Who Are You?
Betrayed
.:.:.
Three days had passed since Elise’s steamy night with Matt. She thought things had gone well but the lack of phone calls and texts proved otherwise. As much as she wanted to figure out what was wrong, work was hectic which kept her mind busy enough. It was the same old song and dance between them. Elise was sure the group was sick of it and tried her best to remain positive while keeping her “personal business” personal. Leana had tried her best to perk the redhead up, from offering late night ice cream runs to binge watching anything on Netflix. Elise appreciated the sentiment and dearly wanted to feel like herself but something in her mood was off. Another day or two of no contact with Matt would probably be enough time to somewhat write him off, or so Elise was willing to bet. For now, her eyes were glued to the clock hanging on the wall of the server’s station.
“Come on, 4:00!” Elise exclaimed to nobody in particular. It was a quarter to 4:00 and she was being teased by the night shift slowly making their way into the restaurant. Her side work was done and she was ready to go.
“Thanks for everything today, Elise. See you Wednesday night?” Dan had just walked out from his office in time to see Elise bolting for the door.
Elise nodded her head and gave a tiny wave to her uncle before hurrying outside. She quickly checked behind before shutting the door to be sure nobody was going to get hit by the heavy piece of wood. Content nobody was there, she let the door close and turned to leave until her entire body was stopped by a solid force.
“Shit, sorry!” Elise apologized and looked at the roadblock before her. “Oh…” Her voice trailed off a bit too coldly when she saw a pair of black aviators starting back at her.
“Hey.” Matt greeted sweetly, his dimples making their appearance on his stubbled face.
Elise returned the greeting only to bow her head slightly signaling her goodbye.
“What’s wrong?” Matt softly grasped for her arm only to have it pulled away.
“Nothing, why?” Elise kept her focus on the blackhole that was her purse as she searched for her keys.
“I came here to see you and you’re trying to leave like you’re late for a hot date.” The singers voice was quiet but his tone couldn’t fool anyone.
Her green eyes shot up right as her keys were found. “Maybe I am, Matthew.” Her tone was dripping with sarcasm.
She saluted him with two fingers and made her way across the parking lot. She wasn’t clever in the moment but give her a few minutes and a thousand different comebacks would flood her mind. Elise wasn’t going to wait around that long to unload on Matt. Instead, she decided to shoot Brian a text and see what he was up to.
Hey, Bri. Whatcha up to?
Instantly, her phone buzzed with his reply.
Brian: Ugh, stuck at work. I miss my mini vacation. Dad needs me to stay a little longer until he returns from a meeting. You just get off work?
Mhmm! I’m a free woman.
Brian: Come on by and keep me company! I’ll only be here for another half hour to an hour.
Elise didn’t hesitate to reply. As she pulled out of the parking lot, she spotted Matt sitting in his cherry red Impala. His eyes never left hers until she threw on her sunglasses and sped off.
.:.:.
The shop was empty but a bored looking Brian didn’t seem to mind. He was currently fumbling with a guitar behind the counter and didn’t seem to notice Elise walk in. Fumbling may seem to be the wrong choice of word. Brian was handling the guitar as if it had been an extension of himself since birth. His fingers were flying with little to no effort while his expression was purely content.
“I’m looking for something to bang loudly. Have you any recommendations, Sugah?” Elise used the worst Southern accent she could muster and stalked up to the counter.
Brian’s eyes chuckled from under his hat as he shook his head, “I can’t take you anywhere.”
Elise opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by Brian’s phone ringing loudly.
“What up?” Brian answered, lifting the guitar from his lap and walking it back over to its stand.
His eyes flashed over to Elise who was sliding a delicate hand over the keys of a Yamaha keyboard. She was trying her best not to eavesdrop on their conversation but a seemingly upset male on the other end of the call wasn’t making that easy. Between his yelling and Brian’s steady replies of “uh huh”, Elise rolled her eyes and decided to check her own phone.
"Of course he didn’t even try to text or call." She thought and rolled her eyes a second time.
