I Love My Brother's Best Friend

Chapter 11 ~ It Was Just an Outfit

After I showered, I changed into my normal comfortable clothes for around the house. A typical dancer's outfit; a sports bra and long sleeve t-shirt with regular black 'booty-shorts', as the dance world called them, paired with black and white socks from Pink. If I had dressed like this around my brothers, I would be locked in my room for twenty years. But of course, after spending two years in this house alone and being at a dance studio with thirty other girls who you were practically sisters with and who all dressed similarly for rehearsals, it was a force of habit to wear this outfit.

I made my way downstairs to find a shirtless Matt hovering over the stove. That was when I realized just how much I had changed and how my habits switched. Matt turned to look over at me and his eyes practically bulged out of his head. Sure, last night I was in one of his oversized t-shirts and a thong, but when I say oversized, I mean a shirt that's also big on his 6-foot muscular frame; the shirt reached about three quarters down my thighs to my knees. These shorts that I was currently wearing, the same shorts that I wear around the studio every day and night, just covered my butt; not to mention they were skin tight. As I said, it was a force of habit to put on this outfit after a nice relaxing shower and I hadn't thought of how Matty would react until now. The shirt, which wasn't as bad, but still not the best, wasn't particularly skin tight, and at the same time, not too loose; it had just reached under my belly button, leaving a little skin showing. Of course, I wouldn't go out in public wearing something like this, but it was my comfortable studio wear and my house chilling attire.

At this point, I was frozen in Matt's stare. I couldn't quite make out all of the thoughts that showed on his face. Sure, there was the normal shock and surprise, that was easy to point out, and there was no anger or disapproving look, but there was something new, and I couldn't figure it out.

"Hey, ar- are you okay there?" I said, finally breaking the silent stare between us. I laughed a little nervously, afraid he might make me go back upstairs and change like any of my brothers would've done. Instead, he just continued to watch me, curiously, as I walk over to him. He didn't say anything when I stood next to him and took the spatula out of his hands to flip the piece of french toast he had paused to make since he was too busy trying to analyze what I had chosen to wear.

I finished making the rest of the french toast he left sitting on the plate next to the stove as he stood next to me and watched me. I turned the burner off and brought the plate stacked with french toast over to the mini island in our kitchen. I went to the fridge and brought out butter and orange juice as well as the remainder of the milk, then went over to the lower cabinet where the syrup was kept. As a dancer, it was honestly just easier to bend over and pick things up than to bend your knees and crouch down to get something, so again, out of habit, that's what I did.

With my back facing the seat where Matt decided to finally sit, I leaned down just far enough to grab the syrup- that's when Matt broke his silence.

"What in the hell are you wearing?" he said with pure confusion lacing his words. I whipped around, surprised that he finally spoke.

"I uh, I'm comfortable in this," I stammered, "it's what I wear around the studio and the house," I watched his face. It was still there. The look that I could just not figure out what it meant. I turned away from him and his stare again to get glasses. Being the short girl that I am at a proud and solid five-foot height, and with my luck of laziness, the bottom shelf of glasses was empty, leaving me to reach for the next higher shelf. After trying for a good ten seconds, and my shirt riding up a few inches from the stretching, I lifted my legs to climb onto the counter on my knees.

Just as I was about to push myself up, I felt two large hands grab onto my waist and gently pull my off the counter and into their owner's chest. Matt's lips brushed my ear as he whispered "You don't want to tempt me, Isabella," I shivered as goosebumps rose on my skin, "you just have to make it so goddamn hard all the time, don't you?"

"I-I'm sorry, what did I do?" I struggled to say. I built up the courage to turn my head and look up at him. Now it was my turn to be confused. There was that look again, only more intense now.

"You're adorable, you know that? You have no idea," Matt replied as he took one hand off my hip and grabbed two glasses. He took two steps backward, bringing me with him. He put the glasses down on the table and gently pushed everything off to the side. That's when he picked me up and placed me on the kitchen island, effortlessly. He stood in between my legs and took my face in his hands. I was now the one frozen in silence, trying to figure out what was happening right now.

"Belle, you're truly beautiful, you drive me absolutely insane," he paused, trying to create the right sentences, "you have no idea what you do to me, and that outfit really isn't helping," His eyes locked with mine as he continued, "these past few years really have changed the both of us. I can't imagine how hard everything has been for you." I now saw the compassion and care filling his eyes.

"We've both grown and learned so much about ourselves, now, I want to learn about you. I already know how you grew and what your favorite cereal is. I remember how much you hate cantaloupe and what keeps you up at night, but now everything has changed. And I want to learn it all again. Belle, I-" He suddenly stopped talking. Before I was able to answer, Matt kissed my forehead and backed up a few steps. A sudden look of realization crossed his face as he realized that he almost said too much.
I noticed his awkwardness and decided to move on.

"Let's, um, eat before the food gets too cold, yeah?" I piped up through the silence of the kitchen. We both sat and ate our french toast and sipped on our milk and orange juice. Nothing was said, but it wasn't a bad silence, it was a silence filled with thoughts running through both of our minds. "What the hell was that?! You can't just say things like that and not finish it! What was he going to say?!"

My empty plate and glass were taken from in front of me and rinsed off before getting placed in the dishwasher. I watched Matt's bare back, memorized by the way the muscles moved, beautifully in sync with one another. The body is truly a fascinating machine. That's why I chose to follow in my family's footsteps and become an EMT. I had actually recently received my certificate, since I had just turned 18 a few months before, and I had been hired to work per diem by a private ambulance service, picking up my own shifts whenever I had free time. Ever since I won world championships in every category already with dance, I decided to 'retire' from competitive dancing; I wasn't able to win the titles more than once anyway. I would only be at the studio to teach and choreograph now. None of the boys knew this, and honestly, with all that has been going on recently, I'd rather not bring it up.

"Belle?" I was once again torn away from my deep thoughts about Matt's gorgeous posterior muscles to find his hazel eyes looking into mine playfully. "As much as I appreciate the gawking of my muscles, I'm a bit tired," he smirked. "Let's head on up to bed?"

"I was not gawking! I was, uh, thinking," I replied, frustrated that I was caught, again.

"Yeah, of course, babe, now come on," I was once again picked up, but this time I was laid across Matt's shoulder. "Goddamn. This is really not a bad view..."

I noticed the floor change as we walked up the stairs and into the hallway and then into my room. When Matt set me on the bed he must have noticed the slight disappointment in my eyes because without question he picked me back up, bridal style this time, and walked to his room.

To be fair, I didn't know if I could be alone for too long right now, I was afraid that my thoughts might catch up to me and attack me from behind. And that's why I needed Matt, my Marine.