He'd tried to call three times now. Abby stared at the screen of her phone that said "3 missed calls" and sighed. It was probably almost a year since she'd slept with the cute Irish guy with the flirty eyes and soft accent, and had pretty much forgotten about him until now. Part of her was intrigued as to why he was trying to contact her now after all of this time. The rest of her was scared.
She'd pushed him to the back of her mind after that night, just as she'd done all the other one night stands she'd had, and got on with her life. Her new job with the government was exciting and already taking over every spare minute she had, so it was only three weeks later when she realised that her period was late that her thoughts turned back to Matt. How could she have been so stupid as to sleep with a guy she barely knew and not use protection? She knew she should be worried about a long list of sexually transmitted diseases, but right then her concern was whether she was pregnant or not.
There wasn't anyone she felt she could turn to for support. The few friends she'd had at college had all moved on and she hadn't been in contact with them for over a year, and the only person she could even vaguely call a friend was her flat mate, Connor Temple. He was a decent guy, but she couldn't picture him being able to give her the advice she needed. Fortunately, the day she decided to go and get a pregnancy test from the local chemist, she got her period and the panic was over. From then on, Abby vowed that she really would stop jumping into bed with any guy that paid her a little attention.
So what did she do now? If he'd called a few weeks ago, she'd have just ignored the calls, but the last couple of weeks had been very difficult and she suddenly felt a need to reach out to someone that wasn't connected to the ARC. Three days ago, they'd buried Professor Cutter and it hurt to even think about him. He'd been almost like a father to her recently and he'd guided her and supported her. Connor had been absolutely devastated, and she'd pushed aside her own grief to help him. The ARC needed Connor more than ever now, and she had to make sure he got back into the game as soon as possible. As a consequence, she hadn't allowed herself a proper release, and it seemed Matt had appeared at the right time.
Taking a deep breath, she pressed 'call back' and waited. It rang twice before he answered.
"Abby?"
That voice. Abby was thrown straight back to their first meeting at the zoo when he'd been asking her about what sort of reptile she'd recommend keeping and how she'd been distracted by the accent and his eyes.
"Yes, sorry I missed your calls. It was a bit of a surprise to see your name there after all of this time and I wasn't sure..."
"I understand. I suppose this is a bit out of the blue and I don't blame you for being cautious. I've been away for a few months, just got back last week and I'm in need of some company."
Abby closed her eyes. What sort of company was he looking for? He sounded lonely, and truth was, so was she. What harm would it be if she met up with him? "I'm not sure I'd be great company to be honest, a good friend died recently and I'm..." she blinked away a tear and continued. "But it would be nice to maybe have a drink yeah?"
"I'm sorry to hear about your friend," Matt said. "It sounds like you need someone to talk to? I'm a good listener."
"Do you know the coffee shop on the High street, opposite the train station?" He said that he did, and they arranged to meet there later that afternoon.
##
He was waiting for her when she arrived and he stood up as she came over and smiled. She ordered a small latte and joined him at the table. "I'm glad you came," he said. "I knew it was a bit of a long shot when I dialled your number, but one thing I've learnt recently is that life's too short to not take a chance."
Abby nodded. If she was upset over Cutter's death, it was nothing compared to what Jenny was going through. Abby knew that she liked Cutter, but had held back from actually telling him how she felt. Now it was too late, and she was regretting that she'd not taken that risk.
"I came looking for you," Matt continued. "Went to the zoo and they told me you'd left a while ago."
"Yeah, not long after we..." She felt her face burn with embarrassment.
He let out a small laugh and cleared his throat. "I thought about you a lot you know. I did think about asking you out again, but you made it pretty clear that you were only interested in a one off. Then my work took me away for a while and there wasn't much point in pursuing anything."
"What do you do?"
"I'm a botanist, specialise in rainforests mostly."
"Wow!" Abby couldn't help wondering how Matt would fit into the ARC team. He'd probably be blown away by some of the specimens in the labs there at the moment. If the team weren't still reeling from their recent losses, she would have suggested taking on a researcher.
