Chapter 5

Bella felt incredibly nervous as she sat at the table and looked at the guy across from her. Matt Donovan was even more gorgeous this evening, since he'd dressed up for their weekly out-in-the-town date. She had felt sorry for him the day they first met but as they kept seeing each other around campus and later on were thrown together as Angela and Roger began dating, she had developed a crush on the blond athlete.

He reminded her a bit of Mike Newton or how Mike would be after a few heartaches. She had never told him about her feelings though as she was sure he didn't reciprocate them and it would put their buddies in an awkward place. Anyway, she was sure she'd get over it with time.

Ten years and 2 relationships later though the butterflies in her stomach were ready to burst as she pretended to not feel threatened by the sudden appearance of his vampire bedmate.

"It's always a vampire"

She snarked quietly to herself as she raised her martini to her lips. On her right sat Angela who regarded her friend quietly with one hand resting on her baby bump.

"Everything okay?"

She asked sensibly her friend. Bella smiled and nodded at the concern in Angela's eyes and nodded.

"Everything's okay"

"Penny for your thoughts,"

Roger remarked, looking at Matt. The blond man choked on the sip of water in surprise, and then turned a dark pink as he struggled to breathe and also to think of something to say as an answer since he didn't want to tell his best friend what he was really thinking.

"Err…I was just thinking that this is a nice place"

Roger smiled and shared a quick look with his wife.

"We come here every week Mattie"

"I hate being called Mattie"

Matt remarked but Roger only smirked wider

"I know"

He replied sardonically. Both Bella and Angela laughed making matt turn an even deeper shade of red.

"It's nice not to be the only one blushing for once"

Bella teased. Matt mock glared at her and lightly kicked her under the table.

"Hey, wrong person"

Angela yelped as Matt had kicked her. Bella, unable to help herself, tossed her head back and laughed louder. Matt's eyes traveled up and down the long neck before resting on the small star resting right below the hollow point of her neck. He had given her that pendant as a birthday present once and wondered how it'd feel against his lips as he kissed her.

He took in a sudden breath. What was wrong with him? Sure Bella was cute in a girl-next-door kind of way but this was crazy. he had never seen her as anything but a friend!

Matt rubbed at his jaw thoughtfully his eyes resting on her lips as she shared stories about Angela's love for photography in high school to roger. Rog had heard those stories before, but it always earned him brownie points with his wife to know some more intimate details, like the time Angela had taken a picture of their high school principal in graduation and only later found out that she had unknowingly shot proof of his affair with one of the teachers.

"Hey, I burned those pictures and the negatives. Mr Caplan was a good guy"

"He just liked to get blown on official ceremonies"

Bella finished Angela's words making the bespectacled pregnant woman frown at her friend.

"Did he offer you a ride on the monster truck as payment?"

Roger asked excitedly. Matt's eyes unglued themselves from Bella as the latter choked on a sip of her red drink and stared at roger.

"You're so sleeping in the doghouse man"

Matt remarked.

"We don't have a dog"

Roger poked fun

"No, but you do have a welcome mat. I bought it for you"

Bella grinned as Angela nodded thoughtfully. Roger extended one hand, grabbed Bella's and pulled her up and quickly sat at the vacant chair next to his wife.

"Ignore them baby. You won't put me to sleep on the welcoming mat"

Angela pursed her lips

"Well, I won't do that. But you will handle all diaper changes for Evan for at least a week"

She decided. Matt who still had an arm around Bella's shoulders to steady her as she landed awkwardly next to him grinned.

"I would have picked the welcoming mat pal"

"Yeah, my godson is a poop machine"

Bella finished grinning as well. Roger pouted but no one paid him any attention

"I'm never making smart comments again after drinking"

"Take my example. Stick to water"

Matt winked and raised his sparkling water in a toast. Angela smiled in victory and raised her own sparkling water glass to clink with matt's.

Soon their dinner arrived and the four were quiet as they chewed.

"You look lost in space. is everything alright?"

Bella asked matt quietly.

"Yeah. Just wondering how long dinner will last with those two so horny"

his blue eyes gleamed with a wicked light and Bella felt her breath catch in her throat, Angela was in her fourth month and she truly did look like she was going to ravage roger right there and then.

"If they make a beeline for the bathroom, I suggest leaving them here"

She replied in what she hoped was a casual enough tone. Sitting so close to matt, she could smell a faint trace of his cologne. if she wasn't mistaken it was the Diamonds by Armani she had gotten for him last year.

