black treacle - matt sturniolo

Chapter Eight, For the love of fuck

It took Nick three months and fifteen days to convince Matt to ask Robyn out to have a meal with him alone: this time without the supervision of his brothers.

Initially, Nick had insisted on Matt confessing his feelings to her, possibly in an over-the-top, theatrical, rom-com-esque profession, but the long-winded argument had tired them both, so they settled on having a meal.

One of which was shared between two people with similar interests where they'd be expressing their fondness of each other - a meal most people would consider to be a date, but Nick had exhausted his energy to convince Matt so.

On the way to lunch, Matt rehearsed what he was going to say to Robyn. So far, he had talked himself out of cowering behind the excuse of his food article because, frankly, even he deemed it as pretty pathetic.

He would be asking her to go eat with him because what was the worst that could happen?

She rejects him and then proceeds to declare that they cannot even stay friends because the idea of Matt liking her is too nauseating to withstand? Nothing serious! Absolutely nothing to be scared of!

To be honest, he was more afraid of Nick's threat of beating him to a pulp if he had recoiled from this plan. Again.

As he had expected, Robyn was at her locker, chatting with someone behind her. His heart palpitated, except it was for excitement not worry. Was there a chance for this to be a success? Was Nick right for once?

With the wave of emotions bubbling in his chest, and the rising crescendo of his pulse thudding in his throat with anticipation, Matt's heart took a sudden plummet into his stomach when he realised the figure beside her was Chris.

He leaned against the wall, holding Robyn's textbooks as she rummaged through her locker. The chatter in the halls was drowned by his heartbeat loud in his ears.

His own brother?

He sucked in a breath as he watched the way Robyn threw her head back in laughter at a comment Chris made. God damn it, If only he could read lips. Instead, he was stuck with stupid abilities like climbing walls and heightened senses which happened to amplify the emptiness he felt in situations like these.

For the love of fuck.

So that was the worst that could happen.

Chris and Matt had a mutual understanding that they would never pursue a girl if they knew the other person had feelings for them (Nick was saved from the hassle because neither of the brothers had the same type as him: men).

In middle school, Matt had a crush on a girl he sat next to in homeroom, but as soon as Chris mentioned he liked her after being lab partners in chemistry, Matt backed away instantly. And Chris had done the same when they were enamoured by the girl who worked at Panera.

Why now?

Why her?

To be fair, Matt had plenty of time to talk to her and ask her out, so - in theory - it was fine for Chris to go after Robyn. And he would understand if she chose to date Chris, because at least he managed to talk to her.

Most importantly, Robyn didn't owe anything to him. Matt had based her supposed interest in him on Nick's biassed perspective of their interactions. So what if he liked her first? It didn't mean he was entitled to her.

But if Matt understood all the reasons why it was okay for Chris to be talking to her, why did it feel like the worst betrayal of his life? Chris hadn't done anything wrong, and neither did Robyn - it was all down to the fact that Matt was too late. Matt was always too late when it came to her.