A/N: hello everyone! Thanks so much for all your wonderful, kind reviews. I'm really glad that so many people are enjoying the story, because I love writing this version of Matthew and Mary.
On an unrelated note, lots of lovely people have been asking about Unwanted Rings updates – as you can imagine, the next chapter or so will be pretty difficult to write, so it is taking me a while. I am thinking about it frequently, though, trying to get inspired!
Anyway, back to this story. Hope you enjoy!
…
"You're jealous!" Matthew grinned amusedly as he followed Mary back into his flat.
"Don't be ridiculous." Mary said dismissively, unwrapping the raspberry pink pashmina from around her neck, although there was an undercurrent of petulance to her tone. "Why would I be jealous of some girl you went out with when you were eighteen?" She scoffed at the ludicrousness of the notion, but Matthew was not convinced. He smirked. This was the most worked up he'd seen Mary over something like this.
The young couple had just returned from a wander around central London, where Matthew had patiently endured three hours of traipsing behind Mary as she visited almost every single shop (even, atypically for her, the regular high-street ones), trawling through the racks and shelves in search of the perfect black blazer to wear to work. Eventually she settled for one – even though it wasn't completely congruous with the image of the garment she had in her mind – and Matthew asked if he could pop into Foyles as there was a book he'd been searching for. Mary of course had no objection to this, but upon hearing that the sought-after book was one documenting a series of Edwardian studies on beetles and ants, she couldn't resist making fun of him.
"I can't see it anywhere." Matthew frowned as he perused the shelves.
"It must have sold out, darling." Mary said drolly. She was stood a little distance away, subconsciously wanting to disassociate herself from such an absurdly tedious book. "You know how trendy those ancient texts on worms are."
"Quiet, you." Matthew retorted, smiling in spite of her mickey-taking. "And the studies aren't 'ancient', nor are they on 'worms'." He corrected her. He could sense Mary rolling her eyes behind him.
"Matthew?" A female voice called from behind them both. A young woman, who seemed to have been on her way out of the shop, was approaching him, a delighted smile on her face.
"Charlotte!" Matthew's face lit up in recognition and he grinned as he walked towards her. Mary looked between the two of them, confused.
"How are you?" Charlotte beamed, spreading her arms out and engulfing Matthew in a tight hug. She appeared to be very familiar with him.
"Great, thanks, how about you? I don't think I've seen you since graduation!" Matthew exclaimed, and it suddenly clicked for Mary. This was Matthew's ex-girlfriend – the one he'd dated during university. The only one he'd had before Lavinia. The one he'd lost his virginity to, she realised with a sinking feeling.
Matthew and Charlotte had been at school together and he'd fancied her for a while, but she hardly took any notice of him until after he'd turned eighteen and had suddenly blossomed from an awkward, nerdy teenager into a handsome, well-read young man. And so their relationship had marked a turning point in young Matthew's life. It had been Charlotte who had ended things just before their exams in third year, prompting him to enrol in Sandhurst immediately after graduation. In a sense, Mary felt she should thank Charlotte for providing her with such good ammunition for teasing Matthew with (the concept of Matthew holding a weapon or rolling through mud still bewildered her), but she primarily felt uncomfortable at this surprise encounter.
While Matthew and Charlotte were exchanging succinct summaries of their lives and careers, Mary took the opportunity to remain in the background, unnoticed, so as to observe the woman who had once broken her beloved Matthew's heart. She was pretty, in a modest sort of way. She wore very little make-up, her hair was up in a girlish but unfussy bun and her clothes were simple. She looked like the sort of person you could take to the local pub or go camping with, but one who would not look out of place in evening-wear or in a formal setting. Much like Matthew, Mary supposed. She began to feel very one-dimensional, in her heels, designer jeans and suede jacket.
Mary inwardly berated herself for judging Charlotte in such a shallow way; she could hear Sybil's voice chastising her for doing no favours to feminism by pitting herself against another woman for no reason other than some irrational jealousy over a man.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Charlotte's laughter. "Oh, Matthew! You haven't changed one bit, and I'm so glad." Charlotte beamed at him. "I've missed you a lot over the last few years." She added wistfully.
Mary cleared her throat loudly. Seeing Mary out of the corner of his eye, Matthew suddenly realised that she had been stood there with no introduction. "Mary!" He called, holding his arm out to beckon her over. "This is Charlotte."
