“Have fun,” I said as he slipped out of the door, leaving me standing there alone.
Counting down the minutes until he came back.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Harper
The nightout at The Court was exactly what I needed.
Not only was the show absolutely incredible but the community was vibrant and welcoming, greeting me with open arms and making me feel like I’d always been here. I had no problem finding somewhere to sit, ending up at a table with a group from a local pole dance studio who were here to support their friends. Pole dance had never really crossed my mind as something to try but by the end of the night I was sorely tempted.
After the drag show ended, the room had been transformed from a camp and kitschy speakeasy into a nightclub and I hadn’t been able to resist the lure of the dance floor. Especially not when the DJ was playing a mix of noughties cheese, pop hits, and dance anthems. With my Diet Coke in hand, I was in my element, happy to spend hours losing myself in the music.
A couple of guys tried their luck, sliding up to me and flirting softly with their hands on my waist, but I turned all of them down. I was having far too much fun to end the night withmediocre sex. True, I’d be going home to an empty bed and my hand, but I wasn’t going to compromise what I wanted just for the sake of a warm body. At least if I got myself off, I’d be able to lose myself in fantasies of Matty and savour every second like a decadent box of chocolates.
Just after one, when I was sweaty, exhausted, and sore, I finally decided it was time to drag myself home. Luckily I’d be able to have a lie-in, but I did have to be up and presentable by lunchtime for Matty’s match. And the last thing I wanted was to look tired and messy in front of Hannah.
My hypermobility meant my joints would ache when I woke up despite the insoles in my shoes supporting my feet, but to me, the pain was worth it. I loved dancing, and I wasn’t going to give it up because my ankles, knees, and hips moved in ways they shouldn’t.
Maybe I should have been more careful, more cautious, but half the time I forgot my body’s limits until I hit them. I was so used to being hypermobile, it wasn’t something I was always conscious of. It was merely another part of me, like the fact I had blond hair and that the tips of my middle fingers pointed slightly outwards.
I hummed an old Lady Gaga song as I let myself into the house, trying to stop the door from squeaking or slamming shut and waking Matty. There were a few lights on in the hallway and the living room, and I loved the fact he’d left them on so I wouldn’t be stumbling around in the dark.
Sliding my shoes off, I put my keys down and paused, my ears straining to listen. The faint sounds of music and voices from further inside the house reached me. Perhaps Matty had left the TV on by accident, or maybe he’d fallen asleep in front of it.
But as I padded down the hallway, socks squeaking on the wooden floor, the sounds ceased suddenly.
“Hello? It’s just me,” I called softly, not wanting to startle Matty and find myself being tackled to the floor by a professional rugby player. Even if, under different circumstances, that sounded fun.
“Hey,” Matty said, appearing at the living room door like a ghost out of the mist, golden lamplight illuminating his frame. He was wearing a pair of loose grey shorts and an old T-shirt with a faded logo across the chest for some sports team I didn’t know. He looked tired and rumpled, and there was a rough edge to his voice, which made my dick perk up with interest. “Did you have fun?”
“Yeah. Sorry, did I wake you?”
“Er, no. I was still awake.”
“But it’s half one! And you have a game today!”
“I know, but I…” He trailed off as I stared at him in horror.
“Please tell me you didn’t stay up for me?” I asked, my mouth suddenly dry. If I’d have known he was going to do this, I’d have been back hours ago.
“I can if it helps you feel better.” He shrugged but there was no hint of remorse on his face. If anything he looked more stubborn than ever, like he was preparing for me to argue with him.
I took half a step towards him. Then another. A hundred questions burned in my brain but there was only one I really wanted the answer to. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why did you stay up?”
He shrugged again, folding his arms across his chest. There was no need for him to be defensive, though. I wasn’t upset. Just desperate to know if it meant what I hoped it did. “In case you needed me,” he said. “I wouldn’t have been able to sleep knowing you weren’t here.”
“Why?” I asked in a hushed voice as I moved even closer, trying to stop myself from shaking as I looked down at him. There was only a couple of inches between us, but he was bigger than me. Broader. His hands would make my thighs look small.
“Because if anything happened to you, I couldn’t live with myself.” He closed the gap between us, reaching up to tentatively brush a strand of hair off my face.
A soft exhale slipped from my lips as I tried to resist leaning into his touch. “I shouldn’t want this.”
“I know. I shouldn’t either.”
