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alovesreading · 11 months

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Chicken Shop Date | Part 6 |

By @imagine-that-100 and @alovesreading

Description: Matty Healy x Reader (Female) | You and your best friend Amelia came up with a very simple idea of taking celebrities on awkward chicken shop dates, and somehow, it’s managed to become both of your jobs. In the past, you’ve found sitting across from some of the biggest stars on the planet and eating chicken nuggets easy. But then Amelia manages to score you a date with the man who you’ve been obsessed with since you were nineteen; Matty Healy.

Word Count: 22.3k

A/N: This chapter is so exciting!!!!! It’s finally the New Years party and we hope you enjoy this as much as we did writing it! It was so much fun coming up with this whole thing and we’re still melting over everything that happens. Especially over THAT cameo *wink, wink* We thank you endlessly for your patience, you lot are the very best!!!! Enjoy!!!!!!! xx

| N’s Masterlist | A’s Masterlist |

The thought of forgetting something wakes Matty up slowly and when he catches a glimpse of the time on the clock you’ve got on your bedside table, he remembers the whole evening in a matter of seconds.

A massive grin breaks on his face when he watches you cuddled up to him, pouty face and breathing so calmly. He closes his eyes again, pulling you in the tiniest bit closer when that nagging thought comes back to him, and it’s right then that he remembers you two have somewhere to be.

In his head, getting five more minutes of you like this won’t do any harm so he allows himself to let the time pass but the next time he opens his eyes, it’s been twenty minutes and he really needs to go for a wee.

Matty curses his biological needs and ignores it for as long as he can, which turns out to be a mere two minutes, until he feels like he can’t go any longer holding it in.

Even though he doesn’t really want to leave you, he definitely doesn’t want to wake you up, so he silently and slowly gets out of bed and sits on the side of it for a second, not wanting to move too quickly because he doesn’t want to disturb you.

He looks at you and all that goes through his mind is how lucky he feels to have you like that. It's certainly refreshing to feel warm inside every time he sees you or talks to you, and he’s completely sure he won’t take anything for granted when it comes to you. He still can’t believe it’s all working so well despite it being so soon in whatever you two were developing, he’s pinching himself time and time again to make sure he isn’t dreaming.

Then he looks up at your wall where you have a lot of polaroids pinned up above your bed. Lots of them are ones from your chicken shop dates so there is a variety of people Matty can point out but then his eyes land on the ones from your date. You have both of your pictures, the one you took of him and the one he took of you, pinned up right above the middle of the bed and he can’t stop himself from smiling seeing them there.

They are the closest to the bed itself, somewhere where you could actually see them when you were lying down if you wanted to. He finds it beyond cute because he can see that your pictures with Phoebe are higher up than his and he knows his date wasn’t the last you had. It warms his heart that little bit more and makes him feel even more special.

After a few seconds doting on the pictures, Matty gets himself up and grabs his underwear and trousers before making his way into your bathroom. He quickly, and hopefully silently, has a shower too and he’s in there for no longer than five minutes before he gets himself out and dry and he leaves your bathroom only dressed from the waist down with damp curls.

He’s pleased to see that you’re still asleep when he opens the door again, and you look so adorable all curled up in bed, he feels bad that he’ll have to wake you up to go out soon. So he decides to give you a few more minutes of peace and he silently slips out of your room to go and get you a drink thinking you might be a little parched after your earlier activities when you wake up.

Quietly he opens your bedroom door and slips out, and as he’s walking through your lounge to your kitchen he stops when he notices a new painting on the wall.

It’s a box painting, a design that he’s all too familiar with and he can’t help but smile seeing that you’ve got one of his best friends paintings on your wall. This one is of a forest, a foggy one that has mountains in the background and it looks amazing. And he can’t help but smile that you own one of these paintings and it sits proudly on your wall.

And he knows it's one of hers because he’s got a fair few of his own up in his house. Not to mention it’s not difficult to recognise his best friend's signature on the canvas.

With his grin unfaltering, Matty makes it to the kitchen and gets a glass of water for you and with quiet steps, he makes it slowly back to your room, giving the painting one last glance and getting excited about seeing the person behind the art piece tonight.

The closer he got to your door, the more he could make out your figure still resting on the messy bed. He feels so bad having to wake you up so he tries to make it as soft as possible.

Matty puts your glass of water down and he tucks your hair behind your ear before he leans down and kisses your temple a few times. He hopes it’ll be a nice way to wake you up and he's happy to see that you don’t look like you want to kill him when you open your eyes.

Initially you let out a little groan, frowning a little as you woke up but when you slowly blink your eyes open and you see him, a tired smile comes to your face. And it gets even bigger when he coos, “Hiya baby.”

“Hi.” You grin, the sight of him above you making you happy.

Matty cups your face and he gently caresses the apple of your cheek as he asks, “You had a nice sleep?”

“Always.” You hum and you lean into his hand.

Chuckling a little at your answer, Matty can’t help but smile at you. He remembers the water he got you then and he picks up the glass and hands it to you, “Got you a drink.”

“Thank you.” You sit up a little and take a few sips of it before putting it down.

Matty smiles at the sight of you still wearing his shirt, and he loves seeing you in his clothes. He already can’t wait to see you in more of them.

Catching himself stuck in his thoughts, he says, “Hope you don’t mind, I had a quick shower.”

“No, it’s fine.” You smile and reach up to run your fingers through his still slightly damp hair, “Get even fresher curls.”

“Yeah,” Matty smirks, “You’ve not ruined them by pulling on them, yet.”

Narrowing your eyes you backchat, “You say that like you didn’t enjoy it each time I did.”

“Details.” Matty narrows his eyes playfully but he’s smiling when he leans down to press his lips against your own.

And you hum in amusement as you quickly kiss him back. When you pull away, you ask, “What time is it?”

He tells you, “Just past nine.”

“Oh shit,” Your eyes go wide, and you sit up a little like you’re about to start rushing, “We need to go.”

“Take your time,” Matty assures you, “It's not an issue what time we get there.”

“I know but it will take a while to get over there.” You say as you rub your eyes to wake yourself up a little more, and you sit up properly now.

He chuckles at your haste, but he really doesn’t want you rushing about, “Doesn’t matter.”

You pull the covers back and twist your way out of bed, “I’ll shower quickly and get ready as-“

But you’re interrupted by Matty leaning in to pecking your lips to shut you up. And once he’s succeeded he just smiles, “Take your time.”

Pressing your lips together, you roll your eyes and get yourself up from the bed. You can hear him giggling as he’s managed to shut you up and you try your very best not to let out a chuckle of your own. You don’t think you’ll ever get tired of hearing him laugh.

You grab a few things before you go in your bathroom, but once inside you shower as quickly as you can and thankfully you’re not in there too long. Getting out you dry yourself off before getting into your fresh set of underwear and you leave the bathroom with Matty’s shirt in hand.

Walking out, you see that he’s now sitting up, leaning back against your headboard where he lay earlier and scrolling mindlessly through his phone.

“Here you go.” You smile as you walk towards him, offering him his shirt back but you watch his eyes focus on your body instead of his clothes.

Looking you up and down before finally making contact with your eyes, he’s dead serious when he says, “Oh my god, you’re asking to be thrown back in bed.”

“No,” You shake your head, unable to stop yourself from grinning at him. “I have to get ready.”

“I’m begging we stay.” Matty leans forwards and wraps his arms around you, pulling you down onto the bed beside him.

You’re laughing at his efforts as you dismiss him, “Nope. I want to dance to Mr and Mrs XCX dj-ing.”

“They aren’t that good.” Matty plays their talent down because he would love for you to remain in this attire for the rest of the night.

But you’re having none of it.

Disagreeing, you frown, “They are.”

Matty smiles but narrows his eyes at you, “How would you know?”

“The Reading afterparty, Matty.” You remind him, “I was around… Just didn’t want to bother you all. The music was great though.”

Realising that you were there makes Matty’s jaw drop a bit. “We could have had this so much earlier.” and you laugh when he pulls you against him, making you lie down beside him.

“Happy to have it now.” You hum, and you don’t miss the way his eyes run down your body, “Plus don’t you think our date was more iconic because we didn’t really know each other.”

“Yeah, we were amazing to be fair.” Matty smirks as he snakes his hand down your body and he rests it on your arse as he tells you, “Need to get you back in those red leather pants at some point. The whole get up was fit as fuck.”

“Maybe someday.” You chuckle.

But the singer pouts, “Not tonight?”

“Nope,” You shake your head, “I’ve got another look in mind.”

After indulging him for a few more minutes, you move away from him to dry your damp hair and Matty happily watches as you blow dry it, loving the view of you still in next to nothing. And because you quite like his eyes on you, you don’t get dressed before you do your make up either.

You do your makeup sitting at your dressing table and you both happily chat to each other as Matty plays a little music from his phone to get you into the partying mood. It doesn’t take you long to get ready, and you’re slipping on your black dress only half an hour after you woke up which you’re relieved about.

While Matty was a little upset seeing you hide away your lacy underwear, he can’t help but appreciate just how amazing you look in the dress you’ve just put on. It stops on your upper thigh, hiding your arse from him but it's tight on your body so your figure is still on display and he thanks his lucky stars he gets to see you looking like this all night.

So he doesn’t hesitate to say, “You look so good.”

“Thank you.” You grin, feeling great about how you look and feel right now as you adjust your dress in the mirror, pulling it down a bit to show a little more cleavage.

Matty can’t help but internally groan. You’re so painfully gorgeous, he can’t believe he’s lucky enough for you to want him beside you, as long as you're willing to put up with him. He can't help but hope it’s a long time.

“What do you think?” You bring Matty out of his thoughts by asking. “Heels or boots?”

“I think you’ll be more comfy in the boots.” The singer points out and you definitely agree with him.

Asking again, you give him your options, “Ankle or knee high?” and you raise both up so he can choose.

The singer thinks about it for a few seconds before he counters with, “You got any without a heel?”

You sigh but laugh a little, and you know exactly why he’s asked. So you tease him with, “Why can't you be taller?”

And you bite your lip when he immediately frowns and argues, “I am tall.”

“That's what short k-”

“Don't you dare call me a short king,” Matty interrupts, “I’m five-eleven.”

“And I’m five-nine.” You raise your eyebrows at him, “So if I put heels on you’re smaller than me… You’re my short king now.”

Both of you look at each other holding your amusement and Matty’s slight frustration back then. He’s so easy to rile up, you’re definitely going to add this to your list of ammunition to use against him when he starts embarrassing you.

“Just put the ankle boots on.” Matty demands, dismissing the subject because he knows you’re right which makes you start laughing.

After doing that, you stay seated on the end of your bed for a minute and you reply to Amelia’s message, telling her the date went well. You tell her that you’ve just changed and that you’re about to head to George’s party, and you can’t help but laugh a little when her next message comes through.

