Matt locked the door to Ink behind him as he returned from his last-minute errands; he hadn't taken a full weekend off in at least three years, and he had forgotten how much he and Mark actually had to do. The odd bits of paperwork, the casual sketches, the catching up of the accounts...

He had too much invested into this business to let it falter - Mark and his livelihoods, Big Tom's legacy...

They meant too much to him to be concerned about a sleep-in. He wouldn't haven taken the time off for just anything, and he was still reeling in the fact that Gen had asked him to visit her family.

Whilst not unsettled, he was wary about how the weekend was going to unfold. Not just meeting the huge Italian family - unfortunately that had been a struggle for him most of his life, and it has taken years forMark's family to learn that it wasn't coldness that he was conveying, but rather fear. It was something he was still working on.

The cause for concern was Genevieve. Whilst he knew she loved her family, there was often hesitation and half-explanations associated with them. She obviously had some struggles, whatever the kind, with them. Combined with the fact that he might not be someone they would approve of, he was surprised that she wanted to introduce him to them. That woman was full of mysteries.

A usually confident man, Matt's stomach was in knots as he made his way up to his apartment. Mark's family was the only one that he had ever sought approval from, not having any of his own, and even that had not caused him this much concern.

He was so crazy about this girl that he would do anything for her, including meeting her family. It was probably going to be as hard for her as it was going to be for him, and the more he thought about it, he realized it wasn't just the fear of meeting them paining, but desperation that they wouldn't like him.

Matt had learned years ago to ignore the looks he got on the street. Mothers would pull their children away, they elderly would look on in disapproval, and teenage boys would stare in approval whilst their girlfriend's eyes would gleam with their fantasy of a 'bad boy'. He had never been phased by the generalizations of the world, knowing that none of it was true. Not until he had met Genevieve.

She had looked past all of the colours and attitude to see him, something that Matt himself had forgotten to look for every now and then, and ahe liked him for him. She didn't stare at him like a lost cause or a battered puppy, but rather as someone she...

Not loved. She had never said that too him, and he was painfully aware of that. He ran his hands through his hair as he dropped onto the couch in anticipation. It was only recently when he had had a spare moment to himself that he had begun to analyze his life. All that he had, and all that he didn't. What he had missed, and what he had longed for.

She had never in so many words said that she had loved him, but Matt knew that she did. Genevieve was a professional at hiding her true feelings, but her actions had slowly begun to soften, to embrace and to warm to him that he knew that she must feel...

The knock at the door startled him out of his enveloping thoughts, and he jumped to answer the door. Genevieve stood there, arms folded across her chest to protect her from the slight summer breeze, and gave him a breathtaking smile as he pulled open the door.

It had only been a few hours since he had said goodbye to her in the afternoon, and his heart still fluttered to see her. God, she was beautiful.

She stepped into his arms, slid onto the tips of her toes and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him with such enthusiasm that he was caught off guard for a moment. It took him a few seconds to overcome his surprise - he still wasn't used to her initiating acts of affections - before he pulled her in by her hips and returned her greeting.

They kissed long and slow, and it was a few moments before she pulled back, a little breathlessly with a smile. It got harder and harder for him to stop kissing her, but he was determined to not let her know that. He couldn't risk scaring her away.

"What was that for?" He asked, with a slightly bewildered smile.

She placed a hand on his cheek and rubbed at his lips with her thumb, probably attempting to remove traces of the lipstick she was wearing. "I'm just happy to see you." She paused hesitantly and bit her lip, before continuing, "and I'm really glad you decided to come with me."

He couldn't help but let out a chuckle, as he wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled her close to him, kissing her forehead. "I'm glad you asked. I think I'm excited."

She scoffed disbelievingly and scrunched her face. "I'm not sure that's the word I would use."

He looked down at her, feeling his brows furrow in concern. Was she changing her mind?

He turned Gen to face him, running his arms slowly up her bare arms in an attempt to provide some comfort to her obviously unsettled mind. "Do you want me to stay here?"

She snorted. "Gosh no. I'm just," she hesitated as she tried to find the right words. "I'm a little worried you might be scared off after whatever is bound to happen this weekend."

He laughed as he picked up his bag and swung it over his shoulder. "Girlie, nothing is going to scare me away from you."

Matt saw her trying to resist a smile. She wrapped her arms around his waist settled her head into the crook of his neck. "You say that now." She breathed, nuzzling in closer.

He dropped his bag and wrapped his arms around her, and backed her up until she was pressed against the wall. He kissed her again, until he could feel the tension slowly release and a smile against his lips. He rest his head against hers and murmured. "Nothing."

She chuckled a little breathlessly. "You obviously never met an Italian woman who thinks piercings are the mark of the devil."

---

I don't have much to say except that I'm sorry for another month long wait. Between full time work, and a smashed computer screen (don't ask), I don't have much time to do anything aside from sleep.

I know this chapter is a little short, but I just needed a little filler chapter to get it moving. It was hard to get inspiration for, but I always like writing in Matt's point of view - I think it provides a nice little insight, and besides, he's my dream guy. A girl can create a dream guy, right?

Thank you to everyone who has been reading - people who have patiently waited, and to all the new readers out there. I love you all.

I know it's not much of a chapter, but what did you think? What do you think is going to happen at the party?

Don't forget to comment and vote for me friends :)

Love you all,

G xx