If Only Tonight

Blurry Dividing Lines:
Chapter Forty Five: Glad You Came

"I don't want to move." Mia said, as she folded the pile of clothes in front of her. Matthew had brought a large cardboard box and put it beside her before going to his appointment for hydrotherapy.

It was the first time she had been left on her own; either Nathaniel, Matthew, and sometimes Oliver; were always around. Matthew had stayed overnight for the last few days, saying that until she moved he was going to stick around.

"Don't worry, at least you get to live with Matthew. You'll win him over yet!"

Mia had called Stacie to help take her mind of things, but it clearly wasn't working.

Having called her father to update him on her health, Mia had decided to ring up her best friend, hoping that the girl would indeed take her side. Mia had been disappointed once again.

The first disappointment had come when Matthew had told her to call her father. The blue eyed footballer looked nervous, as though his neck was on the line. Arguing with Matthew that she would call her parents if he had his leg checked out at the hospital, it had taken several bouts of name calling before things settled down.

"There is no way I'm going to have some crackpot doctor look at me." Matthew had argued.

"And what am I exactly?" Mia had shot back, offended.

"Not you! But those mediocre doctors." Matthew had explained, trying to lessen the blow.

"I'm right here with you. The doctor is going to tell you the same thing I will." She had retorted, not amused.

"Right. I think I'll just wait until your better." He had told her.

After agreeing to call her dad a few times until the bandages came off, Matthew had finally shown his leg to the hospital doctors. His foot had been fractured, but other than that he was lucky no ligament had been torn and his leg had not been broken. A mobile cast had been put around his foot so that he could walk around. He had not looked too happy.

"Yea, like that'll happen." Mia muttered in to the phone, shaking away thoughts of Matthew.

"Who knows, Mia? I mean you guys will be seeing each other everyday, and maybe seeing your fresh face each morning will make him realize what he's missing out on!" Stacie giggled.

"I'm glad you find it so funny." Mia mumbled, shaking her head. Stacie was a huge romantic. It didn't matter what the odds were, anything was possible in the name of love.

Putting the last of her clothes in the box, Mia fell back on to her bed. Wincing a little, Mia adjusted her position. The bandages were still wrapped around her chest from where she had taken the hit. At times the pain would steal her breath.

"So what happened to the jerk?" Stacie asked, in reference to Jason.

"Felix ended his contract."

"So he's not playing anymore? What did the newspapers say about that?"

"They said it was a freak accident. He actually got signed by some team in America. Did you know that the Premier league players consider their careers dead once they move to North America?" Mia said, adding the piece of information.

"No! Why would anyone sign that loser? I didn't know it was career suicide." Stacie answered in shock.

"No idea, but I'm pretty sure it's because soccer isn't a big deal over there. I remember when I was back home, as much as we loved TFC, no one really cared if we won or lost." She said, shrugging it off.

"Wow." Stacie answered, sounding like she could care less. "So are you excited about moving?"

The subject Mia had been trying to avoid was brought up again.

"Not really. I don't know...I'm a little scared. I mean, I don't even know his cousins. What if they don't like me?" Mia wondered aloud.

"Mia, stop worrying. Just be yourself, and they'll love you...just like I'm sure Matthew already does!"

-----

Unlocking the door, Matthew put his keys on the table in the hallway. Oliver had dropped him home after his hydrotherapy appointment to pick up one last pair of clean clothes. Tomorrow, Mia would be moving in and there would be no need for anymore guard duty.

He had called Nathaniel, as he left his appointment, telling the younger boy to check up on Mia. Feeling bad for her, he had asked Nathaniel to give her sometime to herself before intruding on her solitude.

No sooner had Matthew stepped in to the living room, he heard a squeal.

"Matt!" He turned to see his cousin bounding down the stairs towards him.

"What?" Matthew asked, perplexed.

"Tell me Ariana is lying! Tell me this isn't the girl you gave the locket to without telling me!" Lina looked at him expectantly.

"Uh..." He hesitated.

"IT IS!" Lina shrieked, looking more excited than angry.

"Please, kill me now." Matthew muttered.

