Not Quite love

A Fateful Meeting

The Zeta Chi Alpha house was brightly lit with Christmas lights. Girls in fur lined red and white dresses giggled while drunken boys poked fun at each other. It was a cliché frat party with a bit too much eggnog and a few too many freshmen. This was Matthew's first frat party, and he was already in some room with his hand up a girl's dress.

"You're sure you're okay?"

A flushed and buzzed Matthew stammered as the pretty brunette smirked and whispered into his ear.

"You freshman boys are so cute."

She pressed her body against his and nibbled his ears. Matt could already feel his knees begin to weaken as her breath sped up. Suddenly the door opened and an older fraternity member stormed into the dark room.

"Melissa," the older member exhaled in a fit of bewilderment.

"Robert! I thought you were still in Pittsburgh." She leapt off Matt's lap and pulled down her dress skirt. Matthew stood up a bit too quickly and felt the blood rush to his head causing him to turn red.

"Melissa, how could you do this to me," Robert sniffled, "again."

Matt stumbled over to Robert and pat him on the shoulder.

"I am so sorry Robert."

Matthew hiccupped.

"It's okay, she's done this too many times."

Melissa gasped.

"Robert, are you breaking up with me right now? Oh my god, how could you! It's Christmas!"

"I don't care Melissa; we've been through this too many times. You keep hurting me and if you actually cared, you wouldn't've kept hurting me like this."

Matthew awkwardly began to step around Robert in an attempt to slip out the door. Loud Christmas music drowned out Robert and Melissa's arguing, allowing Matt to escape Scott-free. He made his way into the kitchen to fetch another red Solo cup; and that's where he saw her. Matthew had laid eyes on the most beautiful girl on campus. She had a full head of natural chestnut curls that rested on her mid-back, and unblemished olive skin. She stood by herself near the spiked Christmas punch.

"Whoa." Matt breathed.

"Excuse me?"

The girl turned around to face Matt with a soft and open expression.

"Sorry, pretty," Matt's words fell out of his mouth in no particular order, "you, just. Pretty. Mhm." He nodded stupidly and chuckled. The girl laughed.

"Thanks?"

"Matt."

"Elena," She mocked his candid introduction and extended her hand to shake his. Matt shook her hand and smiled. The corners of Elena's lips pulled back; her red lipstick glistened from the hanging snowflake lights.

"Maybe I'll see you around, Matt." She scribbled her number down on a paper towel and slipped out of the kitchen.

The rest of the night was a blur for Matt who woke up with a pounding in his head. Sunlight filtered into his cluttered dorm through a dingy window. Matt awoke to the smell of bacon.

"Brian," he yelled from his room.

"Yeah," Matt's roommate replied as Matt pumped his fist. He haphazardly threw on a pair of dirty sweatpants and shuffled out of his bedroom and into the kitchen. Brian towered over the stove in an oversized shirt and basketball shorts. His smooth milk chocolate skin had paled over the past few months as it was now Winter.

"Do you want eggs too?"

"Yes please, Brian!"

"Then you should have bought some when I asked you to three days ago when it was your turn to go grocery shopping. So," Brian pushed up his thin framed circular glasses, "you owe me."

"Ah, shit." Matt stretched and sat down at the kitchen table.

"So, who's Elena?"

"How do you know about that?"

"You should have heard yourself when you got home. Some guy named Robert had to drive you here and you kept apologizing to him about how 'ugly Melissa is compared to Elena' and," Brian broke out into an uncontrollable laughter, "I wish you remembered his face he looked so defeated."

"Yeah, I get it." Matt sighed as Brian began to plate the bacon.

"I think you're gonna need the help of Mal."

"What?"

"Mal. P, match-maker."

Brian grabbed an extra plate from the dish strainer for the toast that should be done in another minute or two, "I heard a lot of great results from guys who talk to Mal."

"Who is Mal. P?"

"I dunno, I never met him."

"Yeah but you just said you know people who have."

"In exchange for his services, you have to follow his rules and pay the fee."

"Wait he charges people for dating advice? That's kinda fucked, why not just use Google or something."

"I heard his success rate is above 85% and if you don't match with your intended target, he'll help you find a new one, free of charge."

Brian quickly plated the toast and set it in front of Matthew at the table.

"Man, I've never heard of any guy named Mal on campus."

"Yeah, that's the thing, people have tried to find this Mal guy using our student emails, and there's three dudes whose names start with M-A-L."

Brian poured himself a glass of orange juice and shook the bottle, asking Matt if he wanted some too. Matthew nodded briskly, his eyebrows knit in thought and curiosity.

"Really? And still they couldn't figure it out?"

Brian smirked as he set down the two glasses of OJ.

"Well, people started to talk about Mal. P last year around this time, during my sophomore year. There're only three dudes whose names start with Mal, they all just started their freshman year this August; like you."

Brian went back into the kitchen to retrieve the bacon as Matt sipped his orange juice.

"I'm glad to have a wise old man for a roommate."

Brian sat down at the table and let out a sharp exhale.

"Yeah, what would you do without me."

The boys laughed for a moment.

"How can I find this Mal. P?" 

"You know the old library?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I guess you wouldn't. I'll just have to take you there then."

Brian wolfed down a few pieces of bacon and his toast before standing to get his jacket.

"Matt, I should warn you though. The guys who meet with Mal change."

"Bro, what the hell does that even mean."

"You know how some people just have this air of like, 'I been through some shit' vibe?"

"Yeah, I mean I guess."

"Guys who meet Mal, just vibe different, they're different, more adulty."

"You're scaring me a little, man."

"Nah, it ain't bad per say. Just different. I thought you should know before we go make an offering at the bulletin board."

"A what?"

"Don't worry about it, let's go."

Matt hesitantly slipped a hoodie on and some mismatched socks before lacing up his sneakers and heading out the door with Brian.