Fragments of Me
A/N: Thank you so much to all of you who have reviewed. I'm really happy so far with the story and with the reviews I've received. You're all so nice! Well, here's chapter four. I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: Still don't own it. Probably never will.
Settle Down
Mimi didn't know if she'd ever catch her breath. Surely she was dreaming. There was just no possible way that this... this man holding her cou8ld be the boy she left behind nearly eight years before.
When Matt pulled her closer into their embrace, Mimi couldn't help but let her eyes flutter shut. Nothing in the world existed so long as her body was held against his. His arms were strong, but comforting. They promised a sense of protection and safety Mimi had come to believe was just make-believe, dreamed up by authors of cheesy romance novels.
Tai and Sora had been joking with one another, but at the sight of Matt and Mimi holding each other for dear life, their conversation died on their lips. They glanced at one another knowingly. There was totally something bigger going on here. After a few moments and an encouraging gesture from Sora, Tai loudly cleared his throat.
Matt and Mimi sprung apart as though an electric current had just run through their body. Both began to blush and turned away from one another. Sora looked back and forth between them, watching as a shy smile graced each of her friend's faces. She was brought out of her pondering by the touch of Tai's hand at her elbow. He jerked his head towards the door, and Sora nodded.
"Well, now that Mimi's safely delivered into your capable hands, I think we'll be heading out," Sora said to Matt, who nodded in response, not trusting his voice just yet.
Mimi quickly spoke up. "Oh, no! Do you have to go so soon?" A worried frown creased her brow, and she chewed lightly on her bottom lip. "I just got here, and I was hoping we could hang out a bit tonight."
Tai smiled brightly at Mimi, wrapping his arm around her thin shoulders. "Don't sound so scared, Mimi! We'll all hang out real soon. We just have work in the morning and a few things to finish up at home."
Sora gave Mimi a reassuring grin. "Yeah. I have a huge order to get ready for a client by tomorrow. I'm going to have to get up really early in the morning." At this, Sora wrinkled up her nose in distaste at the thought of having to get up early. "But... I'll tell you what. If you get yourself settled by tomorrow and find yourself bored to tears, come by the shop, and you can give me a hand! We can catch up and make plans for your homecoming party! How does that sound?"
"That sounds great. Thank you so much, Sora. You've been such a great friend. I don't know what I would do without any of you!" Mimi replied with a wry smile.
"Don't worry about it. That's what friends do. You have that list of phone numbers we wrote for you?" Sora asked. Mimi nodded, pulling out the slip of paper from her purse as proof. "Good," Sora continued. "Call me when you want to stop by, and I'll give you directions. Don't hesitate to call anyone if you need anything, okay?"
By this time, Sora was talking over her shoulder as Tai gingerly attempted to usher her to the door. "Okay! I'll see you soon! Bye!"
"Bye!" Mimi called out. Tai gave a nod and pulled the door shut behind them.
And they were gone. Mimi was now alone... with Matt. She slowly turned to face him again, taking her time to get a good look at him.
He's grown tall, that's for sure. He must be at 6'2", at least! Mimi thought. His legs were long, but there were in good shape. She could almost see his muscles flexing under his blue jeans. Matt turned to pick up the suitcases Tai had brought in, and Mimi took an appreciative glance at the well-sculpted backside presented to her. She want to just reach out and...
Mimi blushed six different shades of red. Oh my god! I must be going crazy! She rolled her eyes at her own insanity and impure thoughts. Matt said something just then, but she was too caught up in berating herself to register his words. "What?" she said quickly.
Matt gave a small chuckle at her lost-in-thought expression. "I said I'll show you to your room if you'd like to unpack... or whatever."
"Oh, yeah. Thanks," Mimi responded, instantly flitting around the living room trying to gather together her belongings.
Maybe I'm not the only one who's a bit... preoccupied, right now Matt thought. This was going to be awkward. "Okay. Right this way." Matt started off down the hallway; Mimi followed behind.
She followed him down the hallway making small sound of approval as he pointed out different aspects of the apartment. She was mesmerized by the way the muscles in his back and shoulders bunched and unclenched in perfect, practiced, fluid motions. His emerald green button-down shirt was perfect for him. It wasn't too tight making him appear too thin and lanky, nor was it too baggy making him look dumpy. It was just the right blend of casual dress and good style, making a sense of carefully controlled... manliness pour from him.
At last they arrived at the end of the hallway (which wasn't that long, but they'd made several stops along the way so that Matt could point out where things she might need were located). "Okay," he said, "This room on the left here is yours. The bathroom is just there." He twitched his head at the door at the very end of the hall. "And my bedroom is that door just behind you on the right." Mimi nodded, and Matt pushed open the door to Mimi's room.