"Sorry, Matty. You're going to have to live for a while longer." His older cousin Leon came in to the room. "Lina's joking right?"

"No!" Lina said looking at her brother, annoyed. "Ariana told me. She saw the locket on Mia when she had dinner with her."

"Ooh!" Leon muttered looking at Matthew. "Tough luck, Matthew." He said grimacing as he nodded towards his sister.

"You have no idea." Matthew muttered under his breath.

He could see how Lina was ecstatic to finally meet Mia, but more than ever he was nervous Lina would say something that he didn't want Mia to know.

"So is the room ready?" Matthew asked, remembering one of the other reasons he had come.

"Yea. I hope she likes it." Lina told him, settling down on the couch.

"She will." He assured.

Now that he had his family here, Matthew knew the moment had come.

"So...I think now's the time to set some ground rules." Matthew said, deciding that it was the best time to speak up.

"Ground rules? Really?" Lina looked unimpressed, while Leon looked amused.

"I'm serious." Matthew glared at her.

"Fine...what do you want, your highness?" Lina asked sarcastically.

"Well, firstly don't go talking about Lucy and the locket." Matthew told her. The last thing he wanted was for Mia to run off, because what the locket meant to him scared her.

"Secondly, no talking about Daria or any other exes."

"What are you, a super-injunction? You can't tell me what not to talk about!" Lina said, looking at him with an annoyed expression.

"Look, I don't want her to feel uncomfortable...or like she's being measured up." Matthew retorted.

"Urgh! Okay, fine. What else, Sir pain in the ass?"

"You can't gang up against me with her!"

"What! No, no way, Matty. I'll gang up against you whenever I feel like it, and if Mia joins me it's up to her! So there!" Lina argued, sticking out her tongue.

"So mature." Matthew commented.

"You didn't command me to be mature." Lina shot back.

Sitting down on the couch beside Leon, Matthew glared at Lina.

"Don't do anything stupid, that's all." He told her, worrying that Mia might not like living with him.

"Oh! That's rich considering who it's coming from!" Lina said, returning the glare. "The same goes for you, Matty."

-----

"Do I have to go with you?" Mia asked Oliver, rather unhappily.

She was sitting in his car, and watching glumly for any sign of her much loved Dodge Challenger, which Nathaniel was driving.

"Sorry Mia, when we put all your things in the car and there wasn't room for you."

"How come Matt's in there?" She asked pointedly. Oliver laughed nervously.

"Why are you letting him hi-jack my car?" Mia asked, giving Oliver a pointed stare. "You know he hates my car."

"Mia, he just wanted to make sure your car got into the garage without a scratch." Oliver said, attempting to make her feel better.

"Yeah, right!" Mia replied, sarcasm dripping from her words. "If it was up to him it would be a pile of scrap by now."

She didn't believe him. The kind of hate Matthew harboured against her car made it seem unlikely that his intentions were purely for her benefit. There had to be some ulterior motive, some reason that rather than letting her drive, Matthew had taken control.

Staring out of the window, Mia contemplated how life would be now that she was moving in to live with Matthew and his family. What if they hated her the way he had? Not knowing what to expect, Mia gave up trying to prepare, instead she stared at the clouds. Her mind was comfortably blank.

"We're here." Oliver said all too soon.

Mia's heart started to race, her mind was back to worrying about the transition. Sitting up, Mia watched as they approached the gates. Even by themselves, the gates looked magnificent, as though they guarded the entrance of a castle. As Oliver drove in through the open gates, Mia looked in awe at the house. It was a beautiful grey stone house set in the middle of a vast green area. She found herself becoming curious about what else was on the grounds.

It was only when Oliver shut the engine of his car, that Mia snapped out of her reverie. Looking around there was no sign of it... It seemed Nathaniel and Matthew had arrived before them, and yet there was no sign of her car. Mia didn't like the looks of it.

"Where's my Challenger?" She asked Oliver, as they got out of the car.

"It's in the garage." He told her, pointing to the large lifting door.

"It better be." She muttered, following a few steps behind Oliver.

