Chapter 8

Destiny avoided the Buchanan household like the plague for several days after Nora's verbal thrashing. The only time Mrs. Buchanan had been more upset with her was after she found out that Destiny encouraged Matthew to sue for the right to have his surgery. She was sure things would blow over soon, but until then Destiny decided to fly under the radar.

Unfortunately that was hard to do with a friend like Dani. She'd stopped by the country club to keep Destiny company during her shift—and to gossip.

"No way, Mrs. Buchanan found out you and Matthew had sex!" Dani cried out loud enough for the entire country club to hear.

Destiny rolled her eyes at Dani. "Can you say that a little bit louder? I don't think the folks in China heard you."

"Sorry, I just can't believe it. That must have been—"

"Completely embarrassing? The worst moment of my entire life?" Destiny lamented as she cleared tables near the pool. "And the look Mrs. B gave me and Matthew? I wanted to die."

"At least she didn't react how my dad did after he caught me and Nate almost getting it on."

"Well who knows what she would have done if Matthew hadn't shut up. He was so nonchalant about the whole thing, like she was overreacting. I wanted to kill him."

"Well he's still a little messed up from the accident."

"I'm not letting him off the hook that easy. He was being his usual ballsy self."

"You're probably right," Dani conceded with a laugh. "Speaking of Matthew, are you going to see him today?"

"Maybe. Mrs. B is tied up in court all day and Mr. B is out of town for work." Destiny wagged her finger at her boisterous best friend. "Don't even go there Dani."

"What? I didn't say anything." Dani's cell phone interrupted their playful banter. "It's Nate, he wants to catch a movie."

"He's trying really hard to make up for running around town with Deanna isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is," Dani smiled.

"That's great, but please watch your back."

"Always," Dani said. "Hey do you need a ride to Matthew's?"

"I still have 30-minutes left on my shift."

"Alright, let me know what happens girl."

Destiny shook her head as she watched Dani leave then went back to cleaning tables.

After her shift ended, Destiny quickly changed then took the long way to Matthew's place, as a precaution. The last thing she needed was to run into Nora.


"I didn't expect to see you here," Matthew smiled when he answered the door. "I take it you're not mad at me anymore?"

"Oh I'm still mad, but I wanted to make sure you were still breathing."

"I'm alive and well—Come in."

"What did your mom say to you after I left?" She asked, setting her purse on the coffee table and sitting on the couch.

"I wish you had waited; your first time is supposed to be special; I don't want you to ruin your friendship with Destiny…blah, blah, blah"

"She has a point Matthew."

"I know Des, but it happened and nothing's going to change that, not her disappointment or her judgment," Matthew said plainly.

"So why didn't you just say that the other night, instead of being so bullheaded?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Matthew admitted. "But I meant everything I said. I don't regret what happened and I don't think anything can ever ruin our friendship. We're still okay right?"

When Destiny didn't respond right away Matthew got nervous. "Des, we are okay right? Do you regret being with me? Was I bad?"

"It was the most amazing experience I've ever had and I don't regret it for one second," she stated boldly.

Matthew breathed a sigh of relief. "I guess I kind of rocked your world huh?" He proclaimed with a cocky grin that knocked her off-kilter.

She quickly rebounded with a "but".

"But what?"

"It wasn't exactly how I envisioned my first time," Destiny admitted.

"I'm sorry," Matthew said, the bravado he displayed seconds earlier all but gone.

"Don't be. I was a very willing participant Matthew. Plus I didn't mean it was the wrong time or you weren't the right person. I just wish it happened under different circumstances."

"What do you mean?"

"I had sex with you, without knowing how you truly felt about me first." Destiny said, still uncomfortable with that fact. "I set myself up for more heartbreak."

"I'd never use you Destiny." He was wounded by the fact she believed he'd ever use her in that way.