Matt set the baggage down and turned to Mimi. His face was clean-shaven with a subtle hint of a beginning 5'o'clock shadow. His hair was still about shoulder length, think, and gorgeous. He ran his hand through it, and Mimi thought she would swoon right there on the spot at the sight of the sexy "now what?" smile he beamed her way. She had to focus hard to keep her legs for buckling under her. His ocean blue eyes darted around the room, never settling on one thing for more than an instant. Finally, they locked onto Mimi, and she thought she would drown in their depths, willingly.
"So, I guess I'll leave you to get unpacked." Mimi wasn't sure if this was a statement or a question.
"Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks," She said softly. Matt flashed another dazzling smile her way and left the room, gently shutting the door behind him.
With a heart-weary sigh, Mimi looked around her new bedroom. She had to admit that it was rather nice, not at all what she would expect in a bachelor pad. A queen-sized bed sat along the far wall, covered in comfortable looking bed-sheets and pillows in sky blue cotton. A chest of drawers was placed next to a spacious closet, and a window with blinds and drapes was invitingly placed at the far end of the room. There was a vase full of fresh flowers on a mahogany chest next to the window.
While it would have been nice to take a moment to appreciate everything Matt had done to prepare this room for her arrival, Mimi was much too weary to fully care at the moment. She knelt beside her suitcases and pulled out her nighttime routine necessities. She considered a shower, but quickly nixed the idea after another glance at the all too welcoming bed. She shed her clothes and adorned herself in the most modest pair of pajamas she could get her hands on at the moment.
A few minutes in the bathroom, and Mimi was ready to surrender herself to dreamland, and put herself at the mercy of the Sandman. One last thing to do. She quietly entered the living room where Matt sat on the couch, watching a nightly news program on the television. He had one foot propped up on the opposite knee and an arm thrown over the back of the couch.
"Matt?" Mimi called out. He immediately shifted to look at her. "I think I'm going to bed for the night. Thank you... for everything."
"It's no problem at all. I'm glad you're back. We'll talk more in the morning, okay? Go get some rest; I'm sure you're beat. Let me know if you need anything."
"Okay. Thanks. Goodnight, Matt." Matt turned back to the television, trying to hide his blush caused by the angelic vision before him.
"Goodnight, Mimi."
Mimi returned to her room and began burrowing her way beneath the layers of bedding. Oh god... the pillows were feather pillows. She gave an excited squeal and buried her face in the worshiped object.
After getting over the wave of adoration towards her bedding, Mimi allowed her thoughts to drift back over the happenings of the past few hours.
She'd flown halfway around the world, been reunited with two of her best friends, been chauffeured through her beloved hometown, attempted to wrap her mind around the idea of moving her whole life (again), and moved into an apartment with a very good looking man she hadn't talked to in half a dozen years. That's not too bad for one day!
What was up with Matt anyway? Mimi was never expecting these emotions. Every time she looked at him, her head felt all floaty and her heart fluttered madly in her chest. She shouldn't be feeling these things! She had just found out that her boyfriend of 5 years had been sleeping around on her, for heaven's sake! She should be heartbroken! She was heartbroken... but that didn't stop these powerful feelings from pushing their way into her senses.
She decided to chalk it all up to stress. She'd been through so much in such a short period of time; it's no wonder her hormones were totally out of whack. A few days of rest and she'd be right as rain again. That was it. Definitely.
And so what if she felt attracted to him? It's not a sin. It's not as if she was in love with the man or anything. Of course not! She was just looking too far into a pair of strong, honest, protecting arms, seeing only what she wanted to rather than reality. But wait, she wasn't looking for that. No, she was fine being on her own. It felt good to be single again.
Mimi frowned to herself. That was a total lie. She didn't have much choice in being single again. But she wasn't about to go and throw herself at the first attractive man that came her way. She cared far too much for Matt to use him as rebound. Plus, they were living together. How awkward would that be?
No, Matt was just being nice, being a good friend. That's all. Nothing more. And she was just overreacting. Yup.
As Mimi drifted off to a deep slumber, she heard Matt's voice echoing in the recesses of her mind, leading her towards the first night of pleasant dreams she'd had in weeks...
"I'm glad you're back..."
So there it is! Chapter four! I hope you liked it! Please, please, please review. It would make me ever so happy! I'm hoping to bring everyone together in the next chapter or two. I just want to make sure that I establish a bit of a good relationship between Matt and Mimi first. Let me know what you think! Thank you!
-Kess
