Like You Did Before

50: I Can’t Do It

“Are you going to be ready at some point this evening, Mattie?”

Matilda, who was rested against the side of Lola’s crib, quirked a small smirk, waiting for the sound of his footsteps to follow the sound of his voice up the stairs. She was surprised by his eagerness. In the past, when she had suggested that he join her and her friends for nights out, Iker had tended to shy away, uncomfortable with being a late addition to a group that had a lot of history, but he hadn’t hesitated in accepting her invitation to their yearly Christmas get together, something which meant a lot to Matilda. She had tried to downplay how much it meant to her. Iker, despite his best efforts, still got a little anxious when they were around her friends, and she didn’t want to push him into it, but when he had said that he wanted to go, Matilda had been delighted. It meant a lot to her that the important people in her life could get along.

Hearing Iker’s footsteps on the stairs, she pushed herself away from the crib and smoothed out her dress, her grin growing playfully when he ducked through the doorway. “I didn’t realise that you were going to be in such a hurry” she quipped.

Iker, who’d been looking her up and down, offered her a playful smirk. “You were the one who was insistent about me being ready by seven thirty” he said “I kind of thought that you’d be ready then, too” he added.

“Do I not look ready to you?” Matilda fired back at him impishly.

Iker offered her a pointed look, something which made Matilda laugh before she shook her head. “Naomi’s late to everything” she mused “She always has been, and Micah’s not much better. it’s part of why they’re so good together. We can afford a few minutes, and I wanted to make sure that Lola was sleeping. My mother’s been here for most of the day, and the little one has run her ragged, so I thought I’d handle bed time for her” she added, glancing over her shoulder when Lola made a noise in her sleep.

Iker followed her stare, holding his breath until Lola settled again. Letting out a soft sigh of relief, he gently took a hold of Matilda’s hand and guided her out of the room, tugging the door to behind them. Matilda watched him close the door before she squeezed his hand softly, pulling his attention back to her. “I’m glad that you’re coming” she said gently “It means a lot to me” she added.

“I know it does” Iker said “That’s why I am coming” he added, flashing her a slightly impish smile. She hadn’t needed to tell him. The look on her face when she had broached the subject of them going had told him just how much she had wanted him to say yes, and he hadn’t been able to resist giving in, wanting to see her face light up.

Matilda rolled her eyes, but pushed up onto her toes, pressing a soft kiss against his lips. Iker smiled into the kiss before Matilda pulled away, tugging him along the hall with her towards the stairs.

~#~
“I’m sorry that we’re late” Matilda breathed as she plopped into an empty seat.

“Matilda was convinced we wouldn’t be” Iker followed up easily, moving to greet Naomi with a pleasant kiss on the cheek before he shook Micah’s hand.

Naomi laughed gently as she sat back down. “She was convinced that we would be” she quipped knowingly,

“Don’t be like that” Matilda played along “You two are late to everything. I was amazed when you both made it down the aisle on time” she added.

Naomi scoffed. “Like you’d let me be late” she quipped.

The group laughed gently, affording Iker and Matilda the chance to settle into their seats. Shrugging her jacket off of her shoulders, Matilda moved to hang it over the back of her chair before she glanced across the table, her forehead furrowing at the two empty seats which sat opposite. “Did Mia and Oliver change their plans?” she prodded.

Naomi, who’d been talking to Iker about Lola, glanced up from the conversation, following Matilda’s look towards the empty seats. “No” she replied “They left for Oliver’s parents last night. That’s for Art. I thought you’d figure that out. It’s always the four of us. Me, you, Art and Mia, though, since Mia got married, we hardy ever see her any more” she added, a slightly confused smile on her face.

Matilda kept her eyes on the empty seat, but she could feel Iker’s stare on her, wordlessly asking her why she hadn’t mentioned that there was a chance that Arthur could be there. She should have known that there was a chance. She had been vague when she had told Naomi what had happened between her and Arthur, she hadn’t wanted to explain it for a third time, and she knew that she had downplayed it slightly, meaning that Naomi didn’t quite grasp how serious things had been. If she had, there was no way she would have invited Matilda, Iker and Arthur to all be in the same place at the same time.

Shifting slightly in her seat, she nodded, offering Naomi the best smile she could muster. “She’s got couple friends now” she replied.

“We’re couple friends” Naomi mused “I’ve got Micah, you’ve got Iker” she added.

“She means friends that don’t tell Oliver every embarrassing story from her school days” Micah chirped playfully “Ollie’s never found them funny” he added.

Naomi let out a snort. “Ollie’s never found anything funny” she muttered.

Matilda quirked a faint smile, watching her friends playfully bicker, before the sound of a chair being pulled out caught her attention. Slowly lifting her head, she watched the chair moved backwards before she looked up further, her blue eyes meeting Arthur’s which stared back at her, caught somewhere between sheepish and pained. Swallowing, she fought the urge to climb out of her seat and wrap her arms around him. Instead, she pushed a weak smile onto her face. “Art” she greeted quietly.

Arthur’s answering smile was equally shaky. “Mattie” he mimicked “It’s...uh...it’s good to see you. Iker, too” he added, glancing towards the other man warily.

Iker just stared at him, his eyes occasionally flashing to Matilda.

Naomi looked between the three of them before she tilted her head. “Am I missing something?” she prodded.

“Mimi” Micah warned gently.

“It’s nothing” Iker replied “Arthur just tried to convince Mattie to break up with me, again” he added coolly.

“What?” Naomi squeaked.

“It wasn’t like that” Arthur defended quietly.

“You kissed her” Iker shot back “You told her that she had to choose between us. You professed your love for her. How was it not what I said it was?” he prodded.

“Iker, please” Matilda pleaded softly, her hand squeezing his.

“You weren’t there” Arthur said “And you know what? A lot of things would be a whole lot easier if you weren’t here. I still don’t see what makes you so freaking special” he added bitterly.

“Arthur” Matilda turned to him, hoping to convince him to back down.

Iker pushed his chair back, stepping closer to Arthur who didn’t step back. “Why can’t you just accept that she isn’t interested in you?” he asked “You’ve been following her around like a lost puppy for years, and she’s never shown interest. Why is that so hard to get through here, huh?” he prodded, his finger poking the side of Arthur’s head.

“Why did it used to bother you so much that I was around?” Arthur countered “I mean, you must have thought I was a threat. You complained about me enough to Mattie. She used to tell me about it, Iker. She used to tell me about everything” he added, a smirk ticking up the corner of his lips.

Iker’s hand moved to grip the front of Arthur’s jumper.

“Enough!” Matilda’s voice was sudden and loud enough to draw some odd looks from other customers in the restaurant. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down slightly before she reached for her coat. Pulling it around her shoulders, she looked between Arthur and Iker before she turned to Naomi. “Can I get a lift home with you?” she asked.

Naomi nodded. “Of course” she confirmed “Micah...”

“On it” Micah mused, moving away from the table.

For a moment after he left, the group was silent, but then Matilda turned towards Iker and Arthur, her eyes fixed on her feet as she faced the two of them. “This has to stop” she muttered “I can’t...I can’t keep being between the two of you. You are both important to me, OK? Maybe not in the way that you want to be, and maybe it means learning to accept people I love too, but you are and I need you to decide whether you want to keep being that or not because I am not going to play peacemaker between you for the rest of my life. Figure it out and get back to me when you have” she added before she took Naomi’s outstretched arm, following her away from the table.
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Thanks to Twisted;;Symphony for the comment :)