RP Log with mattdevlin | DRUNK!
[Follows THIS and THIS]
Matt really had planned to just stick to non-alcoholic beverages. But Ronnie basically told him he should chill and have a pint, it was New Year's after all. After the last month, Matt didn't have to be coaxed too hard. A pint sounded extremely appealing. The only thing was, he didn't stop at a pint, and Ronnie made no attempt to deter the actions, which led to him being the one to drag a very intoxicated Matt home to his apartment late that night. Not too late, but late enough for Matt to get himself well sloshed. Ronnie was no spring chicken, and he needed his beauty sleep. He made sure Matt got into the apartment building safely and had the right key in hand to get the apartment door open before hopping into a cab to return to his own home.
It was a good plan, really, though Matt ended up dropping his keys no less than six times between the entry of the apartment block and his own door. It took him a good five minutes standing at the top of the stairs trying to find the right key again as he swayed unsteadily on his feet and held the key chain close to his face to get a better look. He stumbled over to the apartment door, leaning on the door jamb as he considered the brass numbers, forcing his brain to confirm it was the right door only to lapse in concentration and drop the keys again. He broke into a snorting giggle as he looked down at the keys on his foot. He banged his head lightly on the door jamb when he leaned down to scramble for them, swearing colourfully in the process. "Shit..." he noted and scooped the keys up in his fingers. But it was only when he was straightening up again that the door magically opened without a key and caused Matt to stumble unsteadily off to one side and nearly knock over potted plant next to the neighbours door, causing him to start giggling again.
Vee reached out to put a hand on Matt's arm, not sure if she would actually be able to keep him on his feet, but she was going to try. She dressed in one of t-shirts, and a pair of his boxers as her pajamas, but she hadn't been in bed. She'd been up watching TV, and mentally kicking herself for hours over her actions with Euan. And the fact that Matt disapproved, but didn't feel like he could tell her. She managed to straighten him up a little bit, and cupped his face with her other hand as she raised an eyebrow. "Everything alright, Detective?"
Matt blinked, huffing out a few small giggles as he tried to process that he now had company. "Uh... aye," he said, taking a stab in the dark whether he was alright or not. He certainly felt alright. Better than alright, he felt brilliant! "Vee... alright?" he managed, flashing her a grin and working to get back on his own two feet, even if it was a little woozily. He laid an uncoordinated kiss on her cheek and felt his way into the apartment, bumping directly into the side of the coffee table. "Oh fuck, who put that there? S'Stupid place for a coffee... thing," he decided, waving his hand at it dismissively and unable to prevent himself lapsing into his broader Irish accent that he had mostly lost from his years living in London.
Vee frowned as she watched him before she just couldn't help breaking out into a smile. It was the first time she'd seen him drunk, and it was definitely a sight she wasn't going to forget. Especially now the accent had slipped. She slipped her arm around his waist to get a better hold on him, and guided him around the coffee thing so she could drop him onto the sofa where she hoped he'd be safe. She placed a much more coordinated kiss on his cheek before she ran her fingers over his hair. "Yeah, I'm alright, baby. And I think you put the stupid coffee table there. We can move it in the morning if you want."
Matt nodded and looked around now he was on his arse. How did he get here again? Or more importantly, what was he supposed to do now he was here? He kicked his shoes off and leaned over to try and hook his fingers into his socks to get them off too. "I only had a couple... sort of... just, like..." He held up his hand to try and count how many he'd had, but his brain wasn't going to let any sort of mathematics occur so he just shrugged and gave up. He also gave up on the socks after only managing to get one off and accidentally fling it half way across the room. Instead, he started digging around in the pile of magazines and pulled out a box of jelly beans he miraculously remembered being there and grinned. Fuck, he was hungry. He poured some into his hand, most of them missing his palm and falling into his lap. "M'hungry. You know what? I could really fuckin' go for a fish supper drowned in vinegar. And a slush puppy."
