Fix You // Matt Healy

2

Hadley never came back that night. She left me in the pub to watch a band preform by myself. I'm assuming she left with someone, but I was pissed she didn't even have the decency to tell me so. After a few pity-drinks for myself, I drunkenly decided to stumble my way home in hopes of a warm bubble bath and another glass of wine. 

The crowd was beginning to thin out as people got bored and left with their friends. I felt embarrassed to be leaving a pub by myself at age twenty two. Downing my last shot, I wobbled off the bar stool and began my drunken adventure home. 

The streets were eerily quiet for a summer night. Normally you pass by the odd couple on date night or a group of rowdy teenagers, but tonight there was none of that. I quickened my pace, missing the reassurance of other travelers and began to speed walk through the town. 

Halfway home, I heard the first noise since I began my trek... A scream. Curiosity got the best of me, so I walk towards the noise. As I get closer I discover it's a group of people on the lawn of an empty house and there's two guys fighting. I gasp as I recognize the first boy as Matt. 

"Are none of you going to break these lads up?" I wonder aloud to the crowd beside me. 

"It's best to just let them fight it out themselves," a girl with long red hair tells me before scoffing, "What's a prissy girl like you doing here anyways?" 

It was my turn to scoff, "I'm attempting to get home, what does it look like?" 

She shrugs before turning back to the fight and cheering on the boy Matt's fighting, whose name appears to be Joe. I watch Matt as he fights and dodges. His back muscles tightening and releasing with every move. Several minutes later, Joe has Matt on the ground. Just as Matt's about to turn onto Joe, Joe lifts his boot and kicks Matt in the stomach. He's on the ground clutching for air as Joe turns to walk away, along with the fleeting crowd. 

My head's telling me to walk away, but I can't help but notice that nobody has stayed to help him. Cautiously, I move towards the boy laying on the ground in front of him and crouch beside him. 

"I know you're probably trying to help me or something, but all you're doing is giving me a nice view of under your skirt," is the response I get from him, causing my cheeks to turn red. 

"Oh... Sorry," 

"Don't be sorry, babe," he winks. 

"How can you be on the ground hurt yet still have the energy to hit on me?" I wonder. 

"It's a reflex, love, so what's your name? You know mine, clearly," 

"It's Elliot," I state, helping him up to his feet. 

"Well, Elliot, wanna lend me a place to crash for the night?" his grin is lopsided and goofy, but I gape at him anyways. 

"Uh... I don't normally invite strangers into my apartment," I tell him uncomfortably. 

"Well, you know my name's Matt, I'm the singer in a band, I just got in a fight and I'm slightly drunk. Is that enough?" his tone is joking but his eyes look like he's pleading me silently. 

Sighing, I grabbed his hand, "Let's go get you cleaned up." 

--- 

After an intense journey home, I got Matt onto the couch and cleaned up his cuts and bruises. The biggest struggle was trying to keep him awake while I covered up the scrapes. 

It's now two in the morning and I'm laying awake in my bedroom, listening to the quiet snores coming from the next room. I can't help but wonder if this is a sign of what Hadley meant when she told me to "meet someone new". Surely a drunken boy from a local band wouldn't be the kind of guy I end up with... Would it? 

My mind races with thoughts as I slowly fall asleep. 

--- 

"Hey, Elliot, you got any tea?" a voice pulls me from my slumber. 

I hesitantly open one eye before groaning from the bright light bleeding in my curtains. I run a hand through my hair before hesitantly sitting up. 

"Top drawer beside the stove," I tell Matt. 

"Wow, you look hideous," he chuckles before leaving the room. 

"Get the fuck out of my flat, you arse," I fire back at him before standing to get ready for the day. 

Matt was right. My makeup is smeared down my cheeks and my hair looks like a family of rats moved in. Sighing, I jump into the shower to wash off last night's disaster, enjoying the warm water cascading down my back. 

A pink fluffy towel surrounds my body as I brush through my hair and brush my teeth. I reapply some mascara before getting dressed and meeting Matt in the kitchen. 

"You know, normally when a stranger offers you their flat to sleep in, you leave the next morning," I tell him while searching for a clean bowl to eat my cereal. 

His lips actually twist up into a small smile before it disappears, "I would if I had somewhere to go." 

"You're homeless?" I question lightly, chewing on my bottom lip. 

"Not really, I stay with the other band members a lot, but sometimes they get sick of me so I spend a night or two in the streets," 

"That's horrible, nobody should ever have to sleep outside," 

"Got nowhere else to go," the smile on his face now is sad. 

"What about a girlfriend or something?" I pry, attempting to find out more information. 

"Nope," 

"No other friends?" 

"Drop it, Elliot," 

"Family?" 

"Elliot!" he glares at me before grabbing his things and storming out the door. 

I don't know if I should chase him or not, so I decide to leave him be. He'll find somewhere to go, I guess. And if not, he'll find his way back here, I know it. 

---