"You did before." The words came out before Destiny even realized what she was saying. She thought she was over his rejection. She'd moved on, even dating someone else for a time. And she and Dani were joined at the hip now.

"I thought we dealt with this Des?" Matthew asked, puzzled by her remark. Even though he didn't remember what happened between them two years ago, her accusation still cut him deep.

"I did too, but with you in the hospital, it gave me a lot of time to think about everything that happened between us. You chased me down and told me that you needed me that night and that it meant something to you. She stood and began pacing the room."You also said that you wouldn't hurt me."

"I don't see a problem Destiny."

"This is what you do Matthew. One minute you're into me and the next we're strictly friends again. I want to believe this time is different, but I don't want to be hurt again."

"I'm sorry that I ever hurt you and I'm sorry for being a wishy-washy jerk, but that's over now."

"I want to believe that Matthew, but I can't." Destiny admitted. "I'm the same girl you rejected at Ultraviolet. So why me and why now?" She knew he couldn't give her the answers she needed, but the floodgates were already open.

"Did you ever think that maybe I'm the one who changed?" Matthew countered."Maybe I realized that the person I needed had been there all along."

"You spent months being pissy over Dani, then suddenly you're kissing me? It's like you realized you'd never get her back, so I was the next best thing. I don't want to be someone's second choice Matthew."

"That's not true and you know it," Matthew spat out indignantly. "I may not remember everything and yeah, maybe I had a thing for Dani, but I'm a Buchanan and we don't settle, ever. So my interest in you is genuine."

"Why?"

"You're an amazing person Destiny," Matthew said tenderly. "You're beautiful, funny and loyal. You always have my back. You call me out when I'm being a jerk, but you never hold it against me. You don't give a damn what other people think of you. And you make me happy Des. You have faith in me even when I don't. I feel good about myself whenever I'm with you."

Destiny stared at Matthew, unable to form a solitary word. She was sure her heart was going to swell out of her chest at any moment. The kid was laying it on thick.

"I know I don't deserve you, but somehow I got you," Matthew continued. "And I will spend every day until you leave for college, proving myself to you—you're not just the right girl Des, you're the only girl for me." Matthew scanned Destiny's face, looking for some sort of response to validate his feelings, but he saw none. "Don't you have anything to say?"

"Like what?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe 'I feel the same way about you Matthew' or 'boy have you lost your mind?'?" He said mimicking her baby voice.

"I don't know what to say," she responded much to his dismay.

"Oh to hell with it," Matthew mumbled underneath his breath as he stood and closed the distance between them.

Destiny eyes were instantly drawn upward where they met his piercing brown eyes. Matthew's molten orbs burned with a desire that stirred something deep inside her.

"Matthew," she whispered as he cupped her face with his pale hands. Heat rushed down Destiny's neck as Matthew grazed her lips with his.

He kissed her tenderly, letting her set the pace.

Almost instinctively, she wrapped her arms around Matthew's neck and pulled him deeper into the kiss.

Remembering what happened the last time they kissed like that, Matthew slowly broke their kiss. He drew his fingers tips to his swollen lips; they still tingled from the imprint of her lips.

Destiny placed her hands on Matthew's chest to steady herself as he looked on. He offered her warm smile then rested his forehead against hers. "I know what I want Des," he rasped, "and it's you."

"I want you too Matthew," she replied in a small voice.

"Then it's settled," he said practically beaming."We'll take things as slow as you want okay?"

She nodded her agreement.

After they broke their embrace, Destiny grabbed her handbag then returned to Matthew, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you soon."

Matthew looked out the front door and watched Destiny until she disappeared around the corner of the hallway. That was his girlfriend walking away. He couldn't believe was the freaking man! 'Give it up for kid Buchanan, the playa from the Himalayas' he thought to himself.

He shut the door and swaggered to the couch, kicking his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. 'What the hell is a playa from the Himalayas?' Matthew laughed it off figuring it was something he had yet to remember. He'd dream about it soon enough he figured.