“I’m guessing you already know who was on the phone, yeah?” Brian asked as he approached her.
Elise tapped the tip of her nose twice and slid the smartphone into her purse. The two friends sat inside the Haner family’s music store to shoot the breeze until Brian’s dad, who Elise was told to call Papa Gates, walked through the doors.
“Hey, kiddo! What brings you by? Is this punk bothering you?” The sweetest smile appeared on Papa Gates face when he saw Elise.
“I’m actually trying to make a sale, if you don’t mind, old man.” The younger guitarist tried to shoo his dad away and return to showing Elise a few moves on a guitar suitable for a beginner.
“Sell what? Yourself? Sorry but, Elise, the return policy on one of those is terrible.” Brian Sr. grinned as Elise burst out laughing.
In a mock laugh, Brian made a face at his dad before motioning to Elise they’d be leaving. They said their goodbyes to Senior and decided to head on over to his and Jimmy’s place.
.:.:.
It appeared Jimmy was home as Brian parked and told Elise to head inside the condo. She was excited to see the energetic drummer and quickly made her way inside. Once she reached the top of the stairs to the living area, she called out for Jimmy. He yelled from his bedroom to come on back. It was unusually quiet in the condo since it always seemed Jimmy had music constantly playing wherever he was. Curious, she trotted to his room and knocked on his closed door.
“James!” Elise called out and knocked again.
The sound of the front door being opened and shut was followed by the rapid footsteps of Brian. Elise peeked her head around the corner to see the winded man shoot her a surprised look before quickly glancing at the bedroom door behind her.
“What?” Elise asked as she, too, turned to look.
In an instant, Jimmy had jumped out of Brian’s room, grabbed Elise, and threw her inside the bedroom. Her head was spinning as the door was quickly slammed shut in her face
“What the fuck?” Elise whispered to herself at Jimmy’s insane antics. Her hand grasped the handle but it would not turn. As much as she tried, it wouldn’t budge.
“What the hell, Sullivan?! Let me out!” Elise was trying not to let her laughter overshadow her serious tone.
“Not until you two make up!-make out!” the two voices of Jimmy and Brian melded together until the last word, where Jimmy decided to take a different route.
Two?
Dread flooded her stomach as she slowly turned around to see a smug looking Matt sitting on a computer chair. Elise crossed her arms over her chest and walked over to Brian’s bed which was, unfortunately, only a couple feet across from Matt.
“Might as well get this over with.” Elise flopped backwards onto the bed.
“Why are you trying to avoid me?” Matt questioned as Elise heard the chair squeak and the foot of the bed sink in from his weight.
Elise scoffed, “I can’t believe you’re actually asking me that. Why do you think I’d be avoiding you? I’m borderline pissed, Matt.”
“For what!” Matt shouted causing Elise to jump.
Anger had begun to fuel the fire that made her blood boil. There wasn’t a chance in hell that he didn’t know the reason Elise would be upset. She remained quiet for a minute as her thoughts were collected, organized, and ready to fire.
“If anything, I should be mad that you never texted back.” His tone was softer this time.
“You have some nerve! You tried to show up unannounced after-Wait, text you [i]back[/i]?” Elise was confused at his choice of words. “Matt, I haven’t heard from you since the day of Brian’s birthday after we…” She trailed off.
“After you two what?!” Jimmy’s muffled voice practically shouted from the other side of the door.
Matt threw his left arm back and smacked his palm against the door causing the two men to shriek and curse.
“I texted you the next morning and when I didn’t hear back, I figured you were busy at work. Fast forward two more days and still nothing. I assumed things were awkward between us after that. But I promise that I tried to text you, see?” Matt clicked through his messages and handed Elise his phone;
Good morning, gorgeous. Hope you slept well and have a good day at work. (:
Everything ok?
I’ll give you some space, I guess. Miss you.
Her mouth grew dry and guilt swallowed her whole. All this drama was simply caused by a malfunction in technology.
