Status: in slow progress
Whoever She Is
♡
Kimberley was dead wrong about never speaking to Matt again after tour ended.
It had been over for two weeks and they had texted, called, and/or FaceTimed every single day since then. It wasn’t anything they planned… they just enjoyed talking. Neither of them had mentioned the kisses they’d shared, or the midnight picnic date (was it a date?) but Kimmi didn’t really mind that. It was less stressful to pretend it hadn’t happened.
It was on the two-week mark of tour ending that Flyzik asked her something that made her heart skip.
“Do you wanna come visit me?”
“…Visit you?”
“Yeah. You know. To my house. You drive, right?”
“Yeah…”
“It’s only two hours from Philly to Baltimore. You should come down on Sunday, hang out for the day. We could get my favourite takeout food, sight-see.”
“Why?”
Matt laughed. “Uh, because I like spending time with you? We’ve been talking a lot, just makes sense we’d see each other in person to break up all the texts and calls.”
Kimberley laughed a little too, realising she probably sounded like an idiot questioning why she’d ever go and see him. It did make sense. And it didn’t exactly sound like he was proposing anything romantic, although at this point, she wasn’t sure she minded so much. She also wasn’t sure if it would be more or less stressful to date someone who lived two hours away… but it could be worse.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll drive to you on Sunday.”
“Sounds good! I’ll text you my address, buddy. I gotta go though, my mom’s calling me. Should probably take it, since I kinda haven’t seen her since before that tour… whoops.”
“Oh, jeez, yeah. Talk to your mother. Okay, well, text you later.”
The phone beeped as he hung up, and Kimberley stared at her phone with a frown. Buddy?
Sure, she was hesitant about dating, but calling someone you made out with twice ‘buddy’ just seemed a little insulting. Maybe that was a hint that he didn’t want to be involved romantically after all.
Maybe it would also be a good idea not to overthink it.
/////
“Uh, no way you think Treasure Planet is better than Peter Pan.”
“Of course I do? It’s legendary.”
Matt and Kimmi were sat up on his sofa, plates loaded with Chinese food. It was now Kimmi’s fourth Sunday visit in a row to his house – it had become unspoken routine that she’d drive to see him, he’d force gas money on her for the trip even though she’d tell him not to, and they’d get takeout food and watch movies. Sometimes Disney, sometimes not.
This particular Sunday was a Disney movie night, except it had devolved into arguments over what their favourites were.
“How can you not rate Peter Pan as one of the best?” Flyzik questioned, almost dropping a forkful of rice onto the floor.
“Because! I mean, it’s okay, and Tinkerbell is iconic, but… it’s definitely not as good as Treasure Planet? That film is so underrated.”
“Don’t let Alex ever hear you say you don’t rate Peter Pan that highly, he’s a die-hard Peter Pan enthusiast,” Flyzik warned, pressing play on the DVD remote. “At least we can both agree that Lilo & Stitch rules, and that it’s our decided upon dinner movie. I’m putting this debate on pause before the food gets cold.”
“I’m going to take that as you admitting defeat, actually,” Kimmi decided nonchalantly, pouring soy sauce over her chicken. “Thank-you for recognising my genius.”
“…If you didn’t have a plate full of food that would stain my couch, I’d totally throw a cushion at your head right now.”
They managed to watch the movie without too much bickering, but Matt wouldn’t have really minded either way. He really enjoyed their little routine; hanging out with Kimmi came very naturally now. Neither had brought up their previous kisses and there hadn’t been any since. He realised it would probably be beneficial to actually talk about it and what exactly they were doing – if they should keep it just friends or try to actually figure out a relationship now that they weren’t in the hectic world of touring. But he also just felt very comfortable doing whatever they were doing… he didn’t want to ruin that.
With that in mind, Matt opted not to talk about it. Not even when the movie finished. Rather, he threw a cushion at her face, as promised earlier. After all, she didn’t have her plate in front of her any more; it was empty on the coffee table.
“What the hell?!” Kimmi exclaimed, brushing her hair back into submission with her fingers. “What was that for?! I was enjoying the credits music!”
“I owed you for being cheeky earlier.”
“Oh, you are so in for it.”
Kimberley stood up, grabbing a cushion and smacking Matt over and over.
“Hey! This is bad pillow fight etiquette!” he yelled, using his arms to shield his head. “You gotta at least let me get a hit in!”
“No way, you hit me when I was unarmed!”
She kept hitting, but they got weaker and weaker as the pair of them devolved into fits of laughter. Matt shuffled back against the arm of the sofa, nudging a Mickey Mouse doll perching there onto the floor.
“Oh, shit,” he muttered, twisting around at lightning speed in order to grab him and put him back on the couch. “There, that's better.”
Kimberley finally stopped her cushion onslaught, looking bemused as she watched Flyzik fix the Mickey and get him to sit ‘comfortably.’ She knew Matt had a thing about his Mickey Mouse collection and keeping them perfect but she’d never actually seen it in action.
