A/N: Probably my fave chapter yet. I have nothing else to say really, other than the fact that I hate the way the word "twelfth" is spelled. But that's unrelated. Anyways, enjoy! And thanks again for 300 reads.
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The few days before Japan were crammed with finishing and selling off my painting to cover this month's rent while I was away. Elias and I weren't speaking and the boys were always in the studio, so I was left pretty much by myself to pack.
Kai had given me the band's itinerary while on the plane so I could plan how to spend my time during the days. There were only 2 gigs this week, one in Tokyo and one in Osaka, meaning the rest of their time would be spent at press conferences and interviews promoting their second album. However, since Kai was only the venue coordinator, she wouldn't be required to attend every meeting, meaning she could spend some time with me.
I couldn't seem to sleep on flights, so rather I spent my time journaling all of the places I'd like to visit while in Japan, down to the minor details like foods I wanted to try and pictures I wanted to take. As I said, this had been a dream vacation of mine for as long as I could remember, so I wasn't going to waste a moment of it.
The captain had just made his "prepare for landing" announcement as Kai leaned into me.
"Did you pack sunglasses?" she asked.
"No, it slipped my mind, will it be sunny?" I asked, slight concern in my voice. I always forgot something.
"No, but things get pretty mental at the airport. Lots of fans waiting to flash some pictures of the boys at their gate. It's a bit overwhelming." She chuckled. I gulped, remembering the day Matty and I had spent in London where he was constantly approached. I didn't know how he lived like that.
"No fuss," Kai assured me, "I brought extras"
As she had warned, there was an overwhelming amount of screaming fans practically climbing over the barricade, taking photos and waving signs. Matty must have sensed my discomfort as he laced my fingers with mine, holding me close to him.
I watched as the fans took pictures of him. Of us.
"Matty," I spoke nervously, eyeing our hands "what if they see?"
"Then let them see," he said, not a trace of concern in his voice.
Whatever was between us, whatever Matty and I "were", was now public and soon to be spread online no doubt. And I couldn't help but be a little proud at the idea of it.
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It was only mid-afternoon by the time we arrived at the hotel, and the boys had nothing on their agenda, except the "very important dinner" tonight that Matty had invited me to. I didn't know people brought plus-ones to business dinners, but I agreed nonetheless. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, other than the fact that I should dress nice because it was going to be held at some formal restaurant I couldn't remember the name of. Other than that, I had never associated myself with the business world, so I didn't even know what to anticipate regarding a dinner meeting.
"What's this meeting all about anyway?" I asked Kai as she curled my hair.
"It's mainly for the record label, they are meeting with some big international producers. The boys are mainly there to add some acclaim and hype up the label," she spoke.
I nodded slowly as she dropped my final curl before spinning me around to face her.
"Damn," Kai breathed, "you look hot."
I stood up, eyeing myself in the mirror. I was a simple black dress, but the floral embroidering and lace details made it look much more classy. And, I had to admit, the low neckline made my cleavage look fantastic, perhaps too fantastic for a business meeting
"Is it too much?" I asked, giving myself a few more scans in the mirror.
"I wouldn't worry about it," she winked, chucking me a bright red lipstick to finish off the look.
Matty had to leave for the meeting earlier than I, apparently needing to meet with the label beforehand, leaving me to ride in a large black SUV with Kai. She wasn't nearly as dressed up as I was, but perhaps that was because she had lent me her good dress.
Our car pulled up to the restaurant in the heart of downtown Tokoyo. It was located on the top floor of a hotel so I couldn't quite see it yet, but even from the lobby, I could tell it was going to be fancy.
I was halfway through the elevator when Kai tapped my wrist, grabbing my attention.
"You know what, I think I'm gonna fix my makeup one last time before I go up," she began, "You go on, I'll meet you up there,"
I nodded at her, watching her disappear as the elevator doors closed, leaving me alone with my nerves. I played with one of my curls as the elevator made a soft ding, singling that I was at the top. The brass doors opened slowly, revealing a gorgeous rooftop restaurant and bar that was illuminated by string lights and lanterns. It also revealed that there was nobody else from the band, or the label for that matter, here.
