TELL ME AGAIN
This story takes place after my second favorite Matthew and Destiny scene (the one where Destiny rests her head on Matthew's shoulder after Darren breaks up with her). Matthew did not kill Eddie Ford (nor does he think he did). He did see Bo with Inez (still set up by Clint) and he may have run Nora and Rex off of the road. Nate has been charged with Eddie's death, but he didn't do it, either. It's just my little rewrite of history.
Chapter 1 -A Kiss To Build A Dream On
December 27, 2010
Although chaos had swirled out of control in Destiny's world moments before as Darren ended their relationship, she immediately calmed the minute she felt Matthew's hand on her shoulder.
"What's wrong?"
"Everything." She wanted to cry, but she felt numb inside. Matthew sat beside her and her head found it's way to his shoulder.
"Yeah, me too." He leaned his head against hers.
Suddenly, she felt safe again. Matthew Buchanan was her best friend. Together they'd been through more than people twice their ages: Matthew's paralysis, Matthew's mother's divorce from his uncle and her remarriage to his father, her brother's gunshot wound and worst of all for her learning that her brother was her biological father. And while they'd always been close, it seemed that in recent weeks, they'd grown even closer. She wondered if it contributed to her breakup with Darren.
She closed her eyes and remembered the minutes before. The sting from the slap of her hand against Darren's face still burned her palm. His words stung more.
"You don't treat me like your boyfriend. Every time you're upset you go running to Matthew."
And here they were again. In her heart she knew Darren was right, she did trust Matthew more than she trusted him…or maybe anyone else in her life, except maybe Shaun. The worst part was she knew it was a bad idea. A year ago, she'd allowed herself to fall in love with Matthew and she'd told him so on New Year's Eve at Capricorn. Unfortunately, he didn't feel the same. But to Matthew's credit, he'd insisted they remain friends. It wasn't the easiest thing she'd ever done, but they'd managed and now, they were even closer than before.
Destiny heard Darren's voice once more. "Maybe Matthew should be your boyfriend."
She shivered at the thought. It was something she'd wanted for so long, but it was also so impossible that she'd given up hope. Matthew made it clear that he only thought of her as a friend when she told him that she loved him nearly a year ago.
"You're shivering. Are you cold?"
"A little."
His arm snaked around her back until it was wrapped around her, pulling her closer in the process. "Better?"
Not really. She thought to herself. What she needed was an escape from their close proximity. "I guess. Do you want to go to the Buenos Dias and grab some coffee or hot chocolate?"
"Uh yeah." Matthew seemed to hesitate.
They walked through Angel Square, slowly and quietly. It seemed that neither of them had the desire to break the silence. They arrived at the restaurant, sat across from each other and ordered something to keep them warm. They both stared absentmindedly into their drinks. She ordered hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream. He ordered a simple coffee.
As Matt looked up at her, she took in his handsome features: his dark, curly hair that he tried so desperately to tame, the freckles that were scattered across his nose and his cheeks and his expressive dark eyes that he used to speak volumes with the assistance of his eyebrows.
"What?" A half-smile formed at the corners of his mouth. "Why are you staring at me?"
"I wasn't staring at you." She lied. Like a train without breaks, inwardly, her heart raced. "I was thinking that this reminded me freshman year… when we used to have sundaes together at the palace."
"I remember." He smiled at her and then he tapped at his lip as though he remembered something. "You know, the way you were staring at me, I thought you were going to propose to me again…like you did back when we asked Tea to be my lawyer."
Suddenly, her cheeks felt as though they were on fire. Why in the world was Matthew bringing that up? "I told you then I was only joking."
Matthew reached out and touched her hand. "What happened before I got to Angel Square?"
"Darren ambushed me with my grandfather and then he got angry when I wasn't happy about it and he dumped me." Darren may not have been her ideal boyfriend, but he was good to her and he generally made her smile. So, the thought of losing him didn't make her happy.
"That sucks." Matthew said, although he didn't exactly seem sad about it.
Destiny took a sip of her hot cocoa. And when she looked up, she saw Matt staring at her.
"You've got whipped cream on…" Much to her surprise, he reached across the table and touched the corner of her mouth. He let his hand linger near her bottom lip, while his eyes remained fixed on her. "Your mouth," he finished his sentence.
Reflex caused her to move backward. Matthew retreated to his side of the table and she wiped her mouth with a napkin. They lingered at the table for a while longer and Matthew filled her in about his confrontation with his dad. When they'd finished their drinks, he offered to walk her home.
At her door, they stood together in silence each waiting for the other to be the first to speak. In the end, it was Matthew who broke the silence. "Des, I know things suck for both of us right now, but I promise we'll get through this."
Though she was usually positive, the day had been rough. "How do you know?"
"Because as long as we're together we can get through anything."
He pulled her into a hug. And during their embrace, all seemed right in the world. But then, the unexpected happened. As Destiny removed herself from Matthew's arms, he touched her cheek. Then he slowly leaned in and planted a tender kiss on her lips.
Destiny found herself a little dazed and a lot confused. She'd waited for this moment for longer than she could remember, but now that it had arrived, she had no idea what had led to it or what should come next. So, she did the only thing she could think of: she ran. "Goodnight," was the only word she uttered before she walked inside and closed the door.