Chapter 16 *
Shannon and Shane showed up so the four men sat around the table and were soon engrossed in discussing work and women. Shannon commented on how good Kirsten looked but instead of looking annoyed as Jeff expected he would be, Matt just said "Yeah, she's ok." Jeff looked at Matt wondering who had just taken over his brother's body and brain.
"She must be better than ok," Jeff said "you had her downstairs on the dance floor for every slow song that's been played tonight."
"Don't read into it man, have at her if you want to." With that Matt excused himself from the table and sauntered over to the bar where a blond in a black tight fitting jumpsuit was sitting and eyeing the 4 men at the table. Matt was engrossed in conversation with this woman when the girls returned from the dance floor looking for something cool and wet. The action down there was fast and it was getting hot and muggy. As they sat down Kirsten said her hellos to Shane and Shannon. She promptly apologized to Shane for being cranky at the movies and he shrugged it off-"We were both a bit curt-let's call it even." Kirsten was happy to oblige him with a cordial handshake. That behind them, Shannon started asking Kirsten the usual questions about herself when she felt eyes on them. She looked up and saw Matt at the bar next to a blond who had her back to the table. Kirsten was confused. She had just assumed that Matt was in the restroom or getting a new drink when she noticed him missing at the table upon her and Amy's arrival. The way Matt was touching the woman, Kirsten knew better than to think he was just standing there waiting for his drink order to be filled, nor was he talking to a familiar friend or acquaintance. Still she kept up her conversation with Shannon and he even asked her to dance. Seeing that it appeared as if Matt was not going to return to the table, she accepted and went back to the floor.
When they left, Amy grabbed Jeff and followed them. On the way down she looked at him and asked "What the heck is going on here?"
"I have no idea-he just started acting indifferent when Shane and Shannon showed up."
"He didn't give you any indication that Kirsten had done something wrong did he?"
"No, he just seemed less enthused about her as soon as Shannon said she looked good."
"What the? Man sometimes I don't get him. For as much time as we are around one another you'd think I'd have him pegged by now but its times like this when he confuses the hell out of me."
"We have to leave tomorrow night-he better re-think this if he doesn't want to leave her thinking that she upset him somehow."
"I know." Amy was stunned. She had never seen Matt act like this without good reason. She wondered if he didn't really like her and only acted otherwise for Amy's sake. He knew Amy needed some normal female friends, she was always regretting the absence of one or two in her life. She made this known to Matt on several occasions. She never thought that she had pushed him to like Kirsten in that way just b/c she wanted her around. But Amy could have sworn she noticed Matt looking at her in the car.
Her dance was over with Jeff so they went back upstairs and Amy tried to draw Matt away from the blond. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"
"Actually, I was just coming to see if you guys could ride home with Shane and Shannon. I'm leaving now."
"You're kidding right? With her? What the hell is your major malfunction?"
"Look I don't want to talk about this now-can you or not?"
"What am I supposed to tell Kirsten?"
"Whatever you want to-this wasn't my idea-it wasn't a date, It was your supposed girls night out remember?"
"Are you drunk?"
"Maybe, maybe not. But I'm out of here." Matt turned and walked back to the girl at the bar as she was paying for her bill. She took the lead and Matt followed her out. Amy and Jeff could not believe their eyes. Matt was gone seconds before Kirsten and Shannon returned. Kirsten thanked him for the dance and sat down to catch her breath. She noticed on the way up the stairs that Matt was not at the table and not at the bar. The blond was gone too. She put two and two together when she heard Amy ask Shane to take them all home. Her heart sank. What did she do? She was beginning to feel like she was going to be ill and whispered to Amy to see if the guys would consider leaving now. Amy reported that Shane was getting tired and had not objected to leaving. They quickly gathered their things and made their way out into the fresh air.
Monique eyed several fingers and toes, supposing it was time to exit her sanctuary seeing as they sufficiently resembled raisins. That and the fact Brian had stopped singing. Reaching up with her foot, she depressed the drain to let the water out. She stood up with a cup full of lukewarm water and ran it over her shoulders to rinse off any remaining suds. Next, she grabbed the big blue towel draped over the closed hamper and stepping out onto the bathmat she wrapped it around herself in one fluid motion. Turning off the bathroom light, she made her way into her room where the candles were still going strong. Quickly drying off, she proceeded to treat her skin to a long overdue touch of lotion. The sun ripened raspberry from Bath and Body Works matched the scents of the room. Dry skin attended to, Monique went to the dresser, pulled a T-shirt and some leggings to throw on. She let her hair down, gave it a once over with the brush, brushed her teeth, took her vitamins and strolled to bed. The covers looked too inviting-the familiarity was nice. Knowing the candles would burn themselves out safely, she slid under the covers.