“You did not just practically dive off of the couch to rescue a Mickey toy.”
“What?” Matt asked incredulously. “This is the Mickey that sits on my couch. I can’t let him lie on the floor thinking he’s been demoted.”
Kimberley laughed, flopping back down on the couch. “You’re so adorable.”
There was awkward silence after she said it, both of them knowing the implications were meant in a more than friendly way. She’d said it without thinking, but now she was wishing she could take it back.
“…And so is this guy,” she continued quickly, picking up the Mickey toy. “Where did he come from?”
“He was actually a gift from my mom years ago, on my sweet sixteen,” Matt answered just as quickly, eager to get them away from the weird spot they’d gotten themselves into. “I don’t know exactly where she got him, but he’s a little more sentimental to me than a lot of my Mickey toys and memorabilia. So he sits on the couch with me, always.”
“That’s sweet,” Kimmi smiled. “You must have every single Mickey thing going.”
“Honestly, there are collectors way more into it than me, if you can believe it,” said Flyzik. “People who have thousands and thousands of pieces to their collections, dress like him and everything.”
“Oh, come on, I bet you’ve dressed up like Mickey, like on Hallowe’en or something.”
“Actually, I never have!” Matt laughed. “I’ve never done it because I always kind of wanted to do a Mickey and Minnie duo, and nobody ever wanted to do it with me.”
Kimberley gaped at him. “What?! Are they mad? I’d do it!”
“For real?”
“Yeah! I love Mickey and Minnie, it would be way cool to do a matching costume.”
“You’re being totally serious right now?”
“Yes!” Kimmi laughed. “Seriously. A friend of me and my roommates is throwing a Hallowe’en party with her boyfriend next month, they wouldn’t mind if you came along. Their house is huge.”
“Wow, thanks,” Matt grinned. “It’s been a few years since I was actually able to celebrate Hallowe’en properly. Usually touring this time of year but the guys are writing a new album. Dressing up for a party rather than to stand side-stage would be nice.”
“So it’s settled?” Kimberley clarified, not willing to even touch on the irony of doing what was essentially a couples costume with a man she was not in a couple with. “We’ll go as Mickey and Minnie?”
It didn’t faze Flyzik, though. He might not have wanted to directly address what exactly they felt for one another, but having her agree to dress up as his favourite animated characters with him at a party her own friends were throwing felt like a step in the right direction.
“You’ve got yourself a deal, Love.”
It had been over for two weeks and they had texted, called, and/or FaceTimed every single day since then. It wasn’t anything they planned… they just enjoyed talking. Neither of them had mentioned the kisses they’d shared, or the midnight picnic date (was it a date?) but Kimmi didn’t really mind that. It was less stressful to pretend it hadn’t happened.
It was on the two-week mark of tour ending that Flyzik asked her something that made her heart skip.
“Do you wanna come visit me?”
“…Visit you?”
“Yeah. You know. To my house. You drive, right?”
“Yeah…”
“It’s only two hours from Philly to Baltimore. You should come down on Sunday, hang out for the day. We could get my favourite takeout food, sight-see.”
“Why?”
Matt laughed. “Uh, because I like spending time with you? We’ve been talking a lot, just makes sense we’d see each other in person to break up all the texts and calls.”
Kimberley laughed a little too, realising she probably sounded like an idiot questioning why she’d ever go and see him. It did make sense. And it didn’t exactly sound like he was proposing anything romantic, although at this point, she wasn’t sure she minded so much. She also wasn’t sure if it would be more or less stressful to date someone who lived two hours away… but it could be worse.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll drive to you on Sunday.”
“Sounds good! I’ll text you my address, buddy. I gotta go though, my mom’s calling me. Should probably take it, since I kinda haven’t seen her since before that tour… whoops.”
“Oh, jeez, yeah. Talk to your mother. Okay, well, text you later.”
The phone beeped as he hung up, and Kimberley stared at her phone with a frown. Buddy?
Sure, she was hesitant about dating, but calling someone you made out with twice ‘buddy’ just seemed a little insulting. Maybe that was a hint that he didn’t want to be involved romantically after all.
Maybe it would also be a good idea not to overthink it.
/////
“Uh, no way you think Treasure Planet is better than Peter Pan.”
“Of course I do? It’s legendary.”
Matt and Kimmi were sat up on his sofa, plates loaded with Chinese food. It was now Kimmi’s fourth Sunday visit in a row to his house – it had become unspoken routine that she’d drive to see him, he’d force gas money on her for the trip even though she’d tell him not to, and they’d get takeout food and watch movies. Sometimes Disney, sometimes not.
This particular Sunday was a Disney movie night, except it had devolved into arguments over what their favourites were.
“How can you not rate Peter Pan as one of the best?” Flyzik questioned, almost dropping a forkful of rice onto the floor.
