Who Are You?
Exist
.:.:.
As soon as she stepped out of Matt’s red Impala, Elise could hear laughter and splashing coming from the backyard. A smile appeared at the scenario playing in the back until an older Honda with fading black paint in the driveway caught her eye. She didn’t recognize it and assumed it belonged to their other friends. As she studied the car longer than she needed to, Matt placed a hand on her lower back and guided her inside the modern house.
It was a decent two-story home, a smaller front yard but Elise could already tell the backyard made up for that. As she walked through the house, photos lining the walls stuck out to her. There were baby photos along with family portraits of who she guessed were Matt’s parents and his sister. Further along the wall the children were maturing with each passing photo. Elise stopped to smile at a particular photo.
“No wonder you’re so pretty, you look just like your mom.” Elise snickered at the man besides her.
“Har har, you’re not the first person to point that out.” He shook his head and laughed.
“And this must be your sister?” Elise pointed to a young woman in a basketball uniform.
“That would be my sister, Amy. Don’t let that cute smile fool you. She’s pretty ruthless on and off the court.” Matt chuckled at the worry in her green eyes, “In a good way though.” He winked.
Elise smiled in relief as they continued down the hallway. It wasn’t until the last row of picture frames that she stopped again. There, in a thick black frame, was a young, thin Matt standing with a woman. She was gorgeous; A bright white smile with dyed black hair framed her strong, elegant face. Her dark makeup brought out her brown eyes beautifully. She held Matt tightly around the waist as he pressed a kiss to her cheek, their eyes never leaving the camera. Elise smiled again and could feel a warmth between him and the stranger yet something seemed so familiar.
“I thought my mom took that one down.” Matt mumbled before grabbing Elise. “Bathroom is right around that corner if you need to change. If not, let’s go have some fun.”
Elise followed Matt through the open sliding glass door. The familiar sounds of the ladies screaming intensified as she saw an erratic Jimmy running around the pool.
“Hey, no running! The last thing I need is to explain to my parents why there’s blood in the pool.” Matt yelled as he approached the scene.
“There’s a bee chasing Jimmy and he keeps running over by us!” A distressed Gena wielding a flyswatter hid behind Lacey.
She couldn’t help but chuckle at the distraught group of friends. Lacey was somehow a human shield for both Leana and Gena while all the other guys huddled around the barbecue in laughter.
Maybe this won’t be so bad. Elise thought happily while setting her belongings next to the others’ on a nearby table.
Elise quickly took off her pants and stuffed them into her bag along with the band shirt that came off next. She gave a quick wave to the ladies who returned the gesture, Lacey being the only to come trotting over.
“No running!” Matt stressed again only to be flipped off.
“Hey, Lovely. Glad you’re feeling better. Need some help?” Lacey offered as she took the sunblock from a nodding Elise.
“I feel much better, thanks.” Elise smiled and tilted her hair away as Lacey applied the lotion to her back, “Why don’t they just jump in the water?” She giggled at the two women who hadn’t moved from their spot.
The brunette chuckled, “I’ve learned not to ask ‘why’ when it comes to them. By the way, I knew this bathing suit was a good pick.” She winked at the shy Elise.
Elise looked down to take in her threads again; It was a pleated one-piece suit but was more exciting than the typical granny suit. The bottom portion was a black skirt with the midsection cinching and flattering her small waist even more. The top, also being black, had molded cups and tied around the neck. “It’s growing on me.”
“Shall we?” Lacey motioned towards the pool as Elise kicked off her flip-flops.
As soon as she passed the men, Elise was met with the sounds of wolf-whistles and yelling.
She face-palmed and turned towards the group of five guys, only giving a small wave. They all raised their beer before turning back towards the grill leaving Elise to slowly wade into the water.
Just like that, Elise was taken back to her childhood. The feeling of cold water instantly washing over her sun-heated skin was the ultimate nostalgia of her summers. Elise lowered her sunglasses to protect against the sun’s rays glinting off the water and hide her gaze that was now hovering on a shirtless Matt. Her attention was turned to a giggling Leana swimming towards her. They talked for a few minutes, occasionally being splashed by a passing foot kicking into the water.