“I tried asking Lee what was wrong but she wouldn’t give me a straight answer. I understand now but it was hard not talking to you without knowing why. Every time I came over to see you and I saw you were home, I couldn’t bring myself to walk up to the door. I thought I had done or said something wrong. I thought maybe I had scared you off again and I didn’t want to keep calling or anything and end up pushing you away.” Matt’s voice was quiet.
Elise sat up using her elbows and returned his phone, “I’m so sorry, Matt. I thought you were playing the 'I’m a douche still in high school' card and that I wouldn’t hear from you for a week or two. I took it upon my self to get angry without an explanation from you. I should have called or sent a text. Forgive me?”
Matt chuckled deep within his throat as he threw his phone to the side and crawled over top Elise. He straddled her waist before pressing her back down on the bed. Their faces were inches apart, Matt’s calloused finger brushing a few strands of her hair behind her ear. His lips lightly brushed against Elise’s industrial piercing causing a shiver to run down her spine.
“I forgive you though you have some making up to do.” Matt breathed against her ear causing her shivers to increase sevenfold.
Elise laid her arms over his broad shoulders and smiled. The moment between them was nearly perfected when their eyes locked. Had her face foundation not been full coverage, Matt would definitely have seen the crimson blush creeping across her cheeks and ears. Their smiles became less intense as Matt glanced at her lips then back to her eyes, an animalistic feeling quickly taking over him. Elise began to close the gap between their lips as this man did the same. Their eyes closed softly,
“Not on my fucking bed, you animals!” Brian burst through the door as he then hopped on top of his bed leaving a giggling Elise to push an irritated Matt away. Brian had jumped off his mattress, “I’m glad you two have worked things out but on my bed? Not cool, guys.”
“So, are you two going to tell us what happened the other night?” Jimmy crossed his arms as a sly smiled spread across his pale face.
[i]Don't deserve to fall this way, by a man who felt betrayed...[/i]
Three days had passed since Elise’s steamy night with Matt. She thought things had gone well but the lack of phone calls and texts proved otherwise. As much as she wanted to figure out what was wrong, work was hectic which kept her mind busy enough. It was the same old song and dance between them. Elise was sure the group was sick of it and tried her best to remain positive while keeping her “personal business” personal. Leana had tried her best to perk the redhead up, from offering late night ice cream runs to binge watching anything on Netflix. Elise appreciated the sentiment and dearly wanted to feel like herself but something in her mood was off. Another day or two of no contact with Matt would probably be enough time to somewhat write him off, or so Elise was willing to bet. For now, her eyes were glued to the clock hanging on the wall of the server’s station.
“Come on, 4:00!” Elise exclaimed to nobody in particular. It was a quarter to 4:00 and she was being teased by the night shift slowly making their way into the restaurant. Her side work was done and she was ready to go.
“Thanks for everything today, Elise. See you Wednesday night?” Dan had just walked out from his office in time to see Elise bolting for the door.
Elise nodded her head and gave a tiny wave to her uncle before hurrying outside. She quickly checked behind before shutting the door to be sure nobody was going to get hit by the heavy piece of wood. Content nobody was there, she let the door close and turned to leave until her entire body was stopped by a solid force.
“Shit, sorry!” Elise apologized and looked at the roadblock before her. “Oh…” Her voice trailed off a bit too coldly when she saw a pair of black aviators starting back at her.
“Hey.” Matt greeted sweetly, his dimples making their appearance on his stubbled face.
Elise returned the greeting only to bow her head slightly signaling her goodbye.
“What’s wrong?” Matt softly grasped for her arm only to have it pulled away.
“Nothing, why?” Elise kept her focus on the blackhole that was her purse as she searched for her keys.
“I came here to see you and you’re trying to leave like you’re late for a hot date.” The singers voice was quiet but his tone couldn’t fool anyone.
Her green eyes shot up right as her keys were found. “Maybe I am, Matthew.” Her tone was dripping with sarcasm.
She saluted him with two fingers and made her way across the parking lot. She wasn’t clever in the moment but give her a few minutes and a thousand different comebacks would flood her mind. Elise wasn’t going to wait around that long to unload on Matt. Instead, she decided to shoot Brian a text and see what he was up to.
