overwhelming [m.h]

[ 17 ]

Soon enough, things were right back to normal. Or as normal as things could be for a bunch of seventeen-year olds with friends in a band, and a girl with a comatose father. I was walking to school everyday with Matty and George, and things seemed to be getting back in pace for the rest of the school year. That is, of course until my mum reminded me of the very thing I had been running away from between my teen drama and my school life.

"We're visiting your father next Friday. We're staying there until Sunday, so we can sort things out and talk." She said as we both ate dinner quietly. This had been a topic the two of us avoided to death. Her, because she knew the weight of the decision we needed to make, and me, because, well, thinking of giving up on your dad is never an easy process.

"Okay." I couldn't bring myself to say anything else, I could feel my throat close up and the tears welling up in my eyes. The hunger had disappeared in the span of a second, and nothing around me seemed just right. "Can I go for a walk?" I asked my mum between choked words, to which she only replied with a quiet nod.

I took my plate to the sink, and after putting on a cozy hoodie and some boots, I made my way outside. The cold of the upcoming winter seemed to imitate the coldness of the hospital bedroom my father had been staying at for the last couple of years, yet, even in this cold, I could feel a freedom he possibly can't remember at this point.

I ended up making my way to Matty's, yet I didn't knock on the door, as I realized how late it was and how impolite that would be to Denise. Instead I texted him.

To Matty. 11:42 PM

I'm outside, can you open up?

Matty. 11:42

Coming.

The door quietly swung open and I made my way into the dark house. Matty took my hand and led me downstairs, amongst the darkness. Once we were downstairs, I took off my coat and I took a look around the big room. The black couch and the instruments seemed ghostly without the guys around. I threw myself Matty's bed, and shortly, he joined me, wrapping his arms around me.

"For someone who wants to take things slow, these booty calls are way out of pocket." He said with his usual, warm smile. I kissed him and looked at him with a smile. Out of all the mess in my life, he seemed to be the one good thing, well, that and my mother's and my own health of course. I kissed him once again, this time deepening the kiss a bit more, allowing myself to relax to his touch and embrace. Things flowed naturally when I was around him, and everything just seemed to be easy.

"Slow down there, cowboy." He said, as he pulled away from me, making me give in return a pouty face from hell, making him laugh. I smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

"So you know how I let you stay at my place that night we got drunk?" I said as I played with his curls. He seemed to be paying his entire attention on the way I intertwined my fingers with his curls. "Could you let me stay here tonight?" I asked, stopping my motions, and looking directly at him. He held me close, and hid his face on the space between my neck and my shoulder.

"Of course you can stay." And without further ado, we slid off to dream land. Matty's embrace bringing some sort of shelter. Despite my request of "taking things slow", this way, without overthinking or over analyzing, just seemed like the right way.

A knocking on the door woke us up, and I quickly ran to the bathroom to hid, as I didn't want Denise to get the wrong idea. Just as my suspicions, Denise made her way downstairs, nagging at Matty about how he had to clean up, and that she had to leave early so he should make his and his brother's breakfast. And after a couple of minutes, she left with no further word. I left the bathroom and giggled at the previous conversation with his mother, he proceeded to hug me and fill me with small kisses all over my face. I know, adorable.

"I have to go cook breakfast, come on." He grabbed my hand and we walked upstairs. I sat by the countertop as I saw him make his way through the kitchen to make some quick and simple scrambled eggs. After serving breakfast, he knocked on a door down the hall, and a short, young boy walked out. He was still wearing a dinosaur pattern pajamas, and he sat on the table without much hesitation or thought.

"We leave in 20, alright Louis?" Matty said, while he munched down his scrambled eggs, and I did the same. The small boy nodded and drank down the glass of apple juice I had previously served him. He walked away to dress in his own bedroom.

"This is gonna sound weird, but do you think I could borrow some clothes?" I asked Matty, and he choked on his food. After taking a sip of the remaining apple juice left by Louis, he talked once again.

"Of course, we can stop by you house before dropping of Louis so you can pick up your book bag too." He said, with a smile, as if he hadn't almost passed away at my request moments earlier. I picked up my and Louis' plates and I put them by the sink.

"Perfect, I'll go change then." I left a small kiss on his head and walked downstairs to his bedroom. I decided to try out some of the black jeans he had, however they barely fit me and they were uncomfortable, so instead I stuck to my black flannel pants, and I put on one of his white shirts, topping it off with one of his jackets, and hopefully I would have enough time while picking up my bag to put on some jeans. Minutes later Matty was downstairs, and grabbing some clothes to put on. He stepped into the bathroom and came out in his typical black jeans, lose t-shirt fit. He took his book bag from the couch and we made our way upstairs once again.

Louis waited by the door, already dressed up in his school uniform, and with his backpack on. The sight of a tiny version of Matty kind of made my heart melt. Matty grabbed the keys to a car I didn't know he owned, and we stepped inside.

"Okay, we've only got a couple of minutes for you to change and go, so hurry please." He said as he drove to my house, Louis sitting in the back, quietly looking out. I nodded and as soon as we were in front of my house, I ran inside, put on some pants and some sneakers, and ran back outside with my book bag. "That was surprisingly fast." Said Matty with a big smile. I laughed and so, we drove off to drop Louis at school.