I'm pretty sure the thing I was dreading the most could've waited at least one tiny more month before coming into view. Having Matt meet my family. And I don't mean just my two brothers, two sisters, mother and father... I meant my whole family which genuinely was my biggest fear. I guess I can understand really. Matt and I have been 'dating' since the 6th of February this year. Time really flies.
It's May and my mother spent the time between video calling and checking in on me. I rarely spoke about Matt but she tried bringing him up—last night she did the same. She told me that the family was having a get together this weekend at our family home and I was to attend with Matt. Now obviously I couldn't say no or else she'd scold me silly for "making her wait even longer to meet her newest son-in-law" her words not mine. I felt funny by them, she'd never felt so maternal towards Hayden... maybe I should've took that as the first sign and left him from the start.
This was the reason I was here in the middle of Matt's new room pacing like a deranged person. He just sat there with a relaxed and unbothered expression on his face. He was waiting for me to stop so he could tell me nothing was going to go wrong... unfortunately I wasn't so he got up from the edge of his bed and walked to me. He gently put his hands on my shoulders, offering comfort and reassurance in his touch. "Mia, listen to me... everything is going to be alright."
"You don't know that... she has a sixth sense for these things—hello I told you she didn't trust Hayden. It's like she saw the future. She's going to feel that th––" he cut me off by playfully flicking my nose. "Hey!" I exclaimed. "Mia. Listen to me. We've been doing this for three months and one week." He started off. "We've fooled paparazzi, both our fan bases and I think Sharron is warming up to us. We're good. We work together. No one is going to suspect a thing." He said firmly.
I nodded my at his words. He said everything i needed to hear. Everything that could've taken me from the high rise of anxiety in my chest to some sense of calm. "You're right... totally right." I whispered, more to myself than to him. "It can't be that hard right? We'll hold hands and hold each other, say some inside joke only we understand and I bond with your family." Matt said casually like it was the easiest thing in the world.
"Don't forget kiss." Chris said from the doorway. He and Nick had been standing there for sometime. I groaned at his playful words and held the bridge of my nose. "How long have you been standing there?" Matt asked. Nick snd Chris exchanged knowing looks at each other and then Nick answered. "Not long... but long enough to know she's freaked out and you're on reassurance control."
"I have good reason to be freaked out. Nick, you know how my family can be sometimes." I complained and finally moved my hand from my nose. "Yes, I do but they're going to be more excited than curious. They have been waiting for you to try date again. We all have." Nick replied. Chris nodded along with him. "Mimi, I've seen you two together. I actually get really confused because you're both so good at... fake dating." Chris voiced, also 'Mimi' is the way Freya started pronouncing my name because she can't say Mia. Chris got used to it.
"Exactly. And you have memories together. Good ones so if they ask about this and that you have stuff to say." Nick added on to Chris' words. "You guys are right... I'm being a little dramatic. I'll stop." I said finally letting the emotions of worry truly go. There was a wave of silence that passed over us, Matt looked at Nick and Chris and silently thanked them for helping by nodding his head.
Chris smirked and opened his mouth to joke first. "You guys are still going to kiss right?" Matt and I both groaned while Nick and Chris fell into laughter. "We said we're not kissing unless absolutely necessary." Matt said... there was something under his tone though. Like he was struck about something. "This is absolutely necessary. You're meeting the parents." Nick said.
Chris laughed and I shook my head. "Yeah, but we can't exactly force it." I said. "It has to look real... and we've only pecked one time in public for paparazzi. It might be awkward." I continued—that was the truth for me. In other words I had zero recollection of the kiss we shared during coachella in the hotel. It's not like Matt made a note to remind me of it. He didn't know how to. And he if we're being honest he didn't want to... just in case it scared me off and away from this 'relationship'.
"Practice maybe?" Nick suggested like he would suggest a movie we all should watch. Matt looked up at him a little too fast, the memory of that night flooding in. He forced them down and then spoke. "That's... not the worst idea. We've got tomorrow and Friday to practice before Saturday." Matt said softly, testing the waters for my reaction.
"I mean I guess..." I replied. Chris and Nick looked like they were about to burst with joy. "Oh, my gosh. I cannot wait for the wedding." Matt and I rolled our eyes at Nick's words, then the four of us burst into laughter.
The next day I was supposed to be going out for lunch with Matt and a few others. Just Tara, Larray, Nick, Chris and my bestfriend Kayleigh. Around 11 Matt came over. I was still in my room doing some finishing touches on my makeup, he let himself in with then spare key I had given him a few weeks ago. From the entrance he made his way to my room and found me sitting at my vanity going over my eyelashes with mascara.
"You know, you should learn to say you're almost done and not you're done when you're not actually done." Matt said leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. I didn't answer him until I was done with my lashes, turning around to face him as I spoke. "I was practically done and you were still driving over here. What difference does it make?"
Maty smirked lightly. "What if I was already here?" I shake my head, "If you were then I would have told you how far I really was but you weren't so be grateful it all worked up in time." I said and then stood up, I walked over to my bed to grab my coach handbag. Matt pushed himself away from the doorway and over to me. He let's his hands find my waist and pulls me closer to him, my back against his chest.
He moves some of my hair behind my ear and places a soft kiss right under the ear. "Ready for today?" He asked, his voice low and controlled. I hummed a response because I couldn't be sure what sound or reaction might escape me after he did that. It was just practice. Just a few kisses. Nothing too major... right?
Wrong actually. The entire time we'd spent over lunch Matt kept himself touching me in some way, which earned knowing looks from the others at the table. If his hand wasn't on my thigh, it was on the small of my back, or holding my hand. Oh, and not to mention how many times he'd lean in to whisper something like "you're doing good" or "am I making you nervous?" As if he didn't know what he was doing to me. He had to know. Otherwise he wouldn't have been smirking each time he did something that gave my body a small reaction.
