If Only Tonight

The Eye Of The Storm:
Chapter Sixty Six: Come Away With Me

With the snow melting outside, March had come with a lot of rain, leaving Matthew stuck indoors on his rest days, alone with his thoughts.

If he was honest with himself, he hated knowing that she was happy staying behind, Matthew admitted, sitting on the couch in the living room. She had told him to drop the subject for the time being, but a part of Matthew just couldn't let it go.

Aidan had called with more good news, it seemed Real Madrid had been serious. They had decided to finally meet his agent before approaching Felix. Babbling about how great the offer was, Aidan had sounded like he had died and gone to heaven, as Matthew snickered quietly.

Despite everything coming together for him, Matthew wanted more. If only she'd agree, he thought to himself. Staring at the laptop screen in front of him, Matthew scrolled down the list of properties on sale near the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. He had decided it was better to have an idea of what kind of properties there were and what the cost would be, before hand. He was looking for something secluded but with some view of the water...or close to the water, but that combination was rather hard to find.

Hearing the front door open, Matthew turned to see who it was. A few moments passed, before he saw Mia come into view.

"Hey, what are you up to?" She asked smiling at him, coming over to take a seat beside him.

Gently kissing him, she wrapped her arms around him. He could feel her cold fingers through his shirt, so he pulled her in closer, kissing her forehead.

"Not much. I borrowed Leon's laptop to take a look at some properties." Matthew told her. Taking her cold hands, he covered them with his own, trying to warm her.

"How is it that you're always cold?" He asked, amused.

"I'm cold blooded." She grinned at him.

"Not possible." Matthew leaned in to kiss her.

Showing her a house that had caught his eye, he looked at her expectantly.

"What do you think?" He asked, trying his best to be subtle.

It didn't work; she shot him a look of disdain.

"Nice try, Matt."

"Come on, I just want your opinion. That's all." He tried with his best pleading look, keeping a tight hold on her as she tried to pull her hands out of his.

"Uhhh...fine." She sighed, giving in.

He smiled, letting her go, as he took the lap top off the table and placed it on her lap.

"So this one...is it beside the beach?" She asked, looking over to him.

"No." He shook his head. "It's about 20 minutes drive from the stadium and training grounds."

"It looks nice."

"What about that one?" He said, pressing on the key pad to show her the next tab of the web browser. "It's about 45 minutes drive, and it comes with a pool."

"I like it better than the last one." She commented, changing the tab to the next one. "I don't know about this one...this one kind of looks breakable."

He laughed as he heard the comment. She was referring to the house with large glass panels at the front and back. He had found it rather interesting to look at, but her point was valid.

"What about this last one?" Matthew asked, changing tabs one last time.

He had been saving the best one for last. It was a three story home with a gate out front, and a large backyard. Surrounded by large trees it was secluded, safe, and had a pool.

Mia was silent, her expression giving nothing away.

"It looks really pretty. How far is it?" She asked.

"About an hour's drive."

Again she said nothing, just nodded. He shouldn't have pushed her too far. Knowing that she wasn't ready to discuss this, he felt guilty for trying.

"I'll book mark it for now." Matthew attempted to break the silence.

"So what did you do all day?" He asked, putting the laptop back on the table, before leaning her against him.

"Just work. Nothing new. Stacie called." She answered, snuggling closer to him. Her forehead rested against his cheek, he inhaled the scent of her hair. Always some light watery scent, with flowers, he mused.

"So what did she say? Did she tell you to that I bought a crown of ice?" He smirked, teasing Mia. He had found out about the nick name when Mia had let it slip when he visited her office after she had argued with Stacie. He had found it rather amusing that her friend had named him King Cold.

"No." She snickered. "She thinks your next purchase will be an igloo."

"I have been thinking about it."

They were silent once more. He could see she was in deep thought. I shouldn't have brought it up, he berated himself once more. Making a motion to get up, he pulled her along with him.

"Let's go eat. We can go see a movie, or something." He told her, hoping it would provide some distraction.

-----

She hoped he didn't mean to bother her with it, but each time the subject came up, she couldn't help but feel a little cornered.

Matthew was trying his best to be subtle, but Mia could see right through his attempts. Each time he asked her about anything even remotely related to Spain, she could feel her throat clench, as a lump started to grow bigger.

It wasn't just the fact that he was expecting her to come with him...she had realized that there was more to why she had found the topic so hard to deal with. Matthew was really looking forward to being signed on to Real Madrid. If it went through, he would be leaving...leaving her...and the lump came back to sit in her throat.

