wanderlust | m.m.

nine.

ding.

i smiled as i read the text that had my phone had so kindly notified me of. it was mat. he was on his way to come pick me up. we were going out to lunch so that i could finally tell him about myself. he really was persistent.

the concert had been on friday. it was now monday. on saturday morning, i had texted mat to thank him again. since then, we had chatted back and forth through out the day, mostly in our spare time. he was nice and easy to talk to, and doing so kept me from being bored when i had nothing else going on.

knowing that mat would arrive soon, i pushed myself off the couch and switched off the television, muting the sounds of criminal minds that had filled the air. my longing after derek morgan would just have to wait. i moved through my apartment till i found my go to sneakers. they had been carelessly tossed on the floor of my bedroom after i had come home from a long shift the night before. slipping my feet into my shoes, i caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror in the corner. i smiled victoriously, noticing that my striped pants made me look just the slightest bit taller.

with a little bit of time to kill, i returned to the couch and mindlessly scrolled through my phone till i heard a knock on my door. i pulled it open to reveal mat standing in the hall. he had been quietly humming to himself as he waited for me to answer the door, but stopped when he noticed i had done so. he smiled. "hey luci."

"hi mat." i returned his smile. i took just a moment to grab my keys and a jacket, and then we were out the door. "so, where are we off to?" i prompted as we walked down the hall.

"this little deli on the edge of town. they've got good food, decent prices, and it's quiet, so we shouldn't be bothered by anybody."

"sounds..." i trailed off as i searched for an appropriate word. "quaint."

mat let out a small scoff and gave me a look, both of his eyebrows slightly raised. "quaint?"

"mhm," i affirmed, earning myself a roll of mat's eyes.

"you haven't even seen the place," he pointed out and i shrugged.

"i've just got a feeling." and i was right. the little restaurant looked like it was straight out of a movie, and considering we were in los angeles, it very well could have been. the decor was clearly that of the 80s, but it wasn't overwhelming. there were lots of bright colors and unique decorations on the walls. the floor was the infamous black and white checkerboard tiles. the metal chairs that sat at the tables helped to tone down the space, but the unusual upholstery on the booths did otherwise.

there were a few other groups of people in the small deli, but they were all already seated, so mat and i didn't have to wait. after taking a couple of minutes to look over the menu, we placed our orders, then chose a booth, sitting across from each other.

mat sat forward with his elbows on the table and his hands together. he was looking at me expectantly. "well, what are you waiting for? tell me about yourself."

"someone's eager," i laughed.

pushing a sigh between his lips, mat let his hands drop to the table with a light thud. "yeah, well we were supposed to have this conversation two weeks ago but never got the chance."

a small smile tugged at my lips. he had a point. "okay. what do you want to know?"

"everything."

oh, well that was helpful. except not at all. "ummm" i said stupidly, trying to find something to say. how could someone draw a blank on their own life? "i work as a bartender downtown?" i posed it more like a question, unsure if it was what he wanted to hear.

"you work as a bartender, but you don't drink?"

i shrugged, not thinking much of it. "i get paid to people watch. i like it."

"and you expect me to believe that you afford the apartment you have with a bartender's salary?"

pulling my bottom lip between my teeth, i shook my head, not noticing mat's eyes shift to my mouth. "no," i admitted. "but that's because i don't. i model a bit too."

"uh huh." mat sat back against the booth, a smirk evident on his face. "now why didn't you lead with that? or is modeling code word for something, maybe, a bit kinkier?"

i nearly choked at his words, definitely not expecting him to say that. "what? no! i just don't like to tell people because they tend to get this idea that i think i'm better than everyone else. what in the world made you think that?"

mat chuckled, his eyes gleaming. he was enjoying this. "dunno. it was just a thought. but while we're on the topic, do you have any kinks?"

"mat!" i hissed. i could not believe he just asked me that. "i know you said you wanted to know 'everything' but there is a limit to that."

"that's fine. don't tell me," he said, leaning in. "i'll just have to find out for myself." he then reached across the table and gently flicked my nose. his smirk only grew as the heat rushed to my cheeks. he was obviously satisfied with himself. "now, i think you were telling me about yourself. carry on."

and despite the fact that he had been the one to lead us off on a tangent, i did. i even continued to talk after the food had arrived, though not as consistently, taking breaks so we could take a couple of bites. i told him about my life back in texas. mom and dad. small, but nice home. i had started to get modeling gigs when i was about 16. two years later, after i had graduated, i moved out here, and got my bartending job to help cover the rent when the modeling was slow. my long time best friend, watson, had moved to los angeles shortly after i had, only he came for school. it was nice to have someone i knew in a new city, but because of that, i didn't meet many new people.

"so you're telling me that watson is your only friend?" mat interjected.

"well, i mean i have other friends, but he's the only one i hang out with on a regular basis."

"any boyfriends?" he then asked.

"not since high school," i admitted.

a small grin worked its way onto mat's face, and he did his best to hide it by taking a bite of his food. "any fuck buddies?"

my hand that had been lifting a fry to my mouth froze. my eyes, which had been looking elsewhere, now flicked to his. they had that same mischievous gleam that i was becoming familiar with. "all of your questions seem to have a reoccurring theme."

"what can i say? i'm curious," he chuckled.

i stared at him quizzically, then shook my head. i contemplated whether or not i should answer his question, and sighed when i let myself give in. "not that it matters, but yes. there have been a few."

"a few at once or...?"

if looks could kill, mat would be bleeding out on the restaurant floor. and as much as i wished that was the case, it wasn't. instead, he was laughing, finding my glaring at him utterly hilarious, apparently.

• • •

hope you enjoyed!!

- maren