Gemma's POV
"Are you ready?" Brian asked coming out of the bathroom.
I looked at him. I was sitting on the bed, still in my underwear.
"We're meeting everyone downstairs in ten minutes Gem." He said. "Lunch, and then we're looking around."
"I know." I said standing up. I knew what we were meant to be doing but I couldn't stop thinking about Isla. "Is Isla coming?" I asked. "Well is Matt coming even?"
Brian smiled. "Babe I do not know." He said kissing me. "But it bugs you doesn't it?"
"Yeah it bugs me."
Bugged me was an understatement. My best friend, the girl who had been my best friend for years was apparently with a guy and I knew nothing about it. She had never said a word to me. She'd never even spoken his name to me. I mean I knew something had been bothering her but I never dreamed in a million years that it was Matt, he was what was bothering her.
"Come on." He said grabbing my hand and pulling me up from the bed. "Get ready."
I went into the bathrrom and applied some make up, doing my hair, then I walked back out, choosing a dress and pulling it on.
"You know." I said, looking for my shoes. "You said yourself that you could never see Matt in a relationship." I told Brian.
"I know and if you remember." He told me. "I also said Matt had been acting strange, different, and now I know, he actually met a girl he liked and wants to be with."
"But Isla?" I asked standing up.
"Yes Isla babe. Now." He said grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the door. "Let's go."
I let him lead me to the elevator where we waited. I couldn't help but glance at Isla's door and wonder what was going on in there?
"Gem." Brian murmured. "Stop." And I did, letting him kiss me.
We arrived downstairs and everyone else was waiting, well everyone except Isla and Matt.
"I called his room." Zack told us. "No answer."
"Oh yeah." Brian said. "Let me try Isla's room." He said winking.
"What?" Zack asked looking at me.
I just shook my head. "Don't ask."
I watched Brian pick up the phone, then I watched him talking in to it, smiling and nodding. He hung up and walked over to us. "They'll be down in about in five minutes."
"Isla and Matt?" Zack asked.
"Yep." Brian told him. "Isla and Matt."
He sat down next to me, draping his arm across my shoulder and kissing my cheek. "You look beautiful by the way." He murmured.
I smiled. Such a sweet talker. "Thank you." I whispered, looking at him. Suddenly the elevator doors opened and I looked over to see Matt and Isla get out of them.
They walked towards us. They didn't look any different to me, well they didn't until Matt said something quietly to Isla and she smiled, causing him to put his arm around her and pull her close. I still couldn't believe it.
"Ready?" Matt asked as they approached us.
We all stood up, heading for the door. I felt like someone should just say 'Hey what's this' to them, but everyone was acting like it was an every day occurrence.
The restaurant was in walking distance and as we headed off down the road I was glad when I saw Isla say something to Matt then stop and wait for me.
"Hey." I said as I caught up with her.
She smiled. Admittedly she looked extremely happy.
"Matt, wait up." Brian called, taking the hint and realising Isla and I wanted to talk.
We walked silently, falling a little way behind the others before she spoke. "So?" She said.
"So." I repeated.
"I know you want to know Gemma." She said.
"Well yeah Isla. I kind of do, because it seems you've been living a whole life that I wasn't even aware of."
"No Gemma." She said. "It's not like that, I just didn't know what was happening."
"Well what is happening? And for god sake please tell me how this happened." I asked her.
"Fine." She said smiling down at her feet. "I'll tell you." Good, I wanted her to tell me. "We hooked up at Brian's party."
"Hooked up? At the party I took you too?"
She nodded. "Yes and I'm sorry, I never meant to, it just happened."
"Um okay, why didn't you tell me about it?" I asked her.
"Gemma." She said grabbing my arm and stopping me. "I didn't want to tell anyone, even when it continued."
"It continued?"
"Yeah La Jolla, he'd come over to my place and stuff."
"So this has been going on a for awhile and you never told me?" I was trying to understand.
"Yes." She said softly. "Gem, you know what he was like, I was embarrassed, I'd let him use me, I'd turned into one of those girls that you and I laughed about."
"Well obviously not Isla." I pointed out to her.
"Yeah." She said and I was shocked to see tears in her eye's. "But I didn't know he felt the same way Gem, I honestly thought I was just another fuck to him."
I felt so bad. Isla had been going through this and she hadn't told a soul. She was so embarrassed that she'd told nobody. I knew something had been wrong and I should have pushed her to tell me.
"But it's okay now?" I asked her, hugging her.
"It's very okay Gem." She said smiling and she looked so happy. "Apparently I had the same effect on him that he had on me."
"Well Brian did tell me he was acting strange, mind you this was after I told him you were acting strange." I told her. "We never put two and two together. How stupid are we." I laughed.
"Not stupid Gem, I mean who would have guessed."
"I know." I said. "But Matt Isla?"
"Yeah Matt." She smiled. "He's just so ugh I don't know, there was just something about him from the moment I met him, he's so much more than what you see."
I nodded. It was nice to see her smiling.
"Hey." Matt said. He'd stopped waiting for her to catch up to him and I watched as he slipped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. "I missed you." He murmured.
I smiled to myself. He was so much more than what I'd seen, I'd just gotten a glimpse then. It would seem that the king of cocky pricks wasn't so cocky after all.
I watched him smile down at her.
He was a big teddy bear.
