After the night they had experienced tonight, neither Matt or Payton fancied being alone, so they drove back to Matt's and decided to spend the night there, rather than being alone with their minds circling with worry.
Once they had got inside Matt's house, the two of them slipped off their jackets and shoes, a strange silence and atmosphere over them, Payton knowing it was due to her little move on him earlier on and how they hadn't been right ever since then.
She was beginning to regret being so forward, but it was what she had wnated at the time and wanted to thank him in someway for how much of a help he had been to her the past few months they had been close.
Matt took some whiskey off one of the shelves in the kitchen, before grabbing a glass and going to pour himself some of the alcohol.
"You just sobered up and now you want to drink again?" Payton questioned him with a small frown.
"I'm tired," he responded to her, filling his glass, "I need to take the edge off."
"I'll join you." She told him, going over and taking a glass herself.
The two wondered through into the sitting room, before taking a seat down on the couch, Matt poured her glass and then handed it over to her, "Here."
"Cheers." Payton responded, taking it from him and clicking their glasses together.
The two downed the liquid in the glass, before they both pulled away and winced slightly at the harshness of the booze when it hit the back of their throats. Matt leant over to go pour himself another one, as Payton felt her nerves kick in over this uncomfortable atmosphere that surronded them.
"Look Matt..."
She went to say but Matt quickly cut her off, stopping her from giving him some explanation. He knew what she was going to say, he didn't want to hear it nor did he want to go over it.
Payton didn't have to do that or even bring it up.
"Just don't..." He trailed off, taking a sip from his newly poured drink.
"No," She shook her head, needing to be honest with him, however else would they get over this tension, "I should have..."
Laying his glass back down onto the table, Matt quickly turned back round to face her, where he leant his hand on her waist and smashed his lips against her instantly, stopping her from talking completely this time.
Being taken by surprise by his sudden physical actions towards her, Payton instantly eased up to the feeling of Matt's lips on her own. She began to kiss him back, her hands moving up his chest and towards his neck, enjoying every minute of this passionate embrace they were sharing.
They didn't even know why they were doing it nor that there was any feelings involved.
More just a desperation to feel needed, cure the sexual frustration they were both experiencing from being single, to thank each other for being so supportive and release some of that negative energy they both had about being in this messed up town.
Payton carefully climbed on top Matt's lap, before he hooked his hands under her arse and squeezed her cheeks tightly, causing her to moan at his touch and rock her hips into his.
Feeling her getting more into it, Matt run his hands under her t-shirt and began to take it off her. Once it was off and she was sat in her lacy black bra, Matt pulled off his own t-shirt and placed his lips along her jawline, down to her neck and around her shoulders.
Moaning more at his touch, Payton ran her fingers along his back, causing him to grunt at her touch and it wasn't long before Matt was laying her body down on the couch, supporting his own weight so he didn't crush her.
He quickly unbuckled his belt whilst Payton pulled down his zipper, wanting to get this over with and feel some sort of pleasure from this experience to numb the feelings she really felt inside her grieving, vampire, tired mind set.
It was just like that day when they had found themselves in that sexual encounter on the couch, it was just like then, even this time it was more passionate and hungry, both of them knowing what made each other weak and tremble from the last time.
Payton couldn't imagine herself being sexual with any friend other than Matt.
And for some strange reason, she was glad it was him she was having sex with.
Because she didn't have to care, nor did she have to feel an attachment.
And the great thing was when they woke the next morning, it was never awkward nor was it spoke about.
They just got on with their lives, which for Payton meant heading to work to start her lunch shift until early on this evening. Her Dad had texted her earlier that morning to say he was going to be at the Grill for a drink, so he would hopefully see her soon when her shift had started.
Alaric wanted to know if she was alright and how she was coping. Surprisingly, the last few days had been slightly better, there was the odd occasion that she nearly slipped up, but so far everything was being managed and going a lot better than she had expected.
Payton headed back to the apartment to shower, get changed, have something to eat and then she made her way to work. When she got there, her Dad hadn't shown up yet, but thankfully she was working at the bar for the first few hours, so it meant she could serve him and have a conversation with him properly whilst still doing her job.
She had just come back through to the bar with some freshly washed glasses in her hands, ready to now be put away, when she saw her Dad jump up onto a bar stool and glance over at her when he saw his daughter emerge from out back.
"Hello." Payton greeted him, putting the box on top of the bar top.
