#I'm not saying Annabel didn't have a reason for what she did either

[men-i-find-attractive-yaps]

Am i the only one who thinks Lenore is valid for how she treated Annabel in their little garden walk considering Annabel almost let Lenore's bestfriend be killed after Lenore expressed multiple times that she wished to take her friends with her? Who wouldn't be mad that your past wife not only didn't want to take your friends with you to revival, but also allowed them to be almost be killed?

[halucynator]

Hi Lucy hope you’re days going well! I had a fic ide for Mattheo x best friend fem! Reader where it’s been a stressful week but it’s Friday night, raining in Hogwarts and they’re hanging out watching IT (Mattheo convinced her) after class and she’s a gryffindor and acts like she’s not scared but when it’s night time she’s afraid to fall asleep because of the movie and she ends up going to his dorm and he confesses he likes her and she sleeps with him?(maybe a longer FIC?)

I love your work so much!

Big mistake.

Decided to combine these two x

Pairing: Mattheo Riddle x fem!reader (they are bff's BC bff to lovers is the second best trope to ever exist. Nothing beats e2l imo but that's beside the point.)

Warnings: mentions of violent imagery ig?, cuddling, mentions of intercourse, kissing, not proof read lmk if I missed any.

Summary: you and your friends decide to watch a horror movie. Unfortunately for you, you still wonder what lingers under your bed.

Sorry this took me so long! I was preparing for my Uni which starts in a couple days so I'm super sorry for the wait! Hope you like it x

I watched IT when I was 6 because my parents were watching it on the big TV in the same room as me and I thought it'd be a cute movie but it was... Bad to say the least. I have been traumatised ever since 🥰

reblogs (with tags) are always appreciated!! It is so much help!!

You hated horror movies. But somehow you let your best friend, Mattheo, convince you to watch "IT" with your friends.

Big Mistake.

The violent imagery flashed your mind. The cannibalism, the blood, the balloon, the- the everything.

You didn't get scared by horror movies easily. You'd watched Annabelle, the Conjuring and whatnot without being terrified but IT, oh god, IT.

"You okay, princess?"Mattheo asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost." He chuckled.

You had. You'd seen a ghost. Or a clown. But it was more terrifying than any other ghosts you'd ever witnessed in your life.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I- I'm alright!" You exclaimed too caught up in terrifying thoughts than to pay attention to your boyfriend.

He knew. Of course he did. He was your best friend. But he didn't hold it over your head. He didn't even mention it.

"Do you want me to walk you to your dorm?" He asked.

"Yes but I don't know if they allow it." You replied.

"Eh they probably don't allow a couple of 16 year olds to watch IT during night either but we did it anyway." He joked.

"Wouldn't you be afraid of being seen with a Gryffindor?" You asked knowing he had quite a high status and hoped him being seen with a Gryffindor wouldn't lower it in anyway.

"Not as much as you're afraid of Pennywise." He winked.

"I so am not!" You said offended, crossing your arms and pretending to be mad at him.

"Ok princess, keep telling yourself that." He chuckled as you elbowed him.

As you neared your dorm, the scenes obscured your mind again. You took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Bye princess" Mattheo waved.

"Bye Mattheo. Thank you." You replied as you waved back.

And there it was. Your facade fell apart and petrifying thoughts clouded your mind. You pulled the sheets over your head as you laid in bed. You were fine for the first few minutes until... giggles and lines clouded your mind.

Lines such as "You'll float too!"

You were caught in an endless loop of a nightmare and the only way to stop it was... was to admit you were afraid so you'd be okay. So he'd take care of you. No, not Pennywise!

You made your way to his dorm and knocked.

"Come in!" A voice shouted from inside.

You entered Mattheo's dorm.

"Princess? What are you doing here?" He asked bewildered.

You took a deep breath and dreadfully opened your mouth to tell Mattheo the reason for your presence.

"I'm scared." You said.

He chuckled slightly.

"IT'S NOT FUNNY." You whisper-shouted.

He giggles before he pats next to him. You walk over to his side and sit down next to him.

"I don't think I resonate well with the idea of you sleeping with me." He said as he realised what you were there for.

"Huh, why?" You asked deeply hurt.

"I wouldn't be able to control myself" he smirked as he winked.

You elbowed him yet again.

"Ow! That hurt!" He stated.