By the time we were done with lunch I went back with Matt to his. I laid down on his bed while waiting for him to come back from the kitchen. My mind was thinking about the whole day—the touches, the calculated whispers, the kisses to my cheek or neck. If I didn't get a grip now, I'd be so screwed for Saturday.
Matt came back into his room with a bottle of water. "So... how'd we do today?" I propped myself up on my elbows to look at him. "Believable... very, very believable." I said. He walked closer. "You seemed shy." I rolled my eyes at the words. "I was only... I should be used to the touching by now, but you were being a little more different about it today and I'm still a little psyched out about Saturday."
He just smiled in amusement. "You know what I think?" I raised my eyebrows waiting for him to answer. "I think you're beginning to like it. My touches and shit." I rolled my eyes at his words then I sat up straight. "No, I don't." I stated. He just shrugged and sat down next to me. "Whatever, ready for the kiss?" He asked. "Am I ready for the kiss? Matt I still think we don't hav––"
My words were cut short the moment he placed his lips on mine. I should've pulled away so I could protest and whine, but I didn't. Instead I let my hand move to his face as the kiss deepened. Our lips moving together in a intoxicating motion. He pulled away first for us to catch our breaths and then smirked, before he kissed me again. The second time it wasn't as slow—heated up pretty fast actually. He slipped his tongue inside my mouth and let it move along my own.
A few minutes later he pulled away. "Good?" I was still catching my breath so all I could do was nod in response ans softly say. "Good." He smirked again. "Okay, good. A few more to get used to that and we'll be ready for Saturday."
When Saturday came I was a little more confident in proving to my family that this was real. I held Matt's hand as we walked up towards the front door of my parents place. My mother opened once I rang the doorbell. Her face lighting up when she saw Matt and I. "Hello, sweetie." She hugged me and then drew her attention to Matt. "Hello, Matthew. It's lovely to meet you." She said and hugged him too.
"Hi, Mrs. Rosehart, it's lovely to meet you. And please call me Matt." She smiled at his words and then guided both of us through the house while going on about how everyone is excited to see us both. I squeezed Matt's hand subconsciously, just trying to find something that would ground me. When we got to the backyard everyone turned their attention to us, something I should be used of people doing but it's different when it's family.
My father immediately walked up to us. He greeted me shortly and then turned his attention to Matt. "So, you're the famous Matt." He said holding his hand out for Matt to shake. "Hello, Sir. It's really nice to finally meet you. Mia told me so much." Matt shook my father's hand. In my opinion he shouldn't have done that because now he was getting pulled away from me and went along with my father to the area where they were busy with the barbecue.
I turned my gaze away from them for a second, silently praying Matt does good on his own. I know he will. He has to. I watch my two brothers go up to him and my father... and so yhe interrogation begins. I try not focus on that and move over to my sisters, Ella and Paige. I hug them and express how much I've missed seeing them. They talk about the stuff they've been up to.
While I was talking with them, Matt was somehow managing extremely well with my father and two brothers. "Okay, okay... you seem alright and like you actually like our sister but on a serious note, how do you feel about joining us next weekend to watch some football?" The younger one asked, Caleb. Matt smiled brightly and answered. "I'd be down, just gotta check that Mia won't need me for anything."
My father smiled to himself proudly. He liked that. That Matt understood that he had to put me first in more ways than one. Fatherly pride or whatever. Gavin, my oldest brother who's also the father of Freya, spoke next. "Well, I think the only left to ask is what is your intentions with our sister—but that's an easy to lie so instead, just don't break her heart alright." Gavin said placing a hand on Matt's shoulder.
Matt nodded and didn't realize that there was a part of him that actually was taking those words deep into his heart. He wasn't going to break your heart. He wasn't going to be like Hayden. He knew he wouldn't whether this is a fake relationship or not.
I think Matt and I did a good job at pretending to be real couple worked. Over the lunch we sat next to each other and softly spoke with each other a couple of times to give off that 'we're still smitten as kittens with each other' vibe to some of my aunts who I know were watching us like Hawks. And we'd also been holding each other whenever we were next to to each other.
Not to mention the inside jokes or random little facts about each other that we learned in the three months of being a 'couple', we pulled out while talking with someone. Oh and the three kisses we exchanged throughout the day. It made the fake dating thing look real. It made it look like we truly cared about each other. Maybe we did. I mean I kind of caught myself looking at Matt a couple of times while he was talking with some family members or playing with some of my nieces and nephews. It's just really nice to have someone who could do this for you. He'd become a true friend above all.
It was getting a bit late so before Matt and I were going to leave I knew I had to give my best goodbye to Freya. She was over by Aunt Tracy. I moved to her and she passed me the baby, I hugged the little sweetheart and placed kissed to her cheek. Matt came behind me and Freya remembered him and got excited. I passed her to him and he took her happily.
"Oh, hey Freya. It's been so long. I missed you, sweetheart." I looked up at him while he held her. It was so sweet. I recalled how close the two got back in February. My aunty grinned mischievously and decided to speak on the scene at hand. "You know, you two should get married and have some babies of your own."
I swore I could've choked on thin air in that moment. My eyes opening wide as well as Matt's, we just stared at each other. "Okay! And that's our cue. Goodnight, Aunt Tracy." I hinted for Matt to pass Freya back to my aunt. After he did we said our goodbyes to everyone else and left.
My only thought on the way out and drive home was that no matter how much you try to satisfy people's weird hopes for your life, they just may keep growing. I mean, come on, I had a boyfriend to them now... marriage and kids shouldn't even be in the discussion yet.
✎ T speaking : I took too long to post this chapter😭
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