"Matthew, please, you sound so formal!" Charlotte laughed, touching his forearm as she did so. Mary raised an eyebrow at this. "Call me Charlie." She said to Mary, who nodded politely but was taken aback at the woman's apparent presumption that they'd ever be meeting each other again.
"Right, sorry. Charlie is her nickname." Matthew explained with a small smile.
"Yes, you had lots of nicknames for me, didn't you?" Charlie said, her tone clearly hinting at their romantic past. Mary raised her eyebrow further.
"I'm Matthew's girlfriend." She said, engaging her polite-but-firm tone. The light flirtation being directed at Matthew needed to end.
"Oh, I see." Charlie said with polite interest, evidently surprised to see that a woman like Mary would be dating a man like Matthew – or vice versa. "Lucky you." She smiled.
"Yes, I think so." Mary smiled back tightly, wanting Charlie to know that she appreciated Matthew and would not make the same mistake that she had made by letting him go.
"I was just searching for a book but it doesn't seem to be here." Matthew blurted out, sensing the tension emanating from Mary.
"That's strange, they have such a big selection here." Charlie replied. "What book was it?"
"It's a book about a series of studies done primarily on beetles, by an Edwardian scientist." Matthew blushed and glanced at the floor self-consciously. "It's rather sad, I know."
"Not at all!" Charlie started laughing as she reached into her bag. "In fact – I bought the last copy!" She held out the very book which Matthew had been referring to. Mary's face was a picture of incredulity. What were the chances?!
The former flames shared a hearty laugh over the coincidence, recalling the days spent in their college's library at Cambridge where they pored over numerous books together. "See, Mary." Matthew smiled at her. "There are other people in the world who enjoy the same hobbies as I do!" He joked, attempting to keep the mood light and dispel any uneasiness Mary may be feeling.
Mary engaged a series of tight smiles and polite nods during the rest of the conversation, glad of the opportunity to desist the forced courtesy once Charlie finally left the shop – not before placing a far-too-affectionate kiss on Matthew's cheek, Mary noted.
Declaring that he was going to opt for ordering the book over the internet, Matthew led his current girlfriend back home. Mary was quiet on the journey to his flat, simply humming in assent to all of his passing comments. He'd carefully chosen not to talk too much about Charlie, common sense telling him that girlfriends won't always appreciate their boyfriends speaking about previous loves.
But just as they were walking up to the front door of Matthew's building, he had light-heartedly observed that Mary was lagging behind him, no doubt due to the hours of walking around in her heels.
"Well I'm sure Charlie can always be relied upon to choose appropriate footwear on her bi-daily trips to the library!" Mary had blurted out. To her annoyance, Matthew had simply laughed.
And now she was confronted with the accusation that she was jealous. Mary Crawley was never jealous of anybody.
"What is it that's bothering you so much?" Matthew pried, as Mary rather aggressively dropped her handbag on a chair and folded her arms, scowling at the floor. "It's been years since I went out with Charlie! I've had a whole other relationship since then – one which I ended in order to be with you." He pointed out.
Mary shifted on her feet slightly as she debated whether to say anything. Her bad mood had more to do with her disappointment in the fact that she'd allowed herself to feel jealous, than it had to do with her actual jealousy. She glanced up at Matthew and saw his kind, concerned eyes looking back at her. If there was anyone to whom she could open up about her complex moods and insecurities, it was him.
"Yes, but – " She sighed. "You broke up with Lavinia because you decided that she wasn't right for you. You didn't break up with Charlie; you still believed her to be 'the one' and her ending things messed you up so much it made you – you, Matthew Crawley – join the army!"
"Mary…" Matthew breathed out in that low, soothing voice of his. "I think my strange behaviour was brought on by the fact that she was my first girlfriend and I was only twenty-one years old. I'd never had to deal with that kind of emotion before and I didn't know how to. It wasn't because she was 'the one' and I was devastated that I'd lost her. I was upset, I admit, but I really think you're reading too much into it." He walked up to Mary and gently rubbed her upper arms in reassurance.
"But you-" The protestation slipped out of Mary's mouth before she had time to stop it.
"But I what?" Matthew prompted softly.
"You – both of you – look so perfect together. She's like the female version of you. You're both passionate about Georgian insects, for crying out loud!" Mary exclaimed.