“Care for one more?” Matt sat on the edge of the pool and dipped his feet in the pool besides the two ladies.
“Make that two!” Jimmy hollered before running full speed past Matt and tucking his legs in for the ultimate cannonball.
Everyone shielded their face and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Looks like no one is going to follow your ‘no running’ rule there.” Elise grinned at Matt.
“Jimmy is Jimmy. Lee is the only one who can tame that kind of crazy.” He laughed before sliding into the water.
Elise looked towards the grill to see Brian plating all of the food while Johnny handed his girlfriend a fresh beer from the ice chest. She wondered where Gena and Zacky had wandered off to but her curiosity was soon answered. The couple came walking from around the side of the house as two men followed behind. They were similar in facial features and build causing Elise to guess they were brothers. They walked towards the patio and grabbed themselves a couple of beers before walking over.
“So, you must be the infamous Elise. Nice to meet ya, I’m Matt Berry.” One of the men saluted as the other male punched him in the arm.
Typical guys.
“And I’m his better-looking brother, Jason.” He outstretched his arm towards Elise.
“Nice to meet you,” Elise timidly replied as she shook his hand and looked to the hazel-eyed Matt.
“You’re not going to keep this one all to yourself this time, are you Shadows?” Jason nudged the singers shoulder with his foot as he pointed his beer at Elise.
Elise took this time to further inspect these two. Yes, they were brothers but she could already tell they were different in personality. Except they were the same in having blood-shot, dazed eyes and jittery mannerisms.
Pot-heads. She thought to herself. Not that it was a bad thing, she surely tried a thing or two before in her day. Still, she hated how overly confident and stupid it made some people.
“I think you need to drink your beer and shut up, Berry.” Matt laughed but the look in his eyes said he was far from amused.
.:.:.
The sun was on its way to hiding below the horizon by the time everything settled down. Everyone spent their day off relaxing in the water and eating when they were becoming too pruned. For Elise, it was one of the best days she had spent with the gang so far. She was currently watching everyone around as she sat on the steps leading into the shallow end of the pool. Zacky and Gena were continuing their “session” around the fire pit with the Barry’s while Jimmy held a sleeping Leana in his lap. Unfortunately for Johnny, Lacey had to work in the morning and was designated to drive her home. That left Matt and Brian to clean the grill and wrap up any of the leftover food. Elise had offered help only to be quickly shut down by the two men.
A slight breeze began to chill Elise’s exposed torso and arms but it wasn’t enough to pull her from the warm water. She felt the water move around her body as Matt sat down next to her.
“It’s fucking freezing in here!” He shivered before quickly leaving the water. “You’re crazy, woman.”
“It helps when you’re a cold bitch to start with.” Elise poked her tongue out.
Matt chuckled, “C’mon, let’s get you in the Jacuzzi.” He offered his hand. She happily obliged as the two sped over to the unoccupied hot tub.
Matt and Elise were laughing the night away unaware of the time that was passing. They talked for what seemed like hours and, before they knew it, they were the only two left outside. Both barely seemed to notice and quickly gave their goodbyes to everyone that passed. They talked about their childhood, learned embarrassing stories about each other, and even managed to get a one secret out of the other. Their friendship was rapidly thickening without them even noticing.
“Today was fun, Matt. Thank you for making me come over. I haven’t had this kind of fun in a while.” Elise smiled down at the water, feeling the steam directly hitting her face.
“It wouldn’t be a party if you weren’t here,” Matt smirked, “That and Lee would’ve had my balls if you didn’t come.”
“If the fate of your balls rests on your ability to make me come, I’m sorry for the grandkids you won’t be giving to your parent’s” Elise maliciously chuckled as she eyed a surprised Matt.
He flicked some water at her face, “Alright, alright, touché. Though I wouldn’t get too cocky if I were you. These fingers could play you better than they do my piano and guitar.”
“Sooo,” Elise carried out the ‘o’ sound, “Is that why Brian is lead guitarist?”
“Yeah, but who does the majority of the piano work, hmm?” Matt smirked again as the woman held her hands up in defeat.
