The Ties That Bind

Part 33

Tris walked upstairs and opened the door to Adam's room. She felt a little guilty, like she was snooping around... which, in a way, she was, even though she had Adrian's permission. For a few minutes, she stopped and looked around. It suddenly hit her that this was the room that Adam grew up in... even though the decor had changed over the years.

She giggled. "Oh my God... I'm in Adam Lanter's room!!!" As a young teen, she had a big crush on the handsome rock star and fantasized about meeting him one day and maybe even having a romantic relationship with him. Of course, never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that she would fall in love with his brother instead.

Tris paused... Was she in love with Matt? She had only known him for a couple of days. And yet... Tris didn't consider herself a hopeless romantic. She always said that love at first sight was a bunch of BS. Then how come her heart always fluttered when she saw Matt walk into a room? How come her palms got sweaty and she felt slightly dizzy when he was close to her? And why was last night the absolute most unforgettable night of her life? Maybe true love was real.

"Wake up, Tris," she told herself. "This is just physical attraction. He's super hot and sexy, and you're scared and alone in a new city. So it's natural that you wanted to find something or someone to cling to."

She sat down on Adam's bed to clear her mind. "I'm sitting on Adam Lanter's fucking bed!!!!" She giddily bounced up and down a few times. The duvet was black and made of Egyptian cotton. Adam's furniture was pretty plain. "What did I expect," she asked herself. "Gold fixtures on everything? White satin sheets? Or maybe a rotating bed, like in Austin Powers?"

All he had in his room were his bed, two nightstands, a tall dresser, a couple of armchairs by the window, and a desk... and then she saw his guitar. "Was this his first guitar," Tris wondered. It was an old acoustic and it was propped up against the wall in the corner. Tris approached it carefully, like it was some kind of relic. She ran her fingers over it, very lightly, afraid it might break under her touch.

"Oh my God," she thought. "If my friends saw me now they would NOT believe their eyes." After inspecting the guitar, Tris walked over to the tall dresser. On top of it, there were several pictures. Some were of Adam and his brothers when they were younger. Tris noticed one that had been taken on the front steps of the house. She immediately picked Matt out... he was obviously the youngest, and her heart skipped a beat. He was so adorable! He looked like he was around seven or so. Adam had his arm around Matt's shoulders. Matt was positively beaming. Adrian was sitting on the steps, right next to Matt. Alex was standing a little further away and looked either bored or pissed off. There was another guy, also sitting on the steps... that must've been Liam. She did a double take. Liam and Adam were definitely identical twins. The only difference was that Liam was a lot tanner and his hair had almost blonde highlights in it, while Adam was paler and looked sort of emo in the picture.

There were several other pictures. One in particular struck her: it showed a young woman holding twin babies. She assumed that it was Rosalie Lanter, and that the babies were Adam and Liam. Tris studied Rosalie's face. She could see why the boys were so handsome, even without meeting their father. Rosalie had dark hair, pale skin and bright blue eyes. She had delicate features and a beautiful smile that exuded happiness and warmth. It reminded Tris of Matt's smile. It saddened her that the beautiful young woman died in such a tragic way without ever meeting her youngest son. She felt a pang thinking about Matt. Why did he blame himself for his mother's death? He was the last person who was at fault... What did his father say and do to make him feel so guilty?

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't hear steps behind her. Suddenly, she was enveloped in two strong and warm arms. She gave out a squeal. "Shhh, it's just me," Matt kissed the back of her neck.

"I woke up and you weren't there. I thought maybe you had left so I got up. And then I saw Adam's door was cracked open. Whatcha doing here? Dreaming of your idol?" He was teasing her.

"Actually," Tris turned around and faced him. "I was looking for something more suitable to wear. Everyone's gonna think I always walk around in a bikini."

"Hmmm," Matt nibbled her ear. "I certainly don't mind." He was holding her tighter and moving his lips down her neck. Tris was conflicted. Her mind was telling her to break free of his embrace and find some clothes, but her body was making a completely different decision. Soon, her mouth met his and she found herself pulling his head closer into a deep kiss.

Eventually, her conscience woke up and she pulled back, breathless.

"Hey... what's wrong," Matt asked. "Don't you wanna try out Adam's bed? Or maybe you'd prefer Adam in my place," he raised a mocking eyebrow.

"Don't be silly," Tris playfully pushed him away. "I don't and I wouldn't. I have to find some clothes, and fast. Everyone's gonna be awake soon."

"Alright... I get it, "Matt sighed. "Let's take a peak in Adam's closet."  They opened the door to the walk-in closet. It mostly contained Adam's stuff, but there was a rack filled with women's clothes. "Unless Adam's into crossdressing, I'm pretty sure that's Ella's stuff," Matt smirked.

Tris did a quick scan of the hangers. "She has such pretty clothes. I feel like a total thief," she told Matt.

"You are a little thief," he teased. "You're trying to steal my heart."

She stopped and looked him fully in the face. "What did you say?"

"What," Matt looked puzzled. "I was just agreeing with you."

"Not that... the part about your heart," she said.

"Am I wrong," he raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know," she answered nonchalantly. "Can your heart be easily stolen?"

"Hmmm... I'm not sure... I guess we'll have to see," Matt replied. Then he quickly started rummaging through the hung clothes. "Here, what about this one?" He held up a white summer dress with light pink flowers. "This looks like something you'd wear."

"Oh my God, I love it," Tris exclaimed. "Are you SURE this is o.k.?"

"Who's gonna stop us," Matt smirked. "Go ahead, try it on."

Tris pulled Matt's T-shirt off of her and slipped on the dress quickly. It fit her perfectly. "Wow. I didn't think it would look right," she said, twirling around. "Ella's taller than me, but I guess she's petite for her height."

"You look adorable," Matt ruffled her hair. "Like a little schoolgirl getting ready to go to church," he teased.

"Great," Tris pulled a face. "Are you a pedophile or something?"

Matt laughed. "Not the last time I checked. Now let's get out of here before somebody finds us," he pulled her by the hand back towards his bedroom.

When they were inside, he closed the door and leaned against it.

"And now, you are all mine," he said, his eyes darkening.