Two-Sided: Chapter IV

 "You just had to push her, didn't you?" Matt chastised me for the hundredth time tonight.

"Come on, you know it doesn't take much to get her going. She's even more competitive than the twins. And she's hilarious when she's wasted." I laughed and looked back at Mara lying down on the back seat. She opened her eyes to look at me.

"I swear your eyes have a no vacancy sign on them right now." I said to her.

Mara tried to pick up her head, but immediately put it back down and instead put up her middle finger and passed back out.

"Aaannndd... She's out." I put my hand on her face, "good night sweet prince."

"Quoting Shakespeare now?" Matt asked.

"Mara would get it." She was a journalism major. "She's said it to me on several occasions."  I was moving the hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear.

"Are we just taking her back to your place?" Matt asked.

"Yeah. We shouldn't try and take her back to the dorms like this."

"Do you mind if I stay tonight, too. I don't feel like driving back to New Albany this late." As if to prove his point, he yawned right on cue.

"Of course you can. Adam is staying over at his girl's tonight. And you were our dd. I'll put her in my bed. You and I will each take a couch."

"I see how it is."

"Want to jam a little before going to sleep. I have your old fender. Maybe we can play an open mic while you're in town."A rare, full smile actually spread across Matt’s face. 

"Sounds good."I was continuing to lightly stroke Mara’s face with my fingers. Then she burped in my face. Matt was parking the car and started laughing his ass off.

"You deserved that." He said after he caught his breath.

"God, that stunk!"Mara giggled a little in her sleep.

"She's such a jackass." I said while I pulled her out of the backseat and hoisted her over my shoulder. She was petite in size, about five foot five, but pure muscle and heavy. I grunted from the effort.

"Not in as good of shape as you used to be, huh?"

"Shut it. You’re one to talk. Don’t think I didn’t notice that beer gut you’re starting. Just open the fucking door for me. She's not getting any lighter here." Mara mumbled something that sounded like asshole.

"Well, you're not." I answered her. 

Matt just kept chuckling, but unlocked and opened the door. I walked in and down the hallway, kicked the door to my room open and unceremoniously dumped her on my bed.I proceeded to take off her boots and socks. Then I moved on to her leggings. This wasn't the first time Mara had passed out drunk in my place. I never took advantage though...

"I'm watching you." Matt said from the doorway.

Okay, my hand might have a tendency to linger on her ass… or stomach… or… whatever, I always kept it pg. I would never fully take advantage

"She doesn't like to sleep in pants. I have to get her a pair of my shorts." My hand lingered while pulling those on too. I pulled on some of my thicker pair of socks knowing how her feet got cold at night. Then came the struggle to get her hoodie off. She always fought me on that. I laid a blanket on top of her and left the room."There. Finally tucked in." I said coming into the living room. 

I found Matt tuning the guitars. "So what kind of mood are you in tonight?" I asked.

"Nineties grunge." He answered and I could make out him plucking out nirvana’s “smells like teen spirit.”

"What else do you have to tell me?" Whenever Matt played grunge it was because he was over thinking something. Going back to the music he grew up with helped him work whatever was in his brain out.

"What I told you about at the game.” He said while he handed me my guitar and picked up his old fender. It had been his beginning guitar, then he gave it to me as my beginning guitar. We were just playing acoustics tonight.

"What about it? I knew it wasn't that far off. I mean, you have been with Victoria for three years. And she's great. I just thought you were going to wait until after you finished your residency."

"I was."I stopped playing "don't tell me she's pregnant!"

"No!" Mat stopped playing too. His usually so carefully composed face fell in abject surprise to my assumption. 

"No." He said again recomposing himself and started playing.

"Well, what am I supposed to think?"

"I got a fellowship, but it's in London. It starts in the spring. That’s why the urgency. You were right, I was going to marry Vicki anyway..."

"So how soon will the wedding be?"

"February. Valentine’s Day. That will give us enough time to honeymoon and move afterward."

"You were in town to tell our parents, right."He nodded. 

"When will you tell Mara?"

"After the college cup game."

"Thank you." I said

"I'm not doing it for you." he answered gruffly.

"I know. Which is why I'm thanking you for taking her feelings into consideration."

We played a goo goo dolls song next.

"Okay, I've had enough of your caterwauling through the nineties” Matt really didn’t have the best voice, even for nineties grunge.

I started to play "do I wanna know” by the arctic monkeys. 

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