Fight or Flight

Veronica parked at the curb, wondering if she was at the right address. She grabbed her phone from the passenger seat, rereading Matt's text message with the address. She matched the address that he'd sent her to the address she typed into her GPS. Both addresses were exactly the same, yet Veronica felt like this wasn't where she was supposed to be.

1172 Shorecrest Lane was not a type of venue, but a large Mediterranean style house. The green lawn was cut perfectly with a few plants lining the driveway. The front door of the house was a dark wood with frosted glass panels. The curtains of the front windows were pulled back like the owner was showing off for the neighborhood. The light on the porch was on, inviting the home's guests.

Judging by the silver Mercedes in the driveway, Veronica knew that this was Matt's house. Why she was at his house, she didn't know but she was going to find out. Maybe they were going to leave from his house instead of him picking her up from hers. She didn't know what they were doing since he hadn't told her about his plans.

She held her phone in her hand, contemplating on calling him to make sure this was the right address. She decided against it and just went with her gut. She put her car into drive, pulling into the wide driveway. She cut the engine and looked at the front door of the house again. If this was it, she had to go for it. She took a deep breath, pulling her key from the ignition. She grabbed her purse and her phone, getting out of her car. She shut the door and locked it with the remote on her key ring. She smoothed out the front of her t-shirt, before taking the few steps up the paved driveway to the front door.

She stood on the front porch, reaching out to press the doorbell. She could faintly hear the bell ringing throughout the house on the other side of the door. She stood there, awkwardly waiting under the porch light for the door to open. Within moments, a big, familiar figure was behind the frosted glass of the door.

"Hey.” Matt opened the door, smiling and showing off his dimples. He opened the door wider and stepped aside. "Come on in."

"I didn't know this was your address," Veronica said, stepping inside. "You should have told me this was your house."

"Was there a problem? You didn't get lost, did you?" Matt asked, closing the door behind her.

"I didn't get lost; I just thought I was at the wrong address. I wasn't expecting a house," She said honestly.

"Well, this is my home.” He shrugged his shoulders.

"You live here alone?" She asked, wondering why he would buy such a big house just for himself.

She looked around the foyer. The walls were painted a neutral beige color with white trim. An elegant chandelier hung high above them, lighting up the area. There was a dark wood side table and a few plants for decoration. His house looked like something from an interior design magazine.

"It's just me," He nodded his head, watching her with an amused smile.

"Wow," She marveled. She was truly impressed at the size and beauty of his home. "Is this what you buy when you've truly made it big?"

Matt laughed, "Come on, this is California. There are no regular houses out here. This is almost all Huntington has to offer."

He was right. As a beach city, there weren't many apartment buildings or regular, smaller suburban houses. Most neighborhoods were upscale with Spanish and Mediterranean style houses. Although, it was sometimes true that housing is just a trophy of accomplishments.

"Right.” She turned around in the foyer one more time. "Wow."

"I'm glad you like it," He said smugly. "I always wanted to buy a house that was just... for a family, you know."

"Mhmm," Veronica nodded, nearly grimacing as she thought about what Nate and Audrey would be saying right now. "I think I like my apartment for right now."

She could afford a house if she really wanted one, but she didn’t see the point in buying one. She would probably rarely be at home. She always thought it was a waste of time and money to buy a house just for herself. She did not see herself having a family of her own in the future.

"Maybe I'll give you a grand tour later," He offered. "Right now, I have dinner waiting."

"You cooked?" She asked, arching an eyebrow. "We're eating here?"

"Why not," Matt shrugged, motioning for her to follow him. "I think formal dinners are overrated now."

She let out a laugh, "Right?"

"I haven't cooked in a while, but I think it turned out alright," He said. "I hope you're not allergic to anything."

"I'm not allergic to many things," She told him. As far as she knew, she was only allergic to kiwis and cantaloupes. She sniffed the air; the aroma of seasoning and something roasted made her mouth water. "Whatever you made smells so good."

"Does it?" Matt asked and Veronica nodded.

