When I Was Your Man

“Matt, what a pleasant surprise,“ Val said with a smile as she opened the door to her small apartment. “Why didn’t you tell me?“ He mushed, not in the mood for unnecessary conversation. He stomped past her into her living and cooking room without being invited to come inside.

“Tell you what?“ The blond woman asked, then motioned for him to sit down. “Be quiet, Estelle is asleep,“ She said then. Estelle was her child. The two-year-old was a bundle of energy and a real princess already, and Matt loved the little one.

A year after Karma and him split, Val discovered she was pregnant, and Daniel and her got engaged even though they wanted to take it slow originally. It was alright, but nothing more. Everyone knew that it was just an arrangement for the unborn princess. Their love was almost lost.

And then, suddenly, he was gone. Val wasn’t even heartbroken, seeing as she never had the strongest feelings towards him, but some alimony would have been great nevertheless. He was never found again, and Val did a great job raising Estelle on her own. Except for the money issue, but with Karma and Matt's help she was doing alright.

“So what did I not tell you?“ She asked, furrowing her brows as Matt sank onto her beige couch with the silver cushions. Her interior was as stylish as she was. “Karma fucking joining Guns n’ Roses. My favorite band ever if you forgot,“ Matt scoffed, genuinely angry at her.

He got all his Karma life updates from Val, so how could she forget to tell him this? Did it mean Avenged was officially over, now that she was joining another band? She couldn’t manage two bands and her solo career, right?

“Oh that,“ Val said with a grin, “that I couldn’t have told you any sooner. She just called me an hour ago. She signed some kind of statement that she would remain quiet until the official announcement, and well, that’s what she did.“

Matt pinched his nose to calm down, something he’d been taught in rehab where he’d been forced to take anger management classes.

“That means Avenged is officially over, right?“ He said with a wary smile, speaking out his biggest fear. The others wouldn’t care. They were so wrapped up in their families that they made peace with breaking up the band. And that so shortly after they had Brooks join them. I might have to start a new band with Brooks, Matt thought, but then was interrupted by Val.

“God, no. She's joining them for two concerts. The media threw that way out of proportion. She would love for Avenged to continue, you know that. I told you a thousand times. She’ll be home for months now, that would give you plenty of time to record stuff. Even if the album can’t be out so soon,“ Val said with a smile.

“She thinks I hate her,“ Matt retorted, not wanting to believe what Val told him. “We’ve been through this enough. She doesn’t Matt. It could all go on if you just... grow the balls and talk to her instead of me“

“But I failed her.“ Val looked at him with a sympathetic smile. “She says the same about you. There were a lot of things you never knew about that time back then, Matt.“
“So tell me,“ he demanded, but he knew Val would never spill a secret. “And I cheated," he said lowly.

Val took a deep breath. “Yeah, you know, Matt, that's definitely something I'll never understand. I sure hope it was worth it, then. Was she a good lay for the night?" She rolled her eyes, having been over the topic too many times.

Matt forced himself to think back to his sexual encounter with Sarah that fateful afternoon. Good was not what he would label it. A mere five minute fuck with him barely moving. He let out a huff. “No," he admitted.

She threw him a smile. “I know. But you know, it happened. And you can't turn back time, so stop beating yourself up for something someone did who is so unlike you are now." Matt nodded. No matter how many times he went over all possible scenarios in his head, he couldn't change how things turned out.

All he could do was make it right now. And he hoped he wasn't too much of a coward.

“I have something else to tell you about her, I think it’s safe to say it. She and that guy never dated. And I also only found out this afternoon.“
Matt felt like his insides were swelling up with joy. It’s over? It was never real?

“Really?“ He asked, barely managing to keep it together. “Yeah, but I’m not sure they originally only wanted to date for the media. I think she liked him but I don't know…“

“How do you not know?“ Matt scoffed, knowing exactly that he wasn’t supposed to take out his anger and confusion on his best friend, but he did. And she was okay with it.

“I didn’t speak to her for a while. She was all over Europe and I had all hands full with the little one and with looking for Daniel. And I found it out over the media as well and I think she would have told me. Like, if it was real. In the beginning, she did tell me about him. But then she just said, quote, ‘that thing with the guy from the movie didn’t work out’,“ Val explained.

God damn it. What does it mean? Why does that woman speak so encrypted? “But that one time on TV someone said it was only for the press, so it might be that she meant that. Like, that their fake relationship didn’t attract too many people to go see the film. Anyway, they didn't get together in that way.“

Matt nodded, having heard similar rumors but not from Karma or Val.