Leaning back in her chair, she knew she hated the thought of him leaving. The two weeks she had spent without him when he had left to take care of his mother, had made her realize just how much a part of her life he had become. They had known each other for almost two years, and having spent so much time living with him and being around him, she dreaded the moment she would be without him.

It's his dream to play for Real, she told herself, I can't ask someone to leave their dream when I wouldn't want to give up mine. It's selfish. The lump in her throat lessened. Why don't you just go? Her heart was pushing her. I can't, Mia's mind argued back. The possibility she dreaded came to the forefront of her mind. What if she left everything to go with him...and then it turned out that they just weren't right for each other...what would she do then? Just come home with my tail between my legs? Her mind retorted. But he loves me and he wants me to come with him, her heart piped up, she could feel the small weight of the pendant against her skin.

I can't be doing this for all the wrong reasons! Plenty of people have been able to keep long-distance relationships going, and so can we! She wanted to shout.

Shaking away the glum thoughts, she got back to typing up her reports. There was no point in dwelling about all the what-ifs involved in this dilemma.

"Hey, Mia!" She heard him, and the rest of her conflicting feelings were pushed to the side. For now, at this moment, there was nothing that could stop the smile that grew when she heard his voice.

"Hi Matt!" Mia greeted him, as she turned around to see him standing beside her. "What are you up to?"

"Just finished with the gym. So I'm going to head home. Lina asked me to pick up a few things for dinner. She's making pizza."

"Yum!" Mia smiled, as Matthew grinned.

"So when are you done?" He asked, leaning over her to see her schedule.

"In about an hour and a half." She told him. "I have to type everything up for tomorrow."

"Just make sure to remember dinner, Mia." He grinned. "Aidan is coming over too."

She made sure not to falter, as she looked up at him.

"Yea, I'll be there." She said, hoping her smile looked normal and not too tight.

"Alright. I'll see you later." Matthew caressed her cheek, sending little bolts of electricity through her.

Silently, she smiled as she watched him leave. It was after she heard his footsteps disappear that the smile broke. It was going to be a long dinner, she thought unhappily.

Snap out of it, Mia! This is not you! Her mind berated her. This was not about her, Mia slowly realized. This is his dream, and no matter what happens I'm going to be there and support him, she thought with resolve. Though she wasn't ready for a move, he was, and there was no way she would keep Matthew from his dream. As her thoughts cleared, the lump in her throat disappeared.

We're going to be okay, she decided, her mind made up. If he gets signed, when he gets signed, we'll talk about what comes next, she thought honestly. He's going to be a great addition for Real, and it's going to be amazing! And when I'm done my contract here, I'll see what jobs are available in Spain...but no more misery! She promised herself.

-----

"How is it that it's always raining here?"

Matthew smiled, as he and Mia walked through the pouring rain towards the house. Having gone to a movie, the two of them had been caught off guard when they came out of the theatre only to find that it was raining hard.

"It's like they only have two kinds of weather...rainy or cloudy which eventually turns in to rainy..." She muttered, holding on to his hand.

"So, really just one kind, then?" He pointed out, smirking. "Just rainy."

Looking over at her, he saw that she was soaked. Her hair, dripping wet, her jacket clinging to her, he could only imagine what he looked like in comparison.

"You would think we'd be prepared with an umbrella...having lived here for so long." She snickered.

"Or be smart enough to move to a sunnier place." He snidely remarked.

"Don't start." She warned him, with a glare.

Lately, he had felt that she didn't mind his talk about leaving. Their dinner with Aidan had gone smoothly, and Mia hadn't shut him down completely when he told her that he was seriously thinking about buying the three story house. Even when she warned him, like now, it wasn't harshly. Maybe she'll come around, he hoped.

"I'm just saying-"

"Well don't." She interrupted him snidely.

"That Spain has more than one kind of weather." He finished, shooting her a grin.

"Uh huh...so does Canada for that matter." She retorted. "But I'm not bragging."

"Alright, alright...I give up." He said, pressing his lips to hers, the rain mingling.

Reluctantly pulling away from her, he noticed that she was trembling a little. The small sound of her shivering reached his ears.

"Come on, let's get inside before you catch a cold." He said, grinning, as he unlocked the door before leading her inside.

-----

It seemed that the more Mia wanted time to go slowly; it was racing faster and faster towards the end of the season. With things finally easing up between her and Matthew, she had been hoping that she would be able to spend more time with him, but in between meetings with his agent, a few dinners with the team, it looked like the more she wanted to be with him, the harder it was to actually catch him.