I do wonder why you need a change of clothes but I’m sure I can guess, dirty bitch… Anyway, what you wearing now Slut? x

Matty watches from his seat on your bed as you stand up chuckling. He has to ask, “What?”

“Amelia wants to know what I’m wearing.” You say as you stand in front of your mirror and raise your phone up, “So I thought I’d just send her a picture.”

You take a few of yourself, one with your phone covering your face and your full body in show and in the others you move your phone to the side a little so you can smile.

You decide to move your hair into a different position, and as you raise your phone back up, you can’t help but smile when you see Matty has stood up and he’s walking towards you.

There’s a grin on his face and on yours too but both of your smiles get bigger as you look at each other through the mirror and you're grinning like an idiot when his hand slides around your waist and he pulls you back to lean into him. You indulge yourself in the happy moment and you take the picture.

You look at Matty in the mirror and you watch as he turns his head to you and he kisses your temple. Again you take a picture.

Then you bring your other hand up to lace your fingers with his that is on your waist, and when you both smile at each other through the mirror again, you take another picture.

After that you put your phone down and lean back into him properly. You happily grin at him through the mirror and your heart skips a beat when he whispers in your ear, “Do you know just how stunning you are?”

Your cheeks heat up in an instant, and you press your lips together trying not to squirm as he compliments you. It’s so lovely of him to say but you’re really not used to hearing things like that in such a personal context anymore.

It’s hard to take his compliment. Because of that and because you’re British.

Matty sees your unwillingness to believe him but he’s thankful that you accept his compliment and rather shyly turn towards him, whispering back, “Might need you to remind me.”

Matty smiles at that and he cups your face making sure you look at him as he tells you, “Well I’ll be here to make sure you remember.”

You’re sure he feels your cheeks heat up at that but you don’t care. You just smile, “You’re cute.”

Matty shakes his head a little, “Not as cute as you.”

“Shut up.” You mumble before kissing his pretty lips again.

It’s impossible not to get carried away when he’s holding you close to his chest by your waist and your fingers are tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck. And trying to pull away when you come back to reality is also impossible, as he keeps leaving chaste kisses on your lips.

“You wanna pack a bag for mine later?” He suggests after giving you one last long peck, and he looks at you with the cutest puppy eyes that have you folding in less than a second.

You sigh softly, completely defeated under the effect of his eyes on you, “Yeah, okay.”

“Pack a few days worth of stuff.” He suggests, letting his hand fall a bit until he can give your arse a cheeky squeeze, “Gotta make the most out of the start of the year, remember?”

The way he’s smirking at you has you raising your eyebrows and biting your bottom lip not to giggle away from the anticipation, you can feel yourself burning up head to toe but you cover it by taunting him, “Right. The most of it.”

Humming, Matty presses another kiss on your lips but then he smacks your arse and says “Let’s go,” to get you moving.

A gasp falls from your lips, which only has his smirk getting bigger and to that you can only shake your head, trying hard not to look amused.

It takes you no time at all to pack a bag, and in that time Matty managed to get you a taxi that wasn’t too far away. You both had a vodka coke before you got in the car and when it arrived you both ran to the back of the car because it was still pelting it down with rain.

Matty let you get in the side closest to the door whilst he ran around to the other side with your bag in hand. Once Matty double checks the address with the driver, you’re on your way to the party but what makes you laugh is when Matty settles and he sees all the room between you and pouts.

“You’re so far away baby.” He frowns, and he can’t help but move himself over to the middle seat and puts your bag where he just was.

His arm comes around your waist to hold you the closest he can to himself and with a big grin on your face, you let your head rest on his shoulder. Matty sighs in content, “Now that’s better.”

Your heart swells when the words leave his lips from just how content he sounds, you can’t help yourself when you feel the urge to leave a kiss on his skin. Feeling your soft lips on his neck is something that makes Matty’s insides flip, and he truly feels like he’s on cloud nine when he’s with you.

It’s the way he clutches you the tiniest bit tighter that gives him away and silently you’re just really glad he has the same reaction to you as you do to him. It all just adds to what you’ve been discovering about him for the past week, and somehow it makes your appreciation for him grow even more.

The hour long drive to George’s is rather entertaining as your driver starts talking to you both and you find yourself the slightest bit chattier from how happy you are and the drink you already had.

There’s many times when the man behind the wheel makes you laugh out loud–bless him, working on New Years Eve, still having the energy to be witty–when you catch Matty just looking at you with those eyes you adore.

Under the passing streetlights you can catch them almost gleaming as they are fully stuck on you and you find yourself squirming nervously under his gaze. Every time you’re about to ask him what it was, your driver brings you back in conversation but it’s one last time when Matty does the same thing that has you letting out a little, “What?”

To which he just responds with a toothy grin that reaches his eyes and a kiss to your temple that has your melting right into his side.

After that Matty joined the conversation and it’s not at all awkwards like small chat with a taxi driver usually is. You’re surprised when you get to George’s faster than you expected and after being dropped off by the door, you wave the lovely man away and leave him a big tip for his kindness.

Thankfully, the rain has fully stopped by now and all that’s been left are small puddles in the ground that you avoid as you make your way in. But it’s not trying to avoid the wet patches on the ground that have you fiddling with your fingers and clumsily taking steps towards the front door, you’re actually slightly nervous.

And it’s a bit foolish of you to be, because you’ve met the lads already and spent a whole night drinking and chatting with them but this time it feels different.

Maybe it is just you being aware of this time being Matty bringing you as his date rather than just inviting you over to their greenroom after seeing you were in attendance at their gig. Maybe you’re just more apprehensive of what everyone’s reactions could be due to the change of circumstances.

So you find yourself silently begging for it all to remain the same, just so you don’t find yourself racking your brain about any comparisons from tonight to the night of the banquet records gig.

This time though, Matty is more aware of every single one of your actions and he can read you so much clearer so he doesn’t take long to notice the way you’re hiding into yourself, the shyness in your walk and how your eyes seem to look more at the ground than in front of you when he’s about to get to the door.

To give you comfort, he intertwines your fingers as he opens the door and his thumb rubs circles on the back of your hand as you take your first steps into the house. The loud music and colourful lights drown you both as you close the door behind you but you barely have time to take much in for there’s someone walking by that’s already greeting the man walking in front of you.

“Matty.” You hear the one and only Charli XCX enthusiastically exclaim your date’s name and throw an arm around him to give him a quick hug with her eyes closed.

“Hey!” He says as he reciprocates the embrace, giving her a quick squeeze before letting go.

She pulls back and opens her eyes to look at him when she says, “I was wondering why I had yet to see you.” but right then she catches a glimpse of you over his shoulder and she lets out a loud screech that has you giggling. “Ah! Y/N!”

You take a step forward so she can see you properly and she basically throws herself on you to embrace you, “Hey Charli,” you’re smiling so hard at her reaction to your presence, it starts dissipating the worries that were clouding your thoughts only a minute ago, “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Oh my god, anytime.” She sways you a bit before letting go and you catch the smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth, “How'd the date go?”

You chuckle and so does Matty beside you, “Really good.” Is the shy answer you give her under both their intent stares.

And it makes you so happy that her reaction is a little giddy dance and a, “Yay! I was hoping it would,” to then wave at you both to follow her as she started walking further into the house, “Come with me. Let me show you where to get a drink.”

Before she gets very far though, Matty asks her if he can run upstairs and put your bag somewhere safe and Charli nods, telling him to go put it in hers and George’s room. She leads the both of you upstairs and points her room out to him and Matty puts your bag in a safe spot, all while she shows you around upstairs.

“Your house is stunning.” You compliment, finally being able to let your eyes wander around the gorgeous place. You almost didn’t notice Matty taking your hand again as you looked round you were so invested.

The rooms are all pretty big and the tall ceilings make the place feel even bigger, and you can only imagine it's the same downstairs. The decor is modern but it all feels really homely too. It makes you so happy that George and Charli are serious enough that they are living together, you’ve never been so happy for a celebrity couple.

“Thank you, better during the day when you can see it.” And you can definitely imagine that, the sunlight coming through the massive windows they have must look absolutely stunning washing over their whole floor.

As you make your way back downstairs, you’re brought back from your appreciation of the architecture and decoration when she genuinely suggests, “You need to come over and we can chill properly.”

Not really believing those words just came out of her mouth, you nod your head and give her a stupefied, “Yeah.”

The singer continues sorting out the plan out loud by playfully saying, “Can let the boys make our drinks that day. Keep them busy before they go off touring again.”

And of course, Matty, wanting you to have the best night, jumps on the idea and grants your wishes, “Can do that for you today, Charli.”

Charli winks at you like her plan has just worked and snaps her fingers with a smirk, “Well, hop to it then.” And then waves her hand to show the vast alcohol selection that’s set on the bar.

Yes bar. Mr and Mrs XCX seem to have spared no expense with their new house. There’s a full functioning bar that separates the kitchen from the main room where most people seem to be gathered. It’s like they have their own club in their house with a raised platform for the DJ on the other side of the room, and you can see a gigantic spinning disco ball in the centre of the room too. The club lights and the strobes lighting up the full wall mural that they have too makes it seem like you’re truly at a club, not in someone's house.

Charli smiles and tells you, “Please use anything and everything, we don't want to see any of it left tomorrow so please have as much as you like.”

“What do you want, baby?” Matty asks you first, his thumb still tracing figures on your skin to soothe you but you’re feeling more calm now so you squeeze his hand as if telling him you’re okay.

There’s so much in front of you that you just can’t find yourself making a quick decision so you just go for what you already had before you left your flat, “I’ll have a vodka and coke again please.”

Matty nods and then turns to Charli, “What do you want, queen of pop?”

With a triumphant smile, Charli replies, “Vodka cranberry please Matthew.” and right away, the curly headed boy lets your hand go with a soft squeeze and moves to make your drinks.

As he leaves your side, Charli takes his place and you both take a few steps back to just watch him as he gets your glasses and ice. You’re watching his swift moves, the way he delicately places the glasses on the table and goes to get one more for himself, his curls bouncing as he walks and his brows furrowing as he tries to find a vodka bottle he fancies, when the silence is broken by the woman beside you.

“So…” Charli starts with a slightly suggestive tone.

But you’re so distracted by the view that you fail to catch on to what she means, “So?”

“The date?” She asks a bit more forward this time, turning to you properly, and that seems to bring your attention to her.

“Oh, yeah very good.” You quickly reply, a genuine smile on your face remembering how it went and selfishly taking a bit of time to rewind and play back a little reel of what it had been.

It’s her next question, though, that snaps you right back to reality, “But was he very good?”

“Pardon?” You feel the heat coating your cheeks and you have to bite your tongue not to give yourself away.

It’s too late, you find out, when she sighs playfully and continues, “Babe it's written on both of your faces. Come on, spill, we’re friends right?” She nudges your hip with hers, making you break and let out a little nervous giggle.