"Not half as glamorous as it sounds, I'm afraid. I just spent the last 8 months up to my armpits in grime, gunge and countless unknown bacteria. But enough about me. Your friend. Do you mind me asking how he or she died? Illness?"
"He... Nick. It was... he was shot by his ex-wife."
Matt raised his eyebrows and reached across the table to hold Abby's hand. As they connected, Abby felt all of the grief she'd pushed aside come flooding back and it was taking all the strength she had not to cry. "That's something that must be pretty difficult to deal with?"
She nodded and bit on her lower lip, looking down as she tried to blink away the tears forming in her eyes. Without a word, Matt handed her a paper napkin from the table then squeezed her hand. "Do you want to go somewhere a little more private? I can take you home if you like?"
"I don't want to go home," she said. "But I don't want to stay here where everyone can see."
"Okay, well how about my place then? I think it's tidy enough to accept visitors."
Abby found herself agreeing and moments later she was in Matt's car going to his flat. With hindsight, Abby realised it was probably not the best thing to be doing, but she also figured that if he was dangerous, he'd have done something to her a year ago that night when she'd had a few drinks. She hadn't paid much attention to the details of his home before, it had been a case of stumbling in through the door, locking into a heated, passionate embrace and then he'd carried her to his bed. That thought was uppermost in her mind as he opened the door and led her inside.
"Make yourself at home," he said. "I'll put a pot of coffee on." He disappeared into what Abby assumed must be the kitchen and she took in the sights around her. It was very obviously a single man's place, it lacked some of the comforts that Abby considered essential in her own home, though she was impressed by his unusual display of plants. Something was missing though.
"Coffee won't be long," Matt said, coming back in.
"You didn't get a bearded dragon then?"
Matt blushed. "Ah, yes. That. There was never going to be a bearded dragon. It was just an excuse to talk to you." He encouraged Abby to sit on the sofa and then sat beside her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Let it out, Abby. Sometimes allowing yourself to cry helps a lot."
Abby wasn't sure why, but she felt completely at ease with Matt and she let the floodgates open. His scent filled her nostrils as she buried her face against his chest, and when his arms folded around her, her sobbing became uncontrollable. He stroked her hair and whispered that it would all be okay.
It was some minutes later when she could shed no more tears and began to pull away from Matt. As she looked up, she caught a glimpse of something in his eyes and she knew what she wanted. Reaching up, she sought his lips and grazed her own against them. He responded at first, but then stopped. "Abby, we shouldn't do this. I can't take advantage of someone that's grieving."
"You wouldn't be taking advantage," Abby whispered. "I know my mind and I want this." She kissed him again, her lips more insistent this time. Matt let out a groan and circled his arm around her neck, drawing her against his body as he returned the kiss. The heat between them rose as the kiss deepened and Abby allowed Matt's tongue to tangle against her own.
She ran her hand down his chest and over his stomach, and he shifted, taking her hand and guiding it down further so that she could grasp his growing erection through his jeans. Her head began to spin, her heart pounded hard against her chest and her breathing deepened. There was no doubt in her mind where this going, maybe it was always going to end up this way considering Abby had made a point of checking that she still had that packet of condoms in her wallet.
She felt his hand move to cup her breast as her hand stroked his length and he let out a whimper. "Bedroom?" he whispered.
"Yes," she responded. He was already getting to his feet and holding out his hand for her. He led her silently to the bedroom and then they fell onto the bed, a tangle of limbs and mouths as clothing was shed. They joined as one, a crashing together of two bodies in a perfect rhythm. It was a moment that left Abby sobbing, clinging to Matt's body as they both climaxed.
When Abby woke, she was alone in the bed. She glanced at her watch and realised it was early evening. Beside her, the bed was creased where Matt had laid, holding her until she fell asleep. The air was thick with the scent of their union and Abby felt that familiar warmth and satisfaction that only came after good sex, but unlike most of her previous encounters where she couldn't wait to leave, she wanted to remain here.