Making sure that not a strand of hair was out of place, Mia looked in the mirror once more. The ponytail seemed to be doing a good job of holding her hair in place; she brushed her bangs to the side. Checking that there were no smudges around her eyes, she saw the clean crisp lines of her eyeliner still intact. Surprising, Mia thought, since she had wiped her eyes a countless number of times. Her makeup was light, with a clear gloss shining on her lips. Straightening her clothes, she checked one last time for wrinkles. Normally she wouldn't have cared, since Matthew had pretty much seen her in every state, but today she wanted to surprise him. They would be heading down to Indigo, for the first time as a couple. Having missed him over the last few days, she wanted to look perfect for him.

Satisfied with the way her deep purple frock pleated around her waist, Mia took her coat from the closet, and was about to grab her favourite black heeled boots when there was a knock at the door.

Smiling widely, Mia went and opened the door with a flourish. Standing on the other side looking visibly shell shocked, Matthew didn't blink for a moment. Finding his reaction interesting, Mia leaned in brushing her lips against his before pulling him closer to kiss him. She felt his hands around her waist, as he deepened the kiss.

As he ended the kiss, she smiled at him.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" He croaked, still staring at her.

"Surprise!" She grinned.

"Surprise? For what?" He asked, confused.

"Just for you. I haven't seen you in a while, you're usually busy with meetings and stuff." She said, lightly kissing his lips.

"I should be busy more often...although I don't think it'll be good for my heart." He murmured in to her ear. "You look amazing, by the way."

Letting him hold her for a moment more, Mia unwillingly extricated herself from him, returning to the task at hand. Grabbing her shoes she returned to him, appraising his choice of clothes. He had worn a deep green dress shirt with his favourite black dress pants. Matthew took hold of her hand, entwining their fingers together.

As they drove to Indigo, Mia silently watched Matthew, her gaze brought a smile to his lips.

"What are you doing?" He asked, glancing at her, the smile more pronounced.

"Nothing." She mumbled, blushing over being caught. She always wondered how he managed to look perfect all the time.

These days, she found herself trying to capture each moment she was with him, as though her eyes could memorize the contours of his face and her ears could record the sound of him so that she'd be able to recall him when Matthew wasn't around. An ever increasing possibility, Mia thought.

Even with the possible move to Real lurking around the corner, Mia was determined to keep their relationship intact. We're going to be okay, she thought.

The car slowed down, and Mia noticed the bright glow of neon lights spelling out Indigo. With the engine shut down, Mia stepped out of the car, and joined Matthew, taking hold of his hand as they started their walk to the entrance.

Blinded by flashing lights, Mia held up a hand to shield her eyes. In the last few weeks, the paparazzi had been chasing Matthew down wherever he went, and when they caught her with him, the photographers would shout questions at her too.

"Mia! Is it true you will be leaving for Madrid if Rossi is signed?"

"Dr. Brooklyn, will you sign another contract to stay on with London FC?"

"Rossi! Can you verify reports that you've been signed to Real Madrid?"

"Are Real and Barcelona fighting over who signs you, Matthew?"

"Will you two be going to Spain together for the holidays?"

Keeping her face expressionless, Mia reminded herself what Matthew had told her. Don't ever flinch or look surprised, they will write a story either way; it's best if you just look un-amused...that way they end up writing both sides of the story, not knowing which one is true, he had said one day after seeing the apprehensive look on her face.

Once inside, Mia breathed a sigh of relief.

"I still don't know how you get through that." Mia told the blue eyed footballer. He grinned as he heard this.

"Lots of practice and crap stories." He smirked.

Walking towards the table where their team was gathered, Mia saw the girls shoot her a collective glare, as they took the sight of her and Matthew in. Mia shrugged it off, there was nothing they could do or say that would bother her.

"Mia!" She saw Nathaniel walk towards them, he was always smiling.

"Hello Nate!" She said, as the brown haired boy hugged her. "How are you?"

"Good. Did you know, Oliver's here as well!" He told her.

It had been a long time since they had been together, the four of them, at Indigo. She watched as the blonde player made his way to them, holding a can of Sprite.

"You guys came!" He said, greeting her with a hug while giving Matthew a nod.

"Yea, we did. I'll go get us some drinks." Matthew said, giving her hand a squeeze before leaving.

Standing with Oliver and Nathaniel, Mia saw the looks on their faces.

"What?" She asked, suspicious.

"It's been a while since we were all here." Oliver reminisced. "I think the last time you came with us to Indigo was around this time of year. What a difference a year makes."

She shot him a look of disdain.