Hey, Bri. Whatcha up to?
Instantly, her phone buzzed with his reply.
Brian: Ugh, stuck at work. I miss my mini vacation. Dad needs me to stay a little longer until he returns from a meeting. You just get off work?
Mhmm! I’m a free woman.
Brian: Come on by and keep me company! I’ll only be here for another half hour to an hour.
Elise didn’t hesitate to reply. As she pulled out of the parking lot, she spotted Matt sitting in his cherry red Impala. His eyes never left hers until she threw on her sunglasses and sped off.
.:.:.
The shop was empty but a bored looking Brian didn’t seem to mind. He was currently fumbling with a guitar behind the counter and didn’t seem to notice Elise walk in. Fumbling may seem to be the wrong choice of word. Brian was handling the guitar as if it had been an extension of himself since birth. His fingers were flying with little to no effort while his expression was purely content.
“I’m looking for something to bang loudly. Have you any recommendations, Sugah?” Elise used the worst Southern accent she could muster and stalked up to the counter.
Brian’s eyes chuckled from under his hat as he shook his head, “I can’t take you anywhere.”
Elise opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by Brian’s phone ringing loudly.
“What up?” Brian answered, lifting the guitar from his lap and walking it back over to its stand.
His eyes flashed over to Elise who was sliding a delicate hand over the keys of a Yamaha keyboard. She was trying her best not to eavesdrop on their conversation but a seemingly upset male on the other end of the call wasn’t making that easy. Between his yelling and Brian’s steady replies of “uh huh”, Elise rolled her eyes and decided to check her own phone.
"Of course he didn’t even try to text or call." She thought and rolled her eyes a second time.
“I’m guessing you already know who was on the phone, yeah?” Brian asked as he approached her.
Elise tapped the tip of her nose twice and slid the smartphone into her purse. The two friends sat inside the Haner family’s music store to shoot the breeze until Brian’s dad, who Elise was told to call Papa Gates, walked through the doors.
“Hey, kiddo! What brings you by? Is this punk bothering you?” The sweetest smile appeared on Papa Gates face when he saw Elise.
“I’m actually trying to make a sale, if you don’t mind, old man.” The younger guitarist tried to shoo his dad away and return to showing Elise a few moves on a guitar suitable for a beginner.
“Sell what? Yourself? Sorry but, Elise, the return policy on one of those is terrible.” Brian Sr. grinned as Elise burst out laughing.
In a mock laugh, Brian made a face at his dad before motioning to Elise they’d be leaving. They said their goodbyes to Senior and decided to head on over to his and Jimmy’s place.
.:.:.
It appeared Jimmy was home as Brian parked and told Elise to head inside the condo. She was excited to see the energetic drummer and quickly made her way inside. Once she reached the top of the stairs to the living area, she called out for Jimmy. He yelled from his bedroom to come on back. It was unusually quiet in the condo since it always seemed Jimmy had music constantly playing wherever he was. Curious, she trotted to his room and knocked on his closed door.
“James!” Elise called out and knocked again.
The sound of the front door being opened and shut was followed by the rapid footsteps of Brian. Elise peeked her head around the corner to see the winded man shoot her a surprised look before quickly glancing at the bedroom door behind her.
“What?” Elise asked as she, too, turned to look.
In an instant, Jimmy had jumped out of Brian’s room, grabbed Elise, and threw her inside the bedroom. Her head was spinning as the door was quickly slammed shut in her face
“What the fuck?” Elise whispered to herself at Jimmy’s insane antics. Her hand grasped the handle but it would not turn. As much as she tried, it wouldn’t budge.
“What the hell, Sullivan?! Let me out!” Elise was trying not to let her laughter overshadow her serious tone.
“Not until you two make up!-make out!” the two voices of Jimmy and Brian melded together until the last word, where Jimmy decided to take a different route.
Two?