"Only a couple? Wonder if I should double that for your true amount of drinks. How's Ronnie?" Vee knelt down in front of him to help him with his other sock before he took her eye out, or his own. She couldn't resist the opportunity to inch her fingers along his groin though as she pinched a couple of the fallen jelly beans for herself, and popped them into her mouth. "A fish supper? Does this mean you're going to make me get dressed to go and get it? There's nothing else I can interest you in? Like something I can just pull out of the freezer and nuke?"
Matt looked at her in confusion, nose scrunched up a little. "Nuke?" he asked, shaking his head. He had no idea what she meant. "What's a nuke? Doesn't sound real nice. Prefer a hot dog. With cheese, and pickles. It's bloody hot in here." He stood up awkwardly and began to unbutton his shirt as he headed for the kitchen. He definitely wasn't the quietest drunk, nearly knocking over one of the dining chairs. "And don't think just because I'm a bit pissed I'm thick or forgotten anythin'. I haven't."
"Microwave," Vee corrected as she got up to follow him, if for no other reason to make sure he didn't break anything. Or hurt himself. "Well, I can do a hot dog. We have the stuff. I mean, I am American so it's not like I was giving up all my staple food diet." She wasn't going to stop him stripping, not when he had a body she could perve on for days. She got behind him, and reached out to help him out of his shirt. "I didn't say you had. I was just choosing not to bring it up right at the particular moment. I really am sorry, Matt."
"Why are you apologisin' to me?" Matt was trawling through the cupboards looking for something to eat. He was starving, feeling like he had never been this hungry in his life. He had been on the rum, which always gave him the munchies probably as much as a hit of pot would. Not that he had smoked it in years. He ended up leaning over in the fridge and found Guinness there that Euan had before anyone realised he was plagued with pneumonia. He took one of the cans and cracked it open to take a large mouthful. Second best thing to food. He moved over to her, even if he was still unsteady and wrapped an arm around her waist, his groin pressing up against her hip. "You're bringing something up," he told her with a smirk.
"Because I don't actually want to be someone you don't like. Not that disagreeing with things I do means you don't like me, just that if it's something that cuts against your moral grain, then it's always going to be there. It can eat away and..." Vee trailed off with a sigh. "And it'll mean we won't have a chance. I wasn't trying to fuck anyone over. I was just trying to help. In a fucked up way." Vee's hands slipped behind him to rest on his ass, not exactly about to turn down Matt when he was shirtless, horny, and drunk. She had never claimed to be perfect, or innocent. "Mm? Has the little detective missed me?"
Matt was managing to keep a good hold on her and the can of lager, some coordination clearly better than others. He was almost as horny as he was hungry. If he was alone right now, he would probably be on the sofa with his hands down his pants and the porn channel on TV. He might put out the pristine detective persona, but he was still a bloke. He still had needs, and right now, all those needs were pooling in his pants. "Thought it was a bit rough when Euan was tellin' you not to. Even rougher when it was my friend caught in the crossfire and her feelings put on the bottom rack. And don't... don't go tellin' me you didn't do that, because you did. She was just a bit of T and A in the right place at the right time for your plan, and that's what I didn't like. I didn't like it at all. Because you know why? Because it's been a long time since she had anyone give her what she needed, and if she falls for him, I'm goin' to be even more angry about how you went about it. Because she's gonna get hurt, and you didn't think about that. That's what I disagreed with." He was slurring by this point, but the thoughts had been swirling around his brain for a few days now, so it was easy for him to latch onto them with some rationality. It was a miracle he didn't spill it all to Ronnie a few pints in.
Vee wet her lips as she glanced away briefly, her own arousal halted for a moment as guilt washed over her. But Matt hadn't pulled away, and he still seemed fixed on holding her tight. It was either because he was drunk, or because this was one of those moments. The ones where it told you if you could stay strong as a couple, or if you were going to fall apart. Vee gave his ass a firm squeeze, and pulled him tight against her. She leaned in to kiss him lightly despite the rum and Guinness on his breath. "I'll apologise to Gee. Gabrielle. Euan doesn't like we're both similarly named, by the way. He told me when I took him his porn. I really am sorry. I'll back off, I promise. I'm not cut out for the Cupid shit, anyway. I'd rather spend my time on us."
