He Will Be Mine

Chapter 57: Two Mates and No Lunch

*** Matt's POV ***

I wake up with this weird sort of kid on Christmas morning anticipation making my whole body restless and excited on the first day of classes. That has never happened to me before. Usually, I drag my feet the whole morning when I have an early class and barely make it in time. But for some reason, on this first day of the last term of my undergrad studies, I'm eager to get to class.

As I'm standing in my bathroom literally humming while I brush my teeth, I catch my reflection in the mirror, and it hits me. That guy in the mirror with the flushed cheeks and excited grin looks like my dad when he's getting ready to go to work. I used to watch him when I was little, sitting on the ottoman at the end of my parent's bed watching him buttoning up his shirt, whistling to himself, checking his reflection in the mirror and messing with his hair to make it perfect.

When he would catch me looking, he'd make eye contact with me in the mirror and smile and say, "Someday, it will be you jumping out of bed in the morning to make yourself look good for some pretty lady."

And then I'd laugh and shake my head like he was being ridiculous and argue with him that he was just going to work, and he'd give me that soft smile and tell me, with his eyes twinkling, "The most gorgeous woman in the world works there, and I have to look good to make sure she's going to keep wanting to come home with me."

I knew even then that he was hopelessly in love, and I ate it up. Theirs was my favorite romance. And now, as I look at myself in the mirror, I see that he was right. Why am I so excited for classes to begin? Because I get to start each day with Aly sitting next to me in my morning classes. And here I am primping and making sure I look good for her, just as my dad predicted.

It's a little weird that I'm just now getting this excited considering that she was in two of my classes last term as well, but it was different then. I was always happy to see her, but I'd drag my feet a little and dread seeing her at the same time. I wasn't available to be hers then. Now I am. Well, sort of. I don't want to be too open about being with Aly while Jess is still around campus. She can be a terror when she wants to be, and Aly has enough on her plate already.

I leave my bathroom with a little extra pep in my step and head out to the kitchen to grab a water, bumping into Tyler in the process.

"Class with Aly?" he asks with a knowing grin, patting the back of my shoulder as I pass by. I feel a little bad that he doesn't get to have the experience of seeing her in class, but he doesn't seem to mind.

"Yep, heading out in five," I respond, grabbing one of the brownies Meredith left on the counter. Got to say, having someone around who seems to like to bake when she is bored is a definite perk to our new living situation.

"Have fun. Take care of our girl," he says, and then disappears down the hall.

Usually, it's her taking care of me as far as classes go. She's a way better note taker than I am. It must be why she never stresses about tests. Maybe the notes are where it's at. New personal resolution: Don't zone out during lectures and take better notes this term. I know it will only last a week at best before I just revert to my normal daydream and stress about what I missed later routine, but it still feels good to pretend I'll do something about it.

I finish my brownie, take a few swigs of water, and tuck the bottle in the side pocket of my backpack, then head out to class. It's in a building I'm unfamiliar with, so it takes me a few extra minutes to find the place and then figure out where the classroom is. The door is tucked in this weird little alcove that I walk past twice before finally figuring it out.