A Friend Like You || Completed

Chapter Twenty-Four || Matthew

"Don't forget," Matt and Charlie stopped and turned to Henry, who rolled down his window. "Lauren is coming in later, so be home around four?"

"Got it," she gave him a thumbs up. "Bye. Love you."

"Love you," he waved and backed out of the Carters' driveway.

Matt unlocked the door then closed it once they both entered. He kicked his shoes off and plopped down on the couch. Charlie sat next to him with a sigh; she bounced her leg, seemingly lost in thought. He tapped her shoulder and, once she looked at him, asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she smiled, but it wasn't convincing. "I'm gonna go get something to drink. You want anything?"

"No," he answered; she went to the kitchen. He turned the TV on and surfed the channels for something to put on, but there wasn't anything good on other than some random rerun of Teen Wolf on MTV.

"Shit," Charlie said, right as something shattered.

Matt started to get up, worried she might've hurt herself when Charlie came out of the kitchen with a large water stain covering the front of her shirt. She held a hand up before he could say anything. "I dropped a glass. I will clean it up, but first, can I borrow a shirt?"

"Of course, I'll deal with it, but C," He grinned. "Good job."

"Shut up," she rolled her eyes but was smiling and went to his room.

Matt laughed to himself before going to clean up the glass and water then filled a cup for her. She wasn't back yet, so he set the drink on a coaster and watched Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski investigate whatever was going on in Beacon Hills.

"I hate this show," Matt jumped at Charlie's voice and glared at her when she sat next to him again. "I like your Stiles more than the movie one. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Is that the same shirt you stole from me and didn't give back until I slept over?"

"It was on top of your dresser."

"You better give it back."

"I will, now, shut up and watch your werewolf and his cute sidekick."

"You think D-Y-L-A-N O-B-R-I-E-N is cute?"

"You don't?"

"I'd rather be friends."

"You find someone cute and be friends with them," she looked away from him, her cheeks pink. "She's cute, too."

Matt glanced at the screen and saw Allison then turned back to Charlie and nodded. He cleared his throat and went to Hallmark.

"You could've finished your show first."

"Why do that when we can watch bad movies?" He smiled when she laughed.

"But these are the worst," she pulled the blanket that was on the back of the couch and draped it over them. "Every successful woman leaves her cool job to go be some dude's girlfriend in some middle of nowhere town."

He shook his head and tried to pay attention to the cringe and cliches playing out on the TV, but his eyes kept straying to Charlie, who was wrinkling her nose and rolling her eyes. For someone who loved trashy shows and bad movies, she hated Hallmark, the greatest creator of them. The leading actress realized she didn't want to be with her fiance and was in love with a guy she met like a week when Matt got a stupid idea and acted on it. He yawned and stretched his arm out over Charlie, but instead of smoothly resting it on her shoulders, his elbow hit her head.

"Ow!" She moved away from him and rubbed where he got her. "Dude, what the heck?"

"Sorry," he winced. "I didn't mean to-"

"Be an asshole?" She pushed his shoulder.

"I'm not an A-S-S-H-O-L-E. It was an accident."

"My friends are jerks," she sighed. "Jules told me who Sebastian is when I told her he was introduced, so that plot twist got ruined for me, and I know what happens to Max. Aiden stole my fries the other day."

"Wait, they already have S-E-B-A-S-T-I-A-N on the show? Since when have you been reading T-M-I?"

"No, Jules is mean enough to spoil the books she is nice enough to lend to me. I haven't read more of City of Glass, since then, which was a couple of days ago?" She paused as she thought something over. "She's been lending her copies to me cause she doesn't remember everything, and the show doesn't explain some stuff well. I'm in love with Izzy so far."

"You like-"

"Boys, I have too much going on to go into that," she pressed a finger to his lips, which made him smile. "Anyway, they're jerks, and you're an asshole."

"Why are they jerks, and I'm not?"

"Because they're my friends," she bit her lip and slowly released it. "And you're my best friend."

"You're my best friend, too," Matt sighed in relief, he'd been afraid she was going to say he wasn't her friend.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, don't tell A."

"I won't," she shuffled back. "I know it's Saturday, but are we Valentine's?"

"Yes," he let her curl up against him, ignoring the way his heart was both breaking and racing. He was her best friend, and she was his; that was something he didn't want to risk over what could be a fleeting crush. As the leads kiss on the TV, he decided not to say anything about how he felt about Charlie to her or anyone else.

It was for the better.