Streets of Love
Chapter 7: It's Love
"I can't believe we just did that...again!" Kelly said as she and Matthew lay side-by-side on the floor, still behind the couch where they had ended up.
"And we don't have the cover of being drunk to hide behind this time," Matthew stated.
Kelly sighed. "I know."
"Well, you already know how I feel about you," Matthew then said simply.
Kelly nodded. "Obviously, the feeling is mutual. I couldn't deny it any longer."
Matthew rolled over on his side to face her, and propped himself up with his hand. "Do you regret what we did?"
Kelly looked at him and sighed. "Of course not. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't want you."
He licked his lips. "But do you feel the same way about me as I feel about you, or was it just a moment lustful passion?"
Kelly smirked. "Both."
He grinned. "So, does this mean we're couple now?"
Kelly sighed. "I suppose it does."
"Hey." Matthew reached out and gently stroked her cheek. "If you have any regrets, you can tell me, you know. I won't be angry. I'll be disappointed of course, but I'd never be angry with you just because you don't feel the same way about me as I feel about you. I don't want to push you into anything you don't want, or you're not ready for."
Kelly smiled, and gently stroked his cheek in return. "I appreciate that. I really do. I do want you in the same way you want me. Believe me. I tried to deny it, but I clearly can't anymore. I want to be with you in the same way you want to be with me. In fact, I've been in love with you for quite some time now. I just didn't want to admit it."
Matthew smiled. "You're in love with me?"
Kelly nodded. "Like I said, I have been for a very long time now."
Matthew's eyes lowered. "Well, that's good because I've been in love with you for a very long time now too. I was worried at first too, about us being together then it ending badly. But, being with you these past few days made me realize that, no matter what happens, there is nothing in this world that could ever make me hate you. If we date, and Heaven forbid we break up, it's not going to change how I feel about you. Not only are you a wonderful mother to your children, but you are a beautiful, talented, loving, and caring woman, and it's an honor to even just be your friend. That's never going to change, I promise you that!"
"That's why I love you. You always know just the right things to say," Kelly said, stroking his cheek again. "And you're incredibly sexy and handsome. Not to mention you've got the best heart of anyone I know. You're the best father to your beautiful little girl. You're caring and generous, and...I just love you is all."
"Well, that works out well, because I love you too," Matthew said, before taking her face in his hands, and softly kissing her on the lips.
Kelly sighed contently, and took his face between her hands as well as she lovingly kissed him back.
"It's getting late," Matthew said after a few minutes of kissing. "Let's go to bed." He stood up, and held his hand out to her.
She took his hand, and kissed his cheek. "I'm going to sleep in the spare room still."
Matthew raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you having second thoughts already? Because I thought we just discussed how we'll never get on bad terms no matter what happens between us."
Kelly shook her head and grinned. "Please! A woman may change her mind a lot, but not that quickly!"
They both laughed.
"I just want to try to take things slow at first, all right? I mean, the first two times we made love, it wasn't romantic. We were drunk the first time, and then it was more animalistic than anything."
"Rawr!" Matthew joked, putting his hand out like a tiger clawing it's prey.
Kelly giggled. "I'm serious! I want us to take things slow, and let it progress naturally. I don't just want to go straight for it, and then screw things up, you know?"
Matthew nodded. "I understand." He took her hand and kissed it. "You're worth the wait."
Kelly smiled. "Thank you for understanding. And, hey." She moved so that there was no more space between them. Then, she brushed her lips against his left ear. "Just because we're taking it slow doesn't mean we're not allowed to kiss properly." She then took his face between her hands and kissed him passionately. "Think of that when you go to sleep tonight," she said with a smile after breaking the kiss.
Matthew moaned. "You're killing me, Kel." He grinned.
Kelly grinned. "Goodnight, Matthew." She then headed to the spare room.
"Goodnight, Kelly," Matthew called out. He watched her retreat back to her room after she bent down to gather up her clothes that had been earlier discarded. He moaned, watching her until she shut the bedroom door behind her.
He sighed. "I sure hope this taking it slow stuff doesn't last long," he muttered as he grabbed his own clothes, then headed into his bedroom. He didn't know how much more he could take without having her in his bed again.