She heard movement in the room on the other side of the door. Matt was doing something. She grabbed her t-shirt from the floor where it had been thrown and pulled it on, then padded across the room to the door and out into the living area.
"Hello, sleepy," Matt greeted her. He was chopping vegetables. "Hungry?"
"I couldn't expect you to make dinner for me too," Abby said. "I've already outstayed my welcome. I'll get dressed properly and be out of your hair in no time."
"Who said you've outstayed your welcome? If I didn't want you here, I wouldn't have let you sleep. Dinner won't be anything fancy, just some stir fried vegetables. You can go and shower if you like there's a clean towel in the bathroom."
A shower sounded good, so Abby went to the bathroom and switched on the shower, watching the jet of water for a few moments before taking off her t-shirt and stepping inside the cubicle. The warmth of the water cascading over her body was soothing and she closed her eyes to think about the latest turn of events. She liked the idea of someone taking care of her for a change, she'd spent most of her life looking after someone else – her mother when she was too drunk or hungover to do anything, her brother Jack, even Connor – and here was a good looking guy, making dinner for her whilst she showered, not to mention the fact he had held her when she needed a shoulder to cry on and the sex... it felt like more than just sex if she was honest with herself. Abby wasn't the kind of person who actually believed in love, but right now, she felt something that made her feel very good indeed.
Wrapping Matt's oversized bathrobe around her, she went back to where he was now just plating up their dinner. "Smells good," she said.
"Take a seat. Do you drink wine?"
Dinner passed pleasantly, conversation flowed easily. Matt talked about some of the places he'd travelled to whilst Abby listened in awe. She wished she could share some of her stories with him, but it was too early to know if she really could trust him. Maybe in time she'd tell him about the anomalies...then she gathered her senses. This really was new territory for her, thinking about a future. Whatever Matt had that other men hadn't, she wasn't complaining.
After dinner, they moved back to the sofa and Matt poured them both another large glass of wine. "Do you have plans for this evening?"
Abby shook her head. "Usually, my flat mate and I just sit and watch DVDs and gorge ourselves on pizza and crisps."
"I see. So it wouldn't be a problem if I asked you to stay a little longer?"
Before she could respond, his lips were on hers and his hand slid inside the bathrobe to caress her breast. Abby let out a laugh, not quite believing that this was happening. It was exactly what she needed and it felt so completely right. His kisses moved to her throat and neck and then she felt the bathrobe being pulled over her shoulders. Before long, she was naked beneath him, gasping his name and gripping tightly to the sofa with one hand and his back with the other as he moved inside her again.
They'd barely recovered from that when Matt scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to his bed. Abby took control this time, straddling his hips and sinking down onto him, claiming him completely. They collapsed together, panting hard, exhausted but satiated, and fell asleep tangled in each other's embrace.
##
It was morning when they both stirred. Abby lay for a moment, enjoying the warmth of Matt's body against hers and his breath on her neck, but she knew she had to make a move and leave soon. Reluctantly, she peeled herself away from his embrace and sat up. Matt followed, snaking his arm around her waist and kissing the back of her neck.
"You don't have to go. You're welcome to stay."
"I'm needed at work."
"On a Sunday?"
"Yeah, sorry. We had a fire a couple of weeks ago and it's been pretty chaotic. I promised I'd help move the new furniture in so that we can be up and running as planned tomorrow." She was cursing herself now though for her terrible timing.
"Then I suppose you must go," Matt said, sighing. He leaned in and turned Abby's face towards his, kissing her passionately. He was not letting Abby go easily. She sighed, returning the kiss and then dragged herself away to go in search of her clothes.
She dressed and was about to leave when Matt was behind her again. "I'd like to see you again, Abby. I get that you're usually the one night stand kind of girl, but I think this is different."
"No promises," Abby said. "My life is a little complicated at the moment, but perhaps we could have dinner some time and see where it leads?"
"That sounds good to me," Matt replied.
As Abby left and walked down the street to find the nearest tube station, she felt a spring in her step that she'd never felt before. Is this what love felt like?