Initials in the Dirt

chapter 5

Arianna's POV:

I wake up to a pounding headache and the sound of my door opening. A soft voice calling my name.

I open my eyes but can't quite see yet. The figure comes and sits on the edge of my bed. I wipe my eyes to see who it is.

"Matt?" I question.

"Yeah, it's me," he replies.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"I just wanted to check to see if you were ok after last night."

My mind floods with memories of what happened. From talking with Matthew, Luke cheating, the bathroom, the fight, the bathroom here, all of it. I had to pull myself together after the fight so no one would question my emotions. I didn't go to bed after I left the bathroom, I drank and cried myself to sleep, hence the headache.

"I'm fine, my head just hurts" I reply. "Thanks for asking."

"Yeah, I just thought you might want some company." There's a pause before he continues, "I can go if you want to go back to sleep."

"No, it's ok." I look over to the clock on my nightstand. "It's three, anyway. I should get up."

"What are your plans for the day?" he asks me once I'm on my feet.

"I don't have too many. I was going to go for a run to get coffee. You're welcome to come with me."

He smiles. "Yeah, I'd love to."

"Great. I'll meet you downstairs in ten?" I ask with a smile.

"Sounds good," he says and walks out of the room, leaving me to get ready.

---

After I got dressed and went to the bathroom to finish getting ready, I make my way downstairs.

I put on black workout shorts and a white sports bra shirt. I get to the entryway and put on my running shoes right when Matthew enters.

My eyes go down to his shirtless torso. I stand here, stunned. He has on gray basketball shorts and has a water bottle in hand. And he looks good.

He notices me checking him out and smirks.

I blush, looking away. "Are you ready?" I ask.

"Yeah," he chuckles.

"Okay, let's go." I walk towards the door, grabbing my keys along the way.

Once we're outside, I tell him the route I usually take, but, since he's new to town, I figured we'd go a different way.

He agreed and we started jogging. I chose a path by a creek that has a beautiful view of the mountains that are located outside of town.

We jogged for about twenty minutes before making it to Starbucks. While we were running, Matthew had asked me about my childhood and growing up here.

We go inside and order our drinks. I order a black and white mocha with a plain, toasted bagel and cream cheese. Matthew orders a cold brew and 2 waters to refill our cups. We sit and talk about ourselves and our pasts while finishing our drinks.

It feels natural to just sit with him and talk. It's nice to have a guy my age to talk to. Don't get me wrong, my brother is one of my favorite people, but it isn't the same with him as it is with Matthew. He feels safe and is a really good friend. My brother, on the other hand, teases me for my problems before helping me with them. I don't mind but sometimes, it can be annoying.

When we finish our coffee, we start our way back home. It takes us twenty-five minutes due to traffic. Matthew lets me shower first, so I go up. I take off my clothes and hop in.

I think of all the events lately. I'm not as sad about our breakup as I thought I would be. Even with that said, I can't help the few tears that roll down my cheeks while I'm showering.

I finish up and change into lounge clothes. I go back to my room and do some laundry. Josh had taken Matthew to see more of the town, after he showered, and my parents were out with friends, so I had the house to myself.

I decided to be productive and fold my laundry. I blasted music on my phone, singing at the top of my lungs. When I finished, I cleaned up my room a bit, making it tidier before moving to my closet. Once I was satisfied, I went over to my bed to relax.

I decided that I wanted to take a nap before the boys get home. I texted Josh, letting him know that I had set an hour timer to wake me up and after we should go grab dinner. He agreed and with that, I fell asleep.