OUARONS 21

A Little Normal

Dedicated to: @Thatreeader
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"Please don't make me leave"

I stood there by the door, stunned by the sincerity in his eyes and his voice. I knew that I had to listen to him. Anyone who looks that sincere is worth listening to. so, I didn't say a word, closing the door and walking over to my bed. I sat down, hands neatly folded on my lap and looked up at him.

Matt looked completely relieved, giving me a small smile as a thank you for letting him stay. I needed an explanation, and I deserved one. After his explanation, if I'm still mad, I'll ask him to leave again.

"I know you're mad at me and I get that-" he started.

"I'm not mad," I said calmly. If I allowed myself to be mad I would say things that I didn't mean and that would get me no where.

"Okay fine, you're not mad. You've told me that many times." He said. "But I need to explain to you why I so abruptly stopped our relationship and said that we couldn't see each other."

"Okay," I said. "Explain."

He paced around the room, getting himself all worked up, probably trying to find the words he was looking for. When he looked ready he stopped pacing, looked me directly in the eyes, and started his explanation.

"This life, my life, is not as easy as you might think. Being royalty does not make me any happier, or any better than anyone else. I don't think that I am above anyone. That's why I don't understand why you think the worst of me because I've never called you common once. It's a title you gave yourself.

Ever since I met you, you have treated me like a person. A regular, everyday guy. You haven't been like all the other people I've met who only care about my title or about my financial status. You liked me for me, and for that I am forever grateful. I'm happy when I'm with you. I don't have to be the prince who has to take everything seriously and gets all the responsibility.

I get to laugh, have fun, and I even get to have outbursts. I don't have to be calm and collected. I can be me. I don't have to worry about the image I give because you don't care about me being formal. What I'm trying to say is that all I did in letting you go was attempt to save you. You saw what happened with word getting out about you. They wouldn't leave you alone. You had to sneak out of your own house, and for what? You were treated like a commoner, like dirt under someone's shoe as you described, and questioned by everyone just because you were seen with me.

I want you to live a life without having to worry about what you say or do. I want you to have the freedom and happiness that I quite possibly will never have."

Throughout his explanation, I couldn't help but start to feel a mix of emotions. On the one hand, I wanted to be angry. Angry at him for not telling me this sooner or letting me decide what I wanted to do. But on the other hand, he was doing it all for me. He said I made him happy but he would give it up so I didn't have to be in the spotlight. Trust me, I'm not good in the spotlight but I would do it for him. I would make a fool out of myself a lot of the time but if it meant that Matt could be Matt, even if it was just around me, I would do it.

"This is the truth?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "No more secrets. I'm telling you everything. You deserve to know everything."

I stood up from my bed, taking a few steps forward until Matt and I were inches apart.

"What are you doing," Matt said, staring into my eyes.

"I'm deciding for myself what I want." I said.

"And what would that be?" Matt asked, his signature smile plastered on his face.

I didn't waste any more time with the flirting and instead took the initiative. I kissed him, and I wasn't even drinking this time. I should receive an award for that.

Matt immediately responded, placing his arms on my waist and pulling me closer to him. My face was turning red because of how much I over think things but I didn't care. His hands then moved up to my face where he pulled back for a moment to look into my eyes.

"You're something else Hailey," he said. "And I definitely like it."

I smiled, allowing him to go back in for a kiss. We kissed for what felt like hours even though it was only a couple of minutes. When we pulled away, Matt rested his forehead against mine as we both tried to catch our breath.

"I could never just be friends with you," he said, sincerity laced in his voice.

His statement left me flustered, not that anything we did before didn't contribute to that, but after all this seriousness I needed a little fun.

"So does Chicken Pizza and Margarita sound good right about now?" I said.

"Don't forget the movie." He said smiling, following my lead in moving on to a more fun subject.

We spent the rest of our time sitting on my bed, watching a movie, and having chicken pizza and margarita. It was comforting, having everything feel so good after such hectic times. Eventually Matt had to leave but even if things went to crap after this moment, I would still remember the time where everything was just a little normal.