Matt & Brooklyn: A Standalone in the "Again for the First Time" Family Saga (AFTFT Book 2) (2 page)

Those were the words I was screaming to myself inside my head, but yet, I stayed put, letting him hold on to me while he seemed to be working up the nerve to say something else. But then, taking another step closer, Matt finally found his words, finally mustered up the courage to make me an offer of sorts.

“Come to California with me for a while, Brook.”

I stared and he waited expressionless while I searched for an answer, an excuse.

“At least for a week or so,” he added.

“Matt, I–”

This wasn’t the first time he’d asked. There were several phone conversations that ended with an invitation and the offer of a plane ticket. Every time, I’d managed to turn him down, though, desperately trying to keep the lines from getting blurred. To me, being there alone in California with him, staying in his home, was a recipe for disaster.

I was hell-bent on keeping things just the way they were, which was perfect in my eyes. However, I’d known since the beginning that Matt didn’t share my views. To him, our instant connection was a sure sign that, yes, friendship was imminent, but he also believed there was something else brewing beneath the surface.

It was me who defined the terms of the relationship, not him. My resistance to exploring things further left him no choice but to accept things for what they were. He made no apologies for how he felt about me and I’d never asked him to. We’re human, feelings come up from time to time, but I was convinced this would all pass eventually and he’d begin to see things the way I saw them.

Up until now, Matt had done a great job of suppressing the emotions that were now beginning to bleed through his expression and body language. I lowered my eyes to the ground and tried to speak again. “Listen, Matt, I–”

“Brook… for once in your life, don’t think,” he interjected, his gentle tone pricking my heart when he did. I met his gaze again and was shocked by the desperation showing through on his face. “Don’t overthink it,” he added with a smile. He knew me so well, which was a blessing and a curse.

A blessing because I didn’t have to explain myself or my intentions to him often.

A curse because he knew exactly how to break my will.

“This time,” he went on. “…This time say yes. Say you’ll come with me.”

Chapter One

Brooklyn

I was sure I’d forgotten something. Packing at the last minute was never a good idea, but this trip wasn’t something I planned for. This was way more impulsive than anything I’d ever done before.

It was still hard to believe I said
yes
. The look on Matt’s face when I told him I would join him in L.A. was priceless, though. Truth be told, I missed hanging out with him, missed having him only a few minutes away if I felt like stopping by. However, for the next week at least, he’d be just a short walk down the hall away—a fact that had me both excited and nervous at the same time.

Right after the brief get-together at my parents’ house following the ceremony, I rushed home and ran around like a madwoman; washing clothes I needed to bring with me, putting all my hair and beauty products into a tote. I grabbed a few pairs of my dressy heels and tossed them in a bag alongside my gym shoes and flip flops. Standing in the middle of my bedroom, now a mess from my whirlwind packing session, I surveyed my luggage, making mental plans to rush to the airport right after my graduation party the next afternoon. I would put all my stuff in the trunk of my car tonight so I could head straight for the flight after the celebration.

On cue, a warm, furry body walked a slow figure-eight around my ankles, wrapping a long, black and brown, striped tail around my knee. Large green eyes stared up at me and I palmed my forehead.

Aw, hell… somebody’s gotta watch Dallas.

With the drama of trying to make this trip come to pass, it hadn’t dawned on me until that moment; I couldn’t just skip town like I planned. I’d have to ask one of my sisters to babysit my cat while I was gone, meaning they would also have to be made privy to my travel plans. Lord knows I did
not
want any of them in my business. I mean, yeah, I would’ve texted and told them where I was once I landed, but only so they wouldn’t worry. I had hopes of making a clean break, one without probing questions, loaded stares, and suggestive smiles. That’s what I knew would happen once any one of them knew I was leaving to spend time with Matt. They already didn’t buy my
‘we’re just friends’
explanation and me going to be with him wouldn’t help my argument.

I scooped Dallas up into my arms and he purred against my chest. “I promise I wouldn’t have left and forgotten about you,” I said, apologizing to the cat like he understood what I was saying. “Let’s call Lissy and see if you can hang with her and Luke for a week ‘til I get back.” With Dallas still in my grasp, I took a seat on my bed before dialing.

Lissy answered and her raspy tone made me aware of the late hour.

