I walk beside Mathew as we head down the streets of Manhattan, the tall male almost towers over me as we walk side by side. I didn't realise the height of him until we left the coffee shop about ten minutes ago. He is tall, standing over five feet taller than me. Usually I would feel intimidated by someone that tall, but not with Mathew.
It really is a weird feeling being with Mathew but in a good way. Being with him I am not scared or even feel awkward around him, I am comfortable and feel free around him. I guess Austin was right, if I had more than thirteen hours left here then I am sure Mathew and I would become friends.
"Where are we going?" I ask looking up to the dark haired male beside me. Don't ask me why I have chosen to spend my last hours in New York city with a man I have just met, this is the type of stuff your parents warn you about and yet I am doing this.
Mathew looks down at me, his hazel eyes meeting mine. "To Central Park." He answers me, a slight smile pulling at the corner of his lips. So this is his great plan to show me love is real? To take me to Central Park? Is he mad? Probably. I mean, I have only known him for an hour and here I am agreeing to let him take me to show me love exists. I think I might be the mad one here.
"Central park?" I say looking into his eyes, my brow creasing as I try to understand why. "Why?"
"Because you see everything there, it's a great opportunity to see what I mean when I say love is real." Mathew tells with a shrug of his shoulders. He turns away from me, his head held a little high as he lets the sun rays beam against his face. I study this Mathew who walks beside me, my eyes roam over his body. There is no denying that he isn't beautiful, he is very handsome. His jawline is one that most men would die to have, his eyes are a beautiful hazel colour, his skin is a golden tan colour that makes his eyes stand out. His dark hair is styled perfectly like he spent hours making it sit the way he wants it to, and his style of clothes tells me he is in with the trend. I wouldn't be surprised if he has many girls falling for him because of his looks.
"If you say so." I say clearing my throat as I look away from Mathew.
"No, I know so." Mathew grins cheekily as he turns back to look at me. His pearly white teeth are on show, the sun rays beaming off them.
"You're very confident." I tell Mathew, my eyes finding his. He stares at me, I can tell he is studying me. I guess he's trying to figure me out, just like I am with him.
"It's better to be confident than not be confident, you see the world in a different way when you are sure of yourself and aren't afraid to show it. Being humble can only get you so far." Mathew replies back to me, giving a shrug of his shoulder. I nod my head at his words, my mind understanding his reasoning behind why he is so confident in himself.
Nothing more is said between us as we head towards the park, but weirdly the silence is not an uncomfortable one. We make it to Central Park five minutes later, I watch Mathew out of the corner of my eye. You know, thinking back on it now, maybe agreeing to let him show me love is real might be a bad idea. For all I know he could be planning on murdering me, dumping my body in the park somewhere, and pretending that I never existed when police come to question him about my murder. Maybe that's just me overthinking what is happening right now, but I am questioning why I am spending my last hours in the city following someone I only met today. I could be crazy for doing this or not, I guess I will find out soon enough.
"Right, I want you to watch everyone who is around us. Just look at them carefully, let yourself be loose and try to understand their feelings." Mathew says as we walk the gravel path. I nod my head at him, my eyes scanning the people around us. Young and old, male and female, healthy and unhealthy. There are so many different types of people I can see around us. Mathew watches me carefully as we walk, but I slow down when I spot a couple having a picnic a few feet away from us.
I watch them attentively; my eyes linger of the girl much longer than I did with the boy. I watch them, I watch carefully and then I see it, I turn back around to Mathew. I find him hovering over me, an eyebrow raised when I turn back to him. "She doesn't love him." I tell him instantly.
"What?" He asks, a little taken back by my words.
I gesture my head towards the female. "Just watch her when she looks at him, she doesn't love him, I don't think she ever has. There is no love in that relationship, there never has been from both sides of the relationship." I say shrugging my shoulders at Mathew. "My point is proven, love doesn't exist."
"What about those two?" Mathew says pointing behind me. I follow his finger to see an elderly couple sitting next to each other on a park bench, the male holds his partners hand as they both seem to be in a conversation with each other. I watch them both closely, my eyes roaming over both males yet I see nothing coming from them unlike I did with the last couple.
"What am I supposed to be seeing?" I ask looking back to Mathew.
He raises a surprised eyebrow at me. "You don't see it?"
"See what?" I question him, my brow creasing as I try to understand what he is talking about.
"Love." Mathew answers, a smile on his lips as he says it. I turn back around to the couple, my eyes narrowing as I try to see what Mathew sees but I don't. How can he see love? It just doesn't exist, it never has.
"I don't see it." I tell looking back to Mathew.
He stares down at me, his hazel eyes watching me carefully. Mathew grabs a hold of my hand, linking his fingers through mine as he almost drags me to a different area of the park. I say nothing as we walk, my eyes more focused on my small hand wrapped in his. I feel weird holding the hand of someone I have just met, yet I can't help but think my hand fits perfectly in his. They are large and he must use his hands a lot as they are rough, it makes me wonder what he does for a living.