"It's about to hurt a lot more if you don't shut up!" You threatened half joking.

"Alright alright. You can sleep here." He replied.

"Thank you." You said.

"I meant it, you know." He said.

"Huh?" You asked confused.

"I wouldn't be able to control myself if you slept with me." He stated.

"Huh and why's that?" You questioned.

"Because I- I like you princess." He replied.

"Oh." You simply said.

"Oh?" He repeated looking hurt. "I probably shouldn't have, I'm sorry I made it weird. I-"

Without thinking you kissed him. It felt good. You felt better. You could feel Mattheo smirk into the kiss.

You both pulled away when you started getting breathless.

"I like you too." You replied.

"Yeah I figured." He smirked.

"Get over yourself!" You exclaimed.

You placed yourself next to Mattheo on the bed. He placed one of his hands in your hair and the other one on your waist to pull you closer. His hand moved down from your hair to your cheek as he caressed it.

Butterflies exploded in your stomach as he did so. You closed your eyes and melted into his touch.

And with that you slept.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡*:☆

The next morning you woke up. At first you were confused as to what you were doing in Mattheo's room but soon enough you remembered.

"Good morning Princess." He smiled at you.

"hey. I mean- good morning." You replied.

He chuckled at your flustered state.

After the atmosphere in the room became thick, Mattheo spoke.

"I didn't know you had a fear of clowns, princess." He teased.

"I didn't! I used to like clowns!"

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡*:☆

A/n: I hope you liked it! Hope this is long enough for you anon. Sorry for the unnecessarily long wait xx

[just-an-enby-lemon]

Things from Poe's Party blooper reel that are cannon to me idc:

- H.G making a playfull gesture with his camera contraption to make Lenore laugh.

- Charlotte screaming "don't be mean to me" to Anne after Anne points out that Charlotte killed a guy with a knife and should just learn to shoot.

- Oscar saying "we blew-knew each other" when explaining how he knew Eddie. And Ernest raising his eyebrows impressed.

- H.G having a small breakdown while trying to have an idea that involved him petting a deer head weirdly.

- Hemningway petting H.G's hair for no reason.

- Oscar trying to set up George Elliot and Annabel Lee (and Annabel not understanding what he said because she doesn't get inuendo, plus Oscar trying to pretend it wasn't an innuendo and going "you should invite her to dinner").

- Lenore announcing that Charlotte is her new freenimie.

- Edgar doesn't vote. (Boo, Edgar, you should vote!)

- During the final confrontation Hemningway hugs a scared Oscar and it's actually nice for once but when Edgar tries to hold Hemningway arm for confort Ernest sends him a "wtf dude" look and Poe stops and goes to hug Lenore instead.

- Jane Austen can't pronounce the name of her own book.

- "You ever been with a guy with four knifes" said Ernest to Charlotte.

- "Me too! That cracked-rabit-jacket-fuck"

- Oscar entering scene involving him slowly walking away like a diva. Either that or him jumping around as if he was in dancing in the rain. Both with a baffled and akward Edgar just looking like he is already regretting the party.

- Lenore telling Edgar that he needs a change of wardrobe and they should call Oscar to help him with it.

- Ernest:"How many people did you invite?" Edgar: "Three! It was three right?" Lenore: "No" Edgar: "oh no"

- Lenore explaining the way to H.G (it was cute).

- Charlotte and Anne being dramatically dragged out of the house by the cops while going "do you know who I am?"

- Oscar going "so tired, so exausted, so sexy" and the "I'm so clever that sometimes I don't even know what I'm saying. Oh. Someone should put that on Wikipedia."

- Emily didn't die she just left cursing the other writers for being dicks.

[littlemissidontcare]

Whatever helps you sleep at night// Lol! If you think the rs of two strangers I don't even know keeps me up at night then you are sorely mistaken. I'm only here for the drama and entertainment and I don't care either way, it's not my life.

But you still haven't answered my question though. Why did Seb choose her if he didn't want her? And why does he stay with her when he can just leave and find another one just like her tomorrow. What is your reasoning for that one, I'm genuinely curious to know.

Let me put it like this, people.. men and women both, sometimes settle for people they don’t even really care about just to have someone there. Celebs do that, but it serves more of a purpose if one celeb is more high profile than the other. Could they be fwb? Sure. Do I think he follows her like a puppy for sex? No. He spends just enough time without her, so we don’t know what his extracurricular activities are. We don’t know what boundaries he has set, but the man looks annoyed if he’s even within 50 feet of her.