Matt just still couldn't shake the discontent. Was she only sorry because she got caught out or because he called her on it? He had a feeling she would have kept pushing it if he hadn't gotten the shits about it. There was also the uncertain feeling in his gut that it was already too late, that Gee had really taken to Euan because she seemed strangely unable to take his calls over the past couple of days and he got the distinct feeling he was being avoided. He had touched on the situation briefly with Ronnie, who basically told him in a typical Ronnie fashion that he needed to decide how he felt about it all. It really hadn't been a side of Vee he liked very much, and he even feared for a few moments there he had completely misjudged her. She seemed hell-bent on her own friendship, but overlooked his in the process. In fact, the whole Euan thing had left Matt tired. He wasn't exactly sure there was much else he could do to extend an olive branch to the bloke, and again, it made him wonder just how close he and Vee had been in the past. "Aye, it is kind of weird," he said quietly and put the beer down on the kitchen counter. "Can see his point, considerin' he's fucked you both in the recent past."
Vee shook her head. "Ours wasn't so recent... Matt..." She moved her hand so she could stroke her fingers against his cheek. "Matt, we're over. Him and me. We never even really started, just we seemed to work in bed and as partners. He's my best friend, but I don't want more from him. I want more from you. And I know I fucked up. I'm not just saying that. I will apologise to Gee. I shouldn't be getting in the middle of your friendships." She pulled her mouth to the side as she sighed through her nose. She was only guessing where his brain was going, but she was sure it had gone to Gee. "I'm not proud of my behaviour. I didn't even realise I had it in me until it was all just happening."
"And now your mate's in hospital, in a place he doesn't like, probably tryin' to quash a guilt over being with her in the first place because it's all blown up," Matt deduced. He looked at her with a small, uncertain frown. "What did you really think was goin' to happen? They slept together, they walked away. What did you really think was goin' to happen a second time, bringin' her here when he was ill? What did you do when Ronnie contacted you to tell you I was ill? What happened to your feelin's?"
Vee pressed her lips together as she shifted her weight to her other foot. "They grew," she admitted. Vee rubbed her fingers against her eye before she rest her head against Matt's shoulder as she hugged him. Damn him for still being able to hold a meaningful conversation while he was drunk. She just hoped he remembered it because she didn't want to have it again. "I don't know... I just thought he might like having someone neutral to care about him. To make it easier being here. Guess there's no such thing as neutral once sex is involved."
Matt pressed his lips together and huffed out a sharp breath as he reached for the can of beer again to take another deep swallow of the lager. He swallowed, looking at her for a moment like he wasn't really sure who she was. "There's no such thing as neutral when he lives in another country, and she has just gotten herself the promotion she has been workin' her arse off for," he corrected. "It's got nothin' to do with sex. It's beyond sex. They had sex and walked away from each other!"
Vee pulled back, and raised her hands. "Okay! Look, I'm dropping it! I'm not going to interfere. I'm not even going to bring up girls to Euan again, and once I apologise to Gee, I'll just stay keep it boy-free with the conversation, too. I made a mistake, Matt. Please... I'm sorry." She dropped her gaze to the floor for a moment and wrapped her arms around herself. "Should I have stayed in New York?"
If Matt was anything when he was drunk, it was honest. And for a few moments, he just looked at her woozily. "I'm startin' to wonder the same thing myself, to be honest. Not sure right now that you can sanely walk away from your life and your friend like you've been sayin' you can. I think he meant a lot more to you than you're letting on, but I think the reason nothin' happened between you two was because of what he's like, not because you chose not to. I'm also not sure I buy that you'll be perfectly fine here once he goes home, one you're here in London not knowin' when you'll see him again without a job or the capacity to even get a job like you had back there. I think that's why you pushed things with Gee. You wanted him to to have reason to consider comin' back here to live."