I palmed my forehead again. “I woke you up. I’m sorry for calling so late.”

“It’s fine. Luke and I passed out on the couch watching the news. We should go get in bed anyway,” she explained.

She typically stayed up pretty late, so I figured her busy schedule was to blame for her turning in earlier than usual—now that she was running her own store on top of raising my rambunctious niece.

“What’d you need?” she asked.

“Soooo… don’t you wanna do me a favor?”

She breathed into the phone. “That all depends.”

Dallas curled up in my lap and I prepared myself to do a whole lot of begging. “I was just wondering if you’d mind watching your cute, fuzzy nephew for me until I get back in town?” I bit down on my thumbnail while I waited for her to respond. “You know how much he loves his Auntie Lissy,” I added, laying it on thick.

“Are you talking about that doggone cat?”

“Mm hm. I’ll bring all his stuff by before the party tomorrow if you can do it. I’ll leave a couple bags of his food just in case and the extra container of litter I have out in the garage. He—”

“Wait, wait, wait…. hold up,” she cut in. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not just talking about being gone for a night or two, Brook? Where are you going?”

As if he was waiting for an answer, too, Dallas lifted his head and stared at me. I sighed and decided to give avoidance one last shot. I
really
didn’t want to answer that last question. “Well, yeah. I was getting to that part. I’ll be gone for about a week—just need you to keep an eye on him ‘til I get back.” I was trying to sound casual, but there was no way she didn’t see right through me. “Soooo… is that a yes?”

“I’ll answer your question once you answer mine,” she countered, sounding amused. “Where are you going?”

One thing about having four older sisters: nothing is ever private.

Nothing
.

With a heavy sigh I accepted the fact that she wasn’t going to let this go. “To L.A.,” I admitted, and a laugh slipped out of her mouth before I even finished speaking.

“Are you for real? With Matt?” she asked, already knowing the answer to that question. “Is that why he breezed in and out of town like some kind of secret agent? To ask you to come to California with him? He and Luke barely even got to speak before he rushed out to catch his flight back home.”

I didn’t bother to fight the smile that came as I listened to Lissy recall Matt’s short visit. I still couldn’t believe he spent all that money to get here, missed a meeting I had a feeling he downplayed the seriousness of… all for me.

“Yeah, with Matt,” was all I said back.

“Mmm hmm,” Lissy said suggestively. “You’re gonna give him some, aren’t you? I know it!” she whispered accusingly, but I still heard Luke chuckle in the background, meaning he heard her, too.

“Shut up! No!” I protested, laughing too hard for her to take me seriously. “We’re just gonna hang out.”

“Mmm hmm,” she said again.

“Whatever. Will you cat-sit Dallas for me or what?”

Lissy groaned a bit and then sighed. “Fine, bring him, but he’s not sleeping in my bed.” She always thought it was gross that I let him sleep in mine.

“Deal.” I was grinning, having the last kink worked out. “Thank you, thank you! I’ll drop by around eleven, on my way to Momma and Daddy’s tomorrow.”

I gave Lissy a few more instructions regarding Dallas’ care and then was off the phone and double-checking my bags again. I was pretty sure I had everything, but for some reason I still couldn’t relax. At first, I blamed it on being hyped up about the party, about seeing everyone, but then I had to be honest with myself; I was looking forward to this trip, looking forward to seeing Matt again.

I thought about him the entire time I straightened my room and then some more as I lie in bed waiting for sleep to come. The single rose he gave me outside the auditorium was now in a thin vase on my nightstand. As I stared at it, that same fluttery sensation filled my chest, but I dismissed it. If I had to guess, Matt’s plane would be landing soon and in less than twenty-four hours, I’d be making the same journey. On the one hand, I was excited beyond belief, but on the other, I was second guessing the hell out of this decision. Too late to turn back now, I guess.

*****

Matt

Tired or not, I had to stop at the grocery store before heading home from the airport. I didn’t typically keep my cabinets and fridge stocked, but I figured I should grab a few things since it wouldn’t just be me here this week. Wow… it still hadn’t sunk in that she actually agreed to join me here. I was beginning to think the only time we would see each other would be when I went home to Lindmore, but she proved me wrong today.

