Love Doesn't Hurt Us

Chapter 7: Always Princess

Shawn and I arrived at his house. It was huge. You could probably raise a family of twenty in here or possibly more. People were already here, about 200 of them.
"Where is everybody?" I heard Shawn say.
"You mean there's more coming?!"
Of course! This part is just getting started."
"How many are we expecting?"
"Uhm... About 300 more."
My eyes free wide at the thought of so many people. Next I saw a girl coming towards Shawn with dirty-blonde hair that went down to her waist and brown eyes accompanied by a guy with black short hair.
"Hi Shawn" she said.
"Hello Kim."
"Who's this?"
"Oh, this is Kyle's girlfriend, Zoe." Shawn explained, gently pushing me forward. "Zoe, this is my best friend, Kim and her boyfriend, Vincent.
"Hey. What's up?" Vincent said.
Kim started talking. "Shawn, since you're the host you will be busy, so Vincent and I will take Joyce to meet everybody... If you want?"
"I don't think I could meet all 700 people in one night." I said.
"Well, we have to get started early!" Kim said while pulling me away, leaving a laughing Shawn.
*****

Matthew's POV
Oh God, I miss her so much. I should've gone to the party with her, or at least asked her to stay home with me. Everyday she's been gone, and I can't stop thinking about her.
I've always loved her, for when we got in trouble back in second grade for playing in the water fountain. I've loved her for 13 years now. 13 years. Tomorrow I have to paint something for an art show, but all I've been drawing is Zoe. Her name, what she likes, and even what she hates. Maybe I'll put all that into one big painting. I'll have to show it to her one day. One thing she doesn't know is that on my wall of my room, I did graffiti and I wrote her name in French. I'll show her that one day too. I can't let her see it now. I'm afraid I'll scare her away before she's even mine. But what would Zoe want with a guy like me? I constantly get arrested for illegal graffiti, and I always get into street fights over space to do my art. I'm not too smart either. I don't make enough money to help her with the bills. Really under all my clothes and attitude, I'm just a struggling artist with a passion of love that will never be fulfilled.
My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Matt, could I come in?"
It was Zoe. She couldn't see my graffiti for her. It then hit me it was in French, she wouldn't be able to understand it.
"Yes, you could come in."
She walked in and gasped at my art on the wall.
"Matthew, it's beautiful!" She said still staring at it. "What does it say?"
"Oh, just a really beautiful word in French. I heard someone say it and I just had to write it." I lied.
"Matthew, I'm sorry for leaving you alone. Don't tell me it's alright either. I know it wasn't, I just want to know if you could forgive me?" She pleadingly said.
I smiled at her. "Always princess."
She walked over to my bed and sat down on it, patting the spot next to her indicating she wanted to cuddle. I turned the lights off and sat beside he my stomach to her back.
I kept my hands to myself remembering the promise she made me keep about no sex until marriage when we were 12.