Nobody except for Matty. Sitting alone at a candlelit table-for-two, decorated by roses. This "very important dinner" wasn't a business meeting at all. It was a date. Our very first date, mind.
He stood up the moment he saw me, displaying his incredibly form-fitting black tuxedo. He was so impossibly hot, I swore I nearly fainted right there.
"M-matty," I breathed, unable to form coherent sentences.
"You look absolutely beautiful, darling," Matty smiled warmly. I blushed.
"W-why didn't you tell me?" I asked as I looked around, trying to make sense of everything
"I wanted it to be a surprise," he spoke, "and it was easy enough to get everyone on board pretending it was a business dinner."
"What about Kai, she came with me?" I asked.
"Her car never left," Matty chuckled.
I still could hardly breathe, much less comprehend everything around me. The view was gorgeous from up here, and Matty looked far too handsome to be sitting with a girl like me, looking at me with the desire that he was.
"I don't know what to say," I stammered.
"Why don't you sit down first, princess," Matty smirked. I did as I was told.
The evening was perfect. The weather was amazing, the food was excellent, but most of all, Matty and I's conversations were dreamlike. We talked for hours about everything, Matty never once looking bored when I talked about myself. His voice was addicting, and the more he spoke, the more I wanted to hear him speak. We didn't stop talking until the restaurant closed, signaling for us to go.
"How are you feeling, love?" Matty asked as we boarded the elevator.
"Like I've just eaten enough food to last forever," I giggled as he nodded in agreement. Matty laced his fingers between mine, our hands fitting together perfectly. I never wanted this night to end.
We continued to hold hands as we watched the city fly by outside the car windows as we drove towards the hotel. But regardless of how gorgeous the scenery was, I couldn't seem to take my eyes off of Matty in his suit. I'd never understood how I ended up on a date with someone like him, it was nearly too good to be true.
We eventually made it back to the hotel, Matty generously tipping our driver before we headed in. The entire day we had been in public together. On the plane, at the airport, in the restaurant. But now, we were alone in our room. And I was practically scared of how much the idea excited me. I was slightly flustered at just how good Matty looked. I needed to calm myself before it became too obvious, so I made a march towards the window across the room to look at the view. In reality, the view was the man behind me, but I don't think I could maintain my composure any longer.
"Jessica," Matty spoke, stopping me in my tracks midway through the room. I shuddered at how low and intimidating his voice was. It was dripping with sex. I could tell from his tone that he knew my antics, how I was trying to hide just how flustered I truly was. He was having none of it.
I slowly turned to face him, knowing that I was going to lose my own game the moment I saw him again. His dark, chocolate eyes bore into me, practically ripping my clothes off. My knees shook and I feared I might buckle.
"That suit looks rather good on you, Matty," I gulped, trying to maintain any composure I had left.
"Is that so?" he growled teasingly. His voice was so intimidating, it caused me to subconsciously step backward as he moved towards me. My skin felt hot as he smirked at me, his glance moving from my cleavage to my lips then back to my eyes. I kept moving backward until I hit the back wall, eliciting a small grunt. Yet, Matty didn't stop walking towards me. Not until his nose was mere centimeters away from mine, his breath fanning across my flush face, my lips parted and pupils blown out with lust.
"M-matty," I breathed, my voice hoarse.
"Yes darling?" he spoke, his voice smooth and sultry and much more collected than mine.
However, a warm lump began to swell in my throat, and I couldn't seem to speak the thousands of words running through my mind.
"Use your words, love," Matty teased, his lips nearly touching mine now.
"I need you," I stammered, my head spinning.
"Oh yeah?" he said playfully, "What do you need from me, pet?"
I wanted to be angry at him for playing games with me, but I was far too turned on to worry about how foolish and desperate I looked.
