How We Became Us

Chapter 12

If you enjoy my writing, please consider buying me a coffee. Link in bio. Thank you!!!

~~~

He forgot everything he wanted to say.

The second Heather dropped him off. He walked up to Kelly's apartment silently as he practiced his speech. Now that they were both sitting on Kelly's couch, Kelly was waiting for Matt to talk. His brain blanked, and every word he wanted to say flew out of the window.

"So..." Kelly prompted when it was clear Matt wouldn't talk.

"Con told me you came to my house this morning," Matt blurted out, and he mentally facepalmed because that was not in his speech.

"Yeah," Kelly breathed heavily and fiddled with his necklace.

"That can't happen again," Matt said. Apparently, his brain-to-mouth filter is gone, and his mouth is just blurting things without his consent. "Shit," he muttered and groaned in his hands. "Not that you're not allowed to come over; it's just when my parents are in town, and it's riskier."

"You don't want your parents to know me?" Kelly asked. He couldn't help the little hurt in his voice.

"Nope," Matt answered honestly and without hesitation. He finally peaked over at Kelly to see the hurt and disappointment. This was not how I wanted to say this." Matt jumped up, walked around the coffee table, and started to pace back and forth.

"My life isn't simple," Matt started. "My parents are monsters. I realize that now. I also know—and hate—that I still strive for their approval. I am their only child, and as you can guess, I'm set to take over all their businesses once I'm of age and have my degree. Gregory and Nancy Casey are controlling; growing up, they nitpicked everything I wore, did, and ate. They put me back on a meal plan and a workout plan. They spent hundreds of dollars for someone to teach me how to succeed in school and tutor me until I managed to uphold my grades. They want to mould me into this perfect little son that fits their image, and for years, I followed along because I didn't know any better. Any imperfection is taken away," Matt pauses in his pacing and turns to face Kelly. "Including that I have a soulmate," Kelly's eyebrows furrowed.

"How is that an imperfection?" Kelly asked, and Matt shrugged.

"They can't control that soulmate. They don't know where they came from, and more importantly, they believe that a soulmate won't bring any power or money into the family," Matt replied easily.

"That's bullshit," Kelly said, and Matt shrugged.

"I don't remember much of my childhood. Most of my memories are either blocked because of trauma or because the family doctor blocked them. Up until I was ten, my memory has been fuzzy. I remember Connor and Heather and things from school, but I no longer have chunks of time. Con, Heaths, Cassie and Robert don't talk about it or the memory I lost; I don't know why, but they keep saying they don't want to risk it. As to what, I don't know, but I can only assume that something had happened when I was young to warrant such protection.

"The point is, if my parents find out, I am trying to remember my soulmate and have met them. Well, I don't want to find out what would happen. Dad won't hesitate to kill someone just because he pissed them off. It's not safe for you," Matt said, mentally high-fiving himself for remembering.

"Morse code," Kelly said, and Matt frowned and realized Kelly had been staring at his left hand the entire time. Matt looked down, and only then did he notice that he was tapping something against his leg. Immediately, he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm going to assume if everything soulmate-related is gone in your memory, then you don't have the urge to say Kelly." Matt shook his head. "How long has that tapping thing been happening?"