Matt smiled at her in agreement and put a bite of his smoked lamb in his mouth. This month Angela's cravings were Irish and the whiskey sauce of Bella's dinner glistened at her lips making them utterly kissable.

Angela snorted in her chicken. Roger caught her eye and resisted the urge to snort at their friends that were casually eating while attempting to look like they weren't checking each other out. This was ridiculous!

"Here's to college"

He raised his glass i a toast when he was about to lose control and laugh. Angela raised her own glass throwing a dirty look at her husband

"And to our dreams"

"You're the only one that actually chased them Angie"

Bella chuckled as she took a sip of her drink. It was true; Angela had chased her photography dreams and now was a successful photographer that could easily afford to cut down her own hours thanks to the new arrival in her life.

"Hey!"

Roger said indignantly

"You chased them too buddy"

Matt placated his friend. It was only thanks to a blown out knee in a rough game that Roger had given up his career as a football player and had taken a job at a high school football coach instead.

"The cafe is going pretty well too"

Angela told Bella who nodded.

"It is. I think I'm actually making profit now"

She laughed. Opening a cafe wasn't one of her options but she had somewhat inherited it. She had begun working there whilst in college and went the old owner chose to move to California he offered to sell it to Bella for an extremely low price.

"But none of us chose a much different career than Blondie"

Bella smiled at Matt who pouted at the comment before nodding. He had found himself working in the college accounting department by a typo mistake in his work-study program and since he was out of the high school mentality he realized he actually liked numbers.

"To the universe for making sure we stick together after all these years"

Matt proposed to all of them but his blue eyes were set on Bella's dark brown ones.

"I never knew you were such a sap"

Angela replied seeing Bella's shocked expression. She knew her friend would bolt if she was under the spotlight for one more minute.

Matt thoroughly enjoyed their dinner after that. Bella had blushed a lot every time the two flirted without actually flirting but otherwise they talked easily together about a wide variety of subjects.

He was feeling relaxed by the time dessert came. Angela had a rich-looking brownie with ice cream, all smothered in fudge and chocolate bits and banned roger from even touching it.

"Are you actually going to eat that?"

He asked incredulously. Angela was rubbing her hands together in glee.

"Yeah, I am. The baby wants chocolate"

"That's the universal excuse for a woman eating as much as she wants"

Bella explained and smiled at the waiter as he deposited a perfect triangle slice of strawberry cheesecake in front of her.

"Thank you"

Matt's insides tightened as the waiter faltered at being spoken to by the beautiful woman next to him. Without realizing it he put a possessive arm at the back of Bella's chair and glared at the waiter as the man in black handed him his own desert. Roger was too full for dessert so he accepted his coffee graciously

Bella missed the exchange completely as she, like Angela, took bites of their deserts and licked their lips simultaneously and then offered a spoonful to each other

"They try each other's but won't let us"

Roger mused. Matt was about to reply that they did that all the time, but then he got distracted when Bella licked at her lip delicately to get a trace of hot fudge, and he felt his groin tighten traitorously.

His fingers spasmed around his fork, and he looked down at his own plate with the creamy crepes before Bella could look up and see the lust burning in his eyes. All he wanted was for Bella to lick HIM just liked she'd just done that little drip of hot fudge.

"I'll give you a bite of mine if it makes you shut up"

Bella replied simply. Matt glared at his best friend at the mere suggestion that he touched the same spoon Bella's lips touched. Matt frowned at the millionth surge of jealousy inside him.

What was happening to him?

A while later as the four left the restaurant talking casually until they reached Roger's SUV, which was parked next to his truck. It was the same one Rebekah had given him so many years ago and keeping it felt like he had kept a part of Mystic with him.

Almost wordlessly he opened the silver blue passenger door for Bella who made sure Angela was comfortably in the suv before getting in.

"Tonight was fun"

Matt commented as Bella leaned forward to set the radio to an oldies station they both liked.

"Yeah it was. With your sudden comeback the other day, I was afraid we'd have to cancel tonight"

She said simply. Matt shook his head

"Nah, she took my advice and hasn't bothered me since"

"Good"

Bella brightened up immediately. The rest of the drive was quiet save for the radio. Sooner than he'd liked, he pulled up in front of Bella's disappointed to have arrived at their destination. He turned to his companion, his eyes searching Bella's intently.

"Pick you up tomorrow for lunch?"

Andy smiled.

"Sure. See you tomorrow"

Matt watched as she got out of the truck and made her way to her front door balancing precariously on the silver dance sandals. Before she entered the house she waved and he waved back.