~I walk the streets of love~
The rest of the week went by fast, and soon, it was Kelly's last night there. Matthew was a little sad. He didn't want to see her go. The week had been the best week of his life, being with Kelly. It made him realize how much he truly did love her, and how he wished they had gotten together a lot sooner than they had. There had been so much wasted time that they could have used to be together. It was time they could never get back. Now, he was determined to make up for lost time. The only thing was, they still hadn't slept together since that one night of unbridled passion. Of course, he was willing to wait for her. She was more than worth the wait. It was just hard when he wanted nothing more than to make love to her, and show her how much he loved her.
"I'm glad we have off today. We can enjoy our final day together," Kelly said with a smile. They were enjoying breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien. They had decided to eat out instead of in since it was their last day together, and they had no where else to go.
Matthew smiled across the table from her. "I hope it's not our final day together!" He winked.
She grinned. "You know what I mean. I'm going to miss staying with you. Though, I feel like such a terrible mother. I didn't see my kids all week. I just don't like running into Daniel any more than necessary. I kind of like to forget the fact that he is the father of my children. Anyway, I thought it would be horrible, going a week without them, but being with you took my mind off things."
Matthew took her hand across the table, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You're not a terrible mother, Kel. Single moms need breaks even more than non-single moms do. You're not the first mother to need a vacation from her children. It doesn't mean you love them any less. Besides, you called them twice every day—once in the morning before Hermés goes off to school, and at night right before they go to bed."
Kelly nodded, and squeezed his hand in return. "I know. It's not that I don't miss them. I do. It was just nice to have a whole week not to have to worry about getting kids up and dressed, or wiping their dirty faces, or cleaning up messes."
Matthew nodded. "I understand. Heck, sometimes I get overwhelmed with Aven, and she's only one child! You have two."
Kelly grinned. "The joys of being a parent, right?"
Matthew laughed. "Right!" He let go of Kelly's hand, and they went back to eating their breakfast. Kelly had ordered a croissant with yogurt on the side, and he had ordered a cheese omelet. To drink, Kelly had an apple juice, and he had a coffee.
"So, what should we do today? Clubbing and bowling are both out of the question, I know," Matthew said with a wink.
Kelly smirked. "At least my shoulder feels better, thanks to your massage."
"Which led to something that made me feel better too!" Matthew joked.
Kelly laughed. "Stop it! Seriously though, as corny as it sounds, I'm up for anything as long as it's with you."
Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Anything?"
Kelly blushed. "We'll see how things go. I just don't want to lose the romance again, you know?"
Matthew nodded. "As I said before, I understand. It's just hard waiting. I love you so much, and I want to be with you."
"I know. It's hard for me too. I just don't want to rush things. I'm sorry for being this way. Gosh, you'd think I was a virgin!" Kelly joked.
Matthew chuckled. "I understand. Don't ever apologize for wanting to wait. You'll be ready when you're ready."
Kelly looked at him with an unreadable look on her face. She looked dazed out, but happy.
"What?" Matthew asked, a little embarrassed. "Do I have something in my teeth or on my face?" He started to look for his napkin.
Kelly shook her head. "No. I'm just thinking how incredibly amazing you are, and that I am so lucky to be the one you love. It's not many guys that would be willing to wait to make love to their girlfriend. Most would get angry and pushy, but not you."
"Did Marcus push you?" Matthew didn't know why he had said it. It just came out.
Kelly's face turned a little more serious. "No. We both mutually agreed on the right time."
"Then why did you break up?" Once he had gotten started, he couldn't stop himself.
Kelly sighed. "We didn't agree on everything. We wanted different things that were a deal breaker, and frankly, I just wasn't feeling the relationship any longer."
Matthew grinned. "Because of me?"
Kelly smirked. "Partly, I suppose. What about you? Why did you and Leyla break up?"
"I wanted you. I was getting bored with Leyla. Wait. That sounded bad. What I mean is, she is a great girl, but... There just comes a time sometimes when you realize your relationship isn't going where it should, then you start to fall out of love, and that's that, you know?"
Kelly nodded, suddenly looking a little pale.
"What's wrong?" Matthew asked; concerned.
Kelly sighed. "I'm just afraid you'll get bored with me too. Or worse, fall out of love with me."
Matthew shook his head. "It's not going to happen, Kel. I've loved you for five years. That's not going to change."
