ashes [m.h.] (Completed)

Chapter 9

Silence is all thats heard within the vehicle as we make our way down the roads. I keep my eyes anywhere else but him, letting the scenery pass by in a blurr. A light humming sounds, and I turn to face him. He hums an unfamiliar tune, tapping a finger against the steering wheel. Mumbled lyrics pour from his mouth. Curiosity gets the best of me and I can't help asking.

"What are you singing?"

He stops to answer. "Hm? Oh its nothing" he chuckles.

"No, I'm interested, it sounded good. I'm always up for getting new music. Who sings it?" I counter in a friendly manner.

A smile covers his face, and another chuckle is heard.

"The artist?" He questions.

"Yea, I'd like to know."

"It's an original" he begins. "The artist being yours truly."

I stare at him with squinted eyes and an unconvinced expression. He has the audacity to try and lie to me? Unbelievable.

"What?" He says, noticing my nearly lethal stare.

"Prove it." I fold  my arms across my chest. He takes his eyes off the road to give a quick glance in my direction. Confusion is evident on his face.

"Okay..." he drags. "How exactly would I do that?"

"Sing it." I say confidently. There's no way he wrote a song, and the moment he 'forgets the lyrics' I'll call him out on his crap.

"Mm da da da da" he hums aloud. "Am I too old to be this stoned. Was it your breasts from the start. They played a part."

He pauses.

"For goodness sake. I wasn't told you'd be this cold. Now its my time to depart, and I just had a change of heart. Ba da da da da da, wind my way out of the city. Finding a girl who is secretly pretty won't be hard, oh I just had a change of heart."

The car falls silent as the last word leaves his lips. I'm in awe. Something about his voice reels me in. He has a talent and I'm in complete adoration.

"I know its not the best right now, I'm still working on some more lyrics and getting the right beat down." He informs me.

I don't respond. My eyes are glued to him. His head is fixed on the road. Before I can gather my thoughts into a coherent sentence, the car is shut off. He pulls the keys out of the ignition and turns to me. He meets my gaze.

"We're here." he states.

I break the prolonged eye contact and turn my attention to outside. Few cars litter the small parking space. The size of the restaurant matches the parking lot. It's a quant building that looks to hold few customers. I look back to Matty and find him fixed on his small telecommunicating device. Another loose curl has escaped his tiny ponytail.

"You should take your hair down" i suggest quietly.

Seconds pass and its as if he never heard me. His hard face stays glued to his phone. I begin to repeat myself but am immediately stopped. His hand is quick to pull the ponytail holder out of his hair. A waterfall of curls cascade down to his face. His expression is quickly hidden. What's got him like this?

I open the car door and hop out in one quick motion. I grab my purse and put it on my arm as I close the door. If Matty wants silence, I'm more than happy to enjoy breakfast without him. I reach the front of the small building. As I open the door, I hear the car slam behind me. I walk inside and straight to the hostess.

"Hi, how are you?" She smiles a bright and toothy smile.

"I'm great, thank you."

"Table or booth?"

"Booth please." I've always preferred booths for some unknown reason.

"Great, and will it be just you or would you like to wait?"

As if on cue, Matty bursts through the door. I glance back at him then turn back to the smiling woman. I return the smile before answering her initial question.

"We're all here now." I state politely.

The smiling woman nods, taking two menus and leading the way. It's not hard to follow at a distance, considering the nearly empty place. Few men wrapped in suit and ties are scattered across the tables, drinking their coffee and checking their watches occasionally.

We find our way to a cleared booth against a wall full of windows. Light from the window fills the small area. I take a seat on one side of the table with cushioned seats. My eyes go to the menu and I pay Matty no mind. A squish of the cushioned chair on his side lets me know he's seated.

The menu isn't necessary, I've been to IHop countless times to know exactly what I want. I look up to see a messy haired Matty staring out the window. His eyes are covered from my view, making his emotions unreadable to me.

"Do you know what you want?" I break the silence.

"Yea" he continues to stare.

I look out the window as he does. Im not sure what he sees but I decide to mimic his behavior. His peculiar behavior. I let the silence hang in the air a bit longer before the smiling waitress returns.

"Are you guys ready to order?" She asks sweetly.

I look to Matty and he nods.

"Yes, um, I'd like the red velvet pancakes please with chocolate milk"

"Sounds great, and you sir?" She turns  to Matty.

"Same" he says, quickly handing the menu to the woman. I follow suit and offer a polite smile. She walks away to put in our order and Matty decides he wants to speak.

"Chocolate milk?" He snickers a bit.

"Believe it or not but I have gotten that same order since 8th grade." I say proudly. True enough, I've never ordered anything but that since.

A wide smile finds its way to his face, but he's quick to cover it with a hand. This is the first I've seen him smile. Truly smile. He really should more often. It completely contrasts his dark clothing and normally hard face. His dark curls cover most of his eyes, which leaves me relying on his mouth to give me a window to his feelings. His complex and always changing feelings.

I hadn't realized I've been staring when his eyes make their way to mine. His smile is contagious, and i can't help the small one that creeps upon my lips. We stay like this. Smiling uncontrollably as we meet each others gaze, the silence being  anything but awkward. Just moments ago, I wanted to eat alone. Now I'm sitting here with him in a peaceful silence. Until I decide to speak up.

"So, um... about the party..."