“Because! I mean, it’s okay, and Tinkerbell is iconic, but… it’s definitely not as good as Treasure Planet? That film is so underrated.”
“Don’t let Alex ever hear you say you don’t rate Peter Pan that highly, he’s a die-hard Peter Pan enthusiast,” Flyzik warned, pressing play on the DVD remote. “At least we can both agree that Lilo & Stitch rules, and that it’s our decided upon dinner movie. I’m putting this debate on pause before the food gets cold.”
“I’m going to take that as you admitting defeat, actually,” Kimmi decided nonchalantly, pouring soy sauce over her chicken. “Thank-you for recognising my genius.”
“…If you didn’t have a plate full of food that would stain my couch, I’d totally throw a cushion at your head right now.”
They managed to watch the movie without too much bickering, but Matt wouldn’t have really minded either way. He really enjoyed their little routine; hanging out with Kimmi came very naturally now. Neither had brought up their previous kisses and there hadn’t been any since. He realised it would probably be beneficial to actually talk about it and what exactly they were doing – if they should keep it just friends or try to actually figure out a relationship now that they weren’t in the hectic world of touring. But he also just felt very comfortable doing whatever they were doing… he didn’t want to ruin that.
With that in mind, Matt opted not to talk about it. Not even when the movie finished. Rather, he threw a cushion at her face, as promised earlier. After all, she didn’t have her plate in front of her any more; it was empty on the coffee table.
“What the hell?!” Kimmi exclaimed, brushing her hair back into submission with her fingers. “What was that for?! I was enjoying the credits music!”
“I owed you for being cheeky earlier.”
“Oh, you are so in for it.”
Kimberley stood up, grabbing a cushion and smacking Matt over and over.
“Hey! This is bad pillow fight etiquette!” he yelled, using his arms to shield his head. “You gotta at least let me get a hit in!”
“No way, you hit me when I was unarmed!”
She kept hitting, but they got weaker and weaker as the pair of them devolved into fits of laughter. Matt shuffled back against the arm of the sofa, nudging a Mickey Mouse doll perching there onto the floor.
“Oh, shit,” he muttered, twisting around at lightning speed in order to grab him and put him back on the couch. “There, that's better.”
Kimberley finally stopped her cushion onslaught, looking bemused as she watched Flyzik fix the Mickey and get him to sit ‘comfortably.’ She knew Matt had a thing about his Mickey Mouse collection and keeping them perfect but she’d never actually seen it in action.
“You did not just practically dive off of the couch to rescue a Mickey toy.”
“What?” Matt asked incredulously. “This is the Mickey that sits on my couch. I can’t let him lie on the floor thinking he’s been demoted.”
Kimberley laughed, flopping back down on the couch. “You’re so adorable.”
There was awkward silence after she said it, both of them knowing the implications were meant in a more than friendly way. She’d said it without thinking, but now she was wishing she could take it back.
“…And so is this guy,” she continued quickly, picking up the Mickey toy. “Where did he come from?”
“He was actually a gift from my mom years ago, on my sweet sixteen,” Matt answered just as quickly, eager to get them away from the weird spot they’d gotten themselves into. “I don’t know exactly where she got him, but he’s a little more sentimental to me than a lot of my Mickey toys and memorabilia. So he sits on the couch with me, always.”
“That’s sweet,” Kimmi smiled. “You must have every single Mickey thing going.”
“Honestly, there are collectors way more into it than me, if you can believe it,” said Flyzik. “People who have thousands and thousands of pieces to their collections, dress like him and everything.”
“Oh, come on, I bet you’ve dressed up like Mickey, like on Hallowe’en or something.”
“Actually, I never have!” Matt laughed. “I’ve never done it because I always kind of wanted to do a Mickey and Minnie duo, and nobody ever wanted to do it with me.”
Kimberley gaped at him. “What?! Are they mad? I’d do it!”
“For real?”
“Yeah! I love Mickey and Minnie, it would be way cool to do a matching costume.”
“You’re being totally serious right now?”
“Yes!” Kimmi laughed. “Seriously. A friend of me and my roommates is throwing a Hallowe’en party with her boyfriend next month, they wouldn’t mind if you came along. Their house is huge.”
“Wow, thanks,” Matt grinned. “It’s been a few years since I was actually able to celebrate Hallowe’en properly. Usually touring this time of year but the guys are writing a new album. Dressing up for a party rather than to stand side-stage would be nice.”
“So it’s settled?” Kimberley clarified, not willing to even touch on the irony of doing what was essentially a couples costume with a man she was not in a couple with. “We’ll go as Mickey and Minnie?”
It didn’t faze Flyzik, though. He might not have wanted to directly address what exactly they felt for one another, but having her agree to dress up as his favourite animated characters with him at a party her own friends were throwing felt like a step in the right direction.
“You’ve got yourself a deal, Love.”