"That was good timing." He commented with a smile.
"What are you having?" She asked.
"The usual." Alaric answered, as Payton nodded back at him.
Getting a clean pint glass out from the box, she began to fill it with her Dad's usual order and once it was done, she laid it on top of a coaster in front of him, as he handed over the cash for the drink.
Taking it from him with a smile, Payton put the notes into the cash register and then gave him back his change, before she asked, "So how are you? Didn't Jeremy leave this morning?"
"Yep," Alaric nodded, picking up his beer and taking a small sip out of it, "one of the reasons I've decided to show up here and also to see my daughter. How are you getting on?"
"I'm good, yeah," She informed him, taking the clean glasses out of the box and beginning to put them away under the bar, "I think I needed to get to that party last night."
"When Elena told me you showed up, I was pleasantly surprised," He explained with a smile, "I'm glad you had fun and weren't moping around the apartment all night."
"Moping?" Payton raised her brows up at him, somewhat offended, "I don't mope."
"Yeah you do, Payton. If I don't invite you over or you're not working, you just mope around the place." He smirked.
"Well I didn't mope alone last night. I moped with the teenagers of Mystic Falls." She replied.
"And it did you good, I bet," Alaric nodded, "despite the drama what came afterwards, you saved the day."
"Well, I tried to. I couldn't exactly stop Stefan from taking Elena, but I managed to save Matt and helped Caroline." Payton smiled.
"Exactly," He returened the look, "you do belong here, Payton."
"Maybe." She looked down at the bar for a brief moment, feeling uncomfortable about this subject, Payton didn't want to talk about her feelings with her father when she was feeling relativity alright for once.
Thankfully Payton didn't have to go down that road with him, when Doctor Fell from the hospital the other night approached the bar and joined her father on the stool beside him.
"Thank god," Doctor Fell breathed, looking back at Alaric, "another day drinker. I lost a patient, what's your excuse?"
"I put a kid on a plane," He informed her, before looking up at Payton, "and my daughter works here, you remember Payton, right?"
Doctor Fell glanced over at Payton for the first time since coming there, she was surprised to see her behind the bar working, "Yes, of course. Hey again."
"Hi," Payton greeted her back friendly, "Can I get you anything?"
"I'll have the same as him." Doctor Fell said.
Payton nodded back at her, before getting to work on making her drink, whilst the two continued their conversation. Her eyes flickered between the beer she was making and her father, the charming look he was giving this woman suddenly made alarm bells go off in her head, he so liked her and had the hots for her. It was a look she hadn't seen from her father in a long time, but god it made her think about all the opportunities now she had to tease him.
"Was it yours? Do you have another kid that you had to put on a plane?" Doctor Fell questioned.
"No," He shook his head with a slight frown, "it's a long story."
"Well good job I've ordered a beer," Doctor Fell smirked, "you can pay."
Alaric smirked back at her, as Payton put the beer down onto the counter top and watched her father pull out some of the change Payton had given him not long before. Taking the coins from him, she wondered back over to the register, then continued on with filling up the under the bar with fresh glasses.
Payton had spent the past half an hour serving customers at the bar, putting away the glasses, helping with tidying up and cleaning, when Doctor Fell finally left the bar and headed back to work, leaving Alaric alone and a happy look plastered all over his face.
"Well I haven't seen that look in a long time."
Alaric snapped his head back up to look at his daughter, who had now wondered over to talk to him from the other end of the bar, "What?"
"You know, your 'love' face." Payton teased him.
"What?" He scoffed nervously, "I don't have a 'love' face."
"Sorry, but you do." She smirked lightly, taking the two empty beers off the counter.
"Alright, Payton." Alaric shook his head amused, but also annoyed that she was so good at reading him.
"Soooo, do you like her?" Payton found herself saying, when she put the dirty glasses away, "you two seemed to gel well together."
"She's alright yeah." He kept his answer minimal.
"Alright?" She raised her brows up in disbelief, "Are you serious? She's a doctor, she has to be at least intilligent. Plus she's gorgeous and clearly into you."
"Payton," Alaric began to chuckle, not that he didn't agree with her, but how they were even having this conversation, "we've never discussed my love life, like ever."
"Well maybe we should more, because you've made some poor choices over the years..." Payton trailed off, clearly referring to one woman in particular.
