Runaway (Marianas Trench Fic)

Chapter 22: Understanding

Matt's POV:

"She's like porcelain." Josh said before we sat in another stretch of awkward silence. I swear, I could hear the crickets chirping. Wow. I had no idea Chloe was like that. She hid it amazingly. The only thing that I could even think to ask myself was who the fuck could bring her that low? To the point where she didn't feel like she had any other option to escape it. I cleared my throat and stood up from the couch and Josh stared up at me from where he resided in the recliner.

"I should really get going." I said heading towards the door and he nodded, looking down in a mixture of disappointment and shame. "And Josh?" He looked up with tired but fearful eyes, anticipating my following words. "Thank you." I said before heading out the door. I sprinted to my car and headed back to Chloe's place, I decided to stop at Starbucks and grab us some hot drinks to have an excuse if she wondered where I had been. Quickly, I stopped at the nearest Starbucks and ran in. I had no idea what she liked besides hot cocoa.

Hmmmm I ordered myself some blueberry bars and a hot chocolate before quickly deciding to get her some sort of cappuccino thing. I really hoped she liked it. Oh well, I guess. Once again, I took off towards Chloe's and at last reached my destination. I walked inside trying not to make much noise since it was probably around midnight by now.

I knocked on her door lightly and she quickly opened the door and smiled brightly as she eyed the steaming drinks in my hands. I walked in and set my drink down before handing hers to her and setting my duffle bag next to the coffee table. She took the warm drink gratefully with both hands and smelled it like a hound dog, trying to pick up a scent, and her eyes lit up with joy.

"French vanilla cappuccino? How'd you know?" She asked excitedly before removing the top and setting it down, allowing it to cool. I shrugged and smiled before bringing her close to me for a hug. Her cold wet hair chilled my arms but I didn't care, the rest of her warmed me like putting on fresh clothes on from the dryer. I backed up and smiled before laying a kiss on her lips. She accepted it gracefully and kissed back before burrowing her face into my chest. I held her close before kissing her cheek and taking her hand to lead her to the couch.

She sat down beside me and leaned against me for a moment before taking a sip of her cappuccino. She set it down and looked at me with worried eyes.

"You aren't mad are you?" She asked before grasping the ends of the sleeves in her hoody with her finger tips, and stretching them out so that her hands were almost covered by them. Thanks to Josh, I was now acutely aware of why she did so.

"Of course not!" I said draping my arm around her shoulders and tugging her close to me. Why would I be mad at her? She didn't do anything wrong! I rested my head against hers and shut my eyes for a moment, just breathing in the peace that she seemed to bring me everytime I was near her. I pulled back and finished drinking my hot cocoa, and she did the same with her drink. I noticed the small paper bag on the edge of the coffee table. Oh yeah. Forgot about that. I stood half-way up and reached across the table to grasp the bag and bring it to Chloe and I.

"Whatcha got there?" she asked peering curiously over my shoulder. I opened the bag and grabbed one of the blueberry bars and offered it to her. She shook her head and yawned, before I knew it, I was yawning too. Damn those were contagious. I nodded, half to myself, mid yawn and put the blueberry bar back into the bag.

"I'm beat." She said leaning her tired body against mine.

"Me too." I said yawning again, awkwardly wondering where this was going. I hadn't thought about it before now but was she going to have me sleep on the couch? Or were we going to her bed? Or...? She stood up and started toward the hallway to the right of the couch before turning around with a confused expression on her face.

"Well aren't you coming?"

Chloe's POV

Matt nodded with an embarrassed grin before following me down the hall and into my quaint bedroom. Thank God I had a queen sized bed, the last thing I needed was for us to be squished. But hey, sometimes that wasn't such a bad thing. I folded back the covers and threw a few pillows at him which he caught awkwardly, being as tired as he was. I climbed under the covers and he followed suit after arranging his pillows in the manor that he wanted them. He pulled the blankets over himself then pushed them back again and sat straight up like a zombie.

"Everything okay?" I asked beginning to sit up.

"Yeah, just hot." He responded as he pulled his hoody over his head and tossing it on the floor revealing his white tee-shirt and muscular arms. Oh how those arms got me every time.

I smiled as he pulled the covers over himself once more and faced me. He grinned and yawned again before whispering, "Goodnight!" and kissing me first on the forehead and then on the lips. I placed my hand on the side of his cheek and brought myself closer to him as he wrapped his arm around my waist, almost feeling as if he was lifting me. Turns out he was. Huh.

Soon I was on top of him and we were kissing passionately, his fingers running delicately through my hair. Slowly, as sleep won the battle, I began to slip off of him and back onto my side of the bed. We were both lying on our sides now, and he brought me in close with his hand entangled in my hair at the back of my head. He laid one last kiss upon my lips and I snuggled into his body, my hand resting on his chest and him lying on his back now.

"Goodnight." I whispered before turning over so that I was facing away from him now. At this point I was left to daydream. And in my case as the usual had always been, over thinking. This time it seemed a little odd. I really really was liking Matt. At this point, I couldn't imagine being in this city without him. That made me think of school. Shit. I did not want to go. I only had only been back half of a week before I began feeling trapped in a hell hole again. All my life I just wanted to be free.
Just fly away like a dove.

In a way that's what I did except I wasn't literally flying. I took a plane. So far, besides some drama that seemed to follow me wherever I went, this place was paradise. Matt was paradise. I heard him turn over and soon his arm was over top of mine, hugging me from the back. Man this was nice.

I couldn't help but let my mind wonder to Josh. He was so funny and sweet in his own way. Tall and handsome, also in his own way, with hair that seemed as irresistible as a baby bunny. Then again I thought about Matt.

So far, he has been here for me no matter what, even when we were pretty much strangers. With that thought I suddenly felt my eyelids grow unbearably heavy with sleep and I took one last look out the window across from me before falling asleep.

I must have woken up hot at one point or another in the night because I awoke as the sun rose only wearing my cami, I looked over the corner of the bed to see my hoody lying on the floor. Classy. I realized I was completely comfortable and suddenly became aware of my surroundings.

Matt's head was against mine, his arm around me grasping my hand in his, and his legs folded perfectly into the crooks of my bent knees. I could feel the butterflies coming on and a smile tickling my lips. We were spooning. He was so fucking cute! I yawned and looked at the clock on the table next to me.

6:25.

Hell no.

I placed my head back down deeper into my pillow and fell back asleep.... When I awoke, Matt and I were in the same position as before. Still comfortable. I realized something different though. My hand was cold. I looked down to see a sight that both gave me butterflies and made my stomach churn with nerves. Matt's large, and ever so gentle hand, was perfectly grasped around my old white scars.