London calls me a stranger

Chapter 19

Matt's POV

I woke up the sound of a lorry outside my window. My eyes fluttered open, stinging from the bright white light, blinding me temporarily. Suddenly, my world came into focus. Then my gorgeous sleeping beauty... Sam.

Her dark waves fanned across the white fluffy pillow her head rested on. Skin, flawless as porcelain. She scrunched her nose in annoyance at the noise, wriggling in my arms. I tried to hush her back down, when I noticed it. I always thought it was a freckle or a birthmark but no. A small circular mark on the back of her neck, too small to be a freckle, not noticeable to be a birthmark. It was the colour of grey and gave me an uneasiness that there was a story behind it... Then it hit me. It's a cigarette burn. I gasped and shuddered. She began to stir more as, with her hair, I covered the horrible mark that evil left on my angel. I snuggled down on my pillow and kept my eyes trained on her. This time she stirred and she was awake.

She turned over to face me. Her big blue sapphires gazing straight at me. "Well good morning." She whispered, kissing me on the forehead. I said nothing. I just held her neck through her hair and ran my thumb across the side of her perfect face. She was so beautiful. It made me distraught. That someone would hurt her. That someone would dare harm her without me to protect her. I held back the tears to stay strong for Sam. Why didn't she tell me about this before? She noticed that I wasn't talking to her, and broke the silence with a jolly energised, "want a cuppa?" I nodded, and she sprang out of bed. Her feet padded the floor, walking away from me. Her pony tail destroyed by the night and the bobble practically half way out of her hair. My favourite Rolling Stones t-shirt looked so much better on her than me, but maybe a bit too short to wear by itself... Well I wasn't complaining. She turned the door nob and left the room. My hands flew to my face, covering it entirely. I tried to collect my thoughts.

Sam's POV

As I was squeezing the last tea bag out, I turned to face the door, to walk to the bin and I saw Matt standing there... In all his morning glory. Tight white Calvin Klein boxers covered his dignity, but apart from that he was completely naked. I laughed in my head when I saw the little grouping of curly black hairs growing from his chest. He obviously must have wanted to grow them out to show he was a "manly man". "Hi babe! How many sugars do you want this morning? Cause I know you change your mind every time you have a cuppa-" I stopped suddenly seeing Matt leaning against the doorframe glaring at me, as if I had done something wrong.

"Who did it?" He mumbled, his tone monotone.

"I'm sorry? I-"

"Who did it?" He said a bit harshly, and louder.

"Did what?" What was he banging on about?

"The marks on your neck? The cigarette burns?" He shouted at me.

My heart fell into my stomach. I never wanted to relive that night. But it all was coming back. How my dad had got drunk one night at the house party.

*FLASHBACK*

Sam's POV

Him and his stupid wife, Mary, decided to have a house party and began to be mean to me. Shoving me up into my room. Screaming at me if i did anything... even if I asked for a drink of water. I tried to stay in my room, but I couldn't. I needed to pee, I was only 7 after all! 11 years ago!

So I silently made my way downstairs. A few people were passed out and some were doing some things I couldn't even comprehend at that age. Some things a 7 year old should never see.

After going to the toilet, I tried to have a sneaky exit to try and get back to room before my Dad and Mary caught me out of bed. But with no luck. Dad caught me. Drunk and smoking a cigar. My dad never smoked. My Grandpa died of a heart attack off it and he swore he would never smoke another, but obviously that was a lie.

My dad grabbed me but he neck and pinned me against that wall. "What are you doing out of bed?" He screamed in a slurred manner from the alcohol. I stuttered to try and explain myself but it was no use. Dad jabbed the burning end of the cigar into the back of my neck and the heat even started to sizzle my hair. I screamed in agony as the burning hot end scorched and scalded my skin. He laughed as I struggled away from him, only making the burning scab bigger. I finally wriggled out of his clutches and ran upstairs crying. Tears dampening my entire face. He laughed louder and shouted after me, "get to sleep you little whore!"

*END OF FLASHBACK*

That sentence replayed and replayed in my head every night as I fell asleep. I shuddered at the thought. "Well tell me?!" Matt protested.

"My Dad" I whispered.

Matt's eyes widened, his hands curled into angry fists, his eyes turning black with anger. "I'm going to fucking kill the bastard" he said turning his back to me and heading to the door. Where did he think he was going?

I caught up with him. Standing in front of him, placing my palm on this chest, which was rising and falling at a rapid pace. "Matt stop you don't even know where he is!"

"I don't care! I'll find the dick who did that to you and he won't-"

"Matt please, I'll tell you what happened!" He ripped his gaze from the front door, and looked at me. The darkness softened in his eyes and lead me to the sitting room.

We both sat down, on opposite couches, which is strange because we always lie on the left one together. I felt alone. And cold. So I told him everything. I don't think he blinked for about a minute. "So what happened?" He asked after I had finished.

"Well it took me a few weeks to come out with it to mum, but I eventually did and she took him to court. She won full custody, and I never saw him again or that wicked bitch Mary."

"So you don't know where he is?"

"Nope no clue! I couldn't give a damn really." But as I said this, tears spilled over my lids, because I knew this wasn't true. I missed my Dad so much. Not the drunk horrible one. The one who would take me to the park every Sunday. The one who would dress us in matching outfits. The one who would take me to football games even though I would have no idea what was going on. That Dad! Not the other one...

My head hung in my hands as the tears soaked my palms. A warm embrace hugged me close, cradling me like a baby. I sniffled into Matt's bare chest and engulfed myself in that sent. "Hey, babe. It's okay! Shh.." He said hushing me. I sat in his arms for about 10 minutes and then finally looked up into his eyes. They never left my face. "Well at least you had your amazing mum" he said with a wide smile. I talked about my mum, Sarah, a few weeks ago. I told him about the time she took me to Newcastle arena to see One Direction perform live and she sat there the entire show just being my camera woman whilst I fangirled for a two hours straight. I love my mum.

"Yeah she's amazing!" I said smiling, dabbing the tears off with the sleeve of Matt's top. He rocked me back and forth slightly to relax me, whilst lightly tickling my back. "No boy has ever been as kind as you, Matt. You're such a good listener... When you want to. You know just what to do to cheer me up."

"I make you happy?" he said, pushing the loose strands of hair from my face and eyes.

"Yeah of course."

"Well what if I made you happy 24/7?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm asking you to be my girlfriend..." He said shyly. This was the first time I've seen Matt blush with embarrassment. He hid his face in his hands to try and hide his tinted red face.

I poked him teasingly in the arm and he laughed back. "Of course I will."

He slowly creeped out of his hands and looked at me in disbelief and then it hit him. "Oh Sam! Thank you! Thank you so much!" He shouted, as he pounced on me, kissing me everywhere: neck, cheeks, forehead, lips, ears, arms etc. I giggled and lay with my boyfriend on the couch until we drifted off sleeping again.