Can he get another girl who is prettier and less plastic looking? Yeah. But who knows if he even wants to date right now. Maybe he really is taking a break and trying to figure out what he wants, but that’s why I say, he doesn’t want Annabelle. She’s not in it for the long haul, she’s a placeholder, and not a good one. I don’t see them having deep conversations about life or even connecting that well. I see them showing up to do their thing, or be around friends, then going their separate ways.

The vacations? Yeah that doesn’t prove their real either, as DM said. Many celebs do it. Traveling together and involving friends and family add traction, whether it’s a contract or not, and therefore they continue getting the attention they need. And we all know Annabelle needs that attention like a flower needs water.

[blacknedsoul-blog]

Uhm...I partly agree with you. But none of this is what I said at all. I don't think Annabel is right in the slightest, in the same way that I think Lenore is screwing up to the hilt. And that's fine, we'd be in a really boring story if the characters did everything right. But I digress, let me explain my opinion further.

Leaving aside the morality of fictional characters (which is a matter I couldn't care less about) when I say Lenore is stubborn, impulsive and selfish; I'm not belittling her enormous altruism, bravery, cunning and devotion. On the contrary, I think it is her flaws that make her fascinating and that make her a complex character whose story I want to follow. Otherwise, I would find her sincerely boring.

That said, I think it's also fair to say that Lenore has never had any real intentions of going along with Annabel's plan and has kept things from her: she agreed to the charade, but never agreed that only they would escape, she didn't tell her about the raven, at the widow's tower she made the situation objectively worse for both of them because it was what she wanted, she hasn't listened to Annabel's incessant pleas evidently trying to divert attention from something she apparently can't tell her and while she wasn't the one who tried to kill her, I don't know exactly what Lenore expected to happen after telling her two trusted people, for whom this bitch is a homicidal and dangerous psychopath, that "there was no truce because Annabel is impossible to reason with".

All this I have said does not make Lenore dumb, nor evil. They make her interesting. Because all this is logical and consistent with both her character and the situation she is in.

Of course after being deprived of her freedom Lenore doesn't want to listen to what anyone has to tell her, she wants so much to save these people that she unwittingly ends up going over their heads. She doesn't know any other alternative. This is bullshit, it's unfair, it's tragic.

And where we - the readers - can extend to Lenore that pity for her actions - because we see them from the outside, because we see how unfair and terrible this situation is - that's a pity she's not going to extend to herself. Add to that that we readers are also in Annabel's head, so we can see that she not only went along with the insanity Lenore was proposing out of love, but because she hated this whole ridiculous social game and Lenore offered her hope for a way out. We know that she refuses to believe the Deans' nonsense because Annabel is someone who trusts that everyone does things for a reason and it doesn't make any sense that they would tell her that Lenore killed her because they care about her, but because they have a more sinister plan in the works.

But that won't make this all hurt any less for either of them. Neither will it for the Misfists.

And about the other thing, I'm afraid I must disagree.

Because if you're Annabel, you love Lenore. You love Lenore so much that you wouldn't let her go headlong into saving her friend against a guy whose idea of a sleepover is to put someone behind a wall. Because you want to protect her, you want to protect her at any cost and if she does that, you won't be able to protect her. And that means you're not going to tell her what Nyarlathotep tumblrsexymen told you either because you know it will tear her apart. But also, because you're Annabel, you feel like you owe this to her. Because Lenore is extraordinary and has given her all for you, so you have to be able to do this little thing for her. Because all you are is a lying little shit with a pretty face and if you can't even keep your allies under your thumb, then she doesn't need you. And if she doesn't need you, you've lost her. You've lost the only thing that ever made you happy.

In the same way that if you're Lenore, you love Annabel. You love Annabel so much that you're horrified at the idea that she wants to play queen or become this vicious monster because one of the few things you remember about her is how others have used her as a kind of fun toy, displayed almost like a pageant poodle, a pretty prop before a person. And the last thing you want is to feel like you're the cause why she should keep doing this. Also, because you love Annabel, you want her by your side, because by your side is the only place you can protect her, but she insists on leaving and no matter how hard you try to get her to tell you what's going on, your complaints fall on deaf ears, why can't she ever make things easy for you? But because you're Lenore, you suck it up until you explode, because you love Annabel and you want to believe in her. Because you don't want to fail her like everyone in her life has failed her. Which doesn't mean you're not terrified because you know what happened the last time someone in your life was willing to watch over you. And you couldn't bear for that to happen again.

