Cliché with a player

Chapter 30 - Hand in hand

For the time being, we are staying with the Taylors, but Mom said she would call grandma and ask her if we could go live there. I don't want that — she lives about an hour away, which would mean early waking for school. And I wouldn't be able to see Nessa as much. Or Matt.

Matt and I are lying in my bed, my head on his shoulder, my finger drawing random shapes on his chest, while his arm embraces me.

"What's bothering you, beautiful?" he asks suddenly and interrupts the weighing but nice quietness surrounding us. I blush.

"Why do you think something is bothering me?"

He sighs with a small laugh that makes his whole torso shake. "I can see it. You're tense. You can't hide much when I'm holding you in my arms."

With a sigh I let the words out, "I don't want to go live with grandma. I love her and all, but that would mean living an hour away and not being able to hang out with Nessa, you or Dan."

With a light touch he strokes my hair, making me a bit sleepy, for some time, before he responds, "It may be best to go. I don't want you to go, obviously, but it would be safer for you all." He has a point.

We lay there in a comfortable silence for what feels like hours. Eventually we both fall asleep, still in each other's embraces.

~~~

Matt drives us to school in his car — that I love more with every ride. He stopped reminding me of cleaning my shoes before going in, or not touching the windows and leaving finger marks on them. We walk into the building together and he holds my hand tightly, not minding the stares people are giving us.

I mind them, I'm not used to being the centre of their attention. My hand suddenly becomes so hot it starts sweating. I want to pull it away, and I would've if Matt didn't lightly squeeze it and leaned down to my ear to whisper, "Don't mind them. I like holding your hand."

Without any additional words I nod with a shy smile.

Sebastian emerges from around the corner and smiles nicely at us. "Hello."

I smile back, Matt grumbles a mumbling sure.

I want to greet Sebastian, when Myles and Jack stroll past us.

"Matt, hey, man, how was it?" Jack greets him with a handshake and a pat on the back then saying hello to me, while Myles silently stands at the side. There is a weird tension between Matt and him, so thick I could probably grab it if I would reach out. Jack notices it too and slumps his shoulder like it's making him uncomfortable.

"So, Laken, how was your time?" Jack asks me to fill in the hostile atmosphere.

"It was...good, thanks for asking."

"Yeah, yeah, no problem." He shoves his palms into his pockets and swings back and forward on his heels. Matt and Myles are still staring at each other intensely.

"Do you have anything to say?" Matt suddenly hisses at the blue eyed boy.

"Like what?" Myles seems like the kind of person who would actually think before speaking, and by the amount of time passed between Matt's question and his answer I'd say that's true.

"Fine."

"As much as I enjoy this tense thing you two are going for, I'm afraid I have to go to my next class." Jack nods my way before leaving us.

"Yeah...I should probably go too." Sebastian motions towards the right.

"I'll go with you," I say since we have the next class together.

"I'll go with you." Matt looks kind of offended that I didn't think of that first.

"Sure."

He holds my hand firmly all the way to the classroom, where he leans in for a kiss before I could protest that this is a very public place and it's not something I feel comfortable with doing. "Matt..."

He silences me with his lips and the world immediately melts into only him and his hair tickling my forehead. "See you later," he breathes out when he moves away and flashes me a grin.

"Mhm." I bite my lip reflexively — did we just do that in front of everyone?