inhale, kevin day.

xiii. can't leave you alone

chapter thirteen
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"And that's why she got me Echo, she doesn't think I can handle it, she wants me to have to turn to people and I already fell for it once. I mean, it's diabolical, it's... well, I can't even be mad about it, it's a good fucking plan, I'll give her that, I even texted her that."

"You actually have Betsy's number saved?"

Maeve paused.

"... no... I had to go through Abby's contacts, but when I found it, I texted her."

A laugh,"What'd you say?"

"Betsy: 1, Maeve: 0."

That. Matt burst out laughing and her indecision to call him solidified, she didn't regret it, not one bit. She could always be herself around Matt and he was good at keeping her from shutting down, good at making her talk like this would be her last chance to say anything ever, in short— he made her a Chatty Cathy. She smiled to herself, knowing he'd be able to hear it in her voice as she spoke again.

     "You know, Matt... I think you might be my best friend."

     "Finally ready to admit it, are you?" He scoffed, but he was smiling too, he had to be.

"Yep, and with this admission will come—"

"Oh, here it comes."

She rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see her,"Yes, here it comes, forgive me for wanting you to be happy."

"I am happy!" He cried out, but the crack in his voice toward the end said otherwise.

This time she sighed,"Look, Matt, I want to trust that you are, but at the same time I just want you to know that it's okay if this thing with Dan isn't all you dreamed it up to be."

"It is." He promised.

"Okay." Deep inhale, slow exhale. "But I'm here if it's ever not... I'm here for you."

"I know." Matt assured, grumbling something she couldn't make out before saying,"Now what about you?"

"What about me?" She scrunched up her face, he better not be insinuating what she thought he might be about to insinuate.

"What have we said about stupid questions?" He scolded before explaining,"Look, I may not be his biggest fan, and you certainly haven't shown to be a fan, but we can all see the weird tension you've got going on."

"Who?" She feigned cluelessness, sure that he was now rolling his eyes at her.

"Kevin."

"Gross." She shot back, almost instinctively.

"Uh huh." He laughed,"I'll believe that when you two aren't eye fucking across the court."

"We have not—"

"Yes, you have. When he was on the sidelines with Coach, all the time. There wasn't a second you weren't looking at him or he wasn't finding an excuse to go off on you— hey, maybe that's his kink."