"I need you to fuck me, Matty" I spoke with all of the confidence and assurance I could muster.
His lips grazed mine, kissing me lightly for just a second before he pulled away.
"You know nothing winds me up more than seeing you all hot and bothered, Jess" he smirked.
"Please," I begged now, growing more desperate the more I looked at him.
He kissed me again, this time longer now, before pulling away.
"Not tonight," he spoke softly.
That was not the response I had been expecting. I raised my eyebrow, trying to figure out if this was just some game. But the look on his face told me he was serious.
"Tease," I huffed, this time actually a bit angry.
"Sorry to upset you darling, but I quite enjoyed myself," he smirked deviously before stepping away, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
My anger quickly melted into sadness though, as I felt the pit in my stomach that had once been filled with butterflies now begin to sink.
"Did I do something wrong?" I asked innocently, "Why don't you want me?" There was no hiding the hurt in my voice.
"Come here," Matty spoke, shaking his head as he tapped the space next to him. I did as I was told, sitting by him as he wrapped his arms around me, bringing my head against his chest.
"With every girl I have ever been with, it was always purely physical. Nothing more than meaningless sex. I would rely on sex to make an evening better or keep me occupied for a bit, but I never found intimacy or sensuality in any of it. Yet, with you, I don't need the sex to occupy me or make an evening better, because I genuinely enjoy just being with you, and tonight has been so perfect without sex, which is a sentence I cannot normally say. I want to prove to myself that, for the first time in a very long time, I don't need sex to make a date worth it. I just need you, Jess. I'm not well versed in relationships, but I want to do things properly. I want to take my time with you. I want you, love, more than you know. Bloody hell, I've wanted you since the moment you were on my doorstep in Manchester the night I was pissed. So I promise it'll happen, princess, but for tonight, just lay in my arms and let me take care of you the way I promised I would."
I was speechless, yet again. My feelings of being sad and unwanted melted as quickly as they had come on, and I swear I was beaming so much you could see me glow. I struggled to find the words to say that weren't "I love you, Matty Healy", so I just kissed him. I kissed him with all of the passion, desire, lust, confusion, heartache, love, admiration, and longing that had compiled over the time I had known him. I hoped that the kiss would say "I love you," the way that I couldn't. Not yet. He wasn't ready. And quite frankly, neither was I. I questioned if I even knew what love was at this point, given that all the times I thought I was "in love" with other guys had never even compared to the way Matty made me feel on our first date. I feel that love was much greater than I had allowed myself to believe, and each day I spent with Matty showed me how much more there was to love than what I knew the day before.
"What have you done to me, Jess?" Matty sighed.
We slipped out of our formal clothes and into Matty's. I stood in the mirror, clad in another one of his jumpers and a fresh pair of his boxers as I took off my makeup. Matty was already waiting for me in bed, his fingers toying with the light switch, ready to turn them off once I was properly swaddled in his arms.
As our room lights went off, the glow of the city flooded through the window. I looked up, admiring Matty's features as he began to scratch my scalp the way I loved.
"Matty, stop, you know that put's me to sleep," I yawned, melting under his touch.
"I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it," Matty whispered.
I froze, remembering the morning I had woken up in his flat, that note scribbled in his journal. I remember reading it accidentally and then repeating it to myself every night, longing for my suspicions to be right, longing for it to be about me. This moment in time, hearing him say those words to me, was like closure to all of my original curiosity.
"I wrote that line about you the first night you slept in my flat," he spoke, not knowing I had seen it, "and now it's the name of my second album,"
"You are?" I asked. If I was drinking water, I would have choked on it.
"The album itself is about drugs, sex, and rock and roll. But the title, love, is about you."
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A/N: Big things happening for Matty and Jess, and big things still to come. But I've been wanting to write this first date scene for so long I, I've just been waiting for the perfect moment to fit it in. Hope you all enjoyed! Please vote or comment to let me know what y'all think so far! New chapter soon!