Getting Over Matt

11 - "I have a hidden dark side."

Chapter 11 - "I have a hidden dark side."

I rolled over in bed and collided with something. Or, rather, someone. Opening my eyes, my heart lurched to see Matt lying there, and at first I thought I was dreaming.  

"What are you doing here?" I sat up, rubbing my eyes, a little dazed but more confused.

"Nice to see you, too," he laughed, sitting up too. "I let myself in." 

I raised an eyebrow. "You broke into my house? When have you ever been the rebellious type?" 

"I have a hidden dark side." He flashed me a teasing smile, tucking some of my hair behind my ear. "Nah, I just used the spare key." 

"Wow. I don't think anyone's used that key since..." 

"Since me?"

Years ago, before we started dating, I used to hide a key outside for him. He'd use it late at night to sneak in, and then we'd spend hours talking and laughing, keeping our voices hushed to avoid waking my parents. The sleep deprivation was worth it: the secrets, confessions, and dreams we'd shared with each other during those nights together had brought us closer together. He was my best friend, and we'd tell each other everything. 

Then the friendship evolved into a relationship, and Mum imposed a strict No Secret Sleepovers rule. Apparently we hadn't been as careful as we'd assumed, and she'd known all along, but we respected the rule and the spare key had sat untouched ever since. 

"I assume you're here because it's your birthday and you want your present early?" I guessed with a smile.  

He laughed. "Close, but not quite. I just wanted you to be the first person I saw on my birthday." 

Smiling, I brushed my thumb gently along his jaw. "It's a lovely surprise, Matt."  

I went to kiss him but then thought better of it, remembering that I'd only just woken up; I didn't want to repulse him.  

"Let me just freshen up," I said quickly, ducking from under his arm.

I dashed into the bathroom and scraped the toothbrush around my mouth, hoping to eradicate as much of my morning-breath as possible. Then I tried to make my hair look slightly more presentable, before swiftly giving it up as a bad job. When I was heading back to bed, I caught sight of the clock.  

"Matt! It's six in the morning!"

He smiled sheepishly. "I didn't want to risk any of your family being awake." 

I rolled my eyes and shook my head in amusement, then reached to kiss him. His hand slipped behind my head as we kissed affectionately for a long time, our lips working together in well-practised, perfect sync.

"I got you something," he told me once we'd broken from the kiss.  

I frowned. "You got me something? It's your birthday, not mine." 

"I know. But I saw it and couldn't resist." 

He handed over a long, rectangular box. Oh my God, I thought. Jewellery. He's bought me jewellery. In my opinion, jewellery was the most romantic thing a guy could buy a girl. It was traditional and classic, not to mention timeless. Holding my breath as I waited to see what was inside, I carefully opened the box. I gasped as I caught sight of the beautiful silver bracelet that lay neatly in the velvet folds of the case, sparkling each time the light shone onto the surface of it.  

"It's beautiful, Matt," I murmured, taking it out of the box and fastening it onto my wrist straightaway. "Thank you so much. You really shouldn't have."