HEDONISTIC

24. The park

EDITED

"I haven't being in this park since forever" said Frankie with rolled up unicorn pajamas  and Matty's jacket protecting her from the cold as she played hopscotch.

He was sitting in a bench watching her (always watching) as she was playing and jumping around like a child, with her bit up converse- rolled up pijamas at the ankles and no makeup face wearing a mischievous smile trying not to fall. Every once in a while she would let out an airy laugh from her mouth. The sound echoing inside Matty's brain making a home inside of himself leaving no room for thoughts that weren't about Francis.

Sometimes he remembered that she was, in fact 16- fuck she was just a kid. He was used to forgetting things, he always did and at first he did forgot her age with her leather skirts, red lipstick and blowjob eyes but now her cubby cheeks and dimpled face hadn't masked itself with a heavy coat of makeup, synthetic lights or the veil of alcohol and other types of drugs.

In that moment she was just a kid with curly homemade dyed hair in braids with her favorite fuzzy pijamas on playing fucking hopscotch of all things bouncing up and down even tho it was at least 2:00 in the morning.

"You should try it!" She said laughing at how stupid this whole situation was: she was in a fucking park with Matty fucking Healy playing stupid games as he was just sitting around feeling sorry for himself.

"I don't think that's my forte, love" Matty was looking at her eyes twinkling feeling absolutely fucking whipped and not knowing what he should truly do about it.

"Oh come on, what's going on with you tonight? I know you are an old man and everything but that's not a excuse to be boring!" She said sitting next to him in the betch trying to catch her breath taking a cigarette from the box and lighting it with his (pretentious) custom made lighters.

" I just don't really find the joy in jumping around at 2 in the morning when it's fucking freezing" he mumbled legs crossed one hand with a cigarette and the other playing with the strings of the hole in his skinny black jeans.

"I'm sorry" she said suddenly feeling self conscious for her sporadic behavior. She wasn't used to being comfortable with people but with him it was different, at least she thought so. She started having second thoughts about the whole thing... at the end maybe she wasn't what he really needed, maybe she wasn't even what he wanted.

"Don't say you're sorry, you shouldn't apologize for having a good time." He said shaking his head making his curls bounce. " I don't enjoy jumping around myself but I definitely enjoy watching you do so" he took a drag from his cigarette, Frankie suddenly felt herself swelling up with confidence again. He was building her up without even knowing it and fuck that was scary.

They stayed silent for a couple minutes listening to the sounds of the night, maybe if they would have being somewhere else they would have heard the lack of sounds but not here- not in London, the city was always full of life even in the darkest hours, every now and then they would hear the sudden honk of a car or someone footsteps as they were walking to got knows where.

"Why are we here Matty?" Frankie said after a while leaning into Matty's shoulders wrapping her hand around his, realizing how cold his fingertips were.

"What are you on about?" He said irritated. "You have asked me this already. I wanted to see you, it's not a sin." "Maybe it is somehow" "yeah maybe but I would rather be here with you than without you in heaven"

"how sweet... you would put that on a song?" "fuck off"

"I don't think I want to"

"I don't think I want to either" Matty said under his breath- hands intertwined, looking into the pavement with that stupid game of hopscotch staring back at him.

"Maybe" the blonde said organizing her thoughts. "I don't know maybe you shouldn't put it in a song" Frankie exclaimed with her head on the crook of his neck playing with his fingers drawing unrecognizable shapes on his palm. "I don't know, I guess it's more the sort of thing Alex Turner would write"

He chuckled. "How so?" He asked truly amused by the thoughts of the 16 year old and how everything sounded lovely coming out of her lips.

"Well I wouldn't really know but I guess it's easier to write lyrics about things that are unfortunate," she explains. "I don't think we are unfortunate, all of your songs tend to be pessimistic as fuck and just so fucking sad juxtaposed with happy Huey Lewis tunes but I don't think we are- sad I mean. "

He smiled. "You truly know a lot for someone that doesn't listen to my band"

He was right: She didn't know much about the band nor she cared about getting to know the whole concept and the idea of it however she did care about him in her own kind of twisted teen way.

xx

Kind of a small chapter but I just wanted to thank everyone that is reading this shit because it has 1k views and that's a lot for a fanfic of a fucking noodle!! So yeah I just wanted to thank everyone and do this small chapter (that is basically just banter) as a thank you. Xxxx