Vee slumped against the kitchen counter and huffed out a breath. "No, it's not easy. None of this is, but I'm trying. I want to try. I wouldn't be here if I didn't. I'm sorry if you're already regretting it, but I'm not. I know it's not easy. I do still have a couple months up my sleeve. I can still go back, even if it's not to my old job. Or I can leave now if that's what you want." She pushed her fingers through her hair, and looked at him. "Maybe I do want to have him here, but I know he won't. I just suffered from denial, and went a little crazy. He keeps talking like we're never going to see each other again, but that's not totally true. Is it? That's why planes exist. And if he can't come here, then I'll just go back there from time to time. I love him, Matt. I'm always going to. I'm just not in love with him. I'm falling for you pretty hard, but if you don't want this you need to tell me now because I can just get packed and go find a motel."
Matt felt like the booze decided to suddenly start kicking in and a sharp headache made itself known behind his left eyeball and he pinched the bridge of his nose with a small hiss. Of course, a swig of the Guinness was the best remedy in the mind of a drunk bloke. "You didn't give him time to accept it," he said. "Especially considerin' it was London you came to- holy fuck," he added as he cracked his eyes open a little and peered at her. It felt a little like someone just smacked him in the face where he went from good drunk to painful drunk. He hastily pushed the beer back onto the counter like it would bite him if he kept holding it. "I don't think it's goin' to be as easy as you're hopin' it is. That's all..." he said, holding his own hand up in surrender.
"Matt?" Vee asked as she moved in to touch her hands lightly against his face. "Are you okay, baby?" She brushed her lips against his temple, and jaw. "And I know it's not going to be easy. I'm determined to try though, okay? We'll get through this."
Matt held up his finger and thumb close together. "Wee window of opportunity here if you want have a shag," he warned with a laugh. "Seriously. I hear it's good for a headache, anyway."
Vee laughed softly before capturing his mouth in a kiss. She really didn't mind the taste of rum, and Guinness, because underneath it all she could still taste Matt. And that was all she wanted. "Happy New Year, Detective." Her hand slid down his side, and and back to his arse to give it a squeeze. "I have every intention of taking that window, so you better be ready."
Words: 3255
Matt really had planned to just stick to non-alcoholic beverages. But Ronnie basically told him he should chill and have a pint, it was New Year's after all. After the last month, Matt didn't have to be coaxed too hard. A pint sounded extremely appealing. The only thing was, he didn't stop at a pint, and Ronnie made no attempt to deter the actions, which led to him being the one to drag a very intoxicated Matt home to his apartment late that night. Not too late, but late enough for Matt to get himself well sloshed. Ronnie was no spring chicken, and he needed his beauty sleep. He made sure Matt got into the apartment building safely and had the right key in hand to get the apartment door open before hopping into a cab to return to his own home.
It was a good plan, really, though Matt ended up dropping his keys no less than six times between the entry of the apartment block and his own door. It took him a good five minutes standing at the top of the stairs trying to find the right key again as he swayed unsteadily on his feet and held the key chain close to his face to get a better look. He stumbled over to the apartment door, leaning on the door jamb as he considered the brass numbers, forcing his brain to confirm it was the right door only to lapse in concentration and drop the keys again. He broke into a snorting giggle as he looked down at the keys on his foot. He banged his head lightly on the door jamb when he leaned down to scramble for them, swearing colourfully in the process. "Shit..." he noted and scooped the keys up in his fingers. But it was only when he was straightening up again that the door magically opened without a key and caused Matt to stumble unsteadily off to one side and nearly knock over potted plant next to the neighbours door, causing him to start giggling again.
Vee reached out to put a hand on Matt's arm, not sure if she would actually be able to keep him on his feet, but she was going to try. She dressed in one of t-shirts, and a pair of his boxers as her pajamas, but she hadn't been in bed. She'd been up watching TV, and mentally kicking herself for hours over her actions with Euan. And the fact that Matt disapproved, but didn't feel like he could tell her. She managed to straighten him up a little bit, and cupped his face with her other hand as she raised an eyebrow. "Everything alright, Detective?"
