Chapter 14:
"Baby, are you going to come down and say goodbye?" Matt yelled out.
Isabelle ran down the stairs and hugged her father, "Goodbye," she said cheekily.
Matt bent down and picked her up, "I love you."
"I love you too Dad," she said back.
"And I'll be back in three sleeps," he said reassuringly.
"I know," she smiled.
He kissed her on the forehead and put her down, "Can you go get your Mom for me?"
He watched Isabelle as she retrieved Ashley from the kitchen.
"Were you cooking?" he asked as Isabelle led her by hand into the room.
Ashley laughed, "Have I ever cooked?"
Matt leaned forward and kissed her, "No, you haven't…what was I thinking?"
She smiled, knocking him on the arm as she held her daughter's hand, "So you're back home Wednesday afternoon?"
He nodded, assenting to her question. "That sounds about right."
"Awesome. I have a signing in Charleston on Thursday, so that should work out," she added.
"It should,' he agreed with a smile. 'I should get going Ash," he said, picking up his bag.
"I'll see you in a couple of days babe."
He wrapped his arms around her body and rubbed her back slowly before kissing her softly, "A couple of days," he agreed.
"You ready to go?" Sam asked.
Amy roughly threw a pair of pants into her bag. "I am now."
He laughed, "You always leave it to the last minute."
"It's all a part of my charm," she said boldly as she zipped up the bag.
He placed his arms around her waist and kissed her softly on the neck, "I can't argue with that."
She extended her neck instinctively, "Stop doing that," she moaned.
"Why?" he asked, kissing her once more.
"Because I won't want to leave," she explained.
Sam chuckled, "Is that such a bad thing?"
"It wouldn't normally be, but I'm already pushing it with this flight," she said, stepping away from him.
He looked at his watch, "I've got the morning off, did you want a ride to Raleigh?" he offered.
Amy shook her head, "I'll just leave my car at the airport. It's no hassle," she added.
"Okay," Sam concluded.
She leaned forward and kissed him, "You're very sweet though."
He kissed her again, "I'll see you on Wednesday."
Amy picked up her bag, "One o'clock."
Matt readjusted his bag on his shoulder as he walked toward his seat. As he looked down, he saw Amy.
"22A?" she asked.
He nodded, "Yeah, 22B?"
Amy nodded, "It looks like we're together again."
He laughed, "Looks like it."
Matt opened the over head compartment and placed his bag in there.
Amy took out her headphones and turned off her iPod as Matt sat down in the seat.
"Where are you heading to after Denver?" Matt asked.
"Colorado Springs," she replied.
"Me too. Have you organised a car yet?"
Amy shook her head, "I guess I have now."
"Great, that means I just saved a crisp fifty." He smiled in a pageant fashion.
"Fifty into the college fund?" Amy sniggered.
"No, fifty into the Boxter fund." He snapped his fingers.
"You are over the Corvette?" she asked.
"No, I just plant to add to the collection."
She drank from her water bottle, "And the college fund?"
"Let's not talk about that," he smiled.
Amy looked out the window, "Ready for take off?"
"Hell yeah," Matt replied with a hint of sarcasm.
They both pulled off their headphones as the video ended.
Matt looked down the aisle and saw a man and woman attempt to subtly exit the bathroom separately.
He turned to Amy, "Check it out; someone just joined the mile high club."
Amy leaned over him to look, "Good for them."
Matt thought for a moment, "We never got around to doing that did we?"
"No, and I really am okay with that," she said as she tried to make the seat more comfortable, adjusting her body.
Matt agreed, "Me too."
"Aeroplane bathrooms are nasty," she added.
Matt nodded, "They are."
Amy looked at her watch, "We should change the subject…that was kind of disturbing. Um, dinner?"
"How did you find dinner?" he asked.
"Great. Isabelle is incredible and Ash, I really do regret not getting to know her better. You're lucky Matt." Amy admitted.
"Yeah, I am. What about Sam? Tell me about him."
"I told you about him," Amy countered.
"No, you gave me the liberal politically correct version."
"Are you sure?" she asked one more time.
Matt nodded forcefully.
"Okay, he's tall, and very benign. He hates that I'm gone four or five days out of the week, but he puts up with my shit anyway. He's incredibly patient and is one of the few people who can give me a run for my money, music trivia wise. What else?' she continued. 'Well, he um, he loves to watch really bad TV with me at three in the morning and his favourite song is Stairway to Heaven and while it is clichéd, it's so him. He loves to write in the middle of the night, and sleep all day and he hogs the covers in the middle of winter."
"Is there anything else?" Matt added.
Amy smiled. "And he loves me."
"You're happy?" He looked at her face and saw it light up.
"I'm happy." She drank from her water.
"I'm glad."
Amy put down the water bottle, "That means a lot to hear you say it."
"Dude, let's not get sentimental," he said, trying to change the atmosphere of the conversation.
Amy defended herself. "Hey, I am not that chick; I am not the soppy sentimental chick."
"And you love him?" Matt enquired.
Amy did not reply and Matt knew the answer.
"He's a fortunate guy," he finished.
Amy returned the question, "And Ashley?"
"I really do,' he answered. 'Is it the same for you?"
"What do you mean?" Amy was confused
"I mean, you and Sam, is it the same as you and me?"
"No," she responded flatly.
"How?" He was curious.
"I was with you twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. We travelled together, you were apart of my life in every aspect. We were together every night," she finished.
"I don't get it," Matt added.
"I was in love with you Matt…but now I love Sam. It can never be the same, you're two different guys, and I'm a different person now…I've changed. But you want to know the difference?"
Matt indicated agreement.
"He wants me more than I want him."
"And that's a good thing?" He was once again perplexed.
"I was always the one chasing you, and I got sick of it. Even after the first time we were together, we exchanged numbers, but I was the one calling you up and constantly initiating the different facets of our relationship. Sam's there, he wants me, bullshit and fucking all of me Matt…that's the difference. There was a part of me you never wanted."
"Which was?" Matt wanted to know.
"The part you never trusted."
Matt disagreed, "I trusted you Amy."
"No you didn't," she retorted.
"I trusted you, right up until Adam and you know that."
"That's not true. You knew how we started. I was still with Beau when we hooked up for the first time, and for a long time after that. I didn't end it with him until we were well into our little drama. From then on, you never trusted me one hundred percent."
Mat shook his head, "That's bullshit."
Amy raised her hands defensively, "Okay, I'm sorry. Can we move on?"
"You know what? We already have," Matt said reassuringly.
"Are you going to bring that up every time we get into a disagreement?" she queried.
Matt shook his head, "No, but when you say I never trusted you…that's different."