Smooth Sailing ✓ [Republishing]

25 | pear and cardamom

Say you'll remember me.

-Wildest Dreams, Taylor Swift-
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Since this book is almost finished (like 6 or 7 chapters), would you guys like a bonus chapter from Matthew's perspective for the chapter he gets run over?

AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GETTING ME IN THE WHAT'S HOT LIST AND IN THE TOP 20, I LOVE ALL OF YOU (even the ones I don't know about lmao).
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- L I L A -

Matthew leaned against the wall with a lazy smile painted across his face, his new white cane pressed against his leg. "Morning," he greeted, a melancholy expression on his face.

I could understand his frustration since it had been two days since we agreed to be friends. Albeit missing his touch, I felt calm in his presence.

That along with the fact that I was madly in love with him.

I knew it didn't make any sense, but the whole reason I demoted our relationship status was because of what Katherine had said.

'He has to know that he'll be okay without you.'

I knew I was his anchor; keeping him grounded throughout everything that happened to him. I made it clear that his blindness didn't change anything, and that us being friends didn't mean I thought any less of him.

"Morning," I responded softly, wrapping my arms around his neck to bring him into a hug. He couldn't move his arms around me, but he nuzzled his nose into my hair.

"My mum is still thinking about moving," he mumbled as we made our way to my car. "And it doesn't help that my dad is getting a new job."

Frowning, I opened my car door as Matthew slid into his seat. "We have, like, a month and a half left until graduation. Have you spoken to them about your college acceptance?"

Wincing, he adjusted his seatbelt. "Yeah, we've only lived here for nearly a year, I can't imagine that they actually want to move."

Starting up the car, I threw a glance at him as a pained expression climbed onto his face. Furrowing my eyebrows, I stopped the car at his quiet grunt. "Are you okay?"

His gaze flickered in my direction, and he tried to lift his shirt. His buttons, however, were stopping him. "I-I think my wound has reopened." A deep warmth flooded his cheeks. "Can you help me?"

There was a brief, unsettling silence before I began unfastening my seatbelt. I slid to the edge of my seat as I tried to keep my butterflies at bay. Reaching for his shirt, I began to undo his buttons and kept my eyes anywhere but on his.

His skin was a light tan colour, and I tried desperately to not make a sound. "I c-can't really see it from here," I mumbled sheepishly, slowly moving closer to him over the clutch.

I felt his hand wander to my waist as I straddled one of his legs. Peeking a glance at his small smirk, I couldn't help but laugh. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything." He smiled softly, waiting patiently as I finished unbuttoning his flannel.

I pushed his shirt off his shoulders and took a look at where his spleen was located. The blood was seeping through his torn stitches. "What the hell did you do?"