You end up nodding your head, because why wouldn’t you admit he’d been very good. It was just your own mind reminding you of your previous thoughts that had you a bit timid about what you wanted to admit to yet, “Yea- Yes.”

“Yes we’re friends or yes he was good?” The singer asks for clarification, clearly wanting to get a bit more than a yes from you.

You can’t help but hope it’s not obvious to everyone though. You’ve met Charli quite a few times since her Chicken Shop Date with Amelia and each time you’d all got on like a house on fire, so a little teasing from her you could definitely handle. But telling her this feels like it’s a bit more personal, and despite knowing you can trust her it takes you aback a little bit that she actually wants to know.

“Charlotte Aitchison.” You say through your teeth, almost scolding her for wanting you to air any details in the middle of the room right in Matty’s presence.

You don’t care if there’s enough music filtering through from the other room to drown out your words. It’s still making your cheeks heat up and you want to hide under her gaze.

She laughs loudly and shrugs her shoulders like it’s just an innocent inquiry, “Hey, I just need to know whether the hype is for nothing.”

Trying your best to keep a straight face, you give into her attempts and admit, “Not for nothing.”

“Ahhh!” She screeches loudly, which makes Matty chuckle to himself and shake his head despite not knowing what you’re both talking about since he can’t hear a thing over the music.

“Fuck, I love this for you.” Charli throws both her arms around you and squeezes you tight, completely obsessed with how it’s all unfolding for you both.

She remembers watching the date with George and wishing that something actually would end up happening between you so the fact that her silent ship is working out has her beyond happy, especially since both of you are who she considers her friends.

You appreciate her excitement for you so much, it feels like such a relief to have more than just Amelia rooting for you and especially people that are from Matty’s inner circle but you want to turn the conversation away from you for a second so your heart isn’t erratically beating out of your chest. Instead, you steer towards the topic of her and George by saying, “I feel like I should ask about George now but I already know the answer if you’ve moved in with him.”

And you can’t explain the happiness that washes over you when she nods and very confidently states, “I’m going to marry that man, he’s not getting away.”

Raising your eyebrows, you chat back, “That good?”

And it’s very confirmed when she purses her lips and nods slowly but surely as she replies, “Oh yes.”

Your conversation is cut short before you can get any more details when Matty is back with both your drinks, “Here you go ladies.”

You both get handed your drinks and thank him before taking a long sip of them while Matty quickly grabs his own and joins you again. As he does, you ask her, “Did you have a nice Christmas in Florida?”

“Oh she had a fantastic time.” Matty chuckles and you can’t help but feel like he knows something you don’t.

And it seems that’s the case when Charli grins, “Ha, he’s right I had a fucking amazing time.”

But before you can question what it is that they’re alluding to, Charli notices someone waving her over from the living room, “Ah shit, I’m being summoned. You’ve got friends in the club and in the studio.” She points in the direction of both places and you two nod, “See you in a bit, have fun and save a shot for me.” She warns with a point of her finger and a wink.

Without Charli there, your eyes are falling back on the pretty boy in front of you and it’s then when you notice he isn’t having the same as you, “What are you drinking?”

Raising his glass a bit, Matty explains, “George saved me a few bottles of red, have a stash in the cupboard.”

You smile at him getting his way, “Perks of the party being in your best mates house.”

“Gotta have some.” He shrugs his shoulders and takes a sip of his red wine and basks in the taste of it.

He lowers his glass back down and puts out his free hand for you to grab, “Shall we go find some people?”

With bubbling excitement in your belly, you nod, “Yeah. Lead the way.”

Like upstairs, the rooms are tall, but you guess that makes sense for a house a gentle giant like George Daniel lives in. Everything looks amazing downstairs too, but you think your favourite feature is the large sliding glass doors that lead out to their garden. You can imagine it being stunning on a summer's day.

The room they are in though has been converted to the dancefloor. There’s a lot of people dancing in the middle to the DJ, who surprisingly isn’t George, but they look like they are having a great time. And there’s a lot of people standing with their drinks chatting to other people too, and no doubt more outside.

But both you and Matty spot a familiar face amongst the many you don’t recognise. And Matty wonders over to him first with a grin on his face as he holds your hand as you walk over.

“Hey.” Matty greets him, a big smile on his face seeing his friend again.

“Hey,” Ross smiles, a little shocked, “Where the fuck have you been?” as he hugs Matty back, but his question is answered when he spots you.

“Ah Y/N!” Ross grins brightly and he all but pushes Matty off him so he can hug you. You hug him back, letting Matty go to hug him properly, but the bassist makes you chuckle when he keeps you in his hold as he jokes, “I hope he wasn’t as annoying as he was on your chicken shop date.”

“Nowhere near as funny Ross,” You play along, and you pull out of the hug and smile up at him, “It's why I need my date with you.”

“Ah,” Ross smirks, gently brushing you off with, “Maybe for the next album.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.” You grin, pointing at him as you raise your eyebrows so he knows you're serious.

He chuckles a little and Matty finds himself laughing too knowing there’s no way it would happen. But he loves that you probably won't quit trying.

Matty takes your hand in his again as he asks his mate, “Did Hann show?” as he’s been looking around and can’t spot him or Carly anywhere.

“No, he did put in the chat but I assumed you haven't seen it because you didn’t call him a pussy.” Ross shakes his head, but his amused smile shines though. He then explains, “He’s staying in with Carly and baby, her Mum and Dad are over aren’t they, so-”

Matty takes over and sighs a little, “So they have babysitters and could have come.”

He really wanted Adam to come so he could introduce you to Carly, and he can’t help but be a little gutted because he knows that you’d get along so well with Mrs Holt-Hann.

“You bully that man enough.” You shake your head, dismissing Matty’s claims, “Give him a night off.”

The curly haired man can’t help but let his draw drop a little as his eyes widen. Ross is smirking as Matty asks you, “Who’s side are you on baby?”

“When it comes to you bullying Adam, whilst it's funny, I’m on his side.” You tell the curly haired man and he freins hurt putting his hand over his chest.

Ross laughs loudly and traps you in a side hug as he says, “You can stick around Y/N/N.”

“Thanks Ross.” You chuckle, leaning into him a little letting go of Mattys hand so you can keep a hold of your drink as you put your arm around Ross’ back.

Matty looking around and still not being able to see his friend who’s the size of a tree ends up having to ask, “Where’s G?”

“He’s around, was doing the music about half an hour ago but not sure where he is now.” The bassist explains, “Might be with the others in there?”

Ross nods over to another room that people keep on filtering in and out of and you see Matty silently ask you if you want to head over there and you nod. You move out of Ross’ grip and you take another sip of your drink as you move to stand beside Matty again.

The curly haired brunette asks Ross, “You joining us?”

“No,” He shakes his head and looks around the room, “I'm going to branch out and socialise a bit more.”

“Is that code for something, Ross?” You can’t help but tease at the way he scoped out the room.

But Ross is quick to fire back, “Was your date code for something, Y/N/N?” and a smile plays on his lips which screams that he knows you didn’t turn up to this party so late just because you were on a date, but you play stupid.

“Nope,” You shake your head and maintain your innocence, “We went on a date, a very nice restaurant actually.”

Matty can’t help but smile at the way you confidently play it off, the same way Ross pretends like he believes you, “Good.”

“I’ll send you the address for when you’ve found someone you like socialising with.” You smile knowingly back at him and before you start walking towards the door he nodded to, you playfully raise your middle finger at him with the hand you’re holding your glass with as you start pulling Matty with you.

Ross just laughs as you and the singer turn away from him and Matty can’t help but grin at what just took place. He squeezes your hand and asks, “What’s got you all feisty?”

“I'm not,” You laugh, “I just think Ross is on the prowl.”

“Good.” Matty nods like it’s something dire, “He needs to get some.”

“Matty,” You laugh at the fact he doesn’t know, “There's queues of people who want him.”

Immediately, the singer’s features scrunch together in disbelief. He shakes his head a bit, frowning as he says, “I don’t think so.”

“Well you need to open your eyes.” You scoff as you laugh, “More for him than you these days.”

Matty pretends to think about it for a second before humming, “Mmm no.”

“Okay,” You chuckle, knowing someday soon Matty will get the shock of his life. “Don't believe me.”

“I won't.” Matty grins proudly, before he pulls you over to the door, excited to see more of his friends before he starts socialising with other familiar faces, “Okay, who's in here?”

When you enter the room, you realise it must be the studio Charli was talking about earlier. There’s everything you could need in here to make music but also chill out as you do it. Comfy seats surround the place, the best being a big fluffy settee, and there’s computers on one side of the room and the rest is set up like a lounging area. But there’s a drum kit in one corner that thankfully no one is playing, guitars surrounding the place with various awards decorating the room.

There’s a lot of people in here as it's another big room, but it’s not as overcrowded as the other. You look around trying to spot anyone you might know, but come up short. Or that is until Matty spots someone who he’s been dying to introduce you to.

“Wheels!” Matty shouts, bringing you out of your thoughts as he pulls you over to meet her.

You watch as she gets up from her seat beside someone you don’t recognise but she rushes over to greet you both.

As she hugs Matty, you hear her say, “Heya Curly.” and Matty briefly lets go of your hand to hug her.

Your heart melts at the scene. It’s easy to see just how much they care about each other, and she smiles at you from over Matty’s shoulder and she looks just as excited to see you as she did him.

“Wheels, meet Y/N.” Matty quickly turns back to excitedly introduce you, and he takes your hand again as he says, “Y/N, meet Wheels.”

“Matty, you have to stop introducing me as Wheels, no one calls me that but you…” She smiles but shakes her head at him before her eyes find yours again and she offers you a hug after she says, “Hi, sorry, my name's Flo. It's so nice to meet you.”

“Lovely to meet you.” You smile, hugging her back.

It’s a little strange to you seeing Flo in person. You’ve known of her and admired both her and her work for years so it’s not really a shock that you end up telling her, “I love your paintings.”

“She does,” Matty grins excitedly, confirming that you do by saying, “She has one.”

Immediately, you look at him a little shocked that he knew that, considering you’d only just put it up when you got back home yesterday. And also because you’re shocked he would out you like that when you’ve just met her. You know no malice was intended but you know he also did it to tease you a bit.

And Flo can clearly see this too because just after George walks in the room and shouts “Matty!” She links your arm and says to you but loud enough for Matty to hear, “Please come with me, let's leave him to suck George off.”

You stifle a laugh at that, especially when Matty narrows his eyes at her and fires back, “He enjoys it and you’re just jealous.”

“Yeah yeah yeah,” Flo nods, a look in her eyes that dismisses him but also confirming that she would be. It amuses you entirely, and you see the amusement in his eyes when you catch each others gazes before you go your separate ways.

You manage to refrain from laughing once she walks you back to where she was earlier and she apologises, “Sorry about him, he gets over excited. Thank you by the way, for what you said about my art.”