"Edwardian-" Matthew began correcting her, quickly ceasing when she threw a glare in his direction. "Yes, you're right, we do share a lot of the same qualities; we have the same taste in clothes and music and books and we used to love going on nature walks and sharing a tent-"
"I hope this is going somewhere." Mary interrupted him, her eyes narrowed in displeasure.
Matthew smiled down at her fondly. "But," he emphasised. "The truth is – I was bored. I didn't realise it at the time, because I was so pleased that a pretty girl had even noticed me, let alone agreed to go out with me, but I was honestly bored. It was the same with Lavinia – I didn't really learn anything from either of them, I didn't grow as a person. We were just there, together, perfectly content, but doing things of no real consequence. We weren't headed in any particular direction." He said sincerely. "Whereas with you," he referred to her so adoringly that Mary couldn't help but smile, "it's thrilling and exciting and exhilarating. You somehow manage to keep me on my toes and make me feel comfortable all at the same time. And I'm falling more in love with you everyday." He concluded reverently, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in for a proper kiss, which Mary was more than happy to provide him with. Even after all these months, he could still give her butterflies.
"So if I ever broke up with you, would you have another quarter-life crisis and enrol in the Army again?" Mary teased quietly after they pulled apart. "Or maybe you could try the Navy?"
"I don't want to think about what I'd do if you ever left me." Matthew said seriously, nuzzling her cheek. Mary turned her head slightly to the side to take his lips again, glad that they had the whole evening ahead of them to reaffirm their feelings.
…
"Hello." Matthew smiled, bending down to kiss Mary's lips.
"I thought you were busy this evening?" Mary questioned as she stood aside to let Matthew into her house. She'd expected him to go straight from work to a client dinner with a couple of his colleagues, but was of course pleased to instead find him at her front door.
"The client called an hour ago and said that he was tied up with something, so we've postponed." Matthew explained before quickly kissing her again. "You look nice." He observed, taking in her lightly-curled hair and fresh make-up. "Are you going somewhere?" He asked.
Before Mary could reply, Sybil ran down the stairs after who Matthew recognised as their cousin, Victoria, who lived in Sussex. He'd briefly met her at one or two of the Crawley family events – she was about Sybil's age and, from what he could remember of their encounters, something of a wild child.
"Give them back, Vicks!" A panicked Sybil shouted, and Matthew found himself being used as a shield by Victoria, who hid behind him. Sybil ran up to them, her sock-adorned feet skidding on the polished floor. Matthew threw his arms out to catch her before she fell.
"What's going on?" Mary asked amusedly, seeing that Victoria was holding something in her hands.
"Vicks stole some things from my room and isn't giving them back." Sybil huffed. "Private things." She emphasised, looking thoroughly displeased.
"Oh, stop being such a baby, Sybs." Victoria laughed, although she remained behind Matthew. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, I'm rather impressed by you – who would've thought that sweet, innocent little Sybil used handcuffs and a furry whip in bed with her boyfriend!" She said, without bothering to lower her tone to allow for the fact that Sybil's parents were not thirty feet away from where the group was standing in the hallway.
Sybil gasped in horror at being ousted in such a manner, throwing Mary an apologetic glance and not bearing to look at Matthew. Matthew was glad of it – he'd come to see Sybil as a little sister of his own and found this new piece of knowledge rather discomforting, particularly as it clearly involved his best friend…
Wincing, Mary pushed all disturbing images out of her head and addressed her younger cousin. "Vicky, just give Sybil back her things and please consider the proximity of our parents before you make any further revelations!" She whispered, gesturing towards the living room where her parents were enjoying a glass of wine.
"Alright, fine." Victoria rolled her eyes, handing the controversial items back to Sybil. "You guys need to lighten up a bit."
Sybil scoffed. Changing the subject, Mary turned back to her boyfriend. "Victoria decided to stop over for the night on her way home from university and we're all going out to Soho with a few of her friends."
"Oh. That sounds nice." Matthew attempted to sound enthusiastic about Mary's evening, but was inwardly disappointed that his plan of continuing to teach Mary how to play chess had been thwarted.
"Hi, Matthew!" Edith popped her head around the door to the library. "I didn't know you were coming out with us." She smiled, glad that she'd be able to count on someone to be nice to her and keep her company if everybody else deserted her. Mary and Sybil were both spoken for but, irritatingly, they were always inundated with male attention every time they went out, leaving Edith to look on forlornly and struggle to even catch the attention of the barman to serve her a drink. It would be even worse with Victoria there, too – Edith found it difficult to keep up with the number of shots she insisted that everyone should do, making her the subject of teasing amongst the group.