I don't know anything about him besides his name, I want to know more about him. My body is almost yearning to know more stuff about him, it is something I have never felt for anyone before and it's making me question why I agreed to come with Mathew. I understand why agreed to go with him, I want to prove to him that love doesn't exist for anyone.
Mathew brings us over to a park bench, he sits down on it and I follow. Mathew keeps his hand in mine, not letting go and he rests our hands against his thigh. I stare at him, my brow creased as I try to work out what he is doing or more importantly, why he is still holding my hand. I get what he is doing, within the thirteen hours I have left here he wants to prove to me that love is real.
Wow, I have thirteen hours left in my home city before I move across the Atlantic and here I am sitting in a park with a stranger. Mathew watches me from the corner of his eye, trying to see if I have any reaction to why I haven't said anything about him holding my hand but I say nothing because I don't have anything to say about it.
"I assume that because you don't believe in love, that romance movies are out of the question for you?" Mathew asks me, I find his soft hazel eyes waiting for me to look at him.
"Of course." I say nodding my head at him. "That shit makes me want to vomit every time a new romance movie comes out. It is because of romance movies is why I don't believe in love; the fakeness is just so evident in them. It is always the same plot line too, can't they come up with something better?"
"You really don't believe love exists, do you?" Mathew asks, the corner of his lips pull into a smile as he talks.
"Haven't you realised that by now?" I reply with a shake of my head, a slight smile curling onto my lips at Mathew's expression.
"Not even love at first sight?" He adds cocking an eyebrow towards me, mischief flashing through his eyes as he looks at me.
I roll my eyes noticeably at his words, an exasperated sigh leaves my lips which makes Mathew chuckle loudly. "Course not, that does not exist. Love at first sight is so stupid and just an excuse to get into someone's pants because they find them attractive. The first thing people notice about others is their appearance and nothing else, so really they are just falling in love with what that person looks like and not who the person truly is on the inside."
"And what do you look for in someone?" Mathew asks, genuinely looking like he is interested in what I reply back to his question.
I shrug my shoulders and answer his question. "Personality, because dating someone who has no personality is never fun. A sense of comedy, someone who can make me laugh whenever I need it. Um, I guess someone who will always be there for me and won't stop me from living my dreams."
"All good things to look for in someone when getting romantically involved." Mathew nods his head and turns away from me, but I can see him watching me from the corner of his eye. He really isn't that good at hiding when he is looking at me, or he just doesn't care if I catch him watching me.
"What about you? What do you look for in a partner seeing as you believe in love?" I question Mathew. He catches my tone change when I mention the word love, he chuckles to himself at my dislike of the word. And I do dislike it, why should we use it whenever it is just a fake emotion created by society?
"The same as you." Mathew tells turning back to me. A flash of something I have never seen before passes through his hazel eyes, it makes me shiver slightly and Mathew notices.
"Are you cold?" He asks, titling his head towards me.
"A little." I reply back to him. I lower my eyes from his and I leave them on our hands still held together, my heart rate spiking at the sight of our hands together and I don't know why it has. I jump slightly when I feel Mathew place his jacket over my shoulders, my heart racing in my chest at his actions. What the heck is going on? And why has my body reacted this way to him?
"Here." Mathew says patting my shoulder when he fixes his jacket over me. I return my gaze back up to him, my eyes finding his hazel ones waiting for me.
I don't realise how close we are until I speak to him. "Thank you."
We keep staring at each other, neither one of us daring to look away from the other. My thoughts are running a mile a minute as I stare into those hazel eyes, most of my thoughts trying to make sense of what the heck Mathew is doing. I don't understand, I want to understand why he is doing this to me, why he is holding my hand? Why did he put his jacket over me when he is now cold? Why does he want to spend the rest of my hours in the city proving that love exists?
The more I think I know Mathew, the more I realise I don't know a thing about him. But there is something about him, something intriguing and exciting about him that I can't help but stay with him this very second. My body wants to be near him, my mind wants to know more about him, and yet I know nothing about him. What is this making me do this?
I blink and realise that Mathew is closer to me than I originally thought, his nose almost brushes against mine and I shiver into myself at the thought of his nose touching mine. It's like we are about to kiss, that's how close we are. There is something inside of me yearning to know what it is like to kiss him, I want to know what it's like to be held in his arms. When more thoughts like that make their way into my thoughts I push them away and straighten up, I can't kiss him. Why would I?! I know nothing about Mathew and I am leaving in less than thirteen hours, I will never see him again so I don't why Mathew is even acting like this towards me.
"Are you hungry?" Mathew asks when he straightens up and blinks rapidly, like he has just came out of a trance.
I nod my head. "A little."
"Great, I know this amazing little Italian restaurant we can do lunch." Mathew tells standing up and brings me up with him as my hand is still wrapped in his.
I watch him closely as we walk out of the park, I get a sense that he has reluctantly gave in and realised that love doesn't exist like he originally believed. But oh how wrong was I because when we arrived at the little restaurant, Mathew told me his true reasoning to why he stopped and I was not ready.
A/N: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I am honestly having so much fun writing this book already, I hope you stay with it the whole way through!
Anyways, I apologise for mistakes and that.
Next update should be soon!
-Lauryn.