Looking at the front lawn, Mia was surprised that it was so well taken care of. Well what do you expect, he's a footballer...he probably has a professional gardener! Her mind shot back. Despite knowing this, she saw the flowers and bushes well tended to. It looked as though a loving hand looked after them.

Standing behind Oliver, as he rang the door bell; Mia once more felt nervous. Her palms were getting sweaty, so Mia shoved her hands in to her jacket pockets.

The door flew open, much to Mia's surprise. She stared at the girl standing in front of her. With Matthew's trademark jet black hair, the girl had striking grey eyes; a smile softened her features. She zeroed in on Mia's necklace.

"Hi! You must be Mia! I've been looking forward to meeting you!" The other girl exclaimed, erasing any reservations Mia had.

"I'm Lina." She said, smiling. "Matthew's older cousin. Although the way he treats me, you would think I was younger."

Before Mia could offer her a hand shake, Lina pulled her in to a hug.

"It's nice to meet you too." Mia said as Lina let her go, finally remembering how to speak.

"I've been waiting to meet you! Ariana told me so much about you!"

At this Mia shot a warning look at Oliver, who only smiled back.

"Don't worry, she only had good things to say about you!" Lina said, not missing a beat.

Before either of them could say anything, another set of footsteps were heard. Looking in the direction they were coming from, Mia saw a tall dark haired man walking up to them.

"Mia, this is my older brother." Lina said introducing them.

Standing a foot or two taller than his sister, Leon had brown hair and eyes. He smiled at her.

"Hi, I'm Leon. It's nice to meet you." Leon said, his face had a kind expression. He offered his hand.

"Hello. I'm Mia." She said, nervously.

"Well, now that you met us. How about I give you a tour of the place?" Lina said, giving her a big smile.

"Sure." Mia agreed.

As Lina motioned for her to follow, Leon started to join them.

"Nah-uh-uh, girls only!" Lina told him wagging a finger, before taking hold of Mia's arm and leading her away.

"I've always wanted to say that." Lina snickered.

Mia couldn't help but laugh.

"What movies do you like, Mia?" She asked.

"Umm...I guess any...except I don't like watching horror movies."

"Aww, you're like Matthew. He hates horror movies as well. It was watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre when we were little, that did it for him."

"I didn't like watching that movie either." Mia admitted, it was her cousins who had forced her in to watching it. They came to a stop by a room.

"Okay, so this is the living room. We watch TV here as most normal people do, and if Leon gets a good movie, this is the place to be." Lina said sounding like a tour guide, bringing her in to the room.

A large flat screen TV had been fastened to the wall and speakers were placed around the room, a shelf with many DVDs ran along one side of the wall. There were comfortable looking grey sofas placed together; giving the room a home theatre like feel.

Feeling herself being pulled along, Mia followed Lina.

"What shows do you like? I love Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries!" Lina said, continuing her barrage of questions.

"I love those two shows myself." Mia said, feeling a little bit more comfortable.

"What else do you watch?"

"I love Flashpoint, The Big Bang Theory, and Law and Order SVU." Mia answered.

"Cool! I like Law and Order. But I've never heard of Flashpoint. What is that?" Lina asked her.

"It's a Canadian cop drama. It's so addictive. I was surprised when I moved here that there was one channel that actually plays it." She replied happily.

"You're going to have to show me it sometime. I love cop shows!" Lina said, excitedly as they came to a stop in another room.

"This is the kitchen. If you ever need anything, just write it on the fridge's notepad. Who ever goes out will get it." She explained.

Mia followed Lina as she opened a door on the other side of the kitchen. It was adjoining the kitchen to another room.

"This is the family room. We watch TV here as well, especially when the guys are too busy watching football, but its also where we roast marshmallows and make smores in the winter." She said, pointing out the fireplace to Mia.

The family room had a more cozy feel to it. A huge sofa had been set in front of the fireplace, overtop was another flat screen television.

As Mia walked around the room, she noticed several framed pictures on the mantle. Most of them were of Matthew, Leon, and Lina; some were of them together while others were of the individuals. There was one picture that was placed at the centre of the mantle.