"Erm, well…" Matthew stuttered uncomfortably, not wanting to invite himself along to what was clearly a girls' night out.
"Yes, you should come, Matthew!" Victoria proclaimed. "It must have been a while since you last had fun." She said without a hint of sarcasm, which made it even more insulting.
"I have fun." Matthew muttered defensively, his petulant frown making Mary giggle and stroke his arm affectionately. Despite hardly having spoken to him, Victoria appeared convinced that Matthew was a boring goody-two-shoes whose idea of a good time was sitting at home with his nose in a book about mediaeval monasteries. While that perception of him was largely accurate, it wasn't an image which Matthew wanted to solidify in Victoria's, or anyone's mind.
"I'm sure you do." Victoria smiled politely, obviously humouring him. "But you've never been on a night out with me before. Plus, we're meeting a couple of my male friends from university, so you won't be the only guy there."
"Yes, exactly!" Edith smiled happily.
"Vicks, don't force him." Mary said, sensing that Matthew wouldn't be too keen on the prospect of hanging out with a bunch of twenty year old over-privileged students. "I don't think it's really Matthew's scene."
Matthew looked sharply at Mary. Something in her tone was euphemistic. "What do you mean?" He questioned.
"She means she thinks you're a bore." Victoria said matter-of-factly.
"That's not what I meant." Mary said hurriedly – so hurriedly that it made Matthew think that she did in fact mean that.
"Well, where exactly are you going?" He asked.
"Just to a couple of bars and clubs. We haven't really planned it out." Mary replied. "But I just don't think you'd enjoy it."
"Why not?" Matthew queried.
Mary shifted on her feet, hesitating. Sybil and Edith glanced at each other awkwardly, anticipating an argument.
"Well…" Mary began. "We'll be drinking and, you know, dancing and things. You don't really do any of that."
"That's not true." Matthew said, growing uptight. "I frequently go out for drinks with people."
"Yes, darling, but work-related drinks or a couple of beers at the pub with Tom isn't really the same thing." Mary said patiently. Even while they'd just been friends and Mary had invited Matthew along to her birthday party and a couple of nights out, it had been overtly clear that Matthew was not one for clubbing and boozing. She herself wasn't especially fond of that lifestyle either but, as a young socialite, it was almost expected of her to make a certain number of appearances in particular venues and to forge and maintain new connections. Consequently, she was much more comfortable with such pursuits than Matthew ever would be. "When was the last time you went to a club and actually enjoyed yourself?" She asked rhetorically. "I'm just trying to save you from an awkward night out." She smiled.
Matthew merely raised an eyebrow at her use of the word 'awkward'. Determined to prove her wrong in her assessment of him, he turned to Victoria. "What time are we leaving? I need to go home and change."
Mary frowned in confusion at his willingness to embark on one of Vicky's booze cruises, while Edith smiled with relief.
…
"Why is it so loud in here?" Matthew tutted, taking another sip of his rum and coke.
"I know, I can barely hear myself think." Replied Edith from her seat next to him. The two of them were sat in a booth while Mary, Sybil and Victoria hit the dancefloor. They'd been to two bars and met up with Victoria's friends – who were also dancing – before heading to the nightclub they were currently in. He'd made sure that he bought all of Mary's drinks for her – partly because he liked treating her, but partly because he wanted to make it clear to all the other men who were eyeing her up that she was with him. He'd tried to protect Sybil and Victoria too (Edith so far hadn't required any such help) but Victoria had batted him away, having no problem with the male attention, and Sybil gratefully assured him that she can look after herself.
It was approaching 1.30am and Matthew was tired of all the moving around and the incessant noise, so had decided to take a seat. Edith had joined him, glad of the opportunity to step away from the rest of the group and have a little moan to Matthew about how much she hated these nights.
"So why do you come out with them?" Matthew asked curiously.
Edith sighed. "I suppose I hope it'll get better and one day I'll miraculously enjoy myself or meet a nice boy." She chuckled ruefully. "What about you – why did you come?"
Matthew gulped down the rest of his drink, hoping it might perk him up a bit; he was incredibly tired. He never stayed up this late. "Mary seems to think I'm incapable of having fun." He replied. "She's right that this environment isn't really my scene, but I don't want her to think I'm a complete bore and she can't take me anywhere."