"I agree," He nodded, also knowing who she was on about, "but I'm not rushing into anything yet."
"Sure you're not," She raised her eyebrows up mischievously, "because it's not like you agreed to meet her for food tomorrow or anything..."
"Payton." Alaric grumbled, he should have known she heard that.
"Vampire hearing works like a treat when you need it to," Payton picked up the box off now dirty glasses and began to walk out the back, "Goodbye, Dad."
Alaric shook his head again, amused by his daughter and this situation. He was pleased to see she was starting to act more like herself. The usual teasing and mocking of him was back. Alaric was hopeful this wouldn't the last he saw of his daughter getting herself back on track.
Because god, he had really missed fun Payton.
Payton began to untie her apron from around her waist the next day at her next shift, when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her back and a face nuzzle into the side of her neck, making her squeal and turn round to face the person.
"Matt!" Payton exclaimed, surprised but also knowing it would have been him, "Hey, you."
"Hello." He smiled back at her, opening up his own locker and getting out his apron, just as she was putting her's away.
The two hadn't seen each other or hardly spoken much since the encounter the other night, it was slightly nerve racking to be back around one another, but it always died off quickly and they were able to move past it.
"I was just going on my break and popping over to see my Dad as he's at the apartment working out." Payton explained to him, grabbing her jacket and putting it on.
"Oh," The teenager was disappointed to hear she wasn't going to be starting with him today, "you'll be back though, right?"
"Yes," She nodded in conformation, "I won't be too long."
"Okay." He was the one doing the nodding this time.
"Great," Payton smiled lightly at him, "Well I'll head on over, then I'll be back."
She gave him one last look, before brushing past him and going to go back through into the Grill then out the exit, when Matt grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into him with a mischievous look.
"What are you doing?" Payton glanced up at him, an uncontrollable smile on her face as she laid her hands on his chest.
"I missed you, Payton." Matt informed her.
"Matt," She couldn't help but laugh, "we said no attatchments..."
"No there isn't any," He assured her, as he wrapped his arms around her, "but I have been missing you. Could we maybe, you know?"
"What?" Payton was surprised at his request, they didn't normally arrange things like that, they normally just fell into them, "Seriously?"
"Yeah," Matt's smirk grew on his face, "unless you don't..."
"I don't know what to say," She was kind of lost for words for the first time in her life, "I mean, I do want to, but I just didn't know we would make this a regular thing."
"Just think about it. I'm working late tonight, so it doesn't even have to be later, it can be whenever," He suggested to her, "I just need you, ok?"
"Matt," Payton said his name again with a small chuckle, "you're so naughty."
"I can't help it." Matt smirked.
"Alright, well I will think about it," She patted his chest, as he let go of her and she began to walk towards the door, "I'll be back soon. Hang on in there."
Rolling her eyes playfully at him and his naughtiness, Payton wandered into the Grill and headed out the exit to the town centre. Going across the street, she went over to her Dad's apartment where she could already see the light was on, where he was working out inside.
Once she got up to the apartment, she put her key in and came inside, her Dad was sitting on the weightlifting machine, working on his arm muscles and a smile fell on his lips when he saw her come through.
"Hey." Payton called over to him, as she wandered into the kitchen and went to get a blood bag out of the fridge.
"Hello," Alaric responded, laying the weight down and looking over at her, "how's work going?"
"Yeah good," She nodded her head, before ripping open a blood bag and pouring it into a glass, her Dad watching her uncomfortably, never thinking he was going to get use to seeing her do that, "how come you came over here to work out today?"
"I needed a bit of a breather from the Gilbert house and I do miss this place." He informed her, looking around the apartment his daughter had took residence at.
Payton slowly nodded, going over to the stool near the counter top and jumping up on to it, "How was your date?"
"It wasn't a date, Payton." Alaric corrected her.
"Sure it wasn't," She rolled her eyes in annoyance at her Dad's quest to be quiet about his new woman, the woman who was his doctor just days before, "so how did the lunch go?"
"Yeah great," He answered her, going back to his weights as she began to drink, "we're going to have dinner together soon."
"Ooohhh," Payton raised her brows up teasingly, "you know what comes next."
"Knock it off, Payton." Alaric ignored her teasing, but a small smirk did fall across his face.
"Can I ask you something?" She asked him, putting her half empty blood glass on the kitchen counter.
"Sure. What's going on?" He looked over at her curiously.
