A Series of Firsts (A Matthew Gray Gubler FanFiction)

The First Fresh Start

Alex dragged her toes in the pristine white sand of one of the many North Shore beaches. The rocky coastline rumbled with the sound of crashing waves. She focused on that noise and easily tuned out the squawking of the people that occupied the sand. She took a deep breath, inhaling the salty air and exhaling the stress that had encompassed her life lately.

Things had changed drastically over the last several months. She had quit one job and started another. She'd moved from her apartment into a much larger house. She'd gained a roommate and had ditched the solitude that had been her life prior. The demands on her had increased significantly and when the opportunity to take this impromptu trip had materialized, she had quickly jumped on the chance. She'd begged for a week off, had bought a ridiculously priced airline ticket and had managed to book a beach front townhome.

She had so far enjoyed two peaceful, restful days in this land of paradise. She's eaten a large breakfast that morning and had decided that a long stroll along the sand and in the water would do her some much needed good. She stopped, closing her eyes and allowing the waves to splash against her bare feet. Her mind began to wander, and of course it decided to revisit that night, the night he had shown up at her door. She smiled at the sweet memory, her stomach fluttering with the tiny wings of frenzied butterflies.

Matthew stood on the other side, his hair a mess, the purple under his eyes more prominent than normal and his clothes seemed to hang on him. But his eyes were bright and they shone in the light emanating from her living room lamp. "I'm sorry that I'm late. I should have been here several days ago."

She didn't say anything, pulling the door open wider and taking a step to the side. He brushed against her as he entered her apartment. She watched as he slipped his shoes off and meandered into her kitchen. She giggled as she witnessed him grab a bottle of beer. He glanced over at her and smiled as he popped the top off and walked back over to her.

"So..." Matthew reached for the door and pushed it closed. He extended his hand towards her and she took it. He pulled them over to the couch, where they both ungracefully flopped onto the soft cushions.

"So...." Alex scooted closer to him, her legs leaning against his. Her shoulder pressed up to his, her hand clinging tightly to his. "So, you're here."

He nodded his head, "I am here. Honestly, I wanted to be here a few days ago, but there was a bit of baggage I had to rid myself of first and it took a bit longer than I had originally planned.

"Baggage? I thought you said that you weren't dating anyone." Alex turned to look at him, his hazel eyes glinted back up at her.

"I wasn't dating anyone but there might have been a girl on the side that I, well, that I might have had a bit of an arrangement with." Matthew's cheeks started to blush a rosy pink.

Alex snickered, "Oh my god, you had a friend's with benefits."

"If you are so determined to label it, then yes, that's kind of what it was." He narrowed his eyes at her, reaching down and pinching her thigh.

"Hey," She swatted at his hands, "Is that who was calling you while we were talking?"

He nodded, "There was possibly some miscommunication between the two of us." His cheeks started to turn a darker shake of pink.

Alex watched his reaction, her hand shooting up her mouth, smothering her laugh. "She thought you were dating." She mumbled through her fingers.

Matthew pulled her fingers away from her face, "Yes, she was under the impression that we were more than just 'friends with benefits.' God, I hate that term, but it took me several days to get through to her, without just destroying her feelings."