The tragedy here is that Annabel and Lenore are putting each other in an impossible situation where they condemn each other to failure. Because for Annabel and Lenore, to love is to protect, it's to be the shield that will be there so that the other doesn't have to go through it again after others have hurt her in terrible ways.

It's tragic because they love each other. They love so much that they have to try to save each other.

They love each other so much that they can't save each other.

The most immoral thing that anyone has done in Nevermore at any point is Lenore betraying Annabel Lee like that.

[moody-cowdaddy]

A Meeting At Dusk

Arthur Morgan x Reader | Imagine #6

Summary: A quiet moment of watching the sunset at Horseshoe Overlook becomes an unexpected turn of events.

Category: Fluff

××××

You sat along the treeline of the camp at Horseshoe Overlook. Ever since you had been here, you had always noticed just how beautiful the sunsets were, but you never got a real chance to actually watch it. So, given that today was a rather slow day, that's exactly what you decided to do. You watched as the sun slowly began to fall behind all of the mountains and trees of the countryside. The beautiful reds, oranges and purples of the sky mixing and moving together, blanketing itself over the whole area of New Hanover, it never ceased to amaze you just how beautiful the world could be sometimes.

You were so caught up and in awe of the sunset, that you hadn't even noticed or heard when heavy spurred footsteps crunched through dead leaves and Earth behind you as they approached the place where you were sitting.

"Mind if I join ya?" that familiar, velvety tone sounded from behind you.

You turned to see Arthur standing behind you, his hands resting on his gunbelt as the dying sunlight was shining onto him. You were beginning to be convinced that there wasn't any trace of light that made him look bad.

"Not at all, Arthur." You motioned him over to you with your hand.

He walked up beside you, pulling a cigarette from his pocket as he lit it, taking a drag before passing it over to you. "S'real pretty out here, y'know."

"It certainly is. It's a place that feels like home, which is peculiar for me," you admitted. You took the cigarette from him, feeling a chill hit you when your fingertips brushed over his.

"Why you say that?" He gave you a funny look.

You shrugged, blowing out smoke. "No other place I've been, or people I've been with, has ever felt like home. But this place does."

He chuckled, giving you a head nod. "Maybe the company you keepin' now has somethin' to do with'at, miss (Y/L/N)."

"Perhaps it does, Mr. Morgan." You flashed him a quick smile, chewing the inside of your lip gently.

Whether he knew it or not, he was definitely one of the major causes of why you felt so at home, and the reason why you had no intention of leaving the gang now. As you sat there in silence, watching as the sun set over the horizon, you could hear the slowl crackle and the sound of violins as Dutch partook in his nightly ritual of started up his gramophone.

"Sounds like Dutch is feelin' lively tonight," you laughed.

Arthur shook his head, "I take it him an' Molly made amends."

"She really loves him," you said.

"Yeah, I know. I almost feel sorry for the gal. Dutch ain't ever really been a one woman man.. Well, 'cept for Annabelle, but that was a long time ago," Arthur rebutted.

The two of you stared out across the lake, watching as the last few rays of sun hit the water, making it look as if there were diamonds beneath the surface.

"And what about you, Mr. Morgan?" You gave him a coquettish raise of your eyebrow. "Were you ever a 'one woman' man?"

He chuckled, turning his head to you. "Once upon a time, darlin'. Spend most'a my days runnin' from the law, ain't had much of a datin' life these past few years."

"Find that one hard to believe," you said in a low tone.

He looked over at you again, a mischievous look forming in his eyes as he walked in front of you, holding out his arm for you to take it.

"Y'know, I ain't had a proper dance with a lady in years. Wanna oblige me there?"

"I can't dance," you said. You were trying to hide how hard you were blushing by waving him away.

"Well shit, neither can I. But I wouldn't be the fine gentleman that I am if I didn't offer a lady a dance."