"Well, say someone you're kind of close to, you occasionally hang out in a certain way at random times and now they're wanting you to actually make arrangements to hang out in this particular way," Payton began to ramble her way through her explanation, "and you're not so sure you want to because you feel guilty..."
Alaric stopped what he was doing, giving her a confused look as he did so, "What? What are you on about?"
"Dad," She breathed in annoyance, really not wanting to have to explain properly what she was referring to, it was the Matt situation and it wasn't exactly a topic she'd want to bring up in front of her father, "please, it's nothing to do with vampires and blood if that's what you're worried about."
"Well I'm glad to hear it, but I still have no idea what you're on about." He frowned.
"I don't know whether to accept this person's offer or not because of the bad feelings I get. I feel like I've cheated or something, you know?" Payton lowered her head slightly.
From the way Payton was talking, Alaric was almost beginning to wonder whether she had met someone new, that she wanted to meet with them officially, but didn't know if she could because of the guilt she experienced due to not being with Mason not so long ago.
If this was the case, he was thrilled to learn she had started dating again and was moving on from Mason. It would do her the world of good.
But that was far from the truth.
She wasn't moving on. But she was sleeping around with Matt, one of Alaric's students, also one of their friend's and Payton's closest friend since moving here.
"Payton," Her Dad caught her attention, bringing her head back up to him, "are you dating someone?"
Before Payton could decline the suggestion, there was a loud knock at the door and she quickly hopped off her stool, rushing over to the sink to put the glass inside it, so whoever this guest was who didn't know about the supernatural didn't wonder why the hell there was a glass of blood just sitting there.
She was glad whoever was behind this door for showing up, because Payton was regretting reaching out to her Dad and explaining her situation, when it was just leading to more questions she didn't want to answer.
Going over to the door, Payton pulled it open and felt her face fall when she saw an arrogant grinning, tall, dark and menacing looking Damon behind it. Without giving it much thought, she went to slam the door on his face, but the older vampire put his foot in the way and stopped it from shutting on his face.
"Urgh." Payton groaned, before backing up and wandering back into the apartment.
Alaric frowned at his daughter's strange behaviour, but when he saw Damon walk inside, he knew exactly why she had reacted the way she did when opening the door to their guest.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, continuing with his weights.
"Ah, looking for a bunny," Damon wondered through into the kitchen space, looking into the cooking pot on the stove, whilst Payton took her seat up the counter again, giving the other vampire in the room a weird look, "You're good. For now."
"You're still obsessed with Meredith?" Alaric presumed, causing Payton to frown back at him.
"Meredith?" She repeated, then put the pieces together, "oh you mean your date."
"That's the one." Damon confirmed.
"Ah, what I really meant to say was, don't you have an original vampire to worry about?" Alaric teased his friend, putting the weights down and sitting up.
"Ah, ah, ah, do ten more of those," Damon instructed to his friend, as he poured himself some whiskey into a mug, "you're going to want to buff up if you start dating this one. Self defence and all."
"Give him a break." Payton shot at Damon in annoyance.
She wouldn't have him come in here and try ruin something good for her father when he deserved it more than anything.
Alaric got up from the bench and stared at Damon, "What is your problem?"
"Your doctor vervained me," Damon informed them, coming over to take a seat on the armchair, "and then she bloodjacked me."
"What?" Alaric and Payton both said stunned to hear this.
Surely Damon had to be lying, right?"
"When did you even see her?" Alaric asked.
"When I went to the hospital to accuse her of killing her ex-boyfriend," Damon explained, as Payton gave her Dad a look, "which, by the way, very sensitive subject."
"Is that true? You picked another killer as a girlfriend?" Payton found herself asking in amazement that her Dad had gone for another psycho again.
Alaric ignored Payton's questioning, instead he had to know what his friend was up to, "Damon, what the hell are you doing, huh?"
"Why are you mad at me?" Damon quizzed in surprise.
"I told you I'd handle this!" Alaric snapped back.
"I proved your theory, diagnosed psycho case," Damon said as Payton came to stand with them, "you're welcome."
"I think I'm going to head back to work after that." Payton announced, patting her Dad on the chest, before brushing past him and heading over to the door.
Alaric took his glaring eyes off Damon for a brief moment to see Payton leave, "Hey," he called making her stop and turn round to him, "our conversation from earlier, that's not finished."