“I came to your gallery back in 2018 and I was astounded.” You tell her, not seeing any reason to hide how talented you think she is, before you move on to say, “I wanted to come to the one earlier this year but I had a date and the guest was being an arse so it overran.”

“I fucking love your dates. They are the funniest thing.” Flo gasps, leaning in to tell you sincerely, “I found them over lockdown and I binged them all. I adore them. I even made Alex watch them with me and we were giggling for hours.”

Hearing that from her means a lot too. Just as much as people like Matty, Charli, and Andrew Garfield. It hits a special place in your heart.

“I’m so glad you liked them.” You grin, “They’ve certainly been fun.”

“Your one with Matty is the best thing I’ve ever seen.” She laughs at the memory of the both of you playing up to each other and the top tier flirting from you, “Especially the extended version.”

You chuckle and nod, “It was certainly my favourite one.”

“By the way,” Flo had been meaning to get Matty to ask you, but she forgot, so she's pleased she can ask now, “Your Spanish is impeccable, are you fluent?”

You can’t help but think that is so cute of her to pick out from the date, and you nod and explain, “My Mum is a Spanish teacher and she raised me with both languages, so yeah I'm probably not far off.”

“You can help me, I've not quite mastered it yet as well as the others.” She tells you, and you wouldn’t mind that at all.

Despite being fairly certain of the answer, you ask her, “You can speak French, right?”

“Yes,” Alex Turner appears and answers for her and wraps an arm around her waist as he carries on, “And Italian, so it's really difficult for me around the house when she's mumbling under her breath scolding me for something I don't know I’ve done wrong.”

Flo’s face is full of amusement as he says that, and she doesn’t even deny it. She simply says, “You love it.”

“Mmmm.” Alex hums, not sounding too convinced but then he smiles brightly at you and says, “Lovely to meet you, I’m Alex.” and he lets Flo go for a moment to shake your hand.

“Y/N.” You smile brightly at him and return his handshake. “Nice to meet you.”

As he shakes your hand, he’s telling you how much the both of them love your videos which again makes you want to pinch yourself. Alex’s music, both with Arctic Monkeys and The Last Shadow Puppets soundtracked the majority of your teenage years before you found The 1975, so it’s a little surreal that he even knows who you are. It's an Andrew Garfield moment all over again.

The three of you talk for a while about various different things, them telling you about their favourite date you’ve been on, you telling the two of them congratulations on them getting married this past year. But only about 5 minutes pass before the loud mouth that is Matty bounds back over.

You feel him before you see him, as his arm goes around your waist hugging you back into him as his head rests on your shoulder. He says to Alex, “You better not be stealing another one of my girls, Turner.”

It takes everything in you not to laugh. Matty talks of Flo so much like she’s a best friend, as he does George, that you forget that they are ex’s. It seems that they are all perfectly fine joking about it though because Flo laughs and Alex’s face is full of amusement and looking to the side you see Matty’s holding back how big he wants to grin.

Alex just smirks as he laughs, “No, I'm happy with the one I stole the first time around.” wrapping his arm around his wife again.

Flo smiles hearing that but she also curiously asks your group, but mostly Matty, as she leans into Alex, “Was it really stealing if I shagged him first?”

This, you’re confused by. She went out with Matty from 2011 to 2013, and there were only rumours about her and Alex in 2014 which you remember Flo denying in a drunken tweet one evening. But then it was pretty much a fact that her and Alex briefly got together after a lot more was shown on her Instagram live at the start of 2019 that she probably intended. So needless to say you’re confused, but you don’t show this as you don’t want to pry.

But you can’t keep your shock at bay when Matty laughs and tells Flo, “Losing your virginity doesn’t count, Sweetheart.”

Your eyes go wide and you can’t stop the, “What?” falling from your lips.

Your indirect sexual partners list just reached a whole new level.

“Oh yes,” Matty chuckles at your reaction, remembering you only have the outsiders perspective on past events. He very quickly glosses over it, making a mental note to tell you at some point but for now he leaves you with, “There's a lot more history than everyone ever knew, but it's all good. Their wedding was cute, I was practically the maid of honour.”

Flo frowns a little at that last part, correcting him quickly, “Think my best friend and Adam would disagree with that but you were definitely a bridesmaid.”

Matty hums, “Loved my pink suit to match the dresses.”

“Now I need to see a picture of that.” You smile, leaning back into him a little more so you can crane your neck around to see his pretty face again.

He grins at you with soft eyes and he can’t help but think you look absolutely stunning.

“Oh, I’ve got loads.” Flo grins and proceeds to take her phone out of her pocket.

The four of you chat for a while then, and that is until Matty gets called over by a few people he clearly knows and you talk to Alex and Flo a little longer. But it feels like not a lot of time has passed before Matty is stealing you away from them because he wants to introduce you to a few people.

A few people ends up being almost everyone, because when you’ve finished talking to someone, more come along wanting to speak to Matty so the process continues over and over. Not that you mind, everyone seems very lovely and it's no hardship chatting to Matty and hearing how he knows everyone.

However, when you escape to the bar just the two of you again it’s rather nice just to keep each other company for a few minutes. On the way over, you noticed Ross chatting to a girl you didn’t recognise but they seemed pretty close so you gave him knowing eyes when your gazes met. He very discreetly gets you back for earlier and sticks his middle finger up at you which makes you laugh.

After getting your drinks, Matty pulls you into the kitchen where it’s a little quieter and you manage to greet George properly. He gives you a big hug and once again you're taken aback by just how tall he is.

“You enjoying yourself Y/N/N?” The drummer asks just before letting go of you.

You nod with a soft grin on your face, everything has been going amazingly and you’re glad every passing minute has managed to quiet down the thoughts you had earlier.

“Very much, thanks for having me George.”

Taking a sip of his drink, he hums but then a smirk appears on his face as his eyes go from you to Matty, “How was the date? He wouldn’t shut up about it- about you, in fact.”

You let out a loud chuckle when Matty’s instant reaction is to yell out a mortified, “Mate!” as if that would somehow put you off.

George’s laughter makes you laugh even harder and you see Charli coming into the kitchen intrigued by the reason behind your loud giggles.

Before she can even ask what’s going on, George throws another question your way made to taunt his best mate even more, “Did he at least treat you to a better time than your first date?”

The laugh that was about to fall from your lips turns into a scoff of disbelief when Charli answers for you with a very suggestive, “Oh yes, heard he treated her to the best time.”

The couple in front of you laugh hard at the way both your faces fall and the only thing you can do is hide behind your glass to hope they can’t tell you’re flustered. Matty doesn’t let it affect him long, he smirks then and pulls you into him by your waist, leaving a kiss on your temple.

“What can I say?” He shrugs his shoulders with a smug expression on his face, “You get a date with me, you get the premium package.”

Noticing the loophole in his statement, you push his mistake to tease him, “What, so you do this every date?” You make sure to leave your glass with a thud on the kitchen island, frowning and letting your mouth fall the slightest bit open in faux offence. You take a step back as well so his hold on your waist loosens up and his hand is almost completely away from you.

“No, I-” He tries to interject and correct himself but he’s cut by Charli gasping.

“Matty Healy, you little slag!” She says like she’s shocked, making you have to bite your tongue not to laugh.

George giggles and then raises his eyebrows at Matty, “Fucked it there mate, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t- That wasn’t what I meant.” Matty finally says, as quickly as he can so no one interrupts him.

Trying to put your most unamused face on, you turn to him and talk back, “What’d you mean then?”

“Meant only you get the premium package.” Taking a step forward to be close to you again, he snakes his hand around your lower back and pulls you into his front.

He’s staring at your lips, silently asking if he can kiss you to forget about it but you act like you’re not interested in seeing him so you give him a curt nod and look away, to your friends who are watching it all trying not to laugh, “Right.”

You can almost hear the struggle George is going through not to laugh as he continues adding fuel to the fire, “You’re gonna have to work all night to save this now mate.”

Matty glares at George then and you take his sudden distraction to tease him even more. With your eyes now trying to scan the room adjacent to the kitchen, you start saying, “Might see if Ross is up for more socialising…”

The sole mention of the bassist has the singer whipping his head back around to see you, “No.” He says sternly, leaving a kiss on your cheek, “You’re not going anywhere.” He states again and he holds you tighter when he says it.

You still won’t give him your attention though, trying to take it a bit further, “I’m sure I saw him right outside.” You add almost sighing in disappointment and that’s when your date has had enough.

Matty cups your jaw and pulls you into his lips intently and it’s so quick that you gasp, which leaves your lips perfectly open for him to tease his tongue into your mouth. You reciprocate the kiss in bliss, seemingly growing fonder of having his lips on yours, though it makes you laugh - how a simple comment can get him like this.

So you can’t help the chuckle that you let out which interrupts the kiss for a second, Matty smiling against your lips before trapping them between his again, making you hum.

You forget you have an audience until Charli coos loudly at you two, but George is in the mood to get Matty back for all the shit he pulls on the daily so it’s not a surprise he interrupts the moment by reminding you, “Y/N! He does this every date he has!”

Matty instantly breaks the kiss and glares at him, “Fuck off!” is all he says with a frown on his face and that reaction has you laughing loudly once again.

George cackles just as loudly and that amusement has Matty sighing and deciding he’s had enough for now, “We’re leaving you two now, can’t trust you.”

He shakes his head, as he grabs your hand and starts pulling you towards the door, “We are?” You ask as you take the first step but try to hold him back so you can get your glass before leaving.

The curly headed man nods, intertwining your fingers as he looks at your getting your drink again, “Yes, let’s go back to Wheels and Alex.”

The drummer gives it one last attempt to torment him, “Oh yes, actually do. I’m sure she will out you even more.” he encourages with a smirk and silently hopes Flo actually does continue with the taunting.

All Matty responds to that is with a middle finger and it makes Charli, George and yourself laugh as you exit the room.

The last of your teasing is pointing out Ross is gone from where you’d seen him last and seems to have left the room, Matty shaking his head and stealing another hungry kiss from you at the mention of his other best mate.

It wasn’t hard to find Flo and Alex after that, they were sitting in the corner of the room the furthest away from the DJ desk which you assume is to be able to talk but also enjoy the party.

Matty waves at them and they wave back at you, encouraging you to come over to them. When you get there, Alex stands up so you can take a seat beside Flo and you thank him for it. You thought he and Matty would stay standing in front of you to chat but Alex asks his wife if she wants a refill and she nods with a smile and a soft please.

Taking Matty with him, you find yourself alone with Flo and notice how being in her presence brings you this sense of calmness that you certainly enjoy.

“I believe you wanna take me on a date?” Flo asks as you get comfy in the seat beside her.

“I really do.” You hum, sipping your drink before you sit up a little and say, “If you’re okay with jokes about them two, it could be better than Matty’s.”

And you truly believe that. You think she’s hilarious and with her history and her talent you think you could have such a good date with her.

Thankfully, Flo grins and confirms, “Oh, perfectly fine with it.”

