ONE DAY [ MATHEW BARZAL ]

- eleven hours -

"I don't get it." I hear him say for like the millionth time already, we have been here for less than twenty minutes and already he is bugging me with his questions. I keep my eyes focused on the sculpture in front of us, but the male beside me holds most of my attention. His hand is wrapped in mine like it has been for quite sometime now, I can't seem to focus on anything other than that. I like how it feels to have my hand held in his, I like the feeling of my skin against his and I never thought I would.

I cannot lie anymore and say that I'm not attracted to Mathew because I am. I knew I was the minute I laid eyes on him, he is a handsome man after all. I like the feeling I get whenever his hazel eyes are on me, I don't know why but I do. I wouldn't mind feeling it all the time, but I know that I'm just under eleven hours I will never see Mathew again.

"What's it suppose to mean?" Mathew sighs loudly beside me again. I take my eyes off the sculpture and let them rest on Mathew's side profile, his jawline is highlighted by the lights around us making it look more defined than usual. My heart rate increases as I stare at him, my palms get sweaty as I let my eyes drink in his facial features. I wish I could work out why I react this way every time I look to Mathew, but I just don't know.

"Nothing." I reply with a simple shrug of my shoulders. Mathew whips around to face me, a surprised look flashing across his eyes.

"Isn't there supposed to be a meaning behind stuff like this?" Mathew asks me gesturing to the art all around us. I can't help but chuckle at how clueless Mathew is right now. He looks like a lost puppy as he stands beside me, his eyes have a soft look about them as he looks down at me.

"Yes and no." I tell him which results in Mathew sighing loudly. He tilts his head back in what looks like defeat and I see his Adam's apple on full show, I have the urge to run my fingers across his neck but I stop those thoughts by digging my fingernails into the palm of my hands.

"You're killing me here Reid." Mathew groans my name. My body goes into shock at what just happened, my eyes are widened at how my body reacted to him groaning my name. I feel my knees go weak instantly like I am about to collapse into Mathew. It made me feel good inside, my body tingled all over at him saying my name. My name just rolled off his tongue like it is meant to, that my name is the one thing that he enjoys saying. I wish I could figure out what is going on with me when it comes to Mathew. Somewhere in me believes that his idea of making me fall in love with him might be working, and all I can think of is how scared I am if it turns out to be true.

"What?" I say in a high pitched tone. I clear my throat when I hear how high it is. Mathew lowers his head with a smirk prominent on his lips, his hazel eyes meet mine.

"What?" Mathew responds back to me, the smirk on his lips growing ever so widely as he stares at me. I keep my eyes focused on his despite my stomach tingling like crazy.

"Nothing." I reply to him, turning my eyes off Mathew so I can calm down my body from what it is going through with him. I go to walk away from Mathew but he pulls me back forcefully to him, my chest clashes with his and I stumble back. I feel Mathew move his free hand to the lower part of my back to steady me, and then let's the hand in mine move up to my chin. He slowly tilts my chin up so I am looking straight up at him, he is already staring at me with those gorgeous hazel eyes. I swallow the lump in my throat as Mathew grows closer to me, the closer he gets the more my heart hammers forcefully in my chest and the more I realise I am unprepared on how to deal with situations like this.