"If you touch me, I'm going to murder you in the most brutal way I can come up with and bury your body so deep underground that no one will ever find it."
Seeing my murderous expression, Borah dropped her outstretched hand and groaned.
"Jesus, Abi." She moaned. "I'm not trying to get you to come with me to some group orgy. It's just a party."
"It's never just a party for someone who doesn't like people." I pointed out.
Borah rolled her eyes and glanced at Sierra hopefully.
"Any help here?"
Sierra snorted.
"Are you kidding me? I'm sticking with Abi. Coming here was a stupid idea."
The two of us were huddled together in the backseat of Borah's car, desperately trying to stay right where we were. 'The call to a friend' turned out to be a call to they boys. Borah called them after we refused to cooperate and get off the couch, asking for help in, quoting: 'moving our lazy asses'. Unfortunately, they were out tonight and none of them could come over. Such a shame.
But of course, Borah didn't give up after hearing the news. Sneaking towards my laptop when I wasn't looking, she stole the pen drive I had stuck into the port and hid it somewhere.
All of our Supernatural episodes were on this pen drive. And since the whole building had some wi-fi issues, we had no other way of watching it, or anything else.
The deal was simple: We go with her, we get the pen drive back. We don't we stay at home and play scrabble or just stare at the wall, without the Internet or anything to watch.
In that situation, even I agreed to go.
Although if I'd known she was dragging us along to a party, I would have chosen to rot on my couch, playing solitaire.
Now it was a little bit too late.
"Oh my God, you two are such pansycakes!" Borah complained, stomping her foot. "I can't believe you don't even want to get out of the damn car and get inside."
"I'm not even twenty-one." I pointed out. "They won't let me in."
"Me, too." Sierra nodded her head vigorously.
Borah shrugged.
"I'm not twenty-one,either. But trust me, it's not going to be a problem here."
"No. No way." I sunk further into my seat, wishing to disappear. "You go ahead. I'm staying here."
Borah raised a brow, eying me skeptically.
"You wouldn't stay at home without your pen drive, but you're willing to stay in the car now?"
"Yes." I replied, completely serious.
She shot me a bland look. I smiled.
"You two are unbelievable." Borah shook her head. "It's a shame the guys are not here. Maybe they could at least haul your lazy asses up and -"
"Did someone say ass?" A new voice interrupted, catching her off-guard.
Borah jumped in place and I squinted, trying to see who the new intruder was.
I saw a guy with blond, tousled hair and a huge smile. He was standing behind Borah, eyeing us curiously.
- Oh, thank God, Matthew." Borah sighed, putting a hand on her chest. "Come on, maybe you'll be able to convince those two potatoes to get off the damn car and go to the damn party."
The guy, Matthew, arched a brow and glanced inside the car.
"I warn you, I have a pepper spray in my bag." Sierra said. "You make any move I don't like, and your eyes are going to burn."
Matthew blinked at her words, but after a second his lips stretched into that wide smile again.
"Wasn't planning on it, sweetheart." He replied.
Sierra scowled and he laughed. After a little while longer, he sent us one last glance and backed out of the car.
"Sorry, Debs. No can do." He said, stretching his arms out at his sides.
"Oh, for fuck's sake." She marched forward, her expression determined. "Get out of the way. I'll do it myself."
"Hey, I wouldn't do that if I were -"
"What's going on here?" There was a pause. "Dee?"
I saw Borah sigh in defeat a moment before another figure stepped into my point of view. I momentarily tensed, because unlike the last time, I didn't need to check to know who it was. It was almost like he was throwing off some vibes that got to me even before I saw him properly. My body somehow registered his proximity even before my mind did. Or the way he stood and talked was just too familiar.
Whatever it was, it was very, very disturbing.
"Oh, so now you're here." Borah sighed dramatically and turned to Dominic, eying him. "I thought you were busy doing something else."
"Because we were." Another voice added.