The two of you laughed at that sentiment, knowing that this whole group was nothing close to gentleman-like or lady-like. But truth be told, Arthur was most definitely a gentleman in his own way, and that what you had grown to adore the most about this man. He was kind and good, he was nothing like the bad man he claimed to be. He did bad things, but so did all of you, and if you were fit to be damned over how you survived, then you'dwear that badge with honor, especially if it meant that you got to stay by Arthur's side along the way.

He offered his arm out to you, and you knew that he wouldn't take no for a answer, and who were you really trying to fool. You were way more giddy about the situation than you probably should have been. He took your hand in his and pulled you closer into his body. The chills instantly ran through your entire being when he placed one of his hands on your waist.

"This okay?" He asked, cocking his head towards the hand he had on your waist.

You nodded, "Perfectly."

You danced with him in the dying sunlight, with the sound of actual music in the background. It was a damn near perfect setting, and you wouldn't have traded it for anything else in that moment. The two of you glanced at eachother frequently, smiling, laughing and more than a few bashful looks coming from your end. Arthur even fancied the moment up by twirling you and dipping you a few times.

"Y'know," you started, looking up into his eyes, "For someone who claims they can't dance, you sure do a helluva job, Arthur."

"I was jus' gonna say the same thing 'bout you. You are the refined one outta the both of us, ain't ya?" He poked fun a you.

You could feel his hand tighten just the smallest bit on your waist as he watched your face light up with amusement.

"Well, refinement school couldn't turn me into a complete lady, that's for sure."

"Could'a fooled me. Yer a fine woman, if I say so myself. But I reckon that ain't much of a compliment comin' from an ol' outlaw like me."

"No. It's a very lovely compliment. You are a gentleman, Mr. Morgan," you reassured him.

"Heh. Don't think I'm anythin' of the sort darlin'." He shook his head at you. His eyes were only barely visible from underneath his gambler hat.

"I can assure ya, you're wrong. If this isn't you bein' a gentleman, what is it?" You looked at him curiously.

He shrugged his shoulder. "Jus' me showin' a lady a good time."

"Is it now?" You looked up at him. "Well, if this isn't you being a gentlemen, what exactly is the ungentlemanly side of you like?"

"You'd know it if ya saw it." He gave you a coy smirk.

Your breath stopped for a moment when he spoke. The two of you were locked in a dead stare now, the two of you standing completely still, waiting for the other to take a move. You swallowed hard, biting the side of your lip as you stared up into his intense gaze.

"Arthur," you whispered.

Without another words, he put his hand to the side of your face as he leaned down, pressing his lips into yours. It sent a wave of goosebumps over your skin; you had been waiting for this moment ever since you had first met the man. You pressed your hands into his shoulders, deepening the kiss as you leaned back into him. His body loomed over you, making you feel even more small than you already were compared to him.

He pulled himself back from you, "I- I'm sorry."

"No." You shook your head feverishly. "Don't be. Jesus, I've been wantin' ya to do that for a while."

He sighed, "I been wantin' to do'at. Believe me."

"Then stop holdin' back on me."

He nodded, running his tongue over his bottom lip. "Jus' ain't used to this sorta thing no more. You're the first woman I've fancied in a long time," he chuckled awkwardly.

"We'll take it at your own pace. I ain't tryna scare you off," you said.

"Nah, it ain't that. I jus' ain't used to havin' much luck keepin' a woman," he admitted.

You shrugged your shoulders at him. "What was it that you just told me 'bout keepin' company? Maybe you were keepin' the wrong women around. I ain't like your average society woman, if you haven't already noticed, Mr. Morgan. I ain't gonna run off 'cause of the life you live."

He hummed, "Yeah, that you ain't. It's a goddamn blessin', that's what I like about ya. Yer one'a the ones I think I wanna keep, Miss (Y/L/N)."

The sun had almost completely set now, dusk had settled in over the entirety of the land, and here you stood in the thick of it, with Arthur Morgan finally admitting that he had feelings for you. You were beginning to contemplate if you had died, because this moment sure seemed like it was just about as close as you could get to heaven. You looked up at him once more, placing your arms around his waist as you pulled yourself into him.

"Then kiss me again if that's the truth," you breathed.

He obeyed with a grin and a subtle nod as he leaned back down, placing both hands on either side of your face this time as he pulled your head up, crashing his lips directly into yours as he gave you the deepest kiss yet.