Their laughter died down before Matt spoke again, “I was wondering since we both have tomorrow, would you want to go see a movie with me?”
Excitement fluttered in her stomach as a big smile broke across Elise’s face. She couldn’t hide it or play hard to get if she tried. She looked to Matt and shook her head “yes”.
He inched closer to her, “Awesome, what would you want to see?” He grabbed his phone from edge of the Jacuzzi and brought up the movie listings.
“Baywatch?”
“No. Snatched?”
“Fuuuck no. Pirates?”
“Sure, I could go for some Johnny Depp.” Elise giggled.
“Yeah, me too!” Matt matched her girlish giggling, “How does 8:00 with dinner beforehand sound?”
“Sounds Arr-right to me.” Elise shot a coy smile towards Matt who laughed at her terrible pirate pun.
“As much as I don’t want to get out, I should probably get home. Mind giving me a lift?” Elise asked as she felt around for her towel.
“Only if you give me a lift.” Matt stuck his tongue out which was answered by Elise blowing a raspberry.
.:.:.
“Thanks, Matt. You’re the best.” Elise shut the door to his Impala and grabbed her backpack from the back.
Matt smirked, “Yeah, I may have been told that before.”
“Aww, you and Johnny are the close, eh?” She chuckled only to be flipped off by him.
“Goodnight, Matthew. Drive safe.” Elise waved as the man did the same.
“Text me when you get inside. I won’t leave here until you do.” Matt called out after her.
Elise nodded and waved once more before heading to her apartment. Excitement shot through her again as she thought of tonight and her “date” tomorrow.
It is a date, right?
The lights were off in the apartment once Elise had walked inside. It was quiet up until she walked past Lee’s room who still had her TV on. She would have to tell Leana all about her night tomorrow in case Jimmy was in there with her. Instead, Elise walked into her room and texted Matt she was safe and sound. He instantly texted back and Elise could hear the sound of his custom engine ripping through the car port as he took off.
Who knew a guy such as Matt could exist?
As soon as she stepped out of Matt’s red Impala, Elise could hear laughter and splashing coming from the backyard. A smile appeared at the scenario playing in the back until an older Honda with fading black paint in the driveway caught her eye. She didn’t recognize it and assumed it belonged to their other friends. As she studied the car longer than she needed to, Matt placed a hand on her lower back and guided her inside the modern house.
It was a decent two-story home, a smaller front yard but Elise could already tell the backyard made up for that. As she walked through the house, photos lining the walls stuck out to her. There were baby photos along with family portraits of who she guessed were Matt’s parents and his sister. Further along the wall the children were maturing with each passing photo. Elise stopped to smile at a particular photo.
“No wonder you’re so pretty, you look just like your mom.” Elise snickered at the man besides her.
“Har har, you’re not the first person to point that out.” He shook his head and laughed.
“And this must be your sister?” Elise pointed to a young woman in a basketball uniform.
“That would be my sister, Amy. Don’t let that cute smile fool you. She’s pretty ruthless on and off the court.” Matt chuckled at the worry in her green eyes, “In a good way though.” He winked.
Elise smiled in relief as they continued down the hallway. It wasn’t until the last row of picture frames that she stopped again. There, in a thick black frame, was a young, thin Matt standing with a woman. She was gorgeous; A bright white smile with dyed black hair framed her strong, elegant face. Her dark makeup brought out her brown eyes beautifully. She held Matt tightly around the waist as he pressed a kiss to her cheek, their eyes never leaving the camera. Elise smiled again and could feel a warmth between him and the stranger yet something seemed so familiar.
“I thought my mom took that one down.” Matt mumbled before grabbing Elise. “Bathroom is right around that corner if you need to change. If not, let’s go have some fun.”
Elise followed Matt through the open sliding glass door. The familiar sounds of the ladies screaming intensified as she saw an erratic Jimmy running around the pool.
“Hey, no running! The last thing I need is to explain to my parents why there’s blood in the pool.” Matt yelled as he approached the scene.
“There’s a bee chasing Jimmy and he keeps running over by us!” A distressed Gena wielding a flyswatter hid behind Lacey.