"What are you getting at?"

"It looks like he's really going to Real." Nathaniel said, finally.

"It looks like..." She repeated, staring at her feet.

When neither of them said anything, Mia looked up. Their faces reflected how she felt. Proud, yet a little sad to see him go. The two of them had known him far longer than her, she couldn't begin to imagine what they were feeling.

"What are you three looking so serious about?" Matthew asked, having returned with drinks for the two of them. Taking the one he offered her, Mia took a sip, letting the Cola slide down her throat, saving her from answering.

"We were discussing your best and worst moments so far." Oliver told him with a grin.

"You've got to be kidding me! The move's not even final yet." He said, looking amused.

"There's a long list. We need all the time we can get to compile it." Nathaniel snickered.

"Funny."

Mia laughed with the other two, as Matthew scowled.

"Okay, so what were you at?" He asked, smartly.

"Number ten, you're best moment." Oliver said, thinking quickly. "Scoring the single goal against Manchester United, when they flattened us."

"Worst moment number seven, you're boxing match with Mia!" Nathaniel added, keeping up the charade. "You lost."

Matthew joined in their laughter, as they kept up a list of his achievements, even Mia was able to find some points to add.

"I was going to put this in your worst moments, but you didn't get in trouble. At number five for your best moments is the time you tripped Drake while the referee was standing a meter away with his back turned, and you didn't get caught." She said, as the others laughed.

"I can't believe you saw that." Matthew said, shaking his head, for once embarrassed.

"I'm not blind sitting in the dug out...and those two were close by, they were laughing about it at half time." She said, while Oliver and Nathaniel sniggered.

"Not quite your best moment, but number three for your best moment would be kicking the ball in to the goal and sliding along with it in to the net, in the rainy game against Wigan." Nathaniel quipped, as the others laughed hard.

"I lost balance." Matthew said, trying to defend himself.

"Right..." The two other players said in unison.

"Worst moment number three, your yellow card shove match with Ryan." Oliver reminded them.

They had whittled the list down to number one for both categories.

"Number one for your worst moments is, and Mia will agree with us..." Oliver started. Nathaniel made the sound of a drum roll. "The scuffle during the first game of the season last year. Your Zinedine Zidane move that landed you with the five game ban right before Mia turned up."

"Brilliant, you just have to bring that up...don't you..." Matthew muttered, a scowl on his face.

"And last but not least...your best moment so far...the hat trick against Liverpool, which has been playing surprisingly crappy this season." Nathaniel said, as they clapped for Matthew.

As Matthew looked over at her, Mia gave him a wide smile, he moved closer to put an arm around her shoulder.

"Okay, so what were you all really talking about?" Matthew persisted, not having forgotten.

"We were trying to figure out who to hire to steal Nate's socks, it won't be the same with you gone." Oliver grinned.

"You're going to miss me?" Matthew smirked, having caught on.

"Not as much as Mia's going to miss you!" Nathaniel teased, Mia shot the brown haired boy a glare for bringing her in to it.

As the banter died down, the four of them looked solemn, the laughter was gone. Even with the music playing loudly around them, for some reason it felt it felt deadly quiet.

"We're really proud of you, Matthew." Oliver said, at last. "We're hoping the deal becomes final."

"And not just because my socks will finally catch a break." Nathaniel added, putting an end to the silence that had settled around them, all of them breaking in to laughter.

Watching as the other two players left to go chat with the rest of the team, Mia found Matthew's gaze resting on her.

"Care to dance?" He asked, taking the drink from her hand and placing it on the table nearby.

"Sure."

Moving to the open dance floor, Matthew wrapped his hands around her waist, as hers encircled his neck. He was the one leading them, moving their bodies slowly to the music around them.

"You're going to miss me?" He asked her, a smile playing on his lips.

"What do you think?" She retorted, giving him a pointed look.

"I don't know." Matthew said, looking innocent.

Instead of answering his question, Mia kissed him slowly.

"If you're going to miss me that much, why not just come with me?" He murmured, leaning closer so that his forehead touched hers.

"Matthew..." She said, wearily. "I told you already. I'll think about it."

"I know." Their noses touched.

"Don't get your hopes up, Matt." She warned him, seriously.

"I won't." He smiled.

Before she could say anymore, his lips were on hers, the sensation melting away her worries.

-----

Having gotten in just in time for dinner, Matthew finally had some time to relax during the evening. Aidan had been calling him in to his office almost every other day, having flown in to talk to Matthew and Felix about a prospective move. Each meeting had ended with the same warning. It's not final yet, so don't get your hopes up, Matthew, Aidan said each time.

