Ridiculous: Mattory

6: So Let Me Disarm You

Mallory

If I thought I could get back into the room I was sharing with Natalie unnoticed, I was sorely mistaken.

"Where were you?" my redheaded coworker demands as soon as I step in the door. I grumble to myself, dimly realizing that Whitney is there too, sitting on one of the beds. "We were worried sick about you!"

I march past both of them, grabbing my bag from the floor and setting it on the bed. "I was out," I tell them, going through and finding the clothes I wanted to wear today.

"Out? Out where?"

I do my best to ignore her, unplugging my phone and checking for messages. "Out," I repeat.

"You're still in your pajamas!" Natalie exclaims.

"Look, I'm sorry I forgot my phone, all right? I didn't mean to make you worry, but would you drop it?"

"Mal," Whitney pipes up. "We thought something horrible might have happened to you. And for all we know, something did, because you won't say a word!"

"Nothing horrible happened, all right? I'm fine." I pick up the pile of clothing and make my way to the bathroom, dropping the clothes on the bathroom counter and turning on the shower. Maybe after a hot shower, I'll have calmed down enough to be reasonable.

"Mallory," Natalie begins, standing in the doorway.

"What, Natalie?" I snap. With sudden certainty, I realize that I'll get no peace in the shower because they won't stop badgering me long enough for me to take one. Whitney appears behind Natalie and I glare at both of them. "Fine, you really want to know where I was? I spent the night with Matt."

The only sound is that of the slowly warming water pounding against the tile of the shower. With a sigh, I lean over and shut the faucet off, because I know it's going to be a while before I get my shower.

"Hold up," Whitney says. "You what?"

I take a steadying breath. "I slept with Matt—" my stomach clenches as I hear my own words, "—in only the most literal and innocent sense of the term. I was upset and lonely and I couldn't sleep, and I went to talk to him and I forgot to bring my phone, and you apparently had a panic attack in my absence."

"Okay, let me get this straight," Natalie says after a long moment of silence. "Is Matt your new boyfriend?"

I knew it was coming. "Yes," I admit, my cheeks beginning to blaze.

"Oh my gosh," Whitney says.

I feel my cheeks heat up even more and bury my face in my hands. I should have known they'd get it out of me sooner or later. Hearing Natalie snap her fingers, I look up again.

"So that's why you two were being so obnoxious in the car yesterday!" she exclaims, pointing at me. "It all makes sense now! Whitney, you should have heard them, they were being so ridiculous and Stacey and I could tell that Matt knew who Mallory's boyfriend was but after all this time I never guessed that he was her boyfriend!"

"Yeah, well, we were trying to keep it on the down low for a little longer," I say dryly. "We were going to tell you guys after Valentine's Day."

"I'm both offended you didn't tell us and so happy for you," Whitney says. "I thought you two were just going to pine after each other until the end of time."

"We did not pine," I say, exasperated.

"You pined," Natalie says.

"There was pining," Whitney agrees. "And lots of it."