He Will Be Mine

Chapter 11: The Party

*** Matt's POV ***

I am so done helping Trevor with whatever science project he's got going on in his room this year. He always comes up with these ideas for how he wants to arrange his furniture that tend to turn into engineering disasters. I had no problem helping him unload his car, but if he wants to create a death trap in there, he can do that on his own. I'm done falling for it. His projects can take hours, and we have a party to go to in an hour.

The front door flies open and in walks Tyler and ... Aly? Classes haven't even started yet and here we are crossing paths already. I suppose at the back of my mind I already knew this would happen. Tyler is obsessed with her.

"Hey!" Trevor yells from down the hall. "Matt apparently needs hours to get pretty and doesn't want to help, so would you mind giving me a hand?"

"Sure, man, no problem," Tyler agrees, and I internally cringe on his behalf. "Aly, make yourself at home. I'm going to help him and then go get ready and be right back in like twenty or so."

I get a look at her as she walks in front of me, taking a seat next to me on the couch, and all I can really say is wow. She looks incredible in a form-fitting strappy purple top and black shorts that hug her curves and make her legs somehow seem longer than they already are. This night is going to suck without Jess to keep me occupied.

"Hey, Matt," she greets me. "You have a funny way of 'getting pretty' just sitting here on the couch."

I can't help but chuckle at that. "I said nothing of the sort. I just refused to help him, and it's not unreasonable of me. I've known him long enough to know that the dude's crazy and I am not about to encourage him."

She laughs and scrunches up her face in that way she does when she's confused. "What in the world is he doing back there? Is Tyler going to need rescuing?"

"Creating a death trap out of his furniture," I explain.

She laughs, and it feels good knowing that I caused that. She has a nice laugh.

"So, that's a yes, then," she says and makes a move to get up, but I grab her arm to stop her.

"Tyler is a big boy. He can make his own decisions," I tell her.

For some reason, it feels good to touch her, so I leave my hand right where it is on her arm without even thinking about it. At least, not until I notice her staring at the place where we're touching, looking conflicted. I pull my hand back, blushing profusely. I can't believe I did that.

"Sorry," I apologize softly.

"No, it's okay," she assures me. "I don't mind. I can be a bit touchy-feely myself. I was mostly just worried what Jessica would think if she came out right then. I know she doesn't like me and gets a bit territorial about you. Which is fine, it's her right I guess, but I don't want to piss her off on day one of being here."

She says that in a way that leads me to believe it is not fine with her at all that Jess gets like that. Some demented part of me takes pleasure in knowing that it bothers Aly. I don't know why.

"Jess won't be here until tomorrow afternoon. She's spending the day with her sister, having one last girls' day before she comes up," I tell her.

I realize afterward that informing her that my fiancée won't be here for almost an entire day is a weird approach to trying to keep my distance from her. She might even interpret it as an invitation, but that's not what I meant by it.

"Oh, gotcha," she says. "Well then, screw it. Touch my arm if you want to. She's the only one who would think it's scandalous."

I chuckle at how she exaggerates her facial expression as she says that, and she grins back at me. I'm having fun with this, so I continue telling her things I probably shouldn't.