You'd think I'd have gotten that by now, Matthew thought with annoyance, as he flipped through channels on the TV. He had come home to find Mia lying on the couch in the living room, reading a book. They had eaten together with Lina, before his cousin left to go meet her brother at work. The two were once again working on an urgent project.

Sitting on the couch, Matthew's hand unknowingly caressed Mia's arm, as she read; her head resting on a pillow on his lap. It had been a few days since they had spent any time together at the house. Usually with him gone, Mia was either with Lina and Leon at the house, or with Nathaniel visiting Lily at Oliver's.

"What do you want to do this weekend?" Matthew asked, looking down at Mia.

The emerald green eyes showed curiosity as they beamed at him.

"What do you have in mind?"

"How about checking out some nice restaurant in Manchester, or something?"

"Really?" She asked, sounding sceptical.

Admittedly, it wasn't his best idea, he racked his brain trying to find other things they could do.

"We could always go and see Madame Tussaud's, or the museums."

"If you don't have any meetings, we could do all of the above, and go on the Eye of London." She suggested, with a grin.

"A whole day out. That would be impressive." He agreed.

As he thought about it, there was one other thing that struck him.

"You know...there's less than a month till your birthday."

She looked up at him, surprise prominent in her eyes.

"I forgot about that."

"We'll be able to spend your birthday together, since the season will be over in a few weeks." He told her with a smile. "So what would you like to do then?"

Mia smiled at him affectionately, the warmth in her eyes drawing him in.

"It doesn't matter. It'll be the first time I spend it with anyone special. That's more than enough."

Deeply touched by her words, Matthew kissed her forehead, if only he could tell her how special she was to him. If only he could tell her he loved her, Matthew thought.

Returning to change the channel on the television, Matthew's attention waned, and he started to watch Mia instead. She had gone back to reading, a small smile playing on her lips. Every now and then, he would see her nod off, before catching herself and continuing to read. Looking back at the TV he saw that there was nothing of interest on, and clicked the remote to change the channel again.

It wasn't long before he noticed that she had fallen asleep on him. Cradled under his arm, she had turned over on her side to read, having heard a little thump Matthew looked over to see her book lying forgotten on the floor.

Nudging her gently, he called her.

"Mia...Mia, come on. Let's get you to bed."

Stifling a yawn himself, Matthew manoeuvred himself off the couch, so that he could help Mia up. Picking up her book, he placed it on the coffee table.

"Come on." He said, taking hold of her hand, he led her out of the living room and up the stairs to her room.

Stepping across the threshold to her room, Mia turned to kiss him.

"Good night, Matthew." She said, smiling sleepily at him, as she closed the door.

"Good night, Mia...sweet dreams..."

-----

After the match, Matthew had decided to make the most of the good spring weather. With the sun still shining, they had a few hours before it set.

With everything becoming more and more hectic so close to the end of the season, it was the perfect opportunity to take a break from it all and spend time with Mia.

Shutting off the car, he looked out to the park. He had brought Mia here, the first time they had gone outside the complex together, the first season she had started working with London FC. Turning around, he saw a smile flitter across her face. Mia had recognized it too.

Walking to the swings, just like they had back then, they sat down on swings beside each other.

"Do you remember we had come here so I could practice?" He asked.

"Yea, it was during your five game ban." She snickered. "I don't think I've seen anyone hate not playing as much as you."

"You were reading 'The Lost Symbol' that day." He could still picture the moment.

"Trying to read would be more correct. I was more distracted...thinking about Max." She told him.

"That makes sense." He remembered thinking that Mia looked as though she was trying to run away from something.

They were quiet, the only sounds came from the swings, as Mia slowly turned hers in a spiral using her feet. The chains clinking, as they became tangled. He watched as she tucked her feet up and spun.

"Aidan sent me a text." He decided, to tell her.

"What did he say?" She asked, giving him her full attention.

"Real's making a formal request." He said.

"Congratulations, Matthew!" She said, giving him a warm smile.

"Thanks..."

Racking his brain for the words he was looking for, Matthew felt lost. How could he tell her that the only thing he wanted now was to know she would be coming with him.

"What if I decide not to go through with it?" He asked looking into her eyes, not finding a better way to word the question.

Her green eyes not giving anything away. Mia looked at him, long and hard, she understood what he meant.

"Matt...I'm never going to make you choose between me and your dreams. Real's a great opportunity, and you should go for it."

As he heard this an unsettling feeling came over him, Matthew wasn't so sure he'd be able to do the same.