Matt & Doe | Complete

Chapter 21

Doe's POV

I battled with sleep for the rest of that night.

After I woke up, Matthew bought me a small cup of tea from a nearby café, and we sat on the bed in silence. Well, at first.

“How are you feeling?” he spoke up.

“Better, thank you.”

“Also... I spoke to my mother. We can go visit her tomorrow, if you want.”

I nodded. Before I got discharged from the hospital the night before, Matthew had agreed to take me to the home he grew up in. My request was a bit intimate, especially for Matt but I couldn't have helped myself. The address rang several bells, to me.

And I was nervous to find out if my gut was right.

“Also...”

I saw Matthew brace himself.

“...Thank you for paying that bill back at the hospital. You didn't need to, but thanks.”

He shrugged, playing with the string on his tea bag, “It was no problem, really. I felt guilty. I thought something was gonna happen to you.”

I raised my brow.

“Well,” Matthew laughed, “Something worse.”

I pushed his buttons a bit more, “And... What if something did?”

He cleared his throat, reaching for the back of his neck, “I... I don't know. I got to know you this much and all for what? For you to... to just leave? I'd miss you like crazy.”

My heart melted over his words. I had never gotten to know Matthew like that. It was one of the best feelings ever.

“Well... better me than you,” I nudged his side a little.

“Ha.” he smiled, then glanced at his watch, “Doe, you're late.”

That day the orphanage would begin cleaning and packing up. An official 'for sale' sign would be placed at the front of the building, to draw the attention of anyone interested. And with enough money.

I was dressed in my normal jeans and an oversized top, mainly because I wasn't feeling that good about myself.

That day, kitchen shifts began with brunch, to excuse the volunteers from waking up early. No one was expecting me to show up, but I told Matthew that I wanted to, and he knew he couldn't have stopped that.

I hugged him tightly before leaving for the orphanage.

When I arrived in the kitchen, people were busy at work. No one noticed me come in at first, except Miss Smith at the desk, but when I closed the steel, kitchen door harder than I meant to, everyone turned around.

They stopped their whisking and stirring to greet me with surprised faces and wide smiles.

After being bombarded by almost a billion questions, I finally met Hannah in the storage room searching desperately for something.

“Hannah...” I called in a sing-song voice.

“Oh my gosh,” she whipped her head around, “DOE YOU'RE HERE?”

She ran, wrapping her arms around me and I sucked in a breath. After she let go, I gave her a smile.

“I'm fine. It... really wasn't too bad. Thanks for the gi- ”

“Did you get back your stuff?” she yelled, although we were arms-length  apart.

“Yeah, I did.”