“I have art jokes covered too.” You assure her, not wanting everything about it to be about her dating history, even though she is iconic for it.

She smiles, loving the sound of it already. But Flo can’t help but remember that she wasn’t the only one you were requesting a date with. “Believe you want to take my husband on one too?”

“Yeah,” You laugh, nodding as you explain, “I think he could be funny. And he can be dry back in the date and it not be awkward like it usually is.”

You’ve seen enough Arctic Monkey interviews to tell that Alex absolutely hates having to do them. Either not having the words or not wanting to give away too much, it makes him seem awkward, which is a sharp contrast to his amazing lyricism.

But Chicken Shop Dates are for the satire of it and you’re very good at pretending to be dry when you slip into your character. So Alex Turner is a prime example of someone who would be an excellent candidate for your show. Perhaps even more suited than Matty, but you’ll keep that to yourself.

What you do tell Flo though, is your alternate idea, “Me and Amelia were talking though, we think a double date where we sit down with him and Miles would be hilarious.”

“It would,” She gasps, covering her mouth with her hand before she starts giggling at the mere thought, “Oh my god.”

Miles would be absolutely hilarious. And the side of Alex that he brings out would make it even funnier. Flo laughs as she says, “They would end up flirting with each other and you could interrupt them and say, ‘Excuse me, why are we third wheeling when we’re on a double date’.”

“You’ll have to give me some tips for how to stop that from happening.” You laugh.

She nods, and grins as she says, “I’ll just sit in the corner off camera and scorn them. I’ve got them wrapped around my little finger.”

“I’ll hold you to that when the day arrives.” You chuckle before you take a long sip of your drink.

Organising dates like these on New Years 2022 is something you never in a million years imagined. You can’t help but be a little baffled that this is your reality and not just a hallucination from the amount of alcohol you’ve drank.

“I am down for a date with you whenever you like though, Y/N.” Flo smiles, bringing you out of your thoughts, but you notice she seems to think about it for a moment before adding, “Maybe we could do it before I start showing?”

“Showing…” Your jaw drops a little, but you hesitantly ask, “Are you and Alex…?” but she’s nodding before you can even finish your question.

“Pregnant.” Flo beams, resting her hand on her stomach and nods, “Fourteen weeks, I’m due in early July.”

“Oh my god,” Your eyes well up and you can’t stop yourself from leaning across and hugging her, “Congratulations.”

She chuckles at your reaction but hugs you back tightly, “Thank you, Y/N.”

“I’m so happy for you.” It leaves your mouth before you can stop it, but you don’t care too much because it is the truth.

Flo grins, squeezing you that bit tighter, “Thank you.”

Flo loves seeing people's reactions to the news, and despite you being new to the group she can sense a budding friendship with ease. She already knows you’re going to fit in great and you make Matty happy, so there’s no reason not to be your friend. Not to mention, your reaction is so wholesome considering you don’t know her all that well.

“Sorry,” You say when you let her go, and you drunkenly ramble on, explaining why there's a tear in your eye. “I know you don’t know me but I feel like I’ve known you for ages and I’m just really happy for you.”

“That’s okay, thank you.” She smiles, her heart melting at just how genuinely over the moon you seem for her, “You’re so lovely.”

“I'm so happy for you both.” You repeat yourself, making a mental note that you need to congratulate Alex when you see him again. But then you catch your volume and you control yourself, “Sorry I shouldn’t be so loud. Are you keeping it under wraps or does everyone here know?”

Flo smiles at you being worried for her, especially after she just openly told you, but it's nice to know you respect her privacy. From you apologising, something which you didn’t need to do, she can tell that you’re trustworthy enough with the information and Matty’s definitely found himself a good egg.

“Most of our little group know, like the band and Charli, all the close ones anyway. We’re letting everyone else find out when the little one arrives or when they catch me showing.” Flo explains.

“We told Matty the other day when he came to see us, he cried like a baby.” Flo laughs as she recalls, “Hugged me for about ten minutes straight and then him and Alex were both crying at one point... It was really amusing.”

“That would have been the best news for him.” You smile, picturing it so easily in your head and it makes your heart melt. You have to tell her, “He speaks so highly of you, as he should. I’m really not surprised he got emotional.”

“Christ, if he speaks highly of me, you should hear the way he speaks about you.” She grins, “You were all he could talk about the other day apart from mine and Alex’s surprise.”

Immediately, your cheeks are heating up, “Oh god.”

You pray to every god that there might be that he didn’t let slip the filth you were texting each other the day he was at theirs in Sheffield now.

“Nothing to worry about.” Flo seems to sense you cringing so she assures you, “He’s just being very cute, as he should. You seem amazing, he didn’t sell you short.”

That makes your heart melt, at both the fact Matty had been talking about you to his friends, and the fact that Flo of all people actually thinks you’re amazing. It means a lot coming from someone like her who you’ve looked up to for a long time.

Directing the subject away from yourself, you ask her about her and her art. Both of you chat for a long while about it with Flo trying to explain how she does different things when you ask her, and she ends up saying that you’ll have to join Matty when he next visits so you can see her home studio. She even says she will give you a lesson and you jump at the chance. The only catch was that you had to teach her more Spanish as you did and that was easy to agree to.

The subject moves on to George and Charli and how cute they are, but also your love for Charli’s music. And then it moves on to both of your love for live music and Flo was just telling you about how she’d joined Alex on the previous leg of Arctic Monkeys tour before Christmas.

She also tells you that the tour is how she found out she was pregnant. Flo had apparently been sick the few mornings they were travelling via plane and she went to the doctor asking for something to help with travel sickness and the doctor ended up surprising her by asking if she could be pregnant after she mentioned that she’d never been travel sick before.

Thankfully Alex waited in the waiting room at the doctors with her in whatever country they were in and she ended up doing a pregnancy test there and then and it came back positive. And Flo was just beginning to tell you that she was glad that there wasn’t much left of the tour and they could fly home for Christmas just a week after they found out, but she gets distracted.

You catch Flo’s eyes flick to the door and you follow her gaze when she presses her lips together to hide her amusement. And you understand why when you see Matty pressing into the room and continuing his dance to S&M by Rihanna.

He’s quite amusing, his arms waving in every direction, letting the music seemingly control his body as he intently sways his hips to the beat and sings his heart out to every line of the chorus.

And you’re both amused until he stops his singing when he lifts his hand up and puts the lit cigarette he has in his hand into his mouth.

“What are you doing? Don’t smoke inside.” Flo scolds Matty, giving him a dirty look that only an old friend could give someone, “It's their new house!”

“Yeah, George’s new house, Wheels.” Matty raises his eyebrows and reminds her, “When doesn’t the tree have a spliff in hand?”

“Well it’s not for you to get your fag ash all over.” You tell him, plucking it from his lips and holding it so he has to follow you, “Come on we can go outside.”

Matty frowns, looking between you and Flo as he pouts, but takes your hand, “I already don’t like that you’re teaming up on me.”

“Get used to it,” Flo smugly grins, “I’m going to be inviting her round without you soon enough.”

Matty frowns and scoffs, “Rude.”

“Don’t cry about it.” You fake a pout and you hear Flo laughing as you continue to pull the man who’s eager to get his cigarette back outside.

That apparently doesn’t mean he can’t tease you on the way though, as Matty cocks his head to the side a little and raises his eyebrows as he says, “You’re getting brave, baby.”

“Mhmm,” You grin, “Says the one who’s obsessed with me.”

As you make it through the sea of dancers, you make it outside to the patio and as the curly haired brunette steals his cigarette back, and he wraps and arm around you, pulling you so you're against his chest when he asks, “Remind me, who was on your blanket you got for Christmas?”

In some way you’re glad that nothing seems to have changed now you’ve slept together. Somewhere in the back of your mind you were somewhat worried about it, but considering he’s still trying to make you all blushy and flustered, you know that nothing has changed and you’re really grateful for that.

“The one you got me was plain actually.” You smile and bat your lashes at him, acting dumb to what he actually means.

He doesn’t buy your act so he rolls his eyes, “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Sighing, you don’t let him have the pleasure of you agreeing to what he’s insinuating, “Yeah but you don’t need an ego boost right now.”

Smugly, he puffs his chest out and lets a teasing grin tug at the corner of his lips, “I always do.”

But you won’t have him feeling smug for too long, “Oh right, sorry. I forgot, my cute short king.” Your mocking smile shines on your face, his jaw drops at your audacity.

“I’ll confiscate your boots.” Matty warns with a raise of his eyebrows, as if that would be enough to scare you from provoking him.

Clicking your tongue, you quip back not believing he’d actually do it, “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Ye–” Matty starts but you interrupt him by pressing your lips to his.

You don’t need to hear his empty threats because he’d just be wasting his breath and precious time you could spend kissing which is exactly why you pounce on his lips. He tastes like wine and cigarettes, so Matty, and the fact that you’re growing familiar to that, to him, makes you grow warm inside.

Fingers tangling in his curls, you tug on his hair and he lets a hum of satisfaction out. You give him one back, when his arm squeezes you tighter and pulls you flush against his front.

You kiss until your lungs are aching for oxygen and you find yourself remembering where you’re at when you lean back to see him and your senses seem to take in your surroundings again.

For a couple seconds you scan his face and your hand comes up to his face so you can rub circles on his cheek with the pad of your thumb. Matty melts under your touch, eyes fluttering closed until you stop your ghostly touch on his skin and lean in to whisper in his ear, “You can take them off later.”

His lips fall on your neck and you can feel him smirking then before he leaves a couple of kisses under your jaw, “I hope I can take more than just those off later.” He replies, letting his hand fall a bit from your lower back so he can give your arse a little squeeze.

You grin, holding back from withdrawing into a flustered mess as you promise, “Whatever you like.” before you kiss him again.

As you stand outside with him, Matty slips off his blazer when he realises you’re a little colder than you’re letting on. It warms your heart that he takes it off and just puts it over your shoulders before slipping his arms around your waist and hugging himself into you.

The both of you stay outside chatting and stealing the odd kiss after he finishes his cigarette but then you hear commotion from inside and the music goes down for the moment and you hear George’s voice through the speakers saying, “Five minute warning guys, we want everyone in here by the time the countdown starts!”

Matty sighs, “We best go inside.” and releases you from his hold.

“You’re right.” You nod, and you quickly slip your arms through the sleeves of his blazer before you take the hand he’s offering you.

Once you do, you notice how Matty’s grinning at you and you raise your eyebrows silently asking why and he explains, “I’ve lost that now, haven’t I?”

“Oh yeah,” You chuckle, and as you walk into the now very crowded room, you tell him, “You’ve lucky you got your shirt back to be honest.”

Matty laughs at that and you both weave yourself through the dancing people. You notice that as the last song before midnight is playing both George and Charli are back having fun on the decks, being amazing hosts like you knew they would be. You just know that the set after it hits midnight is going to pop off and you’re so ready.