This time, I felt Sierra stiffen at my side. I knew she already got who was the second guest, because a scowl crept onto her face and her eyes narrowed at the newcomer.
"But we got bored. Decided to show up here."
"So did we." Borah replied, casting a not-so-subtle glance in the car's direction.
"Oh, so we have guests." Max mused, leaning down to glance into the car.
The moment he saw us, he burst out laughing.
"Dear God, I knew you two were freaks, but I never supposed just how much."
I was aware of the fact how hilarious we must have looked, huddled together in the backseat, desperately trying to become invisible. I was quite sure that right now we looked like two terrified five-year-olds caught while doing something bad.
My assumptions were confirmed when another head appeared in the door.
"Hello, Sweetie." Dominic's lips stretched in a smile wide enough to show off his teeth. "How you doin'?"
And that was the very moment when I started wishing the earth under my feet would part and swallow me whole. I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to mask my growing embarrassment.
"Could you, please, tell your annoying friend to take us home?" I said.
His grin widened.
"Oh, I don't know. I kind of like it that you're here."
"Well, that makes one of us." I deadpanned.
Dominic chuckled.
"Is there any particular reason for which you refuse to come out of the car like a normal person?" He asked, his tone laced with amused curiosity.
"I'm not a normal person." I mumbled.
This time, he laughed out loud, throwing his head back.
"Couldn't agree more." He said. "But seriously. Why don't you get out of the damn car?"
"And why don't you stick your nose in something that is actually your business? "Sierra fired back beside me."
Oh yeah, she was pissed.
After hearing that, Dominic's eyes twinkled with mischief and I held my breath, waiting for his response. If he was going to say what I supposed he was going to say, something that included not-so-hidden innuendos about sticking some parts of the body into another parts of the body, then I swear -
"Dom!" I heard someone, probably Ezra, yell in the background. "Are you coming or is the three of you having some private party in there?"
One side of Dominic's lips kicked up, but his eyes never left my face.
"What say you?" He asked, tipping his head to the side. "Should I stay or should I go?"
"I think the look in my eyes speaks loudly enough." I replied, scowling.
He stared at me for a moment, before nodding quickly.
"Fine." He said, grinning. "Staying, it is."
And then he started to get onto our backseat. Oh, hell to the no.
"What the hell?" Sierra yelled. "Get out of here!"
"Sorry, babe." Dominic winked, fitting himself into the tiny space beside the two of us. "It's not my fault that Abi can't survive without me."
"You're delusional." I murmured, pressing my back further into my seat.
"I'm not the one who's delusional here, Sweetie." I heard him say.
I was about to say hell with it and just throw the door open and escape as fast as I could, but Sierra beat me to it. Turning towards me, she searched for the handle, practically laying herself across my lap.
"Okay, that's it." She stated, fumbling around in search of the handle. "I need a drink. Let me out."
I snapped her hand away and opened the door myself, stepped out, letting her get past me.
When I got out, I immediately wrapped my arms around me, trying to get warm. In my rush out of the apartment, I barely got time to grab the first jacket within my reach. Unfortunately, it happened to be the leather one, which gave absolutely no protection against the cold. I shivered, again cursing Borah for hauling me out of the house on freaishly cold, November night. If I ended up with a cold, trying to spit my lungs out and sneezing my nose off, I was going to kill her.
"You don't look happy." A voice sounded beside me.
My head snapped up and my eyes locked with a pair of baby blue ones. A lock of blond hair fell onto his forehead and he brushed it off his face impatiently.
"Tell me about it." I murmured, curling my arms around me tighter.
He smirked, showing off a dimple. I stood there, shivering, as he cocked his head to the side, watching me intently.
"Abi, was it?" He asked after a moment.
I nodded my head, staring straight ahead.
"I don't think we've been appropriately introduced." He extended his hand towards me. "I'm Matthew. But you can call me Matt. Or Thew. Though that would be strange, so please, don't."
"Okay." The corners of my lips tipped up involuntarily.
