i think i love you • matthew healy

26. hallway

i'm barely dry when i get to his front door.

i could hear the thunder echoing outside even in this dimly-lit hallway.

still, the sound of his door opening seems louder than anything right now.

"rhiannon." george looks like he had just woken up. it's 7 in the evening.

"hi." i wave. completely trying my best to ignore my dripping hair and the uncomfortable feeling of my soggy socks squishing inside my shoes. my hands are so fucking clammy at this point.

"you're..." he puts his hand over his head, trying to find a word to say. "you're so wet."

just like that, we both burst out laughing.

--

george had let me sit on the sofa after handing me a dry towel and a cig.

only you by yazoo is playing softly from the speakers in his room.

"how's the album going, by the way?" i ask while george is taking a sip from his mug of tea.

"oh. it's finished for the most part." he replies, seeming a bit distracted now. "yeah... title's still a bit blurry, you know, what with matty's head filled with his extra grand and extravagant ideas delaying the whole release bit."

i chuckle. "no surprise."

"yeah..."

we continue smoking quietly. the song finally fades off in silence.

"uhm..." he clears his throat. "a date's coming over, actually." george finally says after awhile.

it takes me one second to process what he had said. "a date?"

"yeah. a date."

two seconds. "that's... that's great, G."

he smirks at me.

"i'm serious." i press on, frowning. "to be quite honest with you, i was worried that you might be feeling--"

"miserable?" he raises an eyebrow.

i sigh. "yeah."

george leans back on the sofa, the smile not leaving his face. "her name's valerie. uh, she's a label executive for this one artist i'm currently producing for."

"finally someone your age."

"you're not wrong."

i chuckle, wrapping my hands around the warm mug of tea he had prepared. "i'm really happy for you, george."

i mean it.

"how about you?"

"hmm?"

"are you happy, rhian?"

i think about it for a moment despite the answer being incredibly clear.

"i'm getting there, i suppose." i smile at him.

in complete honesty i'm just tired, but what good would it do to tell george that?

for the first time in a long time, george doesn't look like he's waiting for something great to happen to him.

it's as if he's already got it.

we spend thirty more minutes in his flat. george had let me listen to the album, but we paused midway because valerie had finally called to let him know she's nearby.

"guess i should, uh, get going then." i tell george as i clumsily attempt to pick up my coat, my damp shoes and my tesco paper bag all while trying to hold my tea.

"hold on, i got you." he interrupts, grabbing the shoes from my arms. to my surprise, he kneels in front of me in a heartbeat. i inaudibly let out a gasp.

i watch helplessly, all tensed up and stupid, as george quietly ties my shoelaces.

god.

we fill the room with silence for at least half a minute.

"tha--" i clear my throat awkwardly, my face burning. "thanks."

george smiles. "don't trip on the way out, yeah?"

i roll my eyes. "i'll try."

the moment i step out of his flat, i feel this strange tremendous weight lifted from my chest and--

"rhian."

i turn and see george still standing by his doorway, looking at me with the softest gaze. he smiles.

"my door's always open for you. okay?"

--

as i'm walking out the flat building, my eyes shift to the rather tall and attractively skinny woman walking in.

clad in a cream cashmere sweater, her dirty blonde hair's in a low bun, with red wine lips and flushed cheeks.

she leaves the door open for me, and i say "thanks" under my breath.

"no problem." she smiles softly, before hurrying past me to get to the lift.

the rain has stopped pouring finally.

while i'm waiting for a cab by the wet sidewalk, all freezing and damp, i take my phone out from my coat pocket to read a text ollie had sent five minutes ago.

its over. tonight i'm booking a train. are you coming home soon? want to say goodbye to you.

--

a/n: idk if you can tell, but story's about to end in a few chapters ahhh. been a ride, love you forever thank you for all the lovely comments, votes, and everything else x