Matthew POV

"Have you forgotten what you did to Lauren?" 

Jonathan asked me without even looking at me.

He just stared in the distance as we both stood in the parking lot beside Lauren Shop. Jonathan waited for me that night. I know what he was thinking, as we had also become friends before.

"You shouldn't come back and confuse her again, Matthew," he continued as he tried to control his voice.

"Lauren had enough she has been through a lot because of you." I could feel how much he really cares about Lauren.

As I remember, back in our high school days, Jonathan also waited for me until my shift was done. I still remember his eyes when he walked over me on the street, giving me a punch straight in the face and making me fall to the ground.

(Flashback)

"I trust you! I don't fucking care about who you are, Matthew. but you are hurting Lauren in the worst possible way! You didn't deserve her!" 

He shouted at me, grabbing me in my shirt as he hit me again.

"Hey!" said the guard at my workplace. as they tried to stop him by holding him up. as I could taste my own blood on my lips.

It's been days when I drop out of school, and I never talk to them, even though I know Lauren has been trying to talk to me, reaching out to me and waiting for an hour outside my house and here at work.

"You also like Lauren, right?" I asked him, making him look at me with those furious eyes.

"You can take care of her now," I said as I stood on my feet and tried to read his face with a disappointed look on his face.

"You really are an asshole, Matthew!" he said as he took back his hands from the guard.

"You make her love you, and yet you just leave her just like this!" Jonathan's voice shakes a bit with anger at me.

"He loved you, Matt, not me," he said, as I could feel desperation in his voice. "You know, Lauren, you know that she never sees me as a man, not like you!"

"I'm sorry, Jonathan," is the only thing I could say.

"Are you really doing this?"
"Are you really going to leave Lauren behind?"
"Matthew! You loved her too!"

This is what I keep hearing from Jonathan as I walk away from him. not looking back; just keep on walking with all the tears in my eyes.

(End of Flashback)

And seeing him waiting for me again, like those times, makes me understand how important Lauren was to them as friends.

"I know, I have no excuse," I started after a long silence of his words.

"That I didn't deserve Lauren after what I've done to her before."

"That I am still an asshole to you." I look at him, seeing his smirk almost make him laugh as he looks back at me.

"I had the worst life I had when I left," I said, "and going back is what really matters for me until now." I continued, breaking the look at him.

"You know how much I love Lauren, Jonathan," I said as I could feel how cold the night was for us.

"I know, just make it right this time," Jonathan said, making me smile. It was still there after all these years. It made me feel that I was not alone, like I always thought I was.

that, after all, we can still be friends.

not like those old days, but like today.



Lauren POV

"Is this your place too?" I said in awe as I looked at the two-story house with a wide backyard in front and beside it.

It does have a pool, the wall glass beside it, and two doors in front of the house. There were a lot of trees and plants that you could see by the lights that surrounded the house even at night.

Matthew took me here after work, saying he wanted to show something to me. It's already past 10 at midnight, as we had dinner before going here.

I thought it was like a simple date; I wasn't really expecting much, as I know he is not the kind of man with lots of surprises.

He opens the door as I walk in, and I look at him with a question in my eyes.

"Uhm, it's empty here?" I asked, as I saw nothing inside the house. I was big, with a staircase on the left side and lots of room within it. The high ceiling looks so elegant, but it was empty without even a chair for us to sit on there.

"Is this really your house?" I asked again, as I saw him smile.

"It's ours, Lauren."

Matthew's voice echoes in each corner of the house as I look at him walk over the center.

"This will be our place, our home," he continued, as I could see sparks in his eyes when he talked.

"This will be our living room, over there was the kitchen, and this one would be our bar counter, I guess?" He explained as he pointed to every empty spot inside the house.

"I want you to be here, making it complete with me," Matthew said as he walked closer to me, reaching for my hand as I was so speechless at the moment.

"I love you, Lauren," he said in a gentle voice that made me melt as he looked at me straight in the eyes.

"You didn't know how you surprised me, right?" I said, smiling at him as I gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"I love you too," I replied to him as I looked in the house. It makes me feel excited, and somehow completing it with Matthew feels like my heart will explode with happiness.

"Uhm, so you are okay with it?" I heard Matthew stammer at my back. I looked at him.

"Yes! Of course, who wouldn't like this?" I exclaimed, as I couldn't believe his question. He looked at me, so surprised.

"W—what?" I asked him.

"So you going to marry me, Lauren?" Matthew's question makes me stop for a moment; I didn't hear him right.

I just look at him without even blinking. For a minute, my mind didn't hear him right.

'Is he asking me to marry him? '

"Lauren, will you marry me?" Matthew repeated himself in front of me, just standing there waiting for my answer.

I could feel how loudly my heart was beating right now.

'I heard it right' I shouted to my mind.

'YES! ' My heart wants to answer

But no words came out of my mouth, it feels like I lost my voice to speak, as I could feel tears running down my eyes.

'No, I was not sad, I was happy. Lauren, don't cry.'

I try to calm myself down, but I could feel how my shoulder shook when I could also hear my own sob.

I was like a child, crying.

Matthew, wrap me up on his body caressing me, just letting me know that he was with me, not taking off his hands around me for more than a minute.

We stay like this.

Until I calm down a bit, 'sob sob' I try to look at him, just seeing that he looks at me all this time.

I smile as he wipes the tears from my eyes.

"Yes! Let's get married, Matthew," I answer him with a smile on my face.

He smiled at me back, holding both my faces in his hands.

as he leaned closer, giving me a gentle kiss.

He pulled back and looked at me again. "You mean everything to me, Lauren," Matthew said to me.

before he kissed me again, a long, deep kiss that made me feel how warm he was and how our touches made us forget the pain we had in the past.

Matthew carries me upstairs as we enter a room and gently lays me down on the bed. not breaking his kiss on my body as he started unbuttoning my blouse, revealing my body in front of him.

"You are all mine, Lauren," Matthew said as he began kissing every part of me, like leaving his own mark on my body.

The electrifying feeling he gave me as he moved above me made me weak, letting him do what he wanted.

I could feel how warm his body was as he undressed above me. In a moment, we just stared at each other.

as I pulled him closer to me, kissing him, as I felt like some part of me wanted more from him.

"Ah!" I moan as I can feel how deep he is inside me.

It was different from before, I could feel how gentle Matthew was on me this time. It was like we were both hungry for each other's touch. as we both gave it all tonight.

I am marrying this man, who I had a crush on first when we were in high school, who is my first love, the first man I go out with, my first kiss, my first touch, the person who broke me first, but also the person who heals me now.

Am I dreaming right now?

as I look at the man, who is sleeping so soundly beside me. I smile as I reach for his face, pushing back some hair on his face.

"I love you, Matthew," I said as I looked at him.

"I love you too, Lauren," Matthew said, as he slowly opened his eyes and pulled me closer to him and kissed my forehead.

I was safe in his arms. I felt everything was alright.

right??