I lifted my head and eyed the hand he still held extended towards me. After a second of hesitation, I reached out and took his palm in mine. The moment my skin came in contact with his, his blue eyes sparkled and he grinned. He looked very boyish right now, almost not his age. I didn't know how old he was, but his face had something childish about it. I mean, I wasn't talking about baby fat still clinging to his chin or cheeks or acne covering most of his face, because there was none of it, but his easy grin made him look much younger. He was still kind of good-looking, though. Maybe not as much as Dominic and his squad of holly hotness, but -
Wait. Where did the thought come from?
"You can call me Abi." I said, shaking his hand.
He raised a brow.
"Not Sweetie?"
"Hells no."
Matthew chuckled.
"Okay, got it. This one's reserved for someone special." He winked.
"It's not -"
"Oh, there you are, Sweetie."
I mentally face-palmed myself as Dominic rounded the car and started walking towards us, smiling wildly. Again, I stiffened, when he approached us in three big steps, already crowding me.
"Thank you for finding my girl." He said, dropping his heavy arm across my shoulders, at the same time separating me from Matthew.
Matt didn't seem happy to be pushed aside so brutally, but he masked the spark of annoyance by a broad smile.
"No problem." He shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"So, you were saying..." Dominic started with an expression screaming he didn't give two damns about what we were talking about.
Okay, that was enough. I wiggled from under his grip, already irritated by this little show of manly power.
"Matthew and I have been talking." I said defensively, wrapping my arms around me. "You know, people tend to do this sometimes."
"Ah, when they don't have anything better to do." Dominic said with a smirk. "I get it."
That sent me over the line. Letting out a sigh, I recalled a bright smile onto my face and turned to Matt.
"Are you coming in?" I asked him.
He seemed a little surprised by my question and his eyes darted to Dominic for a second before answering.
"Yeah, I think so." He finally replied. "Why?"
"Because I'm not twenty-one yet and I need someone to sneak me in."
Well, now let's just pray that he was twenty-one...
"Well then, it's a good thing that you have me, Sweetie." Dominic moved closer, trying to slip his arm around me again.
I dodged his embrace nimbly and purposefully moved closer to Matthew.
"Actually, I wasn't talking about you." I said, stopping beside Matt, who was eying me like I'd grown a second head in the last second.
"You weren't." Dominic repeated, staring at me with a raised brow.
"Yes." I grinned at him sweetly. "What, Sambler, surprised that for once, the whole world doesn't turn around you?"
He considered my comment and the brow kept higher, along with one corner of his lips. But it wasn't a happy smile.
"No." He replied slowly, his voice husky. "Not at all."
With that, he sent me one last look and sauntered away.
"Have fun." I heard him say before he brushed past me, nudging my arm.
"Wow." Matthew whistled when Dominic was gone. "Are the two of you always like that?"
I looked at him questioningly.
"Like what?"
"Like fire." He replied, waving his hand for a better effect.
"Destructive and dangerous?" I asked, raising a brow.
Matt shook his head slowly, looking down at me.
"Hot and ready to burst into a one, big flame." He replied, his face serious.
I didn't reply anything to that and just let him steer me through the mass of people towards the club's entrance. I remained silent not because his answer was so ridiculous that I couldn't even find words to form a reply. Not because it irritated the hell out of me. At least not entirely.
I remained silent because there wasn't really much to say. Because as hard as it was for me to admit it, he was right.
You are like fire. Hot and ready to burst into a one, big flame.
Yeah, there most certainly weren't any better words to describe my relation with Dominic. And as much as I feared, dreaded, or disliked it, it was the truth.
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A/N: So, here's kind of how I imagine Matt. As to the song, please, don't eat me. I don't normally listen to Pink, but I'm currently in love with this song and I had it stuck in my head all of the time while writing this chapter, so I thought why the hell not and added it. Hope you'll enjoy it as much as the chapter (considering you liked anything about it at all)! Besos!