You notice that Ross is nowhere to be found, and you can’t help but chuckle at the thought of him off socialising somewhere and missing the countdown because of it, so you’ll be sure to comment on that when you next see him. However, you do manage to spot other now recognisable faces, you see Alex and Flo near the entrance to the other room but you can’t help but smile when you notice the way that they’re grinning at each other as they talk over the music. They are so madly in love, it’s so clear to see and your heart melts for them.

But not as much as it does when Matty stops you both and he wraps his arms around your waist, making sure you keep pressed against him. You grin and wrap your arms around his neck letting them loosely hang over his shoulders.

He’s moving you both to the beat a little which you don’t mind and he sings along a bit, but as Charli calls, “Two minutes!” you feel like you need to tell him a little more about you.

“You know, I’ve not had a New Years kiss that wasn’t Amelia for a long time.”

Matty’s eyes go a little wide at that, and he tells you, “Surprises me.”

“Why?” You ask curiously.

“Because you’re gorgeous,” Matty states simply, like it’s obvious that is it, “Do you know how difficult it’s been not to kiss you every second we’ve been here?”

Embracing the way your cheeks heat up at that, you just nod and flip it round on him, “I do actually.”

Because it has been difficult to keep away from him when you’d been so clingy in the afternoon. And just from the way his curls fall and the grin on his face, he’s difficult not to want to kiss in general, let alone when he’s being all flirty and adorable with you.

Matty finds himself blushing that, and you love that you can make him get a little flustered too. You’ll certainly endeavour to be the one causing the blushing more often.

To combat the teasing he knows you’re about to give him for getting shy, Matty leans in to kiss you, but you pull back before he makes contact, “Ah, it’s not midnight yet.”

“Nasty.” The curly headed singer pouts but you just giggle knowing he’ll survive.

But thankfully Matty doesn’t have to wait long for his moment because before either of you know it everyone around you starts shouting, “Ten! Nine! Eight!-”

And it's the way you both can’t take your eyes off each other as you join in for the last few seconds, “Three! Two! One!”

“Happy New Year Baby.” Matty grins and you can’t bring yourself to say it back right now, you’re too eager for his lips on your own.

Your fingers rooted into his curls by the time everyone got to 1, so you don’t hesitate to pull him in and kiss him how you’d been longing to since you got here. This time neither of you care that anyone else is around because most of them are doing exactly the same.

Matty pulls your waist closer so you couldn’t escape if you even wanted to, and you really don’t want to. This feels like one of those moments in life that you wish you could bottle up and savour the feeling.

It’s an overwhelming sense of joy and happiness that you don’t think you’ll ever forget. Never in your life did you think you would be seriously kissing Matty Healy on New Years and he would be holding you against him like he never wanted to let you go. You can’t imagine ever taking the feeling of being in his arms for granted, or the way your stomach floods with butterflies when he deepens the kiss as people cheer and start to dance around you again.

And because you’re not quite done savouring the moment, when he goes to pull away you pull that little bit tighter on his curls to keep him in the kiss for a second or two longer. You certainly don’t think there’s ever been a better start to a new year.

“Happy New Year.” You grin and Matty can’t just let that be it.

He leans in and pecks your lips over and over until the both of you are giggling and you kiss him properly again. Truthfully, he never wants to let you go, and that may partly be the alcohol talking as he knows it would be impractical for you both but he’s truly obsessed with you. Matty wants nothing more than this with you all the time.

It’s truly a shame the moment had to end, but Matty will forgive only because it's his best mate who bursts your little bubble by grabbing everyone's attention.

George played a song to kick off the new year, one that was great but no one really payed attention to, so you understand why they interrupt everyone now and announce, “Me and Charli wanted to kick off 2023 in the right way, with some new music.”

At that your jaw drops and you can’t help but say a rhetorical, “What?” as excitement starts to bubble through you.

“So we’re sharing our remix of Ms Caroline Polochek’s new song Welcome To My Island.” Charli tells everyone and you’re already excited. You can’t believe you’ve about to get a new Charli and George song. 2023 is already the fucking best.

“Oh my god,” Matty draws your attention back to him as he takes your hand, “Where’s Wheels?”

“She's over there with Alex.” You nod, and Matty moves the both of you over to the couple and you say a quick happy new year when you get to them but you’re interrupted.

“There’s no time for hugging,” Matty waves his hands stopping you from hugging Alex, instead he points at you and Flo as he says, “I need your two’s reactions to this song!”

You narrow your eyes a little and ask, “You’ve already heard it?”

“Of course.” Matty tuts like it is common knowledge when you didn’t know the song existed until 20 seconds ago. But you let it go because his excitement is through the roof as he says, “I cannot wait to see this.”

“Am I going to need to remind her she's married again?” Alex asks Matty, and it's impossible for you not to get more excited when Matty nods with wide eyes, meaning it seriously.

And that alone makes you so excited.

“You guys ready?” Charli asks and of course everyone says a loud ‘yes’.

But the performer in her has her shouting louder, “I said, are you guys ready?!”

“Yes!” You and Flo yell back at the top of your lungs and Charli smirks at the room before saying, “Play it baby.”

You don’t think you’ve been this excited for new music since Being Funny dropped, but you knew that was coming. This has just been sprung upon you and you’re feeling all of the build up of emotions you usually do when hearing a new song in the span of a minute.

The intro to the song starts and it easily captures everyone's attention with the distorted vocals and heavy ambient sounds. But as soon as the lyrics kick in you know already that you’re going to love it, and not just because mother and father created it.

You watch with a grin on your face as Charli sings along to her own song, “I like to live my life luxurious, eating caviar toast, buying out the Ritz,” and you absolutely fucking love how much she backs her own music and knows wholeheartedly that its a bop and sings it proudly.

“I won't lie, yeah, I've always been afraid to commit / But now I've fallen so hard, it's a total eclipse,” This has you pouting because you’re so beyond thrilled that Charli is happy and found her man finally.

But before you can dote on that line too much, the next has you gasping for air, “'Cause it's emotional and physical and so legit / He's got my legs wide out like banana split,”

Matty watches as both yours and Flo’s eyes go wide, but it's your jaw dropping and Flo grabbing your arm and he can’t help but let out a laugh. You both see Charli with a shit eating grin on her face at the dj deck with George and you see the drummer avoid eye contact with everyone and pay sole attention to his deck, more than likely pretending to queue up the next song so people don’t pay attention to him blushing.

“It was love at first sight from the moment wе kissed / I want a white dress, country sidе house, and kids,” Once again, this has you and Flo clutching each other as you react to how wholesome this couple can be when they aren’t being sinfully dirty.

Charli has been a friend of yours and Amelia’s for a while now, you’d met her at an event you were given tickets to back in 2019 and you partied the night away with her. You’ve never seen her happier than she is now and the fact she’s with a member of your favourite band just makes their relationship all that more special to you. Especially now as she can picture herself marrying him.

George Daniel is a lucky bastard and you really hope he knows it.

When you tune back in, you hear Charli’s voice saying, “I told him, ‘Catch a flight, see if you can handle it / And if you can then, welcome to my island, bitch’.”

The beat drops and you all but scream and start dancing in your spot, moving your head to the beat and letting your hair fly around everywhere. Matty can’t help but smile as he watches you, you’re looking at Charli and George like they are something otherworldly, he can’t help but picture you looking like that at his gigs, or he hopes you look that happy anyway.

“This is so fucking good!” You grin as you catch Matty’s gaze and he nods at you, still loving your reaction.

The second verse comes back in and you calm down a little, not dancing as much, so you can still pay attention to the song and lyrics, but you're still bobbing your head to the beat. And both you and his best friend don’t disappoint with your reactions.

“'Cause I can be a good girl, d,” Has your jaw on the ground, but what has both you and Flo screaming is the line, “Or you can drive me down to Florida and fuck me for days,”

“Oh I’m so fucking jealous of that bitch.” Flo says loud enough for you to hear and you turn to her laughing and nod in agreement.

“I'm jealous of both of them.” You nod, as you genuinely don't know who you’re more jealous of. It’s definitely a close call.

“Oh yes! You’re fruity like me,” Flo gasps and her grin is huge as he clutches your arm again, “I fucking love you.”

The song plays out and everyone is cheering for the couple, you and Flo amongst the loudest of the group, no doubt making both Matty and Alex roll their eyes but you love the couple so much you don’t care.

Charli and George play the song once more and again you’re taken aback by the filthy lines in the song. You really adore it, they are such a power couple and this song is just fucking amazing.

Everyone in the house is enjoying the new song, Flo and you are dancing to it softly but the one going all out for it is, of course, Matty.

You watch as he goes up to George and yells out something in his ear, brows furrowed in enjoyment as he continues to move to the beat. Curls bouncing with every move he makes, his smile is so big his eyes crinkle and it’s so infectious, it makes you smile almost as hard.

Flo catches the way you’re looking at him and you don’t even notice she’s been watching you until she leans closer to you.

“Tip for later for you Y/N.” She says into your ear, snapping you out from the trane you were on, “Pull him in by his belt loops and bite his lip when you kiss him, he will be putty in your hands in seconds.”

She gives you a wink before she stands back up straight and you giggle, watching her in awe, “I love that you’re telling me this.”

Shrugging with a smirk on her face, Flo continues to say, “Well, I have lots of knowledge about him that can be put to better use now I'm tied down.”

You take a deep breath when you feel the word vomit coming, if you weren’t this tipsy you would definitely hold yourself back from spilling out all the knowledge you have of them. “I know you don't know me and it sounds weird to say but I was really pleased for you and Alex when I found out you got married. I had been a fan of the 1975 since I was nineteen so I was gutted about you and Matty when we found out you split at the time, but I always thought you and Alex were really cute together.”

Not even the loud music makes you miss the gasp Flo lets out, “Oh my god, were you a fan that liked both bands?”

You nod and smile softly at her, hoping it doesn’t seem weird, “Yeah, I always thought the hatred was weird, the music and aesthetic went hand in hand in 2013 so I really don't understand why there was so much animosity between the fans.”

She agrees with a low hum, recalling the many times she’d thought the same throughout the years but then she looks at you with the hints of a smirk showing on her face, “You just liked The 1975 better though I'm assuming?”

Pressing your lips together, you try not to smile when you’re caught, “What gave me away?” You pull on the sleeves of Matty’s blazer making sure it covers your riot tattoo, trying to see if she had noticed it or if she was just making a lucky guess.

But Flo easily replies, “Matty’s love bites on your neck might have something to do with it?” and that’s enough for your jaw to drop.

Instantly, your hand goes up to the side of your neck, “No, please tell me you’re joking?” You change sides because you’re not even sure where the bruise she’s talking about is.

Stifling a laugh, Flo shakes her head, “Nope, sorry. He’s a menace.”