Matt blinked, huffing out a few small giggles as he tried to process that he now had company. "Uh... aye," he said, taking a stab in the dark whether he was alright or not. He certainly felt alright. Better than alright, he felt brilliant! "Vee... alright?" he managed, flashing her a grin and working to get back on his own two feet, even if it was a little woozily. He laid an uncoordinated kiss on her cheek and felt his way into the apartment, bumping directly into the side of the coffee table. "Oh fuck, who put that there? S'Stupid place for a coffee... thing," he decided, waving his hand at it dismissively and unable to prevent himself lapsing into his broader Irish accent that he had mostly lost from his years living in London.
Vee frowned as she watched him before she just couldn't help breaking out into a smile. It was the first time she'd seen him drunk, and it was definitely a sight she wasn't going to forget. Especially now the accent had slipped. She slipped her arm around his waist to get a better hold on him, and guided him around the coffee thing so she could drop him onto the sofa where she hoped he'd be safe. She placed a much more coordinated kiss on his cheek before she ran her fingers over his hair. "Yeah, I'm alright, baby. And I think you put the stupid coffee table there. We can move it in the morning if you want."
Matt nodded and looked around now he was on his arse. How did he get here again? Or more importantly, what was he supposed to do now he was here? He kicked his shoes off and leaned over to try and hook his fingers into his socks to get them off too. "I only had a couple... sort of... just, like..." He held up his hand to try and count how many he'd had, but his brain wasn't going to let any sort of mathematics occur so he just shrugged and gave up. He also gave up on the socks after only managing to get one off and accidentally fling it half way across the room. Instead, he started digging around in the pile of magazines and pulled out a box of jelly beans he miraculously remembered being there and grinned. Fuck, he was hungry. He poured some into his hand, most of them missing his palm and falling into his lap. "M'hungry. You know what? I could really fuckin' go for a fish supper drowned in vinegar. And a slush puppy."
"Only a couple? Wonder if I should double that for your true amount of drinks. How's Ronnie?" Vee knelt down in front of him to help him with his other sock before he took her eye out, or his own. She couldn't resist the opportunity to inch her fingers along his groin though as she pinched a couple of the fallen jelly beans for herself, and popped them into her mouth. "A fish supper? Does this mean you're going to make me get dressed to go and get it? There's nothing else I can interest you in? Like something I can just pull out of the freezer and nuke?"
Matt looked at her in confusion, nose scrunched up a little. "Nuke?" he asked, shaking his head. He had no idea what she meant. "What's a nuke? Doesn't sound real nice. Prefer a hot dog. With cheese, and pickles. It's bloody hot in here." He stood up awkwardly and began to unbutton his shirt as he headed for the kitchen. He definitely wasn't the quietest drunk, nearly knocking over one of the dining chairs. "And don't think just because I'm a bit pissed I'm thick or forgotten anythin'. I haven't."
"Microwave," Vee corrected as she got up to follow him, if for no other reason to make sure he didn't break anything. Or hurt himself. "Well, I can do a hot dog. We have the stuff. I mean, I am American so it's not like I was giving up all my staple food diet." She wasn't going to stop him stripping, not when he had a body she could perve on for days. She got behind him, and reached out to help him out of his shirt. "I didn't say you had. I was just choosing not to bring it up right at the particular moment. I really am sorry, Matt."
"Why are you apologisin' to me?" Matt was trawling through the cupboards looking for something to eat. He was starving, feeling like he had never been this hungry in his life. He had been on the rum, which always gave him the munchies probably as much as a hit of pot would. Not that he had smoked it in years. He ended up leaning over in the fridge and found Guinness there that Euan had before anyone realised he was plagued with pneumonia. He took one of the cans and cracked it open to take a large mouthful. Second best thing to food. He moved over to her, even if he was still unsteady and wrapped an arm around her waist, his groin pressing up against her hip. "You're bringing something up," he told her with a smirk.