Kelly looked deep into his eyes, suddenly turning serious. "But couples are married much longer than that and still break up. What if that happens to us? What if we fall out of love and end up losing interest in each other?"
Matthew sighed, and took both her hands in his own. "Kel, there are no guarantees in love and life. But I can honestly say right now, I can't even imagine letting you go after wanting you for so long and finally having you. And what about those couples who celebrate their golden anniversary and are still going strong? We can have that, you know. We can. I truly believe that."
Kelly sighed, then smiled. She gently squeezed Matthew's hands. "I feel the same way about you."
"I'd kiss you right now, but we still have to decide when to come out publicly as a couple." Matthew said with a grin.
Kelly grinned too, and removed her hands from his. "Most people already think we are anyway. Heck, they thought we were even before we were!"
Matthew laughed. "Ah! That's because our love for each other is so strong, we can't hide it from anybody."
Kelly giggled. "I guess so."
They smiled at each other, then finished their breakfast.
~I walk the streets of love~
They spend the day, strolling around the park, and doing some shopping. It was an unusually warm day for late March, so they decided to get some subs, chips, cookies, and drinks from subway, and have a nice lunch in Central Park. They didn't have a blanket, but they sat on the big rock, and used their big subway papers as their plates.
"I'm in the mood to do something touristy today," Matthew stated.
Kelly grinned. "All right. Different from the norm. I can work with that. What did you have in mind?"
He took a bite of his sub before answering. "Well, how about a wax museum? I haven't been to Madam Tussaud's in a long time. Have you?" he asked once he had swallowed.
Kelly smiled. "You know what? I've only been there once years ago. I'm sure they must have changed it up a bit by now. Let's do it. Let's go."
Matthew grinned. "Great! I don't know about you, but I love wax museums. I think it's fun to see if I can guess who they are before looking at the plaques."
"Yeah, they're great! Though, I wouldn't want to be in one alone at night time. I think they'd quickly turn into creepy," Kelly said, literally shivering at the thought.
"Like that movie House of Wax," Matthew said with a smile and a wink.
Kelly nodded. "Exactly!" She took another bite of her sandwich.
"How come no museum has ever asked to make wax versions of us?" Matthew asked after a moment. He ate the last bite of his sandwich, then took a long swig of his soda.
Kelly laughed. "I guess we're not famous enough. They only like A-List celebrities."
Matthew shook his head. "But I've seen The Simpsons in a wax museum before. It's pretty bad when a cartoon family has more appeal than we do."
Kelly laughed. "Don't eat a cow, man!"
Matthew burst into laughter. "Don't eat a cow?"
"Yeah. Doesn't Bart Simpson say that all the time?" Kelly asked.
Matthew laughed even harder.
"What?" Kelly asked, pouting now.
"The correct term is, 'don't have a cow, man!' Now 'Don't eat a cow!' That's hilarious!" Matthew said through tears of laughter.
Kelly crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I didn't know. I've only seen an episode or two in my life. I just figured he was a vegetarian or something."
Matthew laughed for a moment longer, then stopped. "I'm sorry. It just sounded funny. Don't eat a cow, Man!"
Kelly broke into a grin. "Shut up!" She ate the last bite of her sandwich, then sipped on her soda.
"So, after that what should we do?" Matthew asked as he dug into his chips.
Kelly shrugged. "I think we should go to the gym after all this junk we're eating." She opened up her chips, and took a bite.
Matthew shrugged. "Subs are healthy. Heck, you even got the Sun Chips, and the oatmeal raisin cookie. You'll be fine. Anyway, you couldn't be any sexier than you already are to me. There's no amount of weight you could gain that would turn me off from you."
Kelly shot him a look. "You're full of it! If I gained two hundred pounds, you'd drop me like a hot potato."
"No, I wouldn't, Darling. I'd just make you go on The Biggest Loser," Matthew stated.
Kelly's mouth dropped open. "Nice!"
Matthew laughed, and held his hands up. "For health reasons only of course!"
"Yeah, I bet," Kelly said dryly. She smirked nonetheless.
Matthew grinned, and they went back to eating.
~I walk the streets of love~
After lunch, they headed to Madam Tussaud's. Matthew paid for them both.
"Before you protest, remember that you're my girlfriend now. I get to do things like pay," he said to her.
