Denial

Matt and Izzie were enjoying their morning together. Her head was on his chest, and he absently stroke her arm and back, when Izzie broke the silence
“Last night was nice, do you think Johnny has a hard time being around the couples?”
“Hmmm” Matt only made a noise to let his wife know he heard her, because he knew she wasn’t really asking for him to reply.
“He has been single for a few months now, huh?”
“Yes….” Matt’s voice was full of question, as his wife continued babbling
“He looks unhappy, and I was thinking….”
“Oh come on Iz, you can’t be serious, I know where this is going” Matt’s voice sounded more amused than annoyed right now, because he knew his wife and he knew exactly what would be next.
“Yes, I am serious, I want my friends to be happy, even if they are short” Matt chuckled, enjoying the way Izzie could get all worked up about this kind of thing. She continued as if they hadn’t broken her train of thoughts at all.
“...and I know just the perfect girl for him...”
“Let me guess, you have a friend” he sort of finished her sentence.

“Yes!” Izzie got her head up and put her chin on Matt’s tattooed chest, looking at his face “You remember Nessa? She’s one of my last entries from that music assignment.”
Matt remembered Izzie’s music assignment. Izzie was a successful photographer, going all over the world and for a well known music magazine she had done a music related to feelings assignment a little while ago.
Izzie had several people over in her studio in the house, but Matt didn’t remember many of them. Only the one girl, Izzie had an instant click with. She had been to a few of their parties, but he actually remembered one thing of her best, and that wasn’t really a compliment, he realized.

“Yeah... She was the one with the asshole boyfriend right?”
Izzie looked at Matt with wide eyes and then kissed him.
“That’s what I love about you, you remember the important stuff!” Matt smiled and slightly shook his head at the woman’s strange logics as Izzie continued to tell him about her plan
“Well... the asshole boyfriend has been gone for a couple of weeks now and I think she deserves something nice for a change and I noticed Johnny eyeing her when they were both here, so... “ Izzie let my voice trail a little “....So I thought we could set them up” she finished.

“What makes you think it will work, have they even talked to each other? I mean I didn’t hear Johnny talk about her? What makes you cupid?”
Izzie rolled her eyes at him “No, I don’t think they have talked, so it would be right that Johnny hasn’t talked about her. And are you really questioning my ways? Do you really think I don’t know what I’m doing? Do you want me stating the obvious?” She replied to her husband, cocking her brow.
His smile grew wider and wider, he loved her getting playful like this. She always got so enthusiastic when she had a plan she was sure of succeeding. Not that it always was, but in her head there was nothing that could get in between.
“No, but I’m probably not able to stop you anyway....” Matt started, but Izzie interrupted him
“It worked with Tammy and Brian, it worked with Mia and Zack, and it will work with Arin too, but he is not ready yet”

Matt remembered how Izzie had gotten the couples together. Izzie knew Mia from art school and one night Izzie had forced her husband to be to invite Brian to dinner. He had thought she was just being nice, Brian being in the middle of building his new house, but when Mia had appeared on their doorstep, he knew his wife had been up to something.
The four of them had enjoyed the night and Izzie kept pushing Mia and Brian together, determined to set them up, but nothing happened. That was until Zack had suddenly appeared, mad as hell at his on-again-off-again girlfriend. Zack had stormed into the house, stopping dead in his tracks as he laid eyes on Mia. Everyone in the room that night had seen it happen. Zack looked into Mia’s eyes and Brian had just laughed, leaving quietly, knowing he wouldn’t stand a chance to this full on love at first sight between the two.

However, it didn’t take Izzie long to find a perfect other friend for Brian. Tammy had been around for a while, and she had fitted in perfectly. Tammy could be just as foul mouthed as the guys, played video games, immediately winning over Matt’s attention and desperately wanting to learn to play an instrument. One drunk night Brian told Izzie he kinda liked Tammy, which gave her the green light to start playing cupid. She invited Tammy for everything she could even think of to invite Brian to, too and one night, at a barbeque, she got Brian drunk, got Tammy drunk and locked them into a closet. When Matt found out, he had been fuming mad at Izzie, telling her she shouldn’t always butt into other people’s business, but when he opened the door, he found a half undressed Brian and Tammy, heavily making out and he was quick to close the door on them. Matt had to hear Izzie tease him about it for months and even still, sometimes she found a good reason to get a reminder into the conversation, just like she was doing now actually.

Matt looked down at his wife, who was still looking at him expectantly. She put out her bottom lip and did her best pout, but he knew he would give into her anyway, just like he always did. Matt had never been able to resist Izzie, and the worst thing? She knew it
“You are determined to set up all my friends with yours, aren’t you?”
“I married into this crazy family, I want my sisters in law to be awesome, just like me”
Matt sighed, knowing he would never win this “Okay, I will help you”
Izzie screeched and jumped out of bed “Yay! This going to be great! I know it!”
Matt watched her do a little victory dance next to the bed, throwing her hair around, wiggling her little ass in only those tiny panties and he could feel something moving in his own underwear. He looked at the alarm clock next to the bed, happily noticing they would have enough time to have some matchmaking of their own. Matching to see if their bodies still fit together.

“Hey! Don’t I get a reward for helping you?” Matt let out, fake offended.
“You didn’t do anything yet” The woman stuck out her tongue and ran for the bathroom, knowing he would follow her quickly.