Matt was not drunk at all. He was completely in control of his heart, mind and senses. No sooner had he gotten in position to open the woman's door when something akin to lightening flashed him back into reality. He didn't want this woman any more than he wanted to hurt Kirsten. Praying fervently that it wasn't too late, he escorted the blond through the parking lot to her own car. Matt couldn't spare the time to even mutter some lame excuse or apology, frankly, he didn't care. She was the type who'd go back into the club, and soon find a new fool to offer the same proposition to. Women like her were a dime a dozen and he was sick of them. Matt longed for a change-hopefully what he wanted was still willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
The fresh air filled Kirsten's nostrils whisking away the smoke and she started to feel better. Unbeknownst to Amy and Jeff, Kirsten caught sight of Matt walking the woman to a car-thankfully not his. She was keenly aware that he didn't seem to delay in his retreat from her-only to go back into the opposite entrance of the club. She was struggling with so many emotions and feeling instantly nauseous, she couldn't focus on him anymore. She just wanted to go home, to her bed and forget it all.
Shane and Shannon arrived with the car and as one, Jeff and Amy assisted Kirsten into the back seat. Kirsten praying to not make a fool of herself by passing out or something worse. She looked at Amy and said, "Next time, girls night out equals no guys, and no drinks OK?"
Amy just smiled and replied "I promise girl. We'll go do something tame, get various body parts pierced, or our nails done, or get you another tattoo. How's that sound?"
"You call that TAME?" asked Kirsten.
The 3 men couldn't suppress a laugh. Even being half out of it, Kirsten still had control over that sense of humor. Suddenly Jeff started barking out directions- "Shane, take this right-hurry up, get in the other lane!"
"What the? What for?"
"Jeff we have to get Kirsten home, now is not the time for you to want to wander aimlessly around Wal-Mart."
"I'm not going to wander, I know exactly what I want-it will take me 5 minutes and I'm out ok?"
Shannon and Shane showed up so the four men sat around the table and were soon engrossed in discussing work and women. Shannon commented on how good Kirsten looked but instead of looking annoyed as Jeff expected he would be, Matt just said "Yeah, she's ok." Jeff looked at Matt wondering who had just taken over his brother's body and brain.
"She must be better than ok," Jeff said "you had her downstairs on the dance floor for every slow song that's been played tonight."
"Don't read into it man, have at her if you want to." With that Matt excused himself from the table and sauntered over to the bar where a blond in a black tight fitting jumpsuit was sitting and eyeing the 4 men at the table. Matt was engrossed in conversation with this woman when the girls returned from the dance floor looking for something cool and wet. The action down there was fast and it was getting hot and muggy. As they sat down Kirsten said her hellos to Shane and Shannon. She promptly apologized to Shane for being cranky at the movies and he shrugged it off-"We were both a bit curt-let's call it even." Kirsten was happy to oblige him with a cordial handshake. That behind them, Shannon started asking Kirsten the usual questions about herself when she felt eyes on them. She looked up and saw Matt at the bar next to a blond who had her back to the table. Kirsten was confused. She had just assumed that Matt was in the restroom or getting a new drink when she noticed him missing at the table upon her and Amy's arrival. The way Matt was touching the woman, Kirsten knew better than to think he was just standing there waiting for his drink order to be filled, nor was he talking to a familiar friend or acquaintance. Still she kept up her conversation with Shannon and he even asked her to dance. Seeing that it appeared as if Matt was not going to return to the table, she accepted and went back to the floor.
When they left, Amy grabbed Jeff and followed them. On the way down she looked at him and asked "What the heck is going on here?"
"I have no idea-he just started acting indifferent when Shane and Shannon showed up."
"He didn't give you any indication that Kirsten had done something wrong did he?"
"No, he just seemed less enthused about her as soon as Shannon said she looked good."
"What the? Man sometimes I don't get him. For as much time as we are around one another you'd think I'd have him pegged by now but its times like this when he confuses the hell out of me."
"We have to leave tomorrow night-he better re-think this if he doesn't want to leave her thinking that she upset him somehow."