Kelly grinned. "Fine, but remember that in this day in age, the guy doesn't always have to be the one paying. Next time it's on me."
"All right. I'm not unreasonable," Matthew said.
Kelly smiled, and latched her arm with his as they entered into the elevator to head up to the first part of the museum.
Once they got to the top, they looked around at the wax figures, who were supposed to be at a party.
"Get next to Angelina! I'll get a picture of you," Matthew said, taking out his iphone.
Kelly posed next to her, placing her arm over Angelina's shoulder.
"You're so much sexier than Angelina. you should totally be a wax statue!" Matthew said.
"And you're ten times sexier than Brad Pitt!" Kelly said in return.
Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Only ten times?"
Kelly grinned. "Brad doesn't even compare to you. Better?"
"If you mean it," Matthew said with a pout.
Kelly walked over to him and kissed his cheek. "Of course I mean it!"
He grinned. "Then it's much better!"
Kelly grinned again, and they continued on through the museum.
When they got to Notorious BIG and P Diddy, Matthew went right over to them, and draped his arm over P Ditty's shoulder. "What up, Niggas?" he asked, just joking around.
Kelly gasped. "Matthew, be quiet! Someone could overhear you, and get seriously offended."
"I mean no disrespect. I'm not the slightest bit prejudice. You know me," Matthew said.
Kelly nodded. "I know, but not every one does. Someone could take that wrong."
"I was just copying how black men greet each other," Matthew grumbled.
Kelly couldn't help but smile to herself. He was acting a little immature and childish, but she somehow found it incredibly adorable.
"Still. How come they can call themselves that word, but if a white person does it, they get all angry?" Matthew asked, still slightly pouting.
Kelly place an arm around his waist. "Because they can. They are of that color, and therefore, they both know that neither one means it in a prejudiced way."
"I still find it stupid," Matthew said.
Kelly just shook her head and smiled. Totally adorable, he was.
They went through the whole museum. They took a few fun shots. Kelly pretended to be one the of the Charlie's Angels, and Matthew pretended to be a member of *Nsync.
At one point, Matthew had Kelly get up on the stripper pole that was with Britney Spears, and pretend to pole dance with Britney.
"I can't believe I'm doing this!" she said with a laugh as she held onto the pole. "Only for you!"
Matthew grinned, and took a picture with his iphone.
"Don't you dare put that up on Twitter!" she warned after he had taken the picture, and she had gotten off the pole.
"Don't worry. Facebook will be good enough," he teased.
Kelly's face paled. "Don't you dare!"
Matthew grinned. "You said not to post it on Twitter. You didn't say anything about facebook!"
"Well, don't post it on facebook either!" Kelly said.
Matthew pouted. "Fine!" He then grinned. "But I'm posting it on my bedroom wall."
Kelly rolled her eyes. "You're such a pervert!"
He wriggled his eyebrows up and down at her. "Only for you, my Love. Only for you."
She smiled, then placed her arm around his waist, and rested her head on his shoulder.
They were just about done when Matthew got an idea. "Go over there somewhere," he ordered Kelly, pointing over to a little ways in the distance. "I'm gonna stand very still. I wanna fake someone out and make them think I'm a wax statue."
Kelly laughed. "That's not going to work. Anyone can tell you're not made of wax."
"I just wanna see!" Matthew said.
Kelly smiled. "All right, but it's going to be your disappointment when nobody's fooled!" She walked away a few feet, and watched as Matthew posed himself in an empty spot near Johnny Depp. He placed his hand on his hip, and held his head high, trying to look cool.
She put a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. There was no way anyone would believe he was a wax figure.
It took a minute, but finally someone came over to him. It was two girls who looked to be maybe in their early twenties.
"Who is this supposed to be?" the first girl asked, looking up at Matthew.
The second girl looked around Matthew. "I don't know. I don't see a plaque."
"Well, whoever he is, he could use a little help in the style department. He looks boring compared to everyone else," the first girl stated.
"Yeah. It sucks that he's near Johnny Depp. It makes him look even worse in comparison," the second girl stated.
"Yeah," the first girl agreed.
"Let's go. I'm bored," the second girl said, walking past Matthew.
The first girl gave Matthew one last look. "I have no idea who that is," she said before following behind her friend.
