once, still & forever | a Matty Healy story

Hello There, Stranger - Chapter 2

I have been at the venue for a while, and so far so good. Which basically means I haven't bumped into anyone yet, not even the bride.

Emily and I were just sat at the bar, talking about anything and everything when I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I twirled around to see who it was, I felt excited to see a familiar face.

"I knew it was you!" he shouted whilst grabbing me and pulling me in for a hug.

"George! It's been too long," I laughed, squeezing him back.

"Where have you been this past year? huh?" he questioned while pulling away to look at me.

"Oh, just bits and bobs, keeping myself busy," I said sheepishly. It felt weird to have George here in front of me and for me to feel awkward talking to him, out of all the band mates, he was the one I got the closest to, he was sort of like an older brother for me.

"Well, I can tell you now that we have all missed you, even Ross!" he claimed proudly, obviously hinting at the times Ross would endlessly pick on me.

"That is actually so good to hear," I smiled at him.

"You obviously haven't bumped into Matty yet then? he would have told me," and there you go, his name was finally mentioned and I got that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Urm, no I haven't..." I trailed off, then looking around the room to see if I could spot him.

"He needs to know you're here, he would love to see you Sophia," he told me in a 'I know you are avoiding him' tone.

"But..." I whined. I didn't know if I wanted to see Matty or not, maybe I would regret it later if I didn't but right now, I want to avoid him like the plague.

"You are going to bump into each other by the end of the night anyway, there's only so many people here, so prepare for it, Soph," he said matter of factly. George then gave me another hug, told me he would see me later, and walked off.

"Oh my god," I breathed out, while taking another drink of my vodka lemonade. 

"I'm going to go for a walk," I stated to Emily, who was busy talking to some guy she met at the bar. 

On my travels I saw Denise standing with a group of older women, and while approaching her she spotted me and shrieked. 

"Oh my goodness, look at you!" she shouted while placing her hands on either side of my shoulders.

"You look absolutely gorgeous, Denise," I told her while smiling. Seeing her again just brought back so many memories, memories that I would do anything to have back.

"Says you! You look beautiful Sophia," giving me her warm smile, I felt myself start to get all emotional.

"You haven't bumped into Matthew yet, have you?" she said while seeing the look on my face. I shook my head, not being about to cope with saying anything out loud.

"He still loves you, you know, he always will do," she told me. 

After not saying anything, she gave me another hug. I told her that I was going to have a breather outside and asked her to direct me where to go.

I needed to take a break from all the talking, bumping into people, and a cold breeze away from this stuffy room would be nice. 

I found the doors that Denise told me about and walked out onto the balcony that was outside. It was beautiful, the candles outside lit the area perfectly from the pitch black that was outside.

I stood there for ages, appreciating the peace and quiet, the cool air calming me down, and the view kept me so occupied that I didn't even hear the balcony door open.

"Well hello there, stranger..."