“How are things with that whole Daniel issue?“ Val frowned after Matt said that. He knew she’d been trying to get ahold of him for a while, but nothing worked. The police stopped investigating after a while, seeing as not paying alimony wasn’t the most serious crime in the world.

A private investigator failed, as well as countless other ways Val, Matt and Brian's wife Michelle, who was Val’s twin sister, thought of. The man seemed to be disappeared. His credit card hadn't been used in two years.

No-one with the same name who matched the description boarded any domestic or international flight. If he didn't have a very good fake ID or paid for everything in cash and never moved around too much, Matt was pretty certain he was dead by now.

“Yeah nothing more. The DA called me last week and told me they found a body of a man who seemed to match Daniel’s description. I’m still waiting for pictures to identify him." She made a short break before continuing.

"But they’re almost sure it’s not him unless somehow, his medical card is wrong. Daniel had the blood type AB positive and they found 0 negative. Whatever.“ Val brushed a strand of hair aside, obviously trying to hide how upset she was about all that.

“Val, I told you if there was anything you needed… I’ll cover for it. You’ve done so much for me and I have enough money for two,“ Matt offered for the umpteenth time.

“Thanks Matt, I’m really desperate at the moment. It’s getting harder to make ends meet. I need to start working again, so therefore I have to enroll her to preschool and they’re all so expensive…“

Matt inhaled sharply and opened his mouth, but she seemed to sense what was about to happen. “Please don’t. Karma said she’d take care of it. I don’t need to owe two people right now.“

He nodded, knowing there was no way she would take his money. Maybe he should ask Karma to split the costs she had for Val, but then again it was Karma. She’d always had that social streak in her. Val’s situation had touched her so much, she even started a woman’s help association for women who were in similar situations.

Val was happy to be able to meet people who understood her fully, who were also not able to even find their baby daddy. Matt thought it was great what Karma did for her best friend.

“I can help with finding you work later,“ Matt offered, and Val smiled. “I’m probably gonna be helping Karma for a bit. You know, social networks and stuff. Promoting. So I might be able to do it at home. I’ll see about that, right? But thanks a lot, really.“

“That guy,“ he said, feeling the urge to talk instead of thinking about Karma, “how’d he die?“
“Car accident. Definitely on purpose, they say,“ Val answered, then cradled her head in her hands.

It felt good to be in Val’s presence, better than drinking alone in front of the TV all day. “Do you feel like going out tonight?“ He suddenly asked, feeling the urge to thank her for all her patience. “You and Estelle deserve to be taken out some time, right?“

Val smiled. “I was just gonna ask you the same, can you read minds?“

She shook her head as she laughed. “I’ll make a reservation and meet you there, alright?“ Matt nodded. He was wondering why she didn’t want him to pick her up, but figured out it was because Estelle was pretty carsick the last time he’d taken her along. Val was so embarrassed when she threw up all over the car.

Matt grinned at that memory. It was the first time he ever felt like a dad, and the only time, too.

He left her house pretty quickly after that, and started to write again. Suddenly, after finding out Karma was not taken in any way anymore, the words came flowing from somewhere inside him, as if the mere possibility of her loving someone else had been blocking all that.

Sooner than he liked, it was time to get dressed for their date - which of course wasn’t a date. He just called it date for the lack of a better term. Matt chose to wear a black button down shirt with black jeans, seeing as Val made a reservation for one of the best restaurants in LA.

It was one of the two only ones with a strict no photo policy, and Matt grinned at the thought of how many celebrities he’d seen there - all meeting up with people they didn’t want to be seen with. He was pretty certain Val just wanted to make sure they wouldn’t be photographed. Someone could take it the wrong way.

Matt got in his car, realizing that for the first time in weeks he was still able to drive after 6 because he wasn't drunk for once. He steered the car onto the interstate to LA. I took him almost an hour with all the traffic, but he parked the car just in time for their reservation. Val wasn’t there already, or at least her car wasn’t in the parking lot.

“Reservation for DiBenedetto,“ he told the waiter at the restaurant, and he smiled as he led him to a table. He felt like throwing up when he saw who sat there, a confused look on her face.

None other than Karma. His medusa. The one he still loved with all his heart.

Notes

Gotcha, bet you all believed he was going to Karma's after last chapter! :D Sorry to disappoint you. But they're definitely meeting now - Why do you think Karma's here? And who did she come with? How is she going to react to Matt being there?

<3