She couldn’t help but chuckle at the distraught group of friends. Lacey was somehow a human shield for both Leana and Gena while all the other guys huddled around the barbecue in laughter.
Maybe this won’t be so bad. Elise thought happily while setting her belongings next to the others’ on a nearby table.
Elise quickly took off her pants and stuffed them into her bag along with the band shirt that came off next. She gave a quick wave to the ladies who returned the gesture, Lacey being the only to come trotting over.
“No running!” Matt stressed again only to be flipped off.
“Hey, Lovely. Glad you’re feeling better. Need some help?” Lacey offered as she took the sunblock from a nodding Elise.
“I feel much better, thanks.” Elise smiled and tilted her hair away as Lacey applied the lotion to her back, “Why don’t they just jump in the water?” She giggled at the two women who hadn’t moved from their spot.
The brunette chuckled, “I’ve learned not to ask ‘why’ when it comes to them. By the way, I knew this bathing suit was a good pick.” She winked at the shy Elise.
Elise looked down to take in her threads again; It was a pleated one-piece suit but was more exciting than the typical granny suit. The bottom portion was a black skirt with the midsection cinching and flattering her small waist even more. The top, also being black, had molded cups and tied around the neck. “It’s growing on me.”
“Shall we?” Lacey motioned towards the pool as Elise kicked off her flip-flops.
As soon as she passed the men, Elise was met with the sounds of wolf-whistles and yelling.
She face-palmed and turned towards the group of five guys, only giving a small wave. They all raised their beer before turning back towards the grill leaving Elise to slowly wade into the water.
Just like that, Elise was taken back to her childhood. The feeling of cold water instantly washing over her sun-heated skin was the ultimate nostalgia of her summers. Elise lowered her sunglasses to protect against the sun’s rays glinting off the water and hide her gaze that was now hovering on a shirtless Matt. Her attention was turned to a giggling Leana swimming towards her. They talked for a few minutes, occasionally being splashed by a passing foot kicking into the water.
“Care for one more?” Matt sat on the edge of the pool and dipped his feet in the pool besides the two ladies.
“Make that two!” Jimmy hollered before running full speed past Matt and tucking his legs in for the ultimate cannonball.
Everyone shielded their face and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Looks like no one is going to follow your ‘no running’ rule there.” Elise grinned at Matt.
“Jimmy is Jimmy. Lee is the only one who can tame that kind of crazy.” He laughed before sliding into the water.
Elise looked towards the grill to see Brian plating all of the food while Johnny handed his girlfriend a fresh beer from the ice chest. She wondered where Gena and Zacky had wandered off to but her curiosity was soon answered. The couple came walking from around the side of the house as two men followed behind. They were similar in facial features and build causing Elise to guess they were brothers. They walked towards the patio and grabbed themselves a couple of beers before walking over.
“So, you must be the infamous Elise. Nice to meet ya, I’m Matt Berry.” One of the men saluted as the other male punched him in the arm.
Typical guys.
“And I’m his better-looking brother, Jason.” He outstretched his arm towards Elise.
“Nice to meet you,” Elise timidly replied as she shook his hand and looked to the hazel-eyed Matt.
“You’re not going to keep this one all to yourself this time, are you Shadows?” Jason nudged the singers shoulder with his foot as he pointed his beer at Elise.
Elise took this time to further inspect these two. Yes, they were brothers but she could already tell they were different in personality. Except they were the same in having blood-shot, dazed eyes and jittery mannerisms.
Pot-heads. She thought to herself. Not that it was a bad thing, she surely tried a thing or two before in her day. Still, she hated how overly confident and stupid it made some people.
“I think you need to drink your beer and shut up, Berry.” Matt laughed but the look in his eyes said he was far from amused.
.:.:.
The sun was on its way to hiding below the horizon by the time everything settled down. Everyone spent their day off relaxing in the water and eating when they were becoming too pruned. For Elise, it was one of the best days she had spent with the gang so far. She was currently watching everyone around as she sat on the steps leading into the shallow end of the pool. Zacky and Gena were continuing their “session” around the fire pit with the Barry’s while Jimmy held a sleeping Leana in his lap. Unfortunately for Johnny, Lacey had to work in the morning and was designated to drive her home. That left Matt and Brian to clean the grill and wrap up any of the leftover food. Elise had offered help only to be quickly shut down by the two men.