"I know." Amy was stunned. She had never seen Matt act like this without good reason. She wondered if he didn't really like her and only acted otherwise for Amy's sake. He knew Amy needed some normal female friends, she was always regretting the absence of one or two in her life. She made this known to Matt on several occasions. She never thought that she had pushed him to like Kirsten in that way just b/c she wanted her around. But Amy could have sworn she noticed Matt looking at her in the car.
Her dance was over with Jeff so they went back upstairs and Amy tried to draw Matt away from the blond. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"
"Actually, I was just coming to see if you guys could ride home with Shane and Shannon. I'm leaving now."
"You're kidding right? With her? What the hell is your major malfunction?"
"Look I don't want to talk about this now-can you or not?"
"What am I supposed to tell Kirsten?"
"Whatever you want to-this wasn't my idea-it wasn't a date, It was your supposed girls night out remember?"
"Are you drunk?"
"Maybe, maybe not. But I'm out of here." Matt turned and walked back to the girl at the bar as she was paying for her bill. She took the lead and Matt followed her out. Amy and Jeff could not believe their eyes. Matt was gone seconds before Kirsten and Shannon returned. Kirsten thanked him for the dance and sat down to catch her breath. She noticed on the way up the stairs that Matt was not at the table and not at the bar. The blond was gone too. She put two and two together when she heard Amy ask Shane to take them all home. Her heart sank. What did she do? She was beginning to feel like she was going to be ill and whispered to Amy to see if the guys would consider leaving now. Amy reported that Shane was getting tired and had not objected to leaving. They quickly gathered their things and made their way out into the fresh air.
Monique eyed several fingers and toes, supposing it was time to exit her sanctuary seeing as they sufficiently resembled raisins. That and the fact Brian had stopped singing. Reaching up with her foot, she depressed the drain to let the water out. She stood up with a cup full of lukewarm water and ran it over her shoulders to rinse off any remaining suds. Next, she grabbed the big blue towel draped over the closed hamper and stepping out onto the bathmat she wrapped it around herself in one fluid motion. Turning off the bathroom light, she made her way into her room where the candles were still going strong. Quickly drying off, she proceeded to treat her skin to a long overdue touch of lotion. The sun ripened raspberry from Bath and Body Works matched the scents of the room. Dry skin attended to, Monique went to the dresser, pulled a T-shirt and some leggings to throw on. She let her hair down, gave it a once over with the brush, brushed her teeth, took her vitamins and strolled to bed. The covers looked too inviting-the familiarity was nice. Knowing the candles would burn themselves out safely, she slid under the covers.
Matt was not drunk at all. He was completely in control of his heart, mind and senses. No sooner had he gotten in position to open the woman's door when something akin to lightening flashed him back into reality. He didn't want this woman any more than he wanted to hurt Kirsten. Praying fervently that it wasn't too late, he escorted the blond through the parking lot to her own car. Matt couldn't spare the time to even mutter some lame excuse or apology, frankly, he didn't care. She was the type who'd go back into the club, and soon find a new fool to offer the same proposition to. Women like her were a dime a dozen and he was sick of them. Matt longed for a change-hopefully what he wanted was still willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
The fresh air filled Kirsten's nostrils whisking away the smoke and she started to feel better. Unbeknownst to Amy and Jeff, Kirsten caught sight of Matt walking the woman to a car-thankfully not his. She was keenly aware that he didn't seem to delay in his retreat from her-only to go back into the opposite entrance of the club. She was struggling with so many emotions and feeling instantly nauseous, she couldn't focus on him anymore. She just wanted to go home, to her bed and forget it all.
Shane and Shannon arrived with the car and as one, Jeff and Amy assisted Kirsten into the back seat. Kirsten praying to not make a fool of herself by passing out or something worse. She looked at Amy and said, "Next time, girls night out equals no guys, and no drinks OK?"
Amy just smiled and replied "I promise girl. We'll go do something tame, get various body parts pierced, or our nails done, or get you another tattoo. How's that sound?"
"You call that TAME?" asked Kirsten.
The 3 men couldn't suppress a laugh. Even being half out of it, Kirsten still had control over that sense of humor. Suddenly Jeff started barking out directions- "Shane, take this right-hurry up, get in the other lane!"
"What the? What for?"
"Jeff we have to get Kirsten home, now is not the time for you to want to wander aimlessly around Wal-Mart."
"I'm not going to wander, I know exactly what I want-it will take me 5 minutes and I'm out ok?"