“Oh for fucks sake, I checked before we left and there wasn’t a mark on me.” You were sure you hadn’t seen one when you’d taken the pictures to send Amelia, “Not me about to go and ask Charli for some concealer.” You joke a bit but you’re actually considering, looking over to the singer and see where you could go through to go up to her.

Flo quickly eases your worries, “Don’t bother, we're all friends here.” Her arm comes around your waist to hug you into her side and she pinches your waist when she says, “As long as he showed you a good time, because if not, tell me and I will slate him.”

You see she’s completely serious about it when you turn to her, “No, you don’t need to do that… He was very… accommodating.” You muster with heat coming up to your cheeks, “I can’t believe I just said that to you.”

Seeing how you bring one of your hands up to cool down your cheeks, she lets go of her hold around your waist and grabs your wrist softly, “No, don't be embarrassed. It’s good to hear he still knows what he’s doing.” You cackle at that but the laughter is caught short when she adds, “Oh he’s got a bit of a degrading kink too, so have fun with that one.”

You’re left speechless with that bit of information, your brain going places in a split second and it’s all the scenarios popping in your head that have you heating up entirely. You shouldn’t be thinking all of this in public and here, in front of Flo, but you are and it seems like there’s no way of controlling your thoughts anymore.

Flo laughs watching your face, knowing just exactly what’s going on in that mind of yours but it seems you’re saved by the bell when Alex comes back to where you two are at and, after wrapping his arms around Flo’s middle, he rests his chin on her shoulder and is curious to find out what he’s just walked into.

“Hello again Y/N, is my wife tormenting you yet?” He knows that face of hers so well and it only could mean trouble, so he hopes he’s come to aid you. He knows first hand just how she can be, he absolutely loves it though, Flo’s always keeping him on his toes and he’d have it no other way.

Alex is the slightest bit surprised when you chuckle and give him an answer he wasn’t expecting, “No, she's lovely.”

He wasn’t going to refute, because it was the truth and he guessed you wanted to keep whatever had just happened between you two.

So Alex brings up a topic, he knows you will be rather interested in, “As I recall, you and Amelia asked Helders for a date with me at Reading.”

You smile for a second before you fake pout to say, “We did, very sad. I'm still waiting to hear something official.” But then you go back to your serious self to admit, “It's why I asked Matty to pester you both.”

He offers you a shy smile, “What sort of comments would I be in for and I’ll think about it.”

You almost let yourself gasp aloud but you have to force yourself to keep your cool so you don’t blow your one chance of having him on a Chicken Shop Date.

So quickly thinking about the jokes you’d come up with when Amelia and you started daydreaming about having Alex or Drake or Andrew over in a video, you recall one that will definitely make Flo laugh, “Oh you know, I’d make a joke like ‘Do you remember when you had your goatee?’ and you would say…”

The pause elongates as he’s hesitant to reply but then an “I do.” falls from his lips slowly after a few seconds.

“And I would go, ‘Yeah and so do we, so this is a public service announcement begging you never to do it again’.”

Flo bursts out laughing at that, and Alex pretends like he’s not amused and lets his jaw hang open, before saying a blunt, “Wow.”

“I fucking love you.” Flo cackles and throws her arms around your shoulders, Alex’s hold on her fell when she did that so you wrap your arms around her waist and over her shoulder you can see Alex smiling brightly at you.

You reciprocate the smile, not only because that’s how you know he actually found that funny, but because you also feel so incredibly welcome when you’re with them and everyone in their friend group for that matter, and that truly means the world to you and your overthinking habits.

It’s so easy to not notice time flying past when you’re speaking to Flo, both of you giggling at the stories you tell each other. Especially when she has so much to tell you about Matty’s teenage years, how much of a menace he’s always been and how the lads thought she was lying about knowing the Monkeys.

She’s got so many anecdotes that you know you would’ve died to know when you had just gotten into the band and it just makes you incredibly giddy that you get to hear them all from her now. That, mixed with the alcohol in your system only has you becoming more and more bubbly to the point you have to force yourself to stop giggling so much when you start hiccuping.

Flo then changes the topic onto you again, wanting to know of you and Amelia’s future endeavours and it fills you up with warmth when she shrieks loudly and envelopes you in a tight hug when you tell her you’ve got the Golden Globes coming up soon.

Seems like talking about how you and Amelia are preparing for it, learning a great amount of information about all the nominees and some more attendees, invokes her somehow because all of the sudden you hear a slurred “Oh Y/N!” and you don’t even have to turn around to know it is none other than your best friend.

“Ames!” Grinning, you open your arms for her to walk into your embrace.

You smile even brighter when she throws herself to you and screams “Happy new year!” into your ear, her words tangling on the tip of her tongue from what you can imagine the good amount of alcohol she’s already had before coming here.

“Happy new year!” You say back in her ear only a little lower so you don’t hurt her ear like she’s just done yours with her volume.

When she pulls away, you should’ve known it was coming: she cups your face with both her hands and brings you in for a quick kiss.

The second she pulls away from you, she says, “Now that’s a happy new year!” with a loopy smile and half lidded eyes and that sight has you cackling out loud.

Leaving a loud kiss on her cheek, you give her another hug, “Love you.” And with a squeeze of her waist, you loosen up your hold on her to ask, “Where were you?!”

“I couldn’t abandon Zoe before midnight and I knew you’d be right as rain here. I’ve missed you” She speaks so fast, your laughter escapes you faster than you can think of holding it when she goes to hug you again.

Amelia is very clingy when she’s drunk and it’s always made you laugh, from getting all of her affection to when she got in trouble for being overly affectionate with people at parties.

“You saw me yesterday.” You state biting your tongue not to laugh at her again.

“Yes but you’re all grown up now.” She coos at you like you’re a little kid, pinching your cheeks.

Smacking her hands away from your face, you tell her to “Stop.”

Her need to hear the details of your evening makes her dismiss your aversion for her touch, “How was it?” The smirk on her face and the pinch she gives your waist makes your face heat up and you thank everything that she’s too gone to tease you about it.

“Amazing.” Is the only thing you tell her hoping that’s enough for now.

And surprisingly it is, because she nods with pursed lips and a raise of her eyebrows, “Good.” but you know that she wants to be told more later from just the look in her eyes.

Deciding to ignore her silent petition, you take a hold of her hand and intertwine your fingers so she can follow you around the house, “Come on now, we gotta introduce you to some people.”

Firstly, you go to the kitchen since you wanted another drink and by lucky chance you see a head of curls you had lost a bit ago dancing to the beat of the song currently playing and pouring some red in his glass.

You faintly hear him click his tongue over the music, “If it isn’t Amelia Dimoldenberg.” Matty opens his arms at her with a drunk smile that reaches his eyes.

Amelia rolls her eyes but can’t help the smile that appears on her face, “Hello Matthew. Happy new year.”

Your best friend steps into his arms and he hugs her tightly for a few seconds as he greets her, “Happy new year Dimz.” And when he pulls back, he adds, “Thought you weren’t coming.”

“You think I’d miss this? Absolutely not.” Amelia quickly replies and then adds, “Maybe if it was your party but this is Charli and George.” like it was dead obvious just to taunt him a bit.

Matty scoffs, letting his jaw fall in offence and mutters, “Bitch.” at her just loud enough for you both to hear him.

Amelia cackles loudly at his reaction, you giggling right beside her and she blows him a kiss just to rub it in some more.

The singer rolls his eyes then, taking a sip of his drink and then says, “I’m a kind person unlike you so what’d you like to drink?”

His offer is about to be accepted as you see Amelia thinking for a few seconds and about to speak but you interject before she can suggest anything, “Nothing, she’s had enough.”

She knows she’s been stumbling a bit - a lot - and her speech is a little slurred but it’s not like she’s blacked out yet so she can handle some more, “Christ, Y/N, don’t be boring. Get me a vodka lime and soda please Matty.”

Matty nods and he snorts to himself when you playfully roll your eyes at her request, “Alright, I’ll be a minute.” But your attitude falls when he asks, “You want a refill baby?”

A soft pout appears on your face as you say, “Please?” and it makes him grin bigger.

“‘Course.” He says and turns to get on with making your drinks.

Amelia might be a bit drunk but she doesn’t miss the way you stare at Matty’s back when he’s moving around the kitchen, excusing himself to people around so he can grab a glass for Amelia.

Your best friend loves seeing you this happy, and she will definitely make a mental note to ask you all about the date tomorrow but for now at least she wants you to catch her up on what’s been happening whilst she’s not been here.

“Where’s the rest of the gang then?” Her brain is so caught up with the whole ambient and the amount of people around that she even forgets she caught Ross when she came in.

Licking your lips, you start listing, “Adam’s home, Ross disappeared a while ago, and you missed the hottest, filthiest, most iconic song from Charli and George.”

Her recount of seeing Ross completely flies off her mind when she hears the last bit, “What?!” Amelia shouts and then covers her mouth with her hands in shock.

“Yep.” You nod slowly, watching the disappointment wash all over her, “They did a remix to one of Caroline Polachek’s singles and, bloody hell.” You almost laugh when she starts pouting at you like you could do something about it, “T’was hot.”

Grabbing your hand, she shakes your arm, “I’m willing to do anything for them to play it again.” You laugh at her acting like a child and it gets louder when she switches to a very serious facial expression and sternly emphasises, “Anything.”

Biting your tongue, you raise your eyebrows and tell her, “I’m sure if you say please they will play it again.” slowly, like you would to try and get a child to behave correctly in public.

“I will kiss Charli.” Amelia states with a proud smile, as if knowing by heart that’d work.

Cackling, you point out her actual intention, “I think that’d be for yourself not for the good of the collective.”

And your best friend has no issue shrugging and agreeing with you, “True. But I will.”

“Have fun fighting George.” You tell her jokingly, and you’re about to ask her how Zoe was doing when she loudly fantasises about the scenario you’ve just said.

“Oh I would love to wrestle that man.” It sounds like she almost sighs as she daydreams about that and you can’t help but let your jaw fall and scoff out a laugh.

You scorn her by poking her ribs, “Amelia!” and she loudly yelps in response.

Matty comes back just in time to catch Amelia giggling away after she’s screeched and you with a shocked look on your face, “What’s she saying now?”

He’s holding your drink out for you to take and you thank him with a blown kiss before you go and explain, “How she’s willing to do anything for Charli and George to play their new remix.”

He shakes his head as he laughs and asks, “Anything?” like he needs confirmation.

Raising your eyebrows, you nod your head, “Anything.”

His curls bounce as he turns to shake his head at Amelia who’s laughter is still bubbling up from her chest, “Oh Dimz, you’re thirsty aren’t you? Lucky for you I got you a drink.” He holds out her glass and she gets it the quickest her drunk self can.

She clicks her tongue and takes a gulp of her drink, “Piss off Healy, not as thirsty as you.” Matty is about to ask why when she looks at him like he’s challenging him, “Need I remind you it was you who requested it was Y/N to do the date with you?”

