Getting Over Matt

8 - "You're all I want."

Chapter 8 - "You're all I want."

On Monday morning, I was surprised to find Nathan yet again waiting outside my house with his car, ready to give me a lift to school. And I was even more surprised to realise that I felt almost happy about that. We'd definitely made progress on Saturday, and I now felt like I was past the point of tolerating him and almost at the level where I enjoyed his company. Almost.  

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, leaning into his car through the open passenger window. "You're making a habit of turning up at my house unannounced. And uninvited."  

"I thought I'd offer you a lift to school," he replied with a casual shrug. "If you've got too much pride to accept it, though..." 

I pulled open the passenger door and hopped in. I'd take a lift over walking any day. "Well, you're here now," I stated.  

Nathan smiled and started up the car, waiting for me to fasten my seat belt. "How was your family dinner yesterday?" 

I couldn't recall ever mentioning it to him, but we'd covered so much stuff on Saturday afternoon that I'd lost track of what I had and hadn't told him. Regardless, I was touched he'd remembered it and was now taking an interest in how it had gone.  

"Oh, it was okay," I replied. "Same old, same old, really." I thought carefully about my next question, wondering whether it was too personal. "Don't you ever get lonely? You know, since your family are in Italy." 

"No, not really," Nathan answered without hesitation.  

How could you live by yourself and not get lonely? I wasn't quite sure what to say, so I didn't say anything.  

"I mean," he quickly continued, "I still talk to my family. And I can Skype them. So I still get to see them both. Just not in the physical flesh." 

I nodded. "I guess that sort of stuff does help." 

"And besides, how could I possibly get lonely when I've got you to keep me company?" he asked with a broad grin, taking his eyes off the road for a small moment to glance across at me. "Did you beat Sam yesterday? I was rooting for you, but I didn't fancy your chances. Sorry. The guy just looks like a tennis player."

"Actually, he cancelled on me this time," I said. "He's started seeing someone, and he bumped into her brother while trying to sneak out of her house yesterday morning."

"And now he's got a broken arm?"

A small laugh bubbled in my throat. "No. They all went out to lunch together, and Sam didn't think it would make a good impression if he left early to meet me."

We pulled into the school and my stomach did a little flip when I saw Matt leaning against the entrance. Wonderful. Seeing me turn up to school with Nathan would almost certainly cause an argument. I sighed and braced myself.  

"Thanks for the lift," I told Nathan. "I'll see you later if I survive this little encounter." 

He chuckled to himself. "See you later, Bella." 

As I approached Matt, he pushed off the side of the wall and reached out for my hand. "Hey, Iz. Can we talk somewhere?" 

I felt a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. He wasn't angry. He looked guilty. And he wanted to talk somewhere privately. Had he finally cheated on me? Was he breaking up with me? 

"Um, sure," I said. 

He squeezed my hand, interlocked our fingers, and then led me inside the school, immediately turning left into the dining area. It was deserted at this time in the morning and he swiftly shut the door after us.