Despite growing up together, Catherine Simmons and Mattis Reed were never close.
Cat was inseparable from Mattis' younger sister, Chloé, while he was busy running around on the football field.
But when Cat's new dream drags her across the country du...
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Mattis is drunk. No, drunk doesn't begin to cover it. Mattis is completely wasted. And now he is also missing. By the end of the game of Never Have I Ever, he was already pretty tipsy, as he started doing shots instead of sips. Then after a group of guys I don't know conned him into a game of beer pong, he disappeared somewhere and hasn't returned.
Unease coils in my stomach. There's nothing wrong with him being hammered, but sometime after we sat down, his mood changed, soured almost. He refused to make eye contact.
The group has dissipated from the couches until only one of the twins, Cadin, I think, and that blond guy who looks at me like I'm a steak dinner, Sanders, remain. I excuse myself, heading to the kitchen to look for Mattis. Instead, I find Aran.
Despite this being the first time I have met him, I feel instantly comfortable in his company. Over the centuries, women have developed an intuition for which men we can trust and let our guard down around. Obviously, sometimes we're mistaken because even the nicest face can hide a predator, but Aran's the kind of guy I wouldn't mind accompanying me on my way home when I'm drunk. It's the same feeling I got when I first met Emmy, and he's turned out to be one of the kindest people I know.
"Hi, have you seen Matt?" I ask, leaning against the counter.
"Um, no... He probably went upstairs; I'll check on him soon." He turns from the cabinets, a pack of cookies in his hand. He stuffs a few in his mouth, watching me curiously as he chews. Once he swallows, his eyes sweep the perimeter cautiously, like he's checking that we're alone, before he leans forward, cocking his head. "So you're friends with Reed's sister?"
I'm slightly surprised by his direct approach, and I accept a cookie to buy a little time. "Chloé? Yeah, I've known her forever."
I'm guessing Mattis told him, in which case, there is no reason to beat around the bush.
"What's her deal?"
"What do you mean?" I bite into the treat. Chocolate chip, nice.
"Like with Reed? I've just noticed that she doesn't really seem to like him." Aran shrugs like it's no big deal. Like siblings disliking each other is just the way things go, making me question his story. The Reed kids' relationship still baffles me, and I've had years to examine it.
Also, I'm impressed that he's picked up on this. Chloé visits Columbia maybe twice a year, and Mattis doesn't strike me as the type to bitch about his sister to his teammates.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. I try not to get in the middle of it." I cringe, knowing it'll become increasingly difficult now that Mattis and I are friends. He's alluded to the issues, but we've never discussed them outright.
I finish my cookie, deciding to change the subject. "So, where are you from?"
Aran freezes for a second before he drinks from the glass in his hand. "Japan."
