Secondhand Smoke [m.h]

Part Six.

They finish their last song and run off the stage. Matty immediately hugs me, he's sweaty but I don't mind at all.
He's shirtless and his skin is warm and soft.
"You were great out there!" I exclaim, wrapping an arm around him as we walk out of the venue together.
He grins, "Thanks, love."
We step outside and feel a cold wind blow against us.
"Bit chilly, eh?" He says, his accent thick.
It's adorable how he says "chilly" because it sounds more like "chilleh".
When we get on the bus, he walks straight back to the bedroom.
I'm completely unprepared for him to strip down completely. I cover my eyes for the sake of his privacy.
"Aw, love.. someone is shy.." He teases.
I feel a blush arise on my cheeks.
He comes closer, "I'm showering quick and then we can go somewhere."
I hear the bedroom door slide open and then closed which allows me to uncover my eyes.
The bus is a bit cold from it's adaptation to the outside temperature. I find the black hoodie I had been wearing and slide it on over my body.
It smells like Matty and I smile.
Why do I feel like this when it comes to him?
I can't be falling for him.. not this fast. We're just good friends.
I ignore my thoughts and pull out my phone, deciding on FaceTiming my brother.
He answers on the second ring and I see his face pop up on the screen.
He's laying in bed and eating candy.
"Hey!" I say, rolling over so the light coming in through the windows light up my face better.
He grins, "Hey! How is it? Did you guys kiss yet!?"
"Shut up.. no we haven't. It's great, though. Their show tonight was really good."
He nods and takes a bite from a gummy worm.
"How are you?" I ask him.
He shrugs, "I'm pretty good.. I just have been writing this stupid essay."
"Aw... I miss you, though." I say, fixing my hair.
He smiles, "I miss you too. Don't worry about us though, just have fun."
I nod in response.
"Also, you should make a move on him." He says with a wink.
I roll my eyes, "Yeah right. I'll text you. I love you, loser."
"I love you too, weirdo." He says before we hang up the call.
I drop my phone on the bed and lay back, staring up at the ceiling.
This is still so crazy to me.
Moments later, the door opens to reveal a glistening Matty Healy.
A white towel hugs his waist and I soak in all of his features. His body is perfect. Water droplets glisten on his skin and I admire his wet curls.
He bites down on his lip when looking at me.
"What?" I ask.
He smiles and begins to get dressed.
"You look really good in my jumper." He tells me.
I furrow my eyebrows. I glance at my reflection in the full length mirror and realize the band's logo is printed on the back with their art.
I begin to take it off and give it back but he tugs at the bottom and pulls it back down. He stares at me, his hands dangerously close to sensitive areas of my body.
"Wear it. I have an extra and we can match." He says, opening a drawer and pulling out a duplicate to the hoodie I'm wearing.
I hear my brother's words echoing in the back of my head.
Make a move.
It's so soon but it feels right.
I slide my purse on and fix my hair.
He double checks that we have everything we need before walking off the bus with me.
Out of a natural urge, I decide on holding his hand and holding onto his arm with my other hand.
He gazes at me with loving eyes and kisses the top of my forehead.
It feels like my heart strings snap and suddenly my heart is falling to my stomach.
The butterflies turn into a zoo and I can't help but blush like crazy.
"Maccies is the only thing in a simple walking distance.." He suggests.
I nod, "Sounds good."
As soon as we get inside, we notice a few girls standing in line wearing merch.
"Fuck.." He mumbles, tracing his thumb against mine as we slowly walk towards the counter.
We should have known a McDonald's could be a common place for concertgoers to stop at.
Matty & I put up our sweatshirt hoods and pull the strings a bit, allowing it to fit tightly around our faces.
He keeps his face low and we watch as the girls get their food and take it to go.
They all giggle and talk amongst themselves as they are oblivious & walk right past us.
The last girl in the group, a red-headed girl with beautiful freckles that decorate her cheeks.. stops.
She stops and leans in towards Matty.
"I just wanted to say you were amazing tonight. Much love & really proud of you. I wish you nothing but happiness and thank you for everything." She says, giving Matty a side hug.