Kelly walked over to him with a smirk on her face.
"Don't say a word," Matthew warned her.
Kelly laughed. "I didn't say anything!"
"I bet they would have known who you were," Matthew grumbled.
Kelly smiled. "Maybe not. I didn't get stopped once while being here."
"Maybe that's why we don't have wax figures of us. Nobody knows who we are!" Matthew joked.
Kelly laughed.
"Is my style really that bad?" Matthew then asked, looking down at his jeans and his plaid shirt.
"It's not the best you've ever dressed, but I still say you're sexy no matter what you wear," Kelly said truthfully.
"Well, I still think I'm one of those people who can pull off plaid," Matthew said, his head held high in defiance.
Kelly smiled. "I'd like you see you pull it off...among other things." She winked.
He grinned. "And here you're the one who wants to take things slow!"
She laughed. "All right, I'll behave."
He raised an eyebrow. "Who says I want you to?"
She laughed again, and playfully swatted him as they headed toward the exit of the museum.
~I walk the streets of love~
The rest of their day went by pretty quickly. They hung out a bit more, looking at shops and different things, and then had dinner when it was dinnertime. They had a great dinner together, and enjoyed each other's company as usual, and then they went to see a movie. After the movie, they decided to head back to Matthew's place.
Kelly surprised Matthew once they got back to his place. She took him in her arms, and kissed him softly on the lips. "Tonight will be special because it's our last night together at your place," she said.
"How special?" he asked, his voice just as quiet as hers. He hoped she meant what he thought she meant, but he didn't want to get his hopes up.
"I want to make love with you tonight," she said. "None of us had anything to drink tonight, and this isn't a lustful moment. Also, like I said, it's my last night here, so... I know the time is right."
Matthew gently stroked her cheek. "Are you sure? Because I'm fine with waiting if you're not ready yet."
She grinned. "I appreciate that, but it's not our first time. I'm sure. I just want to go get ready first."
He kissed her. "All right. I promise it will be romantic just like you want it to be."
She smiled, and gently stroked his cheek. "I know," she said. She kissed his cheek, then headed off to her room.
Matthew sighed contently. He would make this perfect for her, just as she wanted.
He quickly went to work to set up his room just as he wanted it before Kelly finished getting ready.
~I walk the streets of love~
"I'm ready!" Kelly called out.
"All right. I'm in my bedroom," Matthew called back to her.
Kelly appeared moments later in his doorway.
"Wow," Matthew said in awe as he looked at her wearing only a pink lace cami and matching pink lace short shorts.
"Do you like it?" she asked. "I didn't have much to work with seeing as I brought only limited things with me."
"You know I love it. I love anything lacy on you. Pink it a really pretty color on you besides," he said.
She grinned. "I'm glad you like it!" She then noticed the room. The bed sheets were turned back, and they were fresh. She knew that because before they had been black. Now they were white. There were candles lit all around the room. Soft music was playing in the background.
"I hope you like it. I'm sorry. This is the best I had to work with. I had to use stuff I already had laying around the house. I knew you wanted it to be romantic," Matthew explained.
Kelly smiled, and walked over to him. She took him in her arms, and kissed him passionately. "It's perfect. Thank you!"
His eyes lowered with love for her. "You're perfect."
Her eyes lowered with love as well, and she kissed him again.
He then picked her up and carried her to bed. He gently lay her down, and they went back to kissing.
They slowly undressed each other. It didn't take much. He was only in a pair of black silk boxer shorts, and she only had on her cami, her shorts, and her lacy black underwear.
They made love, slow and gentle. There was nothing rough or lustful about it.
Matthew made sure to tell Kelly repeatedly how much he loved her, and she was more than happy to tell him how much she loved him too. She truly meant it, just as she knew he meant it.
"Thank you," she whispered when it was all over. "That was exactly what I wanted."
He kissed her, and gently stroked her hair. "I'd do anything to make you happy, Kel."
"I know," she said. They kissed again, and ended up making love again.
When they finally ready to sleep, they lay content in each other's arms.
"I'm never going to let you go," Matthew murmured against her neck before he drifted off to sleep.
Kelly wasn't sure if he meant he wasn't going to let her out of his arms while they slept, or if he meant he was never going to let her go, period.
She smiled as she drifted off to sleep herself. Either way was fine with her