[atlatsofstories]

Annabel hadn't exactly been actively in touch with her former high school classmates for two reasons; one, she had lived through some of the worst times of her life when in high school and they had all witnessed her ruination and spiral downfall. two, when they had graduated and gone their separate ways, most hadn't been genuine enough to stay in touch with. In all truth, the brunette had contemplated many times upon skipping the high school reunion when she had first gotten the invite. She hadn't gone to any of the previous ones, either. She had also wished she would have had someone to bring as her plus-one for moral support, but as it was, she had very few people in her life she'd consider a friend, not to mention she hadn't dated in ages. But she was doing well, wasn't she? She had nothing to be ashamed of, and she had gotten far since those years. Uh-huh, the debate about whether to go or not had continued until that very evening.

As it had turned out, she had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of; for putting out her sunny front and talking about her own vet clinic with pride, there were several people who appeared to be impressed by what she did and interested in asking more. For the majority of the night, she had nursed her one drink, moved around the room, and exchanged chit-chat conversations with a smile on her face. Most of it had been pleasant, at least until Chris, a person she had never particularly been fond of due to his sleazy way of navigating through high school as a jog (including making several attempts to get into her pants when she had been the most vulnerable). She was just about to excuse herself from the conversation and Chris's constant eyebrow waggling when she felt a press of a hand against her back and still a familiar voice close to her ear. She could've sworn her heart hollowed out from relief; not only for the rescue but also because of from whom the rescue came. She could see not-very-well-hidden shock written all over Chris's face before his retreat, though then the next thing in her view was a very familiar face. Somehow a changed, maybe tired-looking but extremely handsome face, but familiar nevertheless. Annabel bit her bottom lip, eyes mapping over the familiarity of her high school best friend before a smile slowly spread across her lips. " Some things never change, hm? He still thinks the eyebrow waggling works in getting into a girl's pants. ", words with a breathless laugh as she still quite couldn't believe Matthias was standing there in front of her. It had been years, and if that just didn't break her heart a little. " So look who we have here; Matthias Dellow, once again coming to my rescue. ", she teased because she didn't want to say 'I'm kind of heartbroken we haven't seen each other in forever.'.

closed starter for @atlatsofstories

Matthias was generally a deep sleeper, one who could very easily sleep through a real earthquake if he was exhausted enough - which gradually happened more and more often as the time passed. Yet sadly even for him there were things impossible to sleep through - and one of them being the loud ring of his alarm, as he slowly realized, while the sleep had been dragged away from him with a cruel start. The man groaned, hand immediately going to his temple because of the awful pain that whatever had happened last night had caused. Matthias gritted his teeth, finally turning and starting the forceful process of waking up. Just remembering what this day was going to be and the man knew that it was about to only get more and more worse. He doubted his high school class would have any mercy on him now, even with the headache. Or despite of it.

From then on his day only got worse. Why had he made the silly decision to attend to this high school reunion, when he hadn't bothered to step a foot on one of the previous ones - he still didn't know. There was just something he wanted to change in his life and a few days off of work didn't sound all that bad. Until now. Even his voice still sounded sleepy and exhausted while he reluctantly greeted a few of the people that recognized him and didn't mind saying something. The biggest problem was that whoever Matthias had been in his teen years - he wasn't that person anymore; there was nothing positive in him, no thirst for the world, no endless excitement for what the next day could bring. So he couldn't believe that anyone from his old crowd would want to communicate with him. But in the end fate had something else to say. A brunette he would always be able to recognize, despite the years passed, was currently being hit on by the only person in the whole class Matt had practically despised. That man was a sleaze then and a sleaze now and the anger this simple sight made him feel, was the reason to act on before even stopping to think it through. The second he was close enough to Annabel, his free hand carefully slid around her back as he lowered himself enough to be able to say closer to her ear: "Hey, Bel." It had always been his way of calling her and Matt could only hope that no one had taken that too from them. "Sorry, Chris, but I need to steal my best friend away. I've missed her and there's so much we have to talk about." Smiling in a way that didn't reach his eyes, everything in his body hummed, a sick part of him hoping Chris would just chose to pick a fight instead. But he didn't - to his shock - and soon Matt was rounding her and moving to stand in the front. "Hope that was okay. He still can't take 'no' for an answer and its visible from a mile." Now he was just talking nonsense, because what was the alternative? 'Sorry that we haven't seen each other in forever?'