She had long flowing blonde hair, her blue eyes had the same intensity as Matthews, and her face radiated an ethereal beauty.

Not noticing her finger taking hold of the mantle as she took in the picture, Mia stared at the picture.

"Who is that?" She asked curiously, finally looking away from the picture.

She noticed as Lina hesitated, before answering.

"That...is Luciana, Matthew's older sister." She said quietly.

"Oh. Sorry." Mia's hands fell from the mantle. Heading over towards Lina, Mia felt a little pang of embarrassment for having asked the question. She should have deduced as much.

"Don't worry about it. It's a surprise to most people, since Matthew and Luciana don't resemble each other." Lina said shrugging it off.

Pulling Mia once more, Lina took her out of the room. Right next to the family room were two rooms whose doors were closed.

"This is my room. Feel free to come by whenever you want. And that is the dining room."

"Now let me show you the basement."

"Basement?" Mia asked, confused.

"I know, right. Most houses in this country don't have one. I forced Matthew to get a house that had one. Where else are you going to put preserves and stuff?" Lina asked, her Italian accent starting to show.

"Do you make jams?" Mia asked with interest.

"Yea, my mother taught me how to make some great jams, sauces, and fresh pasta. I'll teach you some day." Lina said, as she and Mia walked down the stairs in to the cool basement.

"That is the laundry room. I usually do my laundry on Monday, while Leon and Matthew do theirs on Wednesday and Friday. What day would you like?" Lina asked her, as she pointed out an open door.

"Can I have Sunday?" Mia asked, amazed at how welcomed she felt by Lina.

"Sure. Sunday is yours. "

"That is my brother's room. He calls it his cave...probably because he likes hoarding things." Lina pointed out another closed door. "That is the exercise room my dear cousin had installed, and that is the sauna. You can use that to relax. Oh wait, there is the cold cellar. And this is common room, it's like an open living room concept."

In awe at how huge the house was, Mia walked in a daze behind Lina.

"So why don't I show you your room?" Lina asked her. "The guys probably have gotten your stuff up there by now."

"Okay." She agreed, following Lina up the stairs.

"What do you like to eat, Mia?" Lina asked, as they walked through the hall before climbing a second flight of stairs.

"I don't know...I usually just eat smoked chicken sandwiches, or something." Mia said. She couldn't believe that she had to rack her brain to think about what she liked to eat. It had been a while since anyone asked her questions about her likes and dislikes.

"Well, don't worry about meals. We'll have fun. I love cooking." Lina told her.

"I like baking." Mia said. Normally it would have taken her a while to adjust to new acquaintances, but since Lina had been talking and prying answers out of her, a rapport had been built between them.

"Yea? Leon is the baker here. He makes great cookies. What do you bake?"

"Cakes, cookies, fudge, I like to make all sorts of things."

"That sounds delicious! We're going to have to put you up against Leon." Lina exclaimed.

Reaching the top of the flight of stairs, Mia looked around. A door was open to the right of the stairs.

"That is the study. It has books, a computer, and anything else you might need. Leon usually uses it when he brings work home. You're welcome to it whenever you like." Lina said, leading her in to the gigantic room. Each wall had an enormous oak bookshelf. A huge window draped with red velvet curtains showed the yard, and a desk faced away from the window. Another desk was in the corner of the room, it held a computer and printer as well as an LCD monitor.

Walking out of the study, Lina showed Mia the bathroom, saying that there was one on each floor; and then showed her the closed door of Matthew's room. A short walk down the hall, and opposite to Matthew's room was another room. The door of this room was wide open.

"Well here we are. This is your room." Lina motioned for her to step in.

Crossing the threshold, Mia was amazed. Everything was so crisp and clean. Her bed was made up of blue bed sheets, with a blue comforter at one end. The white walls were clean and pristine, as though no one had ever touched them. Against one window was a desk, onto which her laptop bag had been placed, while on the other end was a walk-in closet; her boxes of clothes had been placed carefully there. Two oak night tables with small lamps had been placed on either side of her bed; they matched the headboard and the dresser which was along the last remaining wall. Mia was amazed at how spacious the room was. Walking over to her bed, she noticed something.

