“Home sweet home.” I smiled as the bus pulled up in front of my house and we all piled off while the guys took it in and I walked right up to the front door unlocking it and taking off the deadbolt and letting Jaeger run in quickly before we got everybody’s suitcases out of the bus and into my living room.
It took us half an hour at least to get everything sorted and then came saying goodbye to the others and the bus pulled away to take the others to the airport and I shut my front door once it finally turned the corner.
I quickly moved back to my living room where everybody was gathered, everybody being all the guys plus Zacky’s girlfriend, surrounded by their suitcases so that I could make things easy and work out which rooms to put them in.
“Zacky, you and Lisa can take the main guest room, if you have sex in that bed, you wash those sheets, is that clear?” They nodded and I smiled at them, “Good, top floor first door on the right, the door on the left is the bathroom.” Zacky grabbed their luggage and carried it upstairs with them as I turned back to the others.
“Johnny and Arin, you two are gonna have to share, go up one flight of stairs turn left second door on your right.” I smiled but gave them a warning look when it seemed they might start arguing, “Save that for when you get up there, only one bed.” I smirked and they legged it up there already yelling at each other about who would take the bed.
“Now, Brian and…”
I took one look at Matt and Brian’s stances and decided against pairing them up. Even though I was now talking to Matt and getting on with him again, Brian wasn’t. “Alright boys, Matt you take the room on the first floor turn to your right go straight is just at the end of the hall, bathroom is just next door on your right as you come out of the room.” He nodded and left smiling at me a little bit as I turned to face Brian
“Right, Brian, you follow me.” He did as he was told for once and I helped him with his luggage.
“So, how did you end up with such a big house and if you have this why were you living in the apartment when we got here?”
I stiffened a little bit and shook my head, “It’s a really long story, maybe I’ll tell you one day.” I sighed heavily and he nodded but he seemed a little suspicious lucky for me he didn’t seem to be in the mood to try and force it out of me.
I opened the door to the den and took his stuff in, “Here, you can choose whether you sleep on the couch like that or sort out the sofa bed.” I smiled patting his back, “I’ll let you get sorted but then you all need to come to the kitchen so I can work out what to go get from the store.” I smiled a little as he nodded and I left him to it, picking up my own stuff and going to my own room.
“Hey, you need any help with that?”
I looked up from dragging my suitcase and saw Matt with his hand held out.
“Sure, thanks Matt.”
“Your welcome Natalie. Hey, um, we were all wondering how you think you’re gonna be our roadie and live out here at the same time.”
“Well, I’m not gonna be living here Matt. I’m moving back to Huntington soon.”
“Really?”
My heart soared as Matt’s face lit up like a kid in a candy store.
“Yeah, I just need to find a place for myself.”
“You could stay with me until you find one.”
“Uh… I don’t think so Matt.”
His face fell just as quickly as it had lit up and I almost felt bad but then I thought back to the nights that I would scream and cry my heart out over this boy and suddenly I felt a coldness in my heart that wasn’t there before.
“I can take my own suitcase thanks Matthew.” I growled at him.
He was taken by surprise and his grip loosened instantly. I grabbed it out of his hands and thrust it towards my room, suddenly feeling an anger towards Matt that I’d never felt before. This new anger scared me though, it gave me the power to break him like he broke me and I was scared that I would now do that unintentionally.
I set my suitcase on the floor and lay down on my bed, burying my face in the pillows while I sent a silent prayer out, asking the one person who had always been able to help me before. I needed my brother now more than ever but he was long gone so for the moment, at least until I’d figured out how to deal with it like a rational adult I would have to settle with avoiding Matt as much as possible.
