ephemeral // matty healy

maja the sky witch

Blair and I will support you no matter what you decide to do.

Stella didn't bother to zone into her curt conversation with Ms. Wiley when she dropped off Apricot. She couldn't help but hear Bo's words echo through her brain. Over and over again.

Stella took the long way home. When she suppressed his voice, she was bombarded by her own brain yelling that she was going to be out of money soon and that she needed to make a choice. Her next moves were slim, but she needed to make a decision.

She looked up at the flat to learn that she had not walked home after all. The steps pushed her up to the front door, where her she rung the doorbell.

Maja looked out from the sitting room and called out to say that the door was open.

"What a surprise!" She placed her book on the side table. "My bestie!"

"Hi," Stella glanced at the ground sheepishly. "I'm a bit surprised to be here, too." Maja shot her a funny look, quirking an eyebrow to the ceiling.

"You are lying." Her nightgown swished as she turned back toward her chair. "Do not lie to me, bestie."

Stella inconspicuously wiped a bead of sweat from her hairline. "I got into my program and I want to go, but I'm scared to fail."

"Why do you think you will fail?" Maja patted her armrest, signaling for Stella to sit next to her. 

"Because that's what happened last time," she said through her sorrow. "I didn't even make it through a full year before I dropped out." Stella lazily flopped across the back of the chair, but Maja stayed true and held her hand while she explained her feelings. "I'm scared of letting everyone down again."

"You let people down?" Maja's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Bo has never told me about that—and he tells me everything about you. I did not realize that you were abandoned by everyone you loved." She finished with a sarcastic tone, lifting her gaze to meet Stella's.

"He does?" Stella wore a cheeky side smile, then shook herself from her state. "And, that's not true, Maja, I don't want people to be disappointed."

"I have two pieces of advice for you to take, or not. First," she held up a finger. "why do you care what other people think about you? And second, why would people be disappointed when you are finding what's best for you?" Stella looked at her long and hard, while letting her words soak into the core of her brain.

"But, then again..." Maja tutted and settled back into her soft chair. "I'm an old woman—what do I know?"

They sat together until it got dark, deciding not to talk about school anymore. Stella knew what she wanted to do. But, as she chatted with Maja, she wondered if she had secret powers of persuasion for a split second.

-

Matty walked up the walk to Blair's flat in a blazer and slicked back hair. The cellophane around the flowers crinkled as he carefully adjusted the flowers to a presentable position. He shuffled the pink and yellow daisies until he was satisfied with how they looked. She buzzed him into the building and he walked up and up and up the stairs, with each step making him more nervous. The weight in his stomach nearly knocked him back down the ground level.

Until she opened the door and she was stunning. He admired how Blair had put up her hair, leaving her slick silvery strand to frame her face. It made her seem more mature, but her red, silk dress also helped in that.

Matty grew shy as he felt his face redden. "You look marvelous," he said as he stuck the flowers in her face.

"Oh my, these are lovely, thank you." Hurriedly, she put the Gerberas in a vase and then buckled her heels. Matty stuck out an elbow for her to hold onto.

"I've got to tell you," he said as he led her down the stairs with care. "I really appreciate you coming with me tonight."

"Well, when your client calls for an emergency date to his brother's dinner party, how could I not lend a hand?" She smiled.

"Yeah, about that," he began. They turned with the staircase until Matty opened the door to the street. "Unfortunately, there's been a slight change in plan. Um, Louis was never throwing a dinner party."

Blair's eyes opened urgently, but she quickly gave up the charade. "So, you're telling me your younger brother was not throwing a black tie soiree for no reason? Quel suprise." 

Matty scratched the back of his neck. "You saw through that, I guess."

Her voice was riddled with sarcasm. "What? Never!" Blair clutched her imaginary pearls.

"Alright, alright." He raised his hands in surrender. "You got me, I guess, but I hope you weren't expecting this." Matty gestured behind her, showing their new ride: an elegant Clydesdale in front of a glossy black carriage.

The footman opened the door for the two of them with a large smile. The latch clicked behind them, leaving the pair enclosed in an intimate solitude. Blair could hear his breath above the bustle of the street outside, which made her heart race. Could he hear that, too?

Matty could not, as he was too focused on getting her inside, not falling, not stepping on his own feet, not sitting on her dress... He wanted everything to be perfect, which was a stretch considering perfection was only his aim in his music. And his interactions with Blair. They were calculated, or at least they are calculated until he blurts something out in a fit of intense passion.

He tried not to think about his admission of admiration, but it replayed in his mind.