She followed him through the first floor. They passed the staircase and the living to get to the kitchen. Even the kitchen was gorgeous, too. The stainless steel appliances and the black granite countertops went well together. The walls were beige too, and matched the wood cupboards. His kitchen was spotless.

Matt got two square, fancy plates from one of the cupboards. He opened a drawer, getting the proper silverware for the two of them. He placed the plates and silverware on the counter before walking over to the island counter, uncovering the freshly prepared food.

“You sure cooked a lot,” Veronica commented. She looked at the different pots and pans full of food.

“I figured if I made enough, I can get through another week without cooking or ordering out,” He chuckled.

“I guess you can,” Veronica laughed.

"Take however much you want," He said, handing her a serving spoon. "It's just me and you."

"Thanks," She said, taking the spoon from him.

She looked over the different choices. She was not the type of girl to skimp out on food. She used a pair of tongs to put some salad on her plate. She scooped a roasted chicken breast with vegetables onto her plate with the spoon. She spooned a pile of penne pasta onto her plate, too.

She glanced over at Matt, who reached for two glasses from the cupboard. He set the wine glasses onto the counter before pulling the cork from a chilled bottle of red wine. He filled both glasses and replaced the cork into the mouth of the bottle. He offered the wine glass to her.

“Thanks.” Veronica carefully took the glass from him. She drizzled Italian dressing onto her salad and took a seat at the table. For some reason, Matt's home made her feel comfortable and not too uptight like she would feel at any other house besides Nate's.

"What are you doing?" Matt asked, holding his glass in his hand.

"Uh, eating at your kitchen table?" She replied like it was obvious. Then she wondered if she did something wrong. Maybe he was one of those neat freaks that had big, beautiful houses just to show off and he didn't actually use this stuff. Maybe it was all for decoration.

"No, no," He said, shaking his head. "I never eat there. It feels too weird and proper.”

"So where are we going to eat?" Veronica questioned.

"Well, it’s nice outside," He mentioned. "I've got a back patio right under the stars."

"Okay.” She shrugged her shoulders. She stood from the chair, picking up her dinner plate and drink. She would rather eat outside anyway.

Matt opened the sliding glass door, motioning for her to go first. They walked over to the patio, setting their food and drinks down on the patterned table. Veronica pulled out a chair and sat down, glancing around the big patio area. There was an outdoor fireplace, a grill, and a mini bar under the awning.

Matt cleared his throat, "So let's dig in, shall we?"



“You’re a pretty good cook,” Veronica complimented Matt’s cooking skills after they finished eating. “Were you a chef in a past life?”

“I don’t think so,” Matt shook his head with a laugh.

"Well, you should have been," She said. "Thank you for making dinner."

"My pleasure," He grinned, standing up from his chair. "I'll take your plate."

He stacked their empty plates and told her he'd be right back to put them in the kitchen. Veronica sat at the table, rubbing her hands together out of habit. She glanced up at the night sky that had gotten darker. It was now a navy blue color, glittering with stars. Looking farther out into the actual backyard, she noticed the large, rectangular pool. The water shined under the moonlight.

"I like it out here," Veronica said quietly when Matt returned to the table. "I didn't know you had a pool, too."

"Yeah," He said, licking over his lips. "I like to go for a swim every now and then."

Veronica nodded, bringing her wine glass to her lips.

"You know I'm going to miss you when I leave," Matt said, seemingly out of the blue.

"You will?" Veronica asked. She was not used to people missing her unless it was her family.

"Hell yeah, I will," He stated.

She smiled. "Thanks. I'm gonna miss you too. I like hanging out with you."

"About that..." Matt started and paused as if he was thinking of what to say.

"What? What's wrong?" Veronica asked, her voice changing with concern.

"I've really liked getting to know you, Veronica," He said.

"You too, Matt," She said. She did like spending time with him, but she was anxious as to where this conversation was going.

"But, I think what I'm saying is that," His hazel eyes glanced upwards as he exhaled, "After this past month, I really like you."

"I'm not sure I get what you're saying," Veronica said slowly, urging him to continue.

"Okay, I'm just gonna get straight to it because we're not in high school anymore," He said bluntly. "I like you, Veronica. I like you enough to possibly begin a relationship."