When I got to her ceremony, I had mixed feelings. Knowing that part of the reason I went was to ask her to come back with me, I wasn’t entirely sure she wouldn’t think the gesture was too forward. After all, she did have to give me a straight answer right then and there, with no time to weigh the pros and cons in true Brook-fashion. It was a crap-shoot, really. My approach could’ve easily done more harm than good; pissed her off instead of softening her up… but surprisingly, it didn’t.

Things went according to plan. In fact, I was on my way to the guest room now to freshen up the sheets on the bed. No one had ever slept there, but I changed them anyway. She’d be here for a week and I wanted this to feel as close to home as possible. If that meant spending a little extra time preparing, I didn’t mind. She was worth the hour it took me to straighten up my place instead of getting in bed.

I was just about finished when my phone rang.

“What’s up?” I answered.

Luke chuckled and then spoke. “So, I hear you have company coming in tomorrow. Is it safe to assume you’ll be hard to get in touch with for a few days?”

I turned off the light in the guest room and laughed as I headed for the couch. “Real funny. How’d you hear?” I asked, surprised Brook would mention her travel plans to anyone. She wasn’t one to share every single detail of her life, preferring to keep her business to herself. Still, this news had to have come down from her seeing as how I hadn’t said a word.

“She called and asked Lissy and I to babysit that damn cat.” He sounded genuinely annoyed, which made me laugh even harder.

“Yeah, she treats Dallas like he’s a member of the family.”

“…I’ve noticed,” Luke scoffed. “How long’s she gonna be with you?”

I propped my feet on the cushion beside me and stretched out. “A week,” I answered, imagining what that would be like. It got kinda lonesome here if I thought on it long enough, but I didn’t make a habit of letting my mind go there. I made a few friends here, but to be honest, none of those connections even came close to the one I had with Brook. I would
always
feel like something was missing while we lived so far apart. That was just the reality of it.

“Should be a good week,” Luke commented, and I sensed there was more he wanted to say before he even said it. “So… do you think things between you two are starting to shift?”

“Stop it,” I said, smiling as I let my eyes close. Our families openly rooted for us to hook up, although they were less vocal about it with Brook than they were with me. I wasn’t know if it was just because we were already such close friends or because they could see my feelings for her from a million miles away, but they definitely didn’t hide that they wanted to see us become more one day.

Even Brook’s dad had hinted at it once when we were playing pool in his basement. Everyone was invited over to celebrate a job promotion for one of Brook’s brothers-in-law. Mr. James’s hint was subtle, but he definitely let me know I shouldn’t give up on her just because she wasn’t ready. His exact words escaped me, but I didn’t forget how they made me feel… they gave me hope; restoring what her cool indifference toward romantic relationships had taken away from me early on in our friendship.

Luke laughed again. “I think Lissy embarrassed Brook pretty bad.”

I shook my head. “Uh-oh. What’d she say?”

He paused our conversation to quiet my niece, Destiny. It was too late for her to still be awake, so I knew she must’ve just woken up to be held. When he got her settled again, he answered my question. “She just teased her about you two… you know… ‘
messing around
’ while she’s out there.”

I laughed out loud at that. If Lissy thought that was a possibility, she clearly didn’t know her sister very well. Brook would never go for anything like that. Not in a million years. The point of this visit was just to get her to relax. That last semester was hell and I knew she’d been dying to see the ocean. So, long story short; I bought the plane ticket on faith and asked her to come.

“Great… now she’s gonna be even
more
uptight when she gets here. Tell Lissy I said thanks.”

Luke thought the whole thing was hilarious, but I knew all the pressure from her sisters did nothing but make Brook shut down.

“She’ll come around, Matt,” was Luke’s way of reassuring me, I guess. “And I don’t just mean when she gets to L.A,” he clarified. “It probably won’t be this week; hell, it might not even be this year, but if it’s supposed to happen, it’ll happen.”

I heard him, but didn’t want to focus on any of that. I meant it when I said that her visiting had nothing to do with how I felt about her. It would probably be hard for others to believe that, but it was true. All I wanted out of this week was for Brook to come experience life here in L.A. and for her to get the breather she deserved. That was it. All that other stuff didn’t matter a whole lot right now.

I told Luke to hang on and pulled the phone away from my ear when it buzzed to let me know I received a text. It was Brook and all the message said was:
‘T-minus 19 hours!’