Alaric wanted to find out what Payton really meant when she wanted his advice on the matter she had brought up. Yet she wasn't going to give it to him that easily.
"Whatever you say." Payton smirked, before she pulled open the door and stepped out, heading back to work to face Matt and finish the rest of her shift for that day.
When she arrived back, Payton decided to push all her confusing worries about her Dad's new choice of love interest in this Meredith, how annoying Damon was and the fact she still had to decide whether she was going to accept Matt on his offer.
Part of her wanted to.
She wanted to be able to feel wanted and needed again, she wanted the distraction, to not only make herself feel incredible, but also to be able to give someone else that same pleasure.
But the other part of her didn't want to.
Payton didn't want to complicate things between them.
What if one of them fell for the other and the other didn't like them back? What if they got busted by more than just Elena, Caroline and Bonnie? What if Damon found out and mocked her? What if her Dad found out and was ashamed she was being used for sex and she was also using them in the same way? What if Tyler found out and got angry at her for supposedly 'forgetting' about Mason?
Plus she felt guilty if Mason was watching on from the other side, upset and hurt that she was just throwing herself around like this for him to see.
But he had wanted her to move on and be happy.
Whilst she wasn't jumping into any old relationship, she was trying to be happy and start rebuilding her life. It was a slow process. But having friends like Matt aided to getting back to a good place and once she was ready to, she knew she'd be able to move on.
Mason wasn't going to come back and the more the days passed, the more she began to accept the reality of that.
Payton had just finished wiping down the bar surface, when she put the rag under the bar and headed into the back to sign out for the day, putting her apron into her locker, before getting her jacket and bag out ready to head back to the apartment.
As she had just finished shutting up her locker, a familiar face she had been meaning to talk to before she left came out from the back, a smile forming on both of their faces when their eyes met.
"You finishing for the night?" Matt guessed from how long she had been here and her leaving attire was on.
"Yes," She nodded, before locking her locker up and looking back at him, "so you're finishing at closing?"
"Yep," He nodded, before a small groan followed, "I wish you were doing the later shift with me. I'll be all on my lonesome."
"You don't have to spend the whole night alone," Payton stepped forward to him with a mischievous look, her hand's landing on his chest, where she began to run her fingers up it, "you're very welcome to come over later for you know..."
"Seriously?" He beamed back at her in surprise, earlier she had sounded so unsure, but this was a different side of her and he loved it.
"Uh-huh," She nodded, before biting her lip, "what did you say?"
"I say I'll see you later." Matt smirked.
"See you later." Payton stepped away from him, before brushing past him and heading to the exit of the Grill, leaving Matt stunned in the middle of the room, completely not expecting that, but also super excited to see her later on.
When later on came, Payton and Matt didn't waste anytime going through with that they had to do. As soon as Matt walked through the door, Payton pinned him up against the back of it and began to kiss him.
She didn't know what came over tonight, but Payton was just wanting to enjoy herself and let loose. Whenever she did, it was then she felt the best. Like her Dad said, when she moped, Payton felt awful. But doing this with Matt, reminded her of what it felt like to be human and actually have feelings.
Even if they weren't romantic, they were passionate, hunger and drive for the desire she craved more than anything.
Everytime she got a thought of Mason in the back of her mind, Payton turned her attention back on Matt, making sure he was enjoying it as much as she was, knowing that there wasn't just her in this crazy situation they had sort of just become used to doing now.
Matt was also going through a hard time with all his friend suffering from the supernatural, he had lost his sister, she wasn't coming back just like Mason wasn't, he had lost Caroline to Tyler, who was also his ex best friend.
Matt was pretty lonely and needed Payton to feel less alone with everything he was going through.
I guess you could say, they were basically friend's with benefits.
Author note: Sorry this is more of a filler chapter, but for any Matt/Payton shippers I really hope you guys liked this one! I am still trying to aim for two uploads a week, so please bare with me on that, but life is so busy right now and I'm finding it hard to keep up with everything. I hope you understand 3
Special thanks to HPuni101, LMarie99, RHatch89, Nirvana14, WickedlyMinx and Adela for reviewing the last part. I still can't believe how many of you love Payton and Matt haha. You're making me rethink who's Payton end game is going to be come season 8. Yes, I do plan on writing that long. Also thank you to everyone who has read and hopefully enjoying as well :)
I'd love to hear your thoughts come next part,
guiltypleasurexo