𝑺 𝑨 𝑳 𝑽 𝑨 𝑻 𝑰 𝑶 𝑵 (18 +)

06 •

Sage.

Sage thought that this was a terrible idea.

Her stomach was a wreck on the car ride over, and as soon as she pulled up to the familiar white suburban she thought she would hurl. What was it about old houses anyway? She wanted to think about how beautiful the siding was, how impressed she was that they'd managed to keep the exterior so white. She'd always loved how green they kept the grass and the bees that drank from the potted plants on the deck.

She wanted to think about all of the things people normally thought about when they saw a house but instead, she thought of Nick. She thought of the way he used to hold her, and the way it made all of her worries vanish. She thought of how much she cherished him and how she'd never loved anyone as much as she loved him. Then she thought about the way he sounded when he was with her, how good she must've made him feel.

If she kept thinking her breakfast was going to be on Ezra's front lawn so she'd cool it for now. There was enough turmoil to sort through in the backyard.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" It was like Jules had read her mind. He was still mad at her, there were practically fumes coming from his lush head of hair but he knew how broken she was over Nick. If she didn't want to stay, they wouldn't, Ezra Lincoln be damned.

"I'm fine Jules, it's just a house." She took a step forward, Julian following after her. She pushed open the back gate and immediately sighed a breath of relief once she saw Matt. He was in a pair of swim trunks, the water weighing them down making his waistband lean lower than it should've. She tried not to look, could he tell that she was trying not to look?

"My God," Jules mumbled next to her and Sage found herself blushing. She'd always thought Matt was cute but she didn't see him as more than a friend. If she could even call him that. He was sweet to her sure, but they didn't talk or see each other outside of their time at the Lincoln house. Not that she would be opposed to it, Matt almost made Ezra and his band bearable. That and she was a sucker for the keyboard.

To shake some water from his hair, Matt tossed his head around, his gaze landing on Sage. He smiled at her and jogged over with arms spread wide, "I'm wet but I hope you have a bathing suit on under this?"

She had worn a bathing suit under her clothes but she didn't plan on doing any swimming. Partly because she wasn't that great of a swimmer. She liked the beach and she liked laying along the sand but she hardly ever got into the water. She'd sit atop a floaty and read a book in the pool but she'd be lost if it tipped over.

"I do, since when were you so big on hugs?" She wasn't complaining. Matt was dripping wet but his embrace felt warm, comforting. If they hadn't been in public she might've found herself hugging him longer than what was socially appropriate.

"It's been a long time," he rocked back and forth with a laugh, "I see you brought your friend. It's nice to see you again, Julian."

She didn't need to look at him to know that his mouth was draped open. Jules just couldn't help himself. The Matt Riker knew his name, a feat he never thought he'd be able to claim in this lifetime. The pianist winked at Sage before extending a hand, "It is Jules, right? You're looking at me like I have two heads."

"He's just a bit starstruck," Sage explained. "Hanging out with famous people isn't exactly in our day-to-day." Though she wished he could be a bit more subtle with his excitement. She got it, she really did but at the end of the day—

"Hey, Ezra! Look who's here!" Sage tilted her and followed Matt's gaze. Ezra and a young woman standing next to him both turned shock and maybe even a little bit of confusion on their faces. "How about we introduce you to the rest of the band then yeah?"