"I'm sure she doesn't think that." Edith said reassuringly, sensing that this was something that bothered Matthew. "She loves spending time with you."
"When it's just the two of us, or we're among family, then yes." Matthew corrected her.
"Matthew!" The call of one of Victoria's rugby-lad friends interrupted the conversation. Looking up, Matthew saw that the whole group were returning to the booth.
"You're back." Matthew said needlessly, smiling up at Mary as she slid into the booth and settled herself on his lap, planting a big kiss on his lips. Clearly she'd had a fair amount to drink – she never engaged in such public displays of affection otherwise.
"Your girlfriend's been lonely on the dancefloor!" The young man, named Hubert, continued. "Why didn't you join her?"
Before Matthew could reply, Mary interjected. "I told you guys – Matthew doesn't do dancing. Unless it's slow-dancing." Mary added with a wry smile, remembering their first kiss.
"I do dance, sometimes." Matthew said to the group. "I just don't really like this sort of music." He shrugged casually. Indeed, he'd never even heard this sort of music before, but after politely enquiring he'd been reliably informed that it was something called 'grime'.
"Don't worry, Matthew." One of the other lads chimed in. "I'm sure they'll play one of those wonderful operas by Bach soon!" He teased, and the group guffawed.
Matthew smiled politely at the joke and decided not to point out that Bach never wrote an opera. He didn't want to appear overtly irked by the jibes being made at his expense. At least he was deflecting some of the heat away from Edith, he thought.
"Do you want to go home, darling?" Mary asked kindly, running her fingers through the short hair on the back of his head. It was a nice offer – it was clear that she was enjoying herself but she was willing to go home with Matthew because she could see that he was uncomfortable – but it somehow served to irritate Matthew more. He felt like he was an appendage to her, a burden. Like a small child she'd taken along to the shops because she didn't want to leave him at home alone.
"I'm alright, actually." He smiled stiffly up at her, before finishing off the drink which was only making him drowsier.
"Oh, OK. If you're sure…" Mary frowned gently. It was obvious that he didn't want to be there. She couldn't understand why he'd agreed to go out with them in the first place, let alone why he insisted on staying there.
Another hour passed by and Matthew was visibly wilting. Mary was still sat on his lap and his head had gradually found its way to rest on her shoulder. She couldn't see his face but she worried that he might be falling asleep. The rest of the group showed no signs of slowing down and were talking of where to move on to next. Seeing that Edith was also struggling to muster enthusiasm for prolonging the evening, Mary suggested that the two of them and Matthew take a cab back home. After a bit of gentle prodding, Matthew had sat up straight and reluctantly conceded that it was time for him to get to bed. Mary let him tell the others that it was he who had decided it was time to take Mary and Edith home, as she suspected that he felt the need to assert himself in some way – or at least make the pretence of it.
The journey home had been quiet and the three of them made their way to their respective sleeping quarters, with poor Matthew climbing straight into Mary's bed and falling into a deep slumber by the time Mary had removed her heels.
The couple awoke very slowly the next morning. Mary turned her head to check the time on her bedside clock – 11.13am.
"God. It's late." Matthew's gruff voice sounded from his place next to her.
"It is." Mary sighed, observing her boyfriend's appearance with a smirk. His hair was messy, the buttons on his shirt were half undone and short stubble covered his jaw.
"What do you want to do today?" Matthew asked, rubbing a hand over his eyes in an attempt to wake himself up.
"Hmm…" Mary hummed, as if pondering her options. "Lazy day in bed?" She asked mischievously, slowly moving herself over him and burying her head against his neck. Her parents were out, Sybil and Victoria were probably passed out in their rooms and Edith was meeting a friend for lunch. "I wanted you last night." She said seductively, eliciting an involuntary groan from Matthew as she rubbed her body against his. "Did you notice that I wore the dress that you like?"
"I did." Matthew replied. "I also noticed that many of the other men in the clubs liked it too. Especially that friend of Vicky's who kept gawping at you." As much as he was enjoying the feel of Mary sucking the skin on his neck between her teeth, he was still bitter about the night before.
"Stop being jealous." Mary chided with a smile. "Besides, I noticed Vicky eyeing you up a lot over the course of the evening. I think she might be developing a crush on you." She remarked.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure she loves guys who she finds unbearably dull." He replied sarcastically. "Although, you seem to love me in spite of finding me stuffy and tedious, so maybe it is possible." Matthew added sourly.
