SETTLE DOWN, matty healy

Chapter 24: For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It

Song Selection: Frozen by Sabrina Claudio

"Pressed against me
That's how it always seemed to be.
The two of us and the night
Before any of our dreams could take flight.
Yet even in my dreams,
You laid pressed against me in the sheets.
The bare skin on your back,
As I trace my finger down the folds gently.
Our breathing is ill defined
And I wonder how we're always in sync.
The night lingers on,
And I linger onto you,
But you just sleep so soundly beside me,
While I push back your hair gently."

I smiled in content at the poetry reading, having Matty laugh at the sight of me to push my hair back. "It's Sunday, the day of rest. Just come back to sleep," I told him, intertwining his hand in mine to begin to try and pull him back tiredly.

He kissed my forehead, tucking me into the sheets. "I'll make breakfast, you get your rest."

I eyed him leave the room, grinning at the sight of him. "I mean, if you insist Healy." Tucking my head back into the pillow I eyed the poetry and sketches on his bedside now, having myself begin to feel more awake at the sight of them. Continuing to cover myself with the sheets I flipped through the pages, having not read some of these in some time or even looked at any of his drawings. His sketches were much more defined than mine, pertaining to more of an aesthetic appeal than anything which only made me smile at the thought.

Looks like a mess, but he sure as hell is a dream.

"Spying on me then?" I looked up to Matty leaning against the doorway with a smug grin, handing me a cup of tea to sit beside me. "Already have the waffle batter ready if you want to help me." He then took the sketches and poetry I was looking at, smiling down eye me. "I'll put on some Tchaikovsky if you-"

I reached for his neck to kiss him, having him take me up into his arms to deepen the embrace. "Waffles sound perfect."

He smiled, brushing his cheek with my thumb. "Does that mean you want extra blueberries?"

"Oh definitely." He tossed me one of his pullovers, shaking his head with a small grin as I laughed in my seat atop his bed to meet him back in his kitchen.

***

Opening the door of the house back slowly, my parents were no where to be seen as I slowly made my way upstairs to my room. That is, of course, until both of them turned towards me from their seats on the sofa. "Called Anna to make sure you were alright since you stayed over with her. Didn't expect you to sleepover though?" My mother brought up.

I decided to play along with this, hoping Anna covered for me if my mom had called. "Next time Emma please tell us when you plan to sleepover so we know you're safe," My dad explained to me.

"Right, sorry, it won't happen again. Now I'm just going to do some writing upstairs if that's alright?" They nodded, having a conversation themselves as I hurried up the steps to shut the door behind me in my room to call my new, fellow liar it seemed. "Anna-"

"I'm not going to cover for you again next time, Em. It's bad enough I've already got to live with one of your secrets, I don't need anymore baggage," She interrupted me to say and sighed deeply, "Besides, it's definitely not helping my binge shopping. I've got tons of face masks I definitely do not need in bulk."

"I know, I didn't expect my mom to call. I'm sorry."

Anna remained silent on the other line as I waited in anticipation. "So if my guesses are correct with this, and honestly they've gotta be, I'm assuming you spent the night at Matty's last night after he came back to spend New Year's Eve with you in a whole romantic gesture?"

"Nope! That's the end of that conversation." My face reddened as I listened on to her persistent laughing on the other line. "What about you? Any mystery you're hiding from me because you weren't exactly free last night either."

"Another tale for another time. Call you later, Em." She hung up quickly soon after and I rolled my eyes with a small smile, tucking my phone to then open my laptop for assignment postings over the rest of the few days of break. Instead of finding any that I had not already complete, I was instead met with a personal email from Mrs. Eastwood. Looking to it confused and soon reading its contents, my eyes widening at the opportunity being made.

Dear Emma Carson,

I have taken the liberty to speak with some of my colleagues who have connections to literature study abroad programs for this summer. If you're interested, and I highly recommend you to be, the link to the application is already in this email. You have talent Emma and the program will introduce you to individuals who will better your craft in a finer enviroment. Happy New Year :)

Best wishes,

Eastwood

***

Ryder sat there for a moment in silence as I explained to her the situation, having me lay back in my own bed in deep thought. "You're going to go right?"

" 'Course I am! But do you understand how much pressure is going to be on me when I'm there? I'm not exactly the best equipped to deal with such a thing," I explained to her.

She rolled her eyes at this as I sat up beside her. "So everyone there will probably be a bunch of pretentious looking literature nerds." I laughed at the comment as she held my hands sympathetically. "But as long as you stay true to what you do, you'll take a few pointers and come out a stronger writer. Nothing wrong with that now, right?"

I nodded knowingly, hearing the footsteps leading to my bedroom and we turned our heads to see Anna coming in. Her and Ryder glanced to one another awkwardly as she sat near us on my window seat. "What's the emergency then?"

"Emma is moving to Yorkshire with her new English lover," Ryder joked to have Anna laugh along.

Rolling my eyes, Ryder handed her the laptop and she looked to me wide-eyed upon reading. "Em, this is great! Tell me you've already sent your best work?"

Sighing under my breath, Ryder only continued on explaining for me with a small smirk. "Already has a folder for it." She turned to me, raising a brow. "Right?"

Guess I'm going through with the application process after all.

"Right."