"Because I don't actually want to be someone you don't like. Not that disagreeing with things I do means you don't like me, just that if it's something that cuts against your moral grain, then it's always going to be there. It can eat away and..." Vee trailed off with a sigh. "And it'll mean we won't have a chance. I wasn't trying to fuck anyone over. I was just trying to help. In a fucked up way." Vee's hands slipped behind him to rest on his ass, not exactly about to turn down Matt when he was shirtless, horny, and drunk. She had never claimed to be perfect, or innocent. "Mm? Has the little detective missed me?"
Matt was managing to keep a good hold on her and the can of lager, some coordination clearly better than others. He was almost as horny as he was hungry. If he was alone right now, he would probably be on the sofa with his hands down his pants and the porn channel on TV. He might put out the pristine detective persona, but he was still a bloke. He still had needs, and right now, all those needs were pooling in his pants. "Thought it was a bit rough when Euan was tellin' you not to. Even rougher when it was my friend caught in the crossfire and her feelings put on the bottom rack. And don't... don't go tellin' me you didn't do that, because you did. She was just a bit of T and A in the right place at the right time for your plan, and that's what I didn't like. I didn't like it at all. Because you know why? Because it's been a long time since she had anyone give her what she needed, and if she falls for him, I'm goin' to be even more angry about how you went about it. Because she's gonna get hurt, and you didn't think about that. That's what I disagreed with." He was slurring by this point, but the thoughts had been swirling around his brain for a few days now, so it was easy for him to latch onto them with some rationality. It was a miracle he didn't spill it all to Ronnie a few pints in.
Vee wet her lips as she glanced away briefly, her own arousal halted for a moment as guilt washed over her. But Matt hadn't pulled away, and he still seemed fixed on holding her tight. It was either because he was drunk, or because this was one of those moments. The ones where it told you if you could stay strong as a couple, or if you were going to fall apart. Vee gave his ass a firm squeeze, and pulled him tight against her. She leaned in to kiss him lightly despite the rum and Guinness on his breath. "I'll apologise to Gee. Gabrielle. Euan doesn't like we're both similarly named, by the way. He told me when I took him his porn. I really am sorry. I'll back off, I promise. I'm not cut out for the Cupid shit, anyway. I'd rather spend my time on us."
Matt just still couldn't shake the discontent. Was she only sorry because she got caught out or because he called her on it? He had a feeling she would have kept pushing it if he hadn't gotten the shits about it. There was also the uncertain feeling in his gut that it was already too late, that Gee had really taken to Euan because she seemed strangely unable to take his calls over the past couple of days and he got the distinct feeling he was being avoided. He had touched on the situation briefly with Ronnie, who basically told him in a typical Ronnie fashion that he needed to decide how he felt about it all. It really hadn't been a side of Vee he liked very much, and he even feared for a few moments there he had completely misjudged her. She seemed hell-bent on her own friendship, but overlooked his in the process. In fact, the whole Euan thing had left Matt tired. He wasn't exactly sure there was much else he could do to extend an olive branch to the bloke, and again, it made him wonder just how close he and Vee had been in the past. "Aye, it is kind of weird," he said quietly and put the beer down on the kitchen counter. "Can see his point, considerin' he's fucked you both in the recent past."
Vee shook her head. "Ours wasn't so recent... Matt..." She moved her hand so she could stroke her fingers against his cheek. "Matt, we're over. Him and me. We never even really started, just we seemed to work in bed and as partners. He's my best friend, but I don't want more from him. I want more from you. And I know I fucked up. I'm not just saying that. I will apologise to Gee. I shouldn't be getting in the middle of your friendships." She pulled her mouth to the side as she sighed through her nose. She was only guessing where his brain was going, but she was sure it had gone to Gee. "I'm not proud of my behaviour. I didn't even realise I had it in me until it was all just happening."
"And now your mate's in hospital, in a place he doesn't like, probably tryin' to quash a guilt over being with her in the first place because it's all blown up," Matt deduced. He looked at her with a small, uncertain frown. "What did you really think was goin' to happen? They slept together, they walked away. What did you really think was goin' to happen a second time, bringin' her here when he was ill? What did you do when Ronnie contacted you to tell you I was ill? What happened to your feelin's?"