Mary's head snapped up to look at him, her brow creased. She had no idea what had gotten into him over the last 15 hours.
"What are you talking about?" She asked incredulously.
Matthew's petulance had returned, manifesting itself in his set jaw and his unwillingness to look at her. "You find me boring and don't want to be seen with me in public." He said matter-of-factly.
Raising herself off the bed, Mary gazed down at Matthew, both eyebrows raised in disbelief. "I repeat- what on Earth are you talking about? I don't find you boring and I have no problem being seen with you in public!"
"You tried to dissuade me to come out with you last night." Matthew countered, finally meeting her eyes.
"Only because I know how you dislike those sorts of nights - I was saving you the trouble of having to decline the offer." Mary responded, still bemused by his bad mood.
Not being able to truthfully deny that he did not find bars and clubs enjoyable, Matthew fixed his gaze on the wall opposite him. Mary watched him, waiting for him to say something. A few moments passed in awkward silence. "Why do I get the feeling that that's not everything?" She asked rhetorically.
Matthew sighed. "I just…I get the feeling that you don't like spending time with me unless we're just hanging out at your house or my flat, or we're in a restaurant, just the two of us."
Mary's eyes grew wide with surprise. "Darling, that's not true! We do things with Sybil and Tom all the time. Even Edith, sometimes." She added as an after-thought.
"They don't count." Matthew shook his head dismissively. "What about your friends and all of the socialites?" He challenged. "You always discourage me from spending time with you when you're with them."
"You met a few of them before we started going out, mostly at my birthday party, and you couldn't stand them." Mary reminded him. "So I presumed that you wouldn't really want to spend time with them – was that not a fair presumption?" She asked, growing frustrated. Matthew remained silent, picking at the embroidery on Mary's quilt. "Matthew, the only reason I don't invite you to events with my 'friends' – if you want to call them that – is that I know you won't enjoy it. It's not because I'm embarrassed by you!" She cried.
"But you must admit, though." Matthew continued. "You don't perceive me as the ideal person to be out with on a Friday night. You'd much rather eat a quiet meal, or talk, or watch a film with me." He sulked.
"Of course I admit that!" Mary exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation, still unsure what they were actually arguing about. "Is that even a thing to admit, given that it's not a secret?"
Matthew looked at her sadly. "But I want you to think of me as fun to be around. I don't want to just be the quiet boyfriend who sits at home reading a book until you get home from socialising. I want you to want me to be there with you."
Mary couldn't help but smile affectionately at his puppy-dog eyes and his little pout. She placed a hand on his cheek, her thumb lovingly stroking the skin there. "Matthew," she sighed. "I don't know how this silly idea got into your head or why you're upset about it, but please believe me when I tell you that you're being ridiculous. You know how much fun we have together! I never laugh with anyone as much as I do with you." She pointed out. It was true – her smiles and chuckles had predominantly been courteous, falsified ones up until Matthew had walked into her life. His ability to cheer her mood and bring a genuine grin to her face had grown in strength over the weeks and months of their friendship, and now hardly an hour went by in his company without the two of them struggling for breath as they shared a laugh over one of Matthew's endearingly bad jokes. "You wouldn't be my first choice to do a round of shots with – so what? You're my first choice for so many other, more important things. The fun I have with you is infinitely more meaningful and genuine than the fun I have with Vicky, or her friends, or anyone else."
She was glad to see that Matthew's frown had turned into one of his boyish smiles and she happily accepted the small, sweet kiss he gave her.
"In any case, it's not like I'd be your first choice to accompany you on a late-night museum tour, would I?" Mary raised an eyebrow at him.
"Only because you do nothing but moan everytime I try to take you somewhere like that." Matthew complained playfully, stroking her back as she nestled against him again. "I personally found the Friday night exhibitions quite interesting."
"I think it's good for us to maintain different interests." Mary said more seriously, playing with a loose thread on Matthew's shirt. "It's healthy."
"I think so too." Matthew said, dropping a kiss on her hair in order to emphasise his agreement.
"Anyway, you know what they say." Mary smiled into his chest. "It's not who you choose to spend Friday night with that matters – it's who you spend all day Saturday with."
…
A/N: just a little insight into their insecurities about their relationship. I thought it was important for them to confront such issues before they could go to the next stage. Please let me know your thoughts, and feel free to let me know of anything you'd like to see more/less of! xxx