The “What?” that instantly falls from your lips makes your best friend smile proudly at herself for putting your date on the spot with just a simple bit of information.

Your best friend turns to look at you and smirks as she reiterates, “Yes he did.”

Like a grumpy child, he frowns and refutes her, “No I didn’t.”

But Amelia points at him with an accusatory finger, calling him out for trying to lie about it, “Yes you did! At the NME Awards, I remember that conversation perfectly.”

You’re looking at Amelia and you know she isn’t lying so then you turn to look at Matty when he chats back with, “I think your memories are a bit clouded from how much you’ve had to drink.” and you know that he’s full of shit.

You cackle when Amelia fakes being impressed and quips back saying, “Wow, you’re a great gaslighter but no. You did.”

Once you see Matty has nothing to come back with and is just standing there with pressed lips and a frown directed at Amelia, you leap to hug him over his shoulders and coo in his ear, “Awh! You’re obsessed with me!” You leave a loud kiss on his cheek and seeing how he’s blushing already, you add “My cute little simp.” and pat the top of his head to tease him some more.

He pulls back slightly so he can stare at you and tries to warn you, “Call me little again and–”

You interrupt him just so you can challenge him to finish with a raised eyebrow, “And what baby?”

And just like you wanted to, he remains silent as he continues to blush under your gaze. You love it when it’s him flustered because of you, it fills you up with a buzzing feeling that you enjoy every time.

“That’s what I thought.” You pat his chest before letting go of him and take a step back to stand beside Amelia again with a victorious smirk.

“Did you just call him short?” Flo walks up to you and interrupts the moment with a grin on her face, “He always looks like that if you comment about his height.”

Matty scoffs loudly at that, “Oh piss off the lot of you. Didn’t come here to be bullied.”

Flo only waves him off like he’s overreacting for no reason, “Don’t cry about it, same height as Alex, remember?” The mocking grin on her face has you holding back your giggles.

Matty raises his eyebrows, a small smile playing on his lips as he jokes, “Let’s not start comparing me and Alex, don’t want to get you all confused again.”

“You’ve got ten seconds to run.” Flo warns him with raised eyebrows and Matty chuckles and very quickly kisses your lips before bolting from the room. Once he disappears, she chuckles and turns towards Amelia as she says, “Now he’s gone, hi! I’m such a big fan.”

Their pleasantries are exchanged and Flo tells your best friend about her love for the both of you and your show and it warms your heart all over again hearing how earnestly she’s saying it.

Not long after, you hear the hostess squealing from the door, “Oh my god, Dimz is here!” and you and Flo watch as Charli runs up to Amelia and throws her arms around her.

It’s still a little bit mental to you that Charli holds both you and Amelia in such high regard. It feels like a privilege to be called a friend by her and you know that she doesn’t mean it in an industry way. She genuinely considers the both of you a friend and that is one of the most heart warming things that you don’t think you’ll get used to for a long time yet.

After a long hug and a quick chat asking what took her so long, Matty comes back into the room, once again dancing and he grins at you as he does. It’s too hard not to smile back at his playful manner and when he holds his hand out to you, you take it.

This prompts the curly headed brunette to pull you towards him but he raises his arm so you’re forced to twirl around which has you giggling and feeling like a princess. He makes your heart stutter again when he pulls you close and he hugs your waist as he tells you, “You look so pretty baby.”

The ache in your chest gets a little bit more intense hearing that, and you can’t stop yourself from stealing a kiss from him. No, you’re not big on PDA but when you’re tipsy and happy you tend to let things slide so you indulge yourself in having his lips back on your own.

It doesn’t last for long because it’s such a sweet and innocent kiss, but when you pull away and you both stay close. You can feel that overwhelming sense of happiness bubbling through you but it gets more intense when you can feel his smile against your lips and you’re certain he can feel yours, and it's that that prompts the both of you to share another kiss despite the smiling making it difficult.

After that sweet little moment of bliss, you move both of you back over to the others where you’re quickly dragged out of Matty’s embrace and into the other singer you fancy.

“Matty go and get shots for us all,” Charli asks as she hugs both you and Amelia into her, “Please, you promised me.”

“Charli.” Matty sighs, almost pouting, “What am I? A mule?”

“Pleaseeee,” Charli coos loudly, almost begging. But when that doesn’t seem to be working, she uses you to further her ambitions. Her arm falls from Amelia then and she uses her free hand to sweetly cup your jaw, like she's putting you up for display, as she tells him, “Your woman wants a shot, you don't wanna upset her more after what you said earlier do you.”

Charli looks to you then for back up and immediately you nod at her and then at him as if that was what you were after all along. And you see him shake his head slightly at you, playfully scorning you for taking her side.

But it makes him do as he’s told, but not before looking at Charli again and saying, “Blackmail is not a good look on you.”

“Everything is a good look on me,” Charli laughs, loving that the only response he could muster was a fake insult and not a blatant refusal. She asks, “Did you see my last album cover?”

Matty pulls a face and silently mimics her making Flo and Amelia laugh, but you find yourself answering Charli’s question, nodding, “Yeah, it was hot.”

“Awh, thank you baby.” Charli giggles and kisses your cheek, but her saying Matty’s nickname for you has you that little bit more flustered than when Matty does it.

Not so surprisingly this makes Matty frown and he wanders off to get the requested drinks for everyone. Charli shouts after him, “Bring them outside Matthew.” and he flicks his middle finger up as he disappears back into the sea of people as he heads to the kitchen.

Needing some air, Charli moves the three of you outside, Flo staying behind because someone quickly pulled her for a chat but she said she would meet you out there. You can’t lie, you’re thankful for the cool air but also for Matty’s blazer because the temperature has dropped significantly now.

It’s not long before Matty comes back with a makeshift tray, which is a plate of shots for everyone and he’s brought George along with him. He tells you all, “Wheels and Al are coming to do them too so we need to wait a minute so we’re all here.”

Charli asks, looking a little confused, “Where’s Ross?”

George, Matty, and you shake your heads, and you tell her, “Not seen him since just after we first got here.”

“He left.” Amelia surprises you all by announcing.

You frown at that knowing she literally just got here. So you ask, “How do you know?”

“He was leaving as I was coming in.” She tells you, “We said a hasty ‘hi’ and ‘bye’.”

Matty questions her then though, “Why such a hurry?”

But as soon as you catch your best friend's smirk and slight hesitancy to answer, you know exactly why.

Taking a sip of her drink to mute her grin slightly, she lets it slip that, “He had some company…”

A victorious grin is on your face as you turn to Matty and say loudly, “I fucking told you.”

“Told him what?” Amelia asks on behalf of the group because everyone is confused at your small outburst.

You tell your friends, “That people are queuing up for Ross now more than they are him.”

“Oh yeah.” Charli nods in agreement.

But Matty is having none of it. He shakes his head, and counters with a loud, “There’s no fucking way.”

“What's all this?” Flo asks, her and Alex walking up and joining your huddle.

And you don’t waste a second to tell her what you’re going on about, “Matty doesn’t believe that people have the hots for Ross more than him these days.”

“Matty, that isn't news, that's a common fact.” Flo agrees, narrowing her eyes at her friend as if she’s disappointed he didn't already know, “Have you checked twitter lately?”

“Er no.” The curly haired brunette frowns, still clearly in complete denial.

“Well you need to because it’s all about Ross these days.” Flo quips back loving the opportunity to collectively humble the singer.

Matty scoffs, “That’s bullshit, they get all teary eyed if they see me in anything other than a suit. Ross doesn’t get that.”

“He does, but why are you even arsed?” Charli asks with a frown, “You have a sexy piece of ass right beside you. She’s all you need.”

Immediately you’re flustered by her saying that in front of the whole group, especially when Amelia giggles a little. You look at the singer, straight into her eyes and tell her, “Stop it.”

Charli grins before teasing, “I’m sure you were saying the opposite to him earlier.”

You can feel Matty’s smirk and everyone else’s smiles for that matter, but instead of losing your backbone, you give her a taste of her own medicine.

“I'm sure you were saying the same to George in Miami.” You fire back with a smirk.

“Oh my god, cat fight.” Alex announces with slight excitement in his voice, but that’s quickly muted when Flo playfully slaps his chest.

“Oh yes, please can we fight?” You joke, knowing it will get Matty all worked up again and sure enough it does.

“Okay!” Matty steps into the middle of you all and he holds his plate of shots in front of him, making you and Charli laugh at the quick intervention. “Shot time.”

“Wheels,” Matty walks up to Flo and he hands her one specifically for her and says, “Strawberry juice, for obvious reasons, but still your favourite.”

The grin that she gives Matty then is so unbelievably warm and you’re not exactly sure what the deeper meaning is but when she looks like she could almost cry at the gesture, your heart skips a beat and she gives him a quick kiss on the cheek as she thanks him. Matty gives everyone else what looks to be a Tequila or Sambuca shot and it turns out that is actually the case.

It was a roulette of sorts as to who would get the Sambuca, the easier option, or the Tequila and it's after those shots that the night becomes a little more difficult to remember. You know that over the next few hours you do a fair few more shots with both Charli, Amelia, and Matty, all on separate occasions, and Matty keeps disappearing and reappearing with new drinks for the both of you between those times. And you know at one point you’re talking to him for so long about everything that comes to both of your minds and you can’t stop grinning at each other.

What you’re not aware of is that when this was happening, you and Matty weren’t as tucked away from the world as you both think you were despite being in the corner of the room. Unbeknown to you, Flo and Alex are watching you chat from across the room from their spot on the settee.

They have been watching you both for a few minutes, smiling at each other like fools in love and your eye’s never stray from each other. Matty keeps on absentmindedly playing with the ends of your hair as you chat and you blush every now and again at what he says which just makes both of your smiles bigger.

And subsequently, Alex and Flo’s too from watching you.

Alex smiles and says loud enough for his wife to hear, “He looks happy.”

“Hmmm,” Flo hums, watching the both of you giggling at something you just told him. And it’s easy for her to tell when her best friend is down bad for a girl he likes, but there seems to be something even more special about you. So it’s a bold but true statement when she says, “She’s it for him.”

Alex nods in agreement, seeing it too. And he does hope for Matty’s sake that he has finally found the person he’s meant to be with. The singer wishes him nothing but the best.

But then Alex looks to his wife and sees her smiling at the couple, and he can’t help but whisper for her ears only, “I hope you realise that’s how I look at you, Angel.”

“As you should, husband.” Flo smiles like an idiot when she turns and looks at her man, reminding him in a whisper, “I am carrying your baby.”

“And I’ve never loved you more.” Alex grins before he leans in and kisses his Angel for the millionth time tonight.

More time passes then and you got dragged away from matty about an hour ago after Amelia caught him hugging you from behind as you talked to someone. And when it was just the three of you left, she shook her head and looked at Matty's arm around your waist and said, “And you wonder why I came late.”

And before Matty can accuse her of being jealