"Can we talk about this?" Matt asks. By "this" I'm assuming he means our almost-kiss. We're still sitting in his jeep. He just parked in front of my house.
"You know, I-I'd rather not," I say. I know I'm being selfish, but I can't dredge up my past right now. It's not the right time. He deserves the truth, but I can't talk about it. At least not today.
"Bailey, I'm sure you've got your reasons, and I'm sure they're good ones, but...we almost kissed. I mean, that's kind of a big deal." He pauses, taking in a deep breath. Letting it out, he continues. "You know, sooner or later you're going to have to face your heart. You might not want to, but it's inevitable. And just so you know, I'm still going to be here when you do." I expect him to turn and smile at me. He doesn't. He opens the door of the jeep and steps out into the cold night air. I follow.
Needless to say dinner was pretty awkward that night. I think my mom sensed that something was amiss between Matt and me, but she didn't ask about it. She did, however, make a big fuss over the fact that we were soaked to the skin. She kept going on and on about how we were going to "catch our death" from being out in the rain in November. She insisted on Matt changing into a pair of my dad's sweats and a flannel shirt. He complied, mainly just to soothe her, I think.
It hasn't been very long since Matt went home, maybe a couple hours. I'm lying on my bed staring at the ceiling when my phone rings. It's him. Confused, I answer. Maybe he forgot something.
"Hello?"
"Hey. Are you doing anything tomorrow?" he says.
"Umm, not that I know of. Why?"
"I was hoping you'd say that. Do you want to go shopping with me?" he asks.
"Shopping? Are you crazy? On Black Friday?" He must be insane. People act mad on Black Friday. He laughs. "Yes, shopping. No, I'm not crazy. And yes, I know tomorrow is Black Friday. That's the point. Massive sales, great deals, and we can get a super early start on Christmas shopping." He sounds perfectly happy and excited. It's impossible for him to stay down for long. I hesitate briefly. I'm not very fond of crowds.
"I don't know. All the stores are going to be packed. It'll be a madhouse out there," I say, trying to use reason with him.
"Please come with me." Apparently reasoning doesn't work. I groan and say, "Don't you have other friends you can ask?" He laughs a little and says, "No. All my guy friends hate shopping. Anne would jump at the offer, but as you know, she's not in the state. If you come with me I'll buy you a gluten-free cupcake and we can have lunch at that new cafe," he says, working his persuasive magic.
"Alright, geez. I'll go. Besides, you had me at cupcake."
We head out really early the next morning, although I don't know how much good it will do. I heard on the news that people have been waiting in line outside of stores the entire night. That's ridiculous to me. I wouldn't even be going out right now if it weren't for Matt. I look over at him as he drives. "So, Captain, where to first?"
"I thought we'd hit the mall first, since that will probably be the busiest. There's an art supplies store in there I wanted to check out."
"What do you need to get in there?" I ask as we pull into the shopping center where the mall is located.
"I'm looking for an easel," he says, circling the parking lot. I don't even see an empty space. After circling again, I spot one and point it out.
"So you're really getting into the art thing, huh?"
"Yeah, I think so. I really like it," he tells me. I smile at him. Maybe that will be it. Art. Maybe that's his passion.
Inside the mall there are people everywhere. I've never seen it this crowded. I follow close behind Matt as he leads the way to the art store, weaving in and out of groups of people. The noise in here is practically deafening. People bump into me without even a backward glance. They just keep walking, so concerned are they with their own affairs.
I grab Matt's sleeve before I end up getting lost in the crowd. He looks back at me and laughs. It's like he's enjoying this. I'm not enjoying this at all. I feel claustrophobic. Too many people. Way too many people.
After what seems like forever we finally make it to the art store. I've never been in here before. It's much larger than I thought. And thankfully there are less people.
Matt seems to know where he's going so I tag along behind him, admiring some paintings as we pass by. I try to search for a restroom while we walk, but I don't see one.
"Do you know where the bathroom is in here?" I ask Matt once we've found the easels.
"Hm, I think it's upstairs. There's a different store up there and I think that's where the bathroom is. Do you want me to help you find it?"
"No, that's okay. I'm sure I can manage. You just stay here and look at these cool...artsy things." He chuckles as I turn and walk away.
Finding the restroom is harder than I anticipated. For one, this is a pretty big store; for another, I'm not even sure where the escalator is to get upstairs. This must be the third time I've walked around the entire ground floor. Becoming desperate for a bathroom, I've just decided to go look for an employee when I see the escalator out of the corner of my eye.
Once I reach the top level I immediately notice the sign hanging from the ceiling with an arrow indicating the direction of the restroom. Now why couldn't the escalator have been that simple to find?
"Matthew! Where the hell are you?" I mutter under my breath, not that he can hear me. I've looked all over the art store and am convinced he's not here. But where else could he be? I'm starting to get worried. Maybe he went upstairs to look for me. Making my way back to the escalator, I ride it up to the top level again. Nope. No sign of him. After another ten minutes of searching without success, I give up and call his cell phone. It only rings twice before he answers.
"Where are you?!" I say, not attempting to hide my frustration.
"Didn't you get my text? I said I'd meet you in Game Buster's once you were finished. I'm sorry. I should have called instead." Agitation still presides inside me, but I try to let it go. Shoving my glasses up and making my way to the exit, I say, "Okay. I'll be there in a minute."
"So you decided not to get an easel?" I ask Matt. We're sitting on a bench outside Beck's Bakery. He kept his word about the cupcake.
"No, I bought one. They put it on hold for me. It would have been slightly difficult to carry it through the mall and across the parking lot. I'll come back and pick it up next week."
"Oh. That makes sense," I say. I laugh when I look up at him. "You've got chocolate frosting on your face. Here."
"Thanks," he replies, taking the napkin from me.
It actually turned out to be a nice day, despite yesterday's downpour. The sun is shining, no clouds in sight, and I'm eating a double chocolate cupcake with my best friend. Not bad.
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