"Do you think the bed can be lowered, a little?" She asked hesitantly. Her old bed at the dorm was significantly lower to the ground.

"Probably not...I don't think those are adjustable." The other girl replied.

Before anything else could be said, a knock sounded on the door. Looking up, Mia saw Matthew standing in the doorway; his foot was still in the mobile cast.

"Well, I'll leave you to unpack." Lina said, as she waved before walking out the door.

-----

He had been nervous knowing that Lina had taken Mia for the grand tour. It was a shame he had missed the chance.

It had taken the girls forever to reach to Mia's room. A part of Matthew dreaded what Lina might have told Mia. What if she had pressed on about the locket? Mia didn't know anything about Lucy's letter. What if Lina had asked too many questions? What if Mia was uncomfortable staying here?

Having left Oliver and Nathaniel chatting to Leon in the living room, Matthew forced himself to slowly walk up the stairs. Surely, the girls had reached Mia's room by now.

Sure enough, he heard their voices as he walked closer to the room. They sounded normal to him. Walking to her room, Matthew looked in to see Lina standing by the dresser while Mia was looking intently at her bed. It must have pleased her to see such a large bed for herself, Matthew thought as he remembered their time in Luxemburg.

Knocking on the door, he watched as both of the girls immediately looked over at him.

Taking the hint, Lina started to walk away.

"Well, I'll leave you to unpack." She said, waving goodbye to Mia.

As she passed Matthew, she smiled; mouthing the words 'She's a keeper' to him as she left.

With holding the comment he had in store for his cousin, Matthew walked over to Mia.

"So, what do you think?" He asked, the nervous feeling entering his stomach again.

"You have such a lovely home." She told him, with a smile.

"Thank you." He said, smiling back. "How do you like your room?"

"It's nice. I like it a lot. Thanks for making me stay here." She told him with a grin.

"Anytime." Matthew smiled.

"So, just let us know if you need anything. Lina is probably waiting for me to leave before she bounds back up here to hang out with you. And you're welcome to do whatever you like." He told her, as he turned to leave.

"Wait! Where's my car?" She asked him, hurrying behind him.

"I parked it in the underground garage." He told her, she looked annoyed.

"What? I can't have that American monstrosity in my driveway." He told her, aiming to get a rise out of her.

"I'm going to ignore that." She told him, wryly. "Can I at least have my keys back?"

Digging in his pockets he took out her keys, and placed them in her outstretched palm.

Turning to leave once more, he had barely taken a step to leave when she stopped him again.

"Wait a minute! The keys to my Challenger aren't on my key ring!" She exclaimed.

Matthew winced; he had hoped it would take her a little longer to notice his little change.

"What did you do to my keys?" She asked him suspiciously, as he finally turned to face her.

"Nothing. They're safe." He smiled innocently.

"I want my car keys!" She said adamantly.

"Here." He said handing her keys to his Ferrari.

"Those aren't mine." She told him.

"I know, they're mine. Now you have a ride, and I won't have to stare at that hideous car." He chuckled.

"You can be so infuriating." Mia mumbled.

"It's my specialty." He grinned.

"Okay...then I am going to take your car out for a nice long spin." She told, with a glare.

"Go ahead, it's on me." He said, knowing he had filled the gas tank before parking it last night. Matthew had made sure everything about the car had been checked over, since he had been planning to give Mia the car.

"Urgh...I will." She muttered viciously.

As he walked out the door, Matthew remembered one last thing to tell her. Popping his head in the door way, he saw her standing staring at the new pair of keys in her hand. She had a look of disbelief on her face. Matthew savoured the moment of catching her off guard.

"By the way..." He said, catching her attention.

At once a cross look came over Mia's face. She glared at him.

"What?" Mia asked, looking murderous.

"You have a curfew for midnight. Wouldn't want Felix to worry, now would we?" He said quickly.

Matthew left Mia with a stunned look on her face. He chuckled as he headed for the stairs. That look alone was worth it, he thought, too bad I didn't take a picture! He heard Mia call after him.

"You're kidding right?"