Vee pressed her lips together as she shifted her weight to her other foot. "They grew," she admitted. Vee rubbed her fingers against her eye before she rest her head against Matt's shoulder as she hugged him. Damn him for still being able to hold a meaningful conversation while he was drunk. She just hoped he remembered it because she didn't want to have it again. "I don't know... I just thought he might like having someone neutral to care about him. To make it easier being here. Guess there's no such thing as neutral once sex is involved."
Matt pressed his lips together and huffed out a sharp breath as he reached for the can of beer again to take another deep swallow of the lager. He swallowed, looking at her for a moment like he wasn't really sure who she was. "There's no such thing as neutral when he lives in another country, and she has just gotten herself the promotion she has been workin' her arse off for," he corrected. "It's got nothin' to do with sex. It's beyond sex. They had sex and walked away from each other!"
Vee pulled back, and raised her hands. "Okay! Look, I'm dropping it! I'm not going to interfere. I'm not even going to bring up girls to Euan again, and once I apologise to Gee, I'll just stay keep it boy-free with the conversation, too. I made a mistake, Matt. Please... I'm sorry." She dropped her gaze to the floor for a moment and wrapped her arms around herself. "Should I have stayed in New York?"
If Matt was anything when he was drunk, it was honest. And for a few moments, he just looked at her woozily. "I'm startin' to wonder the same thing myself, to be honest. Not sure right now that you can sanely walk away from your life and your friend like you've been sayin' you can. I think he meant a lot more to you than you're letting on, but I think the reason nothin' happened between you two was because of what he's like, not because you chose not to. I'm also not sure I buy that you'll be perfectly fine here once he goes home, one you're here in London not knowin' when you'll see him again without a job or the capacity to even get a job like you had back there. I think that's why you pushed things with Gee. You wanted him to to have reason to consider comin' back here to live."
Vee slumped against the kitchen counter and huffed out a breath. "No, it's not easy. None of this is, but I'm trying. I want to try. I wouldn't be here if I didn't. I'm sorry if you're already regretting it, but I'm not. I know it's not easy. I do still have a couple months up my sleeve. I can still go back, even if it's not to my old job. Or I can leave now if that's what you want." She pushed her fingers through her hair, and looked at him. "Maybe I do want to have him here, but I know he won't. I just suffered from denial, and went a little crazy. He keeps talking like we're never going to see each other again, but that's not totally true. Is it? That's why planes exist. And if he can't come here, then I'll just go back there from time to time. I love him, Matt. I'm always going to. I'm just not in love with him. I'm falling for you pretty hard, but if you don't want this you need to tell me now because I can just get packed and go find a motel."
Matt felt like the booze decided to suddenly start kicking in and a sharp headache made itself known behind his left eyeball and he pinched the bridge of his nose with a small hiss. Of course, a swig of the Guinness was the best remedy in the mind of a drunk bloke. "You didn't give him time to accept it," he said. "Especially considerin' it was London you came to- holy fuck," he added as he cracked his eyes open a little and peered at her. It felt a little like someone just smacked him in the face where he went from good drunk to painful drunk. He hastily pushed the beer back onto the counter like it would bite him if he kept holding it. "I don't think it's goin' to be as easy as you're hopin' it is. That's all..." he said, holding his own hand up in surrender.
"Matt?" Vee asked as she moved in to touch her hands lightly against his face. "Are you okay, baby?" She brushed her lips against his temple, and jaw. "And I know it's not going to be easy. I'm determined to try though, okay? We'll get through this."
Matt held up his finger and thumb close together. "Wee window of opportunity here if you want have a shag," he warned with a laugh. "Seriously. I hear it's good for a headache, anyway."
Vee laughed softly before capturing his mouth in a kiss. She really didn't mind the taste of rum, and Guinness, because underneath it all she could still taste Matt. And that was all she wanted. "Happy New Year, Detective." Her hand slid down his side, and and back to his arse to give it a squeeze. "I have every intention of taking that window, so you better be ready."
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