Dread flooded her stomach as she slowly turned around to see a smug looking Matt sitting on a computer chair. Elise crossed her arms over her chest and walked over to Brian’s bed which was, unfortunately, only a couple feet across from Matt.
“Might as well get this over with.” Elise flopped backwards onto the bed.
“Why are you trying to avoid me?” Matt questioned as Elise heard the chair squeak and the foot of the bed sink in from his weight.
Elise scoffed, “I can’t believe you’re actually asking me that. Why do you think I’d be avoiding you? I’m borderline pissed, Matt.”
“For what!” Matt shouted causing Elise to jump.
Anger had begun to fuel the fire that made her blood boil. There wasn’t a chance in hell that he didn’t know the reason Elise would be upset. She remained quiet for a minute as her thoughts were collected, organized, and ready to fire.
“If anything, I should be mad that you never texted back.” His tone was softer this time.
“You have some nerve! You tried to show up unannounced after-Wait, text you [i]back[/i]?” Elise was confused at his choice of words. “Matt, I haven’t heard from you since the day of Brian’s birthday after we…” She trailed off.
“After you two what?!” Jimmy’s muffled voice practically shouted from the other side of the door.
Matt threw his left arm back and smacked his palm against the door causing the two men to shriek and curse.
“I texted you the next morning and when I didn’t hear back, I figured you were busy at work. Fast forward two more days and still nothing. I assumed things were awkward between us after that. But I promise that I tried to text you, see?” Matt clicked through his messages and handed Elise his phone;
Good morning, gorgeous. Hope you slept well and have a good day at work. (:
Everything ok?
I’ll give you some space, I guess. Miss you.
Her mouth grew dry and guilt swallowed her whole. All this drama was simply caused by a malfunction in technology.
“I tried asking Lee what was wrong but she wouldn’t give me a straight answer. I understand now but it was hard not talking to you without knowing why. Every time I came over to see you and I saw you were home, I couldn’t bring myself to walk up to the door. I thought I had done or said something wrong. I thought maybe I had scared you off again and I didn’t want to keep calling or anything and end up pushing you away.” Matt’s voice was quiet.
Elise sat up using her elbows and returned his phone, “I’m so sorry, Matt. I thought you were playing the 'I’m a douche still in high school' card and that I wouldn’t hear from you for a week or two. I took it upon my self to get angry without an explanation from you. I should have called or sent a text. Forgive me?”
Matt chuckled deep within his throat as he threw his phone to the side and crawled over top Elise. He straddled her waist before pressing her back down on the bed. Their faces were inches apart, Matt’s calloused finger brushing a few strands of her hair behind her ear. His lips lightly brushed against Elise’s industrial piercing causing a shiver to run down her spine.
“I forgive you though you have some making up to do.” Matt breathed against her ear causing her shivers to increase sevenfold.
Elise laid her arms over his broad shoulders and smiled. The moment between them was nearly perfected when their eyes locked. Had her face foundation not been full coverage, Matt would definitely have seen the crimson blush creeping across her cheeks and ears. Their smiles became less intense as Matt glanced at her lips then back to her eyes, an animalistic feeling quickly taking over him. Elise began to close the gap between their lips as this man did the same. Their eyes closed softly,
“Not on my fucking bed, you animals!” Brian burst through the door as he then hopped on top of his bed leaving a giggling Elise to push an irritated Matt away. Brian had jumped off his mattress, “I’m glad you two have worked things out but on my bed? Not cool, guys.”
“So, are you two going to tell us what happened the other night?” Jimmy crossed his arms as a sly smiled spread across his pale face.
[i]Don't deserve to fall this way, by a man who felt betrayed...[/i]
Notes
So the drama here is a little unconventional but dumb things like that happen in real life. I would know... -_- Life pro tip: Restart your phone every once in a while. Any ways, in this story, they will have their ups and downs. I can't promise anything. (; Comments are always appreciated! They make me smile. Thanks to Buggaloo and Disenchanted Lullaby for their continued support!
Well damn! ;) glad you’re back!
6/2/19