A slight breeze began to chill Elise’s exposed torso and arms but it wasn’t enough to pull her from the warm water. She felt the water move around her body as Matt sat down next to her.
“It’s fucking freezing in here!” He shivered before quickly leaving the water. “You’re crazy, woman.”
“It helps when you’re a cold bitch to start with.” Elise poked her tongue out.
Matt chuckled, “C’mon, let’s get you in the Jacuzzi.” He offered his hand. She happily obliged as the two sped over to the unoccupied hot tub.
Matt and Elise were laughing the night away unaware of the time that was passing. They talked for what seemed like hours and, before they knew it, they were the only two left outside. Both barely seemed to notice and quickly gave their goodbyes to everyone that passed. They talked about their childhood, learned embarrassing stories about each other, and even managed to get a one secret out of the other. Their friendship was rapidly thickening without them even noticing.
“Today was fun, Matt. Thank you for making me come over. I haven’t had this kind of fun in a while.” Elise smiled down at the water, feeling the steam directly hitting her face.
“It wouldn’t be a party if you weren’t here,” Matt smirked, “That and Lee would’ve had my balls if you didn’t come.”
“If the fate of your balls rests on your ability to make me come, I’m sorry for the grandkids you won’t be giving to your parent’s” Elise maliciously chuckled as she eyed a surprised Matt.
He flicked some water at her face, “Alright, alright, touché. Though I wouldn’t get too cocky if I were you. These fingers could play you better than they do my piano and guitar.”
“Sooo,” Elise carried out the ‘o’ sound, “Is that why Brian is lead guitarist?”
“Yeah, but who does the majority of the piano work, hmm?” Matt smirked again as the woman held her hands up in defeat.
Their laughter died down before Matt spoke again, “I was wondering since we both have tomorrow, would you want to go see a movie with me?”
Excitement fluttered in her stomach as a big smile broke across Elise’s face. She couldn’t hide it or play hard to get if she tried. She looked to Matt and shook her head “yes”.
He inched closer to her, “Awesome, what would you want to see?” He grabbed his phone from edge of the Jacuzzi and brought up the movie listings.
“Baywatch?”
“No. Snatched?”
“Fuuuck no. Pirates?”
“Sure, I could go for some Johnny Depp.” Elise giggled.
“Yeah, me too!” Matt matched her girlish giggling, “How does 8:00 with dinner beforehand sound?”
“Sounds Arr-right to me.” Elise shot a coy smile towards Matt who laughed at her terrible pirate pun.
“As much as I don’t want to get out, I should probably get home. Mind giving me a lift?” Elise asked as she felt around for her towel.
“Only if you give me a lift.” Matt stuck his tongue out which was answered by Elise blowing a raspberry.
.:.:.
“Thanks, Matt. You’re the best.” Elise shut the door to his Impala and grabbed her backpack from the back.
Matt smirked, “Yeah, I may have been told that before.”
“Aww, you and Johnny are the close, eh?” She chuckled only to be flipped off by him.
“Goodnight, Matthew. Drive safe.” Elise waved as the man did the same.
“Text me when you get inside. I won’t leave here until you do.” Matt called out after her.
Elise nodded and waved once more before heading to her apartment. Excitement shot through her again as she thought of tonight and her “date” tomorrow.
It is a date, right?
The lights were off in the apartment once Elise had walked inside. It was quiet up until she walked past Lee’s room who still had her TV on. She would have to tell Leana all about her night tomorrow in case Jimmy was in there with her. Instead, Elise walked into her room and texted Matt she was safe and sound. He instantly texted back and Elise could hear the sound of his custom engine ripping through the car port as he took off.
Who knew a guy such as Matt could exist?
Notes
I'm trying to hold the dialogue to a minimum but I keep throwing that out the window. Next update will be out soon. As always, thanks to everyone for your continued support!
Finally, an actual date! Hopefully all goes well...
Well damn! ;) glad you’re back!
6/2/19