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Moed with a bag of cheese puffs and found theht," Chrissy said as if I weren't standing right there "Which works out for me Can you drive me to work Hannah?"

"Drive your own ass to work"

I slammed the pantry door and storht Was ? Was Matt wonderful up until the parental introductions, after which he turned into a snarly strung-out ogre?

He seriously looked like he was on drugs today, and he acted like it too I followed that unsettling line of thought

He said he quit drinking five years ago What about drugs?

He had the crazy s He had the appetite of a bird Today he was late (he was never late) and sweating and shivering in 90-degree heat Oh, and then there was the suspicious apart me over Fuck

I unpacked like a hurricane to distractto feel like he ht for me, too interested inby the ti all the boxes in ood My arms burned and my knees ached

Never mind the fact that I checked my phone every ten minutes

I put all my books on the shelves andontoiven hiuy who ca with the guy I met for lunch today

Beautiful Matt Scary Matt

But in spite of scary Matt's pasty skin and irrational rage, I felt this weird urge to protect hi the truth He had o with it

Whatever Matt's problem was, I wanted to wrapleft hiers and organized the closet A wardrobe update was in order as soon as I got paid I needed s I also needed ed next to Matt

I frowned as I hung up the blouse and skirt I wore to work

I wanted to watch Matt trip over himself when he saw me in that skirt Before I met him for lunch, I undid the top three buttons of my blouse My platfor makeup

Matt's jaw should have hit the sidewalk

Instead?

Looking sharp That was all I got

Meanwhile, albeit sweating and staray suit and white shirt

I strung Christ ed the knickknacks onthe ee, I threwI hadn't been ca rowdy at an overcrowded ca probably involved little-known uses for stakes and rope

I s I had a choice? The moment Matt asked, I knew my answer I craved his company I couldn't wait to be alone with hi for ood No problem about lunch, you were stressed I was pretty worried I still a?

I bit

I curled up on e to call

I wanted to knohat Matt's "obligation" was and what he did for a living and a dozen other things he see his dick in me multiple times a day Didn't that entitle me to some illusion of closeness?

Two hours later, h day for me It's over noant to be with you Want to tell you so s I'll pick you up early 9ish

My body warmed I want to be with you What did hehe wanted to tell s? Why couldn't he just tell me?

More questions, no answers

God, but I loved when he called reen eyes--or dark with desire, lit with a

Matt arrived at nine sharp Right, 9ish

He caet upstairs

As I rounded the corner, I bracedat , and I h of relief when I saw hi easily with my mother

He wore a black jersey with three-quarter sleeves and black zip-offs I wanted to ju to grasp that Matt would look fucking gorgeous in a paper bag, but god damn, every outfit he as sexier than the next

When he saw ed me; his lips brushedto hih his hair and held his face

Mom took a hint and wandered off

"Hey" Matt stroked ood look at him, as if he knew I needed it

He was clean shaven and freshly showered There were no signs of the haggard Matt I'd seen yesterday, except for a little darkness beneath his eyes I traced the shadowy sht owl," Ion his lips and I kissed hiood

"It's okay," I said, pulling back "It's over now, right? We're going caed on my pony tail He was different today, different in the best possible way, and I foundhim as he loaded my stuff into his Jeep Car nuedin beside his tent

Did the weekend always have this effect on Matt? For once, his sed with unease There was no distantly troubled look on his face, and not once did I catch hiest mistake in his universe