.

Both Mia and Matthew turned their attention to the television.

-----

This was becoming an interesting evening, Matthew thought. Who would have guessed that he would learn a thing or two about Mia?

Her liking Damon was quite interesting...He would never have even thought she would pick him. It gave Matthew hope. There was a chance she could like him...It's always the good ones that fall for the bad guys, Matthew thought, grinning.

Taking a short peak at Mia, he could see she was immersed in the show. On screen the two brothers were fighting against another vampire who wouldn't die.

It was during the commercial that their pizza finally arrived. Mia paused the TV, as they got up. Reaching the door before her, Matthew gave her a questioning look.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." He told her. Matthew saw the look on her face. She was about to argue.

"Seriously Mia...consider it my treat." Matthew tried to dissuade her.

She sighed, shaking her head.

"Alright...fine...but don't say I didn't offer."

"I won't." He said smugly.

As Mia went to get plates and drinks, Matthew opened the door to see the delivery man standing there. Taking the food and paying him, Matthew closed the door and headed back to the couch.

Once they had settled down, Mia un-paused the TV.

It was funny to watch how involved Mia was as she watched the story continue, Matthew thought. She would tense up as soon as something went wrong, and her slice of pizza would go untouched until the matter was resolved.

As the show neared its end, Matthew watched Mia. On screen Damon was telling Elena that he loved her, all the while holding her locket. He watched as Mia's eyes got watery. She's so adorable, he thought, remembering the time they had watched 'Australia' together. As Damon erased Elena's memory, a solitary tear rolled down Mia's cheek. She quickly wiped it away, looking to see if he was watching.

With the show over, Mia turned off the television. They sat quietly on the couch, eating.

Not knowing how to start a conversation, and not wanting to poke fun at her tears; Matthew grasped at straws.

"So...how are you, Mia?" He asked, knowing full well how stupid he sounded.

She looked over at him, a smile on her lips, Mia shook her head.

"I'm fine...how are you, Matt?" She asked, laughing a little.

"Good...how's work?" He asked, trying hard.

"Good...you?"

"Wow...this is just painful." Matthew muttered, letting out an explosive breath.

They were quiet, but as soon as they looked at each other; both Mia and Matthew started to laugh.

"So...how's life?" Mia attempted, as their laughter subsided.

"Good...how about you?"

"Fine...I get what you mean by painful." Mia said, wincing.

"It doesn't have to be..." Matthew mumbled. Deciding to try a different line of questions, he tried to start a conversation once more.

"So what's with the fifty first dates?" He asked her, trying to sound indifferent.

She looked uncomfortable to be asked such a question. Squirming in her seat, Matthew heard her breathe deeply.

"It was a really stupid idea. Stacie decided to set me up and I agreed since the other option was her creating a profile for me online." She sighed.

Matthew almost choked on his food.

"Website? As in dating sites?"

"Yea..."

"I can't wait to hear your explanation." He muttered, his heart beating wildly. Please don't let her hear, he pleaded. He didn't know how he would be able to keep her away from those guys if her friend posted her profile on the net.

Mia looked at him closely, as though deeming whether or not he was worthy of the information. Another look crossed her face, it seemed he may have passed the test.

"Stacie thinks I'm socially awkward. She's not wrong...I mean I spend most of my time at work, or here. So she has this weird idea to try and turn me in to this social butterfly."

"So why don't you just tell her to stop?" Matthew asked, knowing that it was probably harder than saying it.

"It's not like I don't...I do. She's just very adamant about it. Besides she's my oldest friend. I think she thinks I'm lonely since she's gone."

"Are you?" He watched her closely.

Looking up at him, she shrugged.

"Not really, but there are days that I wish she was here. We got through university together. It's like you, Oliver, and Nathaniel." She pointed out.

That was true, he thought. He had gotten through a his early years at the clubs with Oliver, and then Nathaniel at his side.

"I just didn't think this dating thing would end up this way..." She muttered.

"How about you? How's taking a break from the dating world suiting you?" She asked, looking at him, a mischievous glint in her emerald eyes.

"Still on break. I haven't really decided on a return yet." He told her. Truthfully, he had been more occupied preventing her dates from happening to be concerned about his own dating life. Not that he was about to tell her. What a conversation piece that would be! Guess what Mia, your dates don't show up because I scare them off...he hoped that would never be revealed.

"Maybe I should join you. Taking a break seems much more appealing right now."

He could see she was hurt by the way things had been going. The disappointment in her voice was subtle, but he caught it.

"I'm sure you'll find the right guy, Mia. It'll happen when the time's right." He tried to reassure her, even though it pained him to say it.

They were quiet. Matthew cleared his throat.

"So, I hear Calvin and Kyle are planning to kill James. I thought all you doctors were civilized...what's up with that?" He changed the subject, lightening the mood.

Mia laughed, upon hearing this.

"You have no idea! It's ridiculous." She started to tell him.

Here's to the beginning of a great friendship, Matthew found himself thinking as he listened to her. Her voice was so melodic. In that moment Matthew knew he could never tire of her...if only he could be with her...