She doesn't ask for a photo or scream in his face, nor does she alert her other friends.
She begins to walk away until she glances up at me.
"You might get a lot of hate from the crazier side of the fandom.. but it's only out of jealousy. You're very beautiful.. please, just make him happy. Take care of him." She tells me, her voice quieter now.
I nod, "Of course. Thank you so much."
Matty turns to her and gives her a full hug.
He takes her phone from her hand and opens the camera, snapping a quick selfie with her.
I make sure I'm not in the photo.. I definitely don't want to stir the pot & that is his moment.
"Thank you so much. Have safe travels & a great rest of your tour." She says with a big smile.
A girl with jet black hair walks back inside and we're quick to turn around.
"Sarah, what's taking you so long!?" She calls out, clearly impatient.
Sarah makes up some story and leaves with her friends.
"That went.." I begin.
He grins, "Pretty perfect. That's pretty rare but it's really nice."
The cashier lady just stares at us like we're the weirdest things she's ever laid eyes on.
Matty steps forward and orders a double cheeseburger and fries for himself and I order the chicken nuggets & fries for myself.
We both also order shakes and of course, Matty doesn't allow me to pay.
As soon as the cashier leaves to start on our order, I elbow Matty in his side.
He laughs, "Why can't I pay for you?"
"I don't like it. I can pay for myself." I say, folding my arms across my chest.
He sticks out his bottom lip, "Aw, love.. I know. I pay for you anyways. Come here."
He takes a step closer to me and pulls me into a hug.
I feel my heart turn into a puddle and the rest of my body melts, too.
I feel like cotton candy when I'm around him.. I dissolve under his gaze or while feeling his touch.
He picks out a table and we slide into the booth, our shoulders bumping into each other.
A server brings us our food and we giggle, digging in to french fries. He feeds some to me and I do the same.
We're the only ones here, everyone else goes through the drive-thru at this late at night.
Not us.
He takes a long drink of his shake followed by a bite into his burger.
I dip my chicken nuggets in ranch, and about every other one is dunked into sweet & sour sauce.
He pulls my legs up on his lap so that I'm pretty much laying on him.
He continues to eat like it's not a big deal but I feel so close to him.
He begins to eat with one hand and slides the other underneath my thighs.
My entire body freezes from his unexpected touch.
He notices and smiles a bit as he continues to eat his food.
I try to shake away the feeling as I continue eating.
________
"Thank you." I say to him as we approach the arena.
He smiles, "Of course.. it was my pleasure."
Our converse slide across the pavement as we walk together on the sidewalk.
"Does that make it our first date?" I say, joking and taking a sip of my shake.
He tucks his hands in his front sweatshirt pocket and looks off into the distance.
"Do you want it to be? I'd say you could do better than me." He mumbles, his breathe visible in the air from the temperature.
I laugh, "I think it's the other way around. Flattering though, thank you."
I slowly walk and stupidly place my feet one in front of the other, sometimes stumbling or losing my balance.
I notice Matty's footsteps have went silent.
When I turn around, I'm met with the familiar gaze.
My entire body erupts with nerves and I'm melting again.
"I promised myself I would take it slow, but fuck it." He says before lunging forward.
It takes several seconds to grasp the new feeling of his slightly-chapped lips pressing against mine.
His hands wrap around my neck and slowly slide down my back, down to my waist.
The streetlights illuminate us, but we're strangers to the dark.
I move my lips against his, pulling him as close as possible.
It feels like the space between us is unbearable even though our bodies are pressed up together.
A gust of wind comes and blows our hair around.
His soft curls brush against my forehead and we disconnect our kiss in a fit of laughter & heavy breathing.
I run my fingers through his hair, calming it a bit. He does the same for me but both our efforts seem to be pointless.
He shrugs before taking my hand and running with me to his tour bus.
We have big smiles on our face and let out screams that echo against the large building.

The moon was our only witness, but we didn't want it any other way.