Izzie stood in the shower, her eyes closed as she let the warm water fall down on her body. Her voice was echoing of the walls of the bathroom. Izzie had counted on Matt to join her shortly, but he was taking quite long. She shut her mouth to listen for any sounds, signs of the man she could never resist, to join her.
Finally she heard the door open and close and not long after, his naked body against hers
“Well, good morning mister Sanders, what took you so long?” Izzie cooed as she leaned into Matt’s body.
“You know I will never ever come within reach of your terribly off key singing voice, mrs. Sanders” She snapped around in his arms and looked at him.
“Do you seriously mean you’ve been waiting for me to stop singing to come in?!”
Matt nodded with a large smile on his face
“You’re an ass!” she punched his shoulder, but he only held her tighter.
“But you know you love it” Matt smirked, before he bend down, to catch Izzie’s lips in a warm and deep kiss.

Matt and Izzie finished their shower and quickly made their way over to the kitchen for a late breakfast, before they had to go to both their appointments.
“How do you want to do this?” Matt said to the woman opposite of him, who chewed away the last bit of her sandwich before she could answer him.
“I was thinking, seeing Mia, Tammy and I were planning on having a little girls night before your concert. Just get ready together, go somewhere to eat and then head to the venue…. I think it might be a good idea to invite Nessa.”
The guys would be playing Long Beach in a few days and it would be the perfect opportunity to set things up, Matt agreed on that, but he was waiting for Izzie to continue explaining her plan, but she didn’t.
“And then what?” He asked impatiently “you just bring them together in one room and things will happen?” he smirked at the astonished face and annoyed look that was shot at him.
“Yes! I know she will like Johnny, because he is kind and funny and he has a beautiful smile” Matt raised his brow at her
“You can raise your brow at me, but it’s true, I’m a woman, I know these kind of things” Izzie stuck out her tongue. Matt raised his hands in defense and let her continue.
“Nessa is a beautiful woman; she is quirky in the best way and be honest…. Johnny likes women, he will love her. I do think it will only take bringing them into the same room to make this work”
Izzie sat up a little straighter, closing her monologue as if that was the end conclusion and that was how it was going to go.

Matt reached his hand over the table to hold on to Izzie’s.
“Nice plan babe, even though it’s not really a plan” Izzie tried to pull her hand out of his grip, but Matt was faster
“What if bringing them in the same room won’t be enough?”
Izzie sighed dramatically as if Matt was saying something really stupid.
“It will be, just trust me! I will make a bet with you, to proof I’m right, to proof my greatness”
Matt’s smile got wider at the stubborn woman’s statement. This was getting better and better. He could probably get something out of it for himself too.
“Oh I will take that bet, but believe me baby, you better make the reward good, because I’m definitely winning this one”
“Pfff!” Izzie huffed and looked at Matt, ready to take him on.
“Fine! If I loose, which I won’t” She looked at Matt pointedly “I will…. Hmmm… Take you to the cabin and be yours for the whole weekend, anything you want”
Matt’s eyes lit up dangerously at that outlook and Izzie swallowed hard, she knew that look. Oh hell and now he got that sexy dimpled smile on his face too… she let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding.
“Wh- Wh- What if I win?” she stammered out, making Matt chuckle deeply. He knew he had the woman right where he wanted her. Matt realized this whole bet wasn’t really fair, they were both hoping that Izzie would lose now, maybe they needed to do that weekend anyways.

“Matt, honey, what do I get when I win?”
“Another one of your friends dating one of mine?” he replied quickly.
Izzie let out a devilish smile “I would be so happy for that, but it’s not enough, I need something from you, Sanders”
Matt got up from his seat and stood close to Izzie, towering over her, his voice sounding husky from their little game play and the nearness of her beautiful body “What do you want Sanders?”
Izzie put her finger to her lip, pretending to be thinking deeply before she spoke “If I win, we keep the same reward, only YOU will be MY slave…. AND you are performing shirtless”
Izzie pushed her body a little more to Matt’s who shook his head.
“That’s hardly fair, you getting more than I would get”
“It’s not for me” Izzie replied smartly “I need to give your fangirls something too”

Matt’s laughter filled the kitchen.
“I love you, you know that?!”
Izzie stood on her tiptoes and kissed him softly “I know… I love you more”

“Cut it out you two lovebirds!” the door flew open and Johnny walked in “You ready Shadz?”
Matt let go of Izzie and grabbed his aviators, wallet and phone and then walked over to Izzie to high five her “Okay, you were right, this IS fun!”. He was already half way out of the door again “Do you want me to pick up dinner when I get back?”
“Yes please” Izzie batted her lashes and put on her sweetest voice “I feel like negotiating a little more over Italian food” she winked
“Italian food it is” Matt replied, laughing before he stepped back into the room to kiss her one last time. He moved to Izzie’s ear and whispered “Stop driving me crazy woman, you are never going to win this”

“SHADZ! COME ON!” Johnny called out to him impatiently, then did a few steps to Izzie to hug and kiss her cheek “Bye Iz!”
“Bye Johnny, take care of my husband, he has to perform shirtless in a few days!!!”

Izzie watched the two men leave and smiled. This was going to be so amazing, she knew it would work!

Notes

I've decided to let the other couples have their space in this story too... You can't blame a girl for wanting to have some fun too, right?! :D

Stepping a out of my comfortzone with this way of writing and this way of publishing, sooooo I know I'm not updating much, but I would love some comments!

<3