brother's best friend / matt champion

chapter 4

matt's place is only one storey, but it seems big enough for an entire family. it makes me wonder how someone as young as him can afford to live alone here.

deciding to relax after being all tense for most of the night, i give in to my self and lean against his shoulder as we walk through a messy yard to the front door.

im still in disbelief that im actually here. it's not like it was some dumb decision i made when drunk, cause im not. im didn't even get a sip of my drink.

"take your shoes off," matt's voice is quiet and rasp as we enter the darkened house. "i can see they're killing your feet."

gently letting go of my waist and taking my hand instead, he leads me around several objects that i can't even see in this darkness and sits me down on what must be a sofa.

matt drops my hand and i hear him exit the room. i sigh as i peel of my high heels and rub my ankle.

im really out here injuring myself.

out of relief to be sitting down, i sink into the couch cushions. the lights come on and im able to examine the living room, which is a total mess.

when matt renters the room with a little plastic box, the first aid kit, i get to wondering again. how can one person possibly create such a mess?

empty food packets are scattered across the coffee table and the floor. old pizza boxes, chip bags, you name it. dust seems to have grown in every corner of the room and the couch is marked with various stains that i don't even wanna know where they're from.

i'm surprised i didn't roll my ankle trying to walk in here but rather by wearing heels.

"okay," matt pops open the box, "so we got bandages, band aids, antiseptic and basically whatever the fuck a damn hospital would have ... what do you say?"

"i say antiseptic is just fine," i giggle.

he nods and sits down beside me. "sorry about the mess.. i literally just cleaned, im a neat freak trust me."

"how'd it get like this if you just cleaned?" i grin.

"well.."

'neat freak' my ass.

matt shakes his head and folds a few kleenex sheets into a small parcel. my eyes are glued to the moment of his hands as he takes the bottle of antiseptic from the kit and dampens the tissues with the product.

carefully he inches it closer to my leg. "okay now hold still-"

"fuck!" i wince, literally jumping away from the antiseptic.

immediately he throws his head back in laugher. "tavia," he says with a goofy smile, "it wasn't even close to touching your skin."

oh.

with pursed lips i awkwardly scoot back towards him on the sofa. i'm the definition of an embarrassment.

above my knee but below the hem of my dress, matt gently dabs the the tissue against the cut in my leg. it stings like a bitch but because he's so gentle i manage to relax.