Fell In Love In Stages // a matty healy fanfic

Truant Children

Once inside, I sit on the couch beside the bed as Matty walked the doctor back to his car.
"I've never met any of Matty's girlfriends before," nana smiles softly. "And we both know my grandson is a rake." I can't help but laugh out loud at this. "But he has a good heart. Always trying his best."
Matty walks in just then having heard everything and goes, "Nana, that's just an old wives tale"
"Whose wife's tail?" She asks cheekily and we all laugh.
We bid our farewells and good wishes and promise to come visit again soon.

A few days later, we're in his bedroom studying like we always do and Matty suggests we go outside again. He's like that, I notice. Impulsive. Ideas bolting from him like wild horses. I like it. It makes me imagine that, with him, anything could happen; that there will always be surprises.
"There's a place I know in the outskirts" he says, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
So out we troop. In our slippers and pyjamas. We stay on the path for a while, and then veer off to the place where they've built an outdoor performance area. It resembles a ruin, intentionally or not, I'm uncertain, but it's made of stone and looks medieval. We sit atop the roof jutting out over the stage. He's rolled a joint, and we pass it back and forth. I take small quick puffs. The talk is loose and easy.
"This is where I come to perform," he says, walking around the sizeable stage. I look around. From the looks of it, it hasn't been used in ages. "Here?" I asked confused.
"Yes, right here. Right now, in fact! Don't you see the sea of adoring fans?" He gestures enthusiastically to the empty carved seats, covered in moss.
"Yes! And they're chanting your name!" I say, having caught on. "Matty! Matty! Matty!" I cheer, mimicking the cheers of a large crowd.
"Ello Ello" a booming voice echoes.
I shoot Matty a terrified look and he just laughs.
"You've scared the poor girl" I hear Lacy before I see her.
I run to the back of the stage and I see our friends walking towards us, beers and a guitar in hand.
"George!" I smack him playfully.
"Scared you, did I?" He says, putting me in a headlock and ruffling my hair.
"Ignore him, T. We all do" a shy Ross peeks from behind.
Lacy hugs me tight. "Oh I've missed you, babe"
"I've missed you too my love" I hug her back.
"Where's Sophie?" I look behind her, towards the parked car.
"I haven't met Sophie or Adam for ages. What with finals and all" she says and I feel a sizeable knot in my stomach. I was in their grade and we had finals coming up. But here I was with kids a grade below who could afford faffing off for another year. A luxury I didn't have. And yet I stayed. Convinced myself that I was young and deserved to live my best life. Of course, the weed helps.
Him and I catch each other's eye while laughing. The moon rises a little higher; the trees bend in the breeze.
Soon the rest of the gang decide to head out.
"George, do me a favour mate?" Matty says passing him his keys. "Park my car a ways ahead will ya?"
George squints across the open field. "You sure mate? Didn't someone warn us about leopards or something?"
"Georgie you're catastrophically spliffed up. There are no leopards here mate" he laughs.

Soon, it is just him and I.
No one else seemed up for a walk. Also, it's late, much later than I expected.
"But what a waste of a moon," he says, and I declare it shall not be wasted. We walk out into the darkness. Something about the way the moonlight hit the blades of grass that made it look like the ocean. Waves gently lapping with the breeze. At our feet, the earth is angry red, and at night it is deep and dark as blood. I feel like Moses parting the Red Sea. We walk along the path, but do not stray from it. It feels like so much more than a walk. Everything feels larger than life with him.
"Hold my hand," he whispers in the night, our hands searching until our fingertips touch. "Hi," I smile; "Hi" I hear him smiling back.
"Wait," he beckons, pulling me into an embrace. I look up at him and he tells me my eyes twinkle like diamonds in the faint moonlight. We kiss.

Up ahead, we can see the metallic glint of the car.
We walk on, our shoes crunching soil and stone and fallen leaves. In the grass, a streak of silver moves. We gasp and clutch each other's hands and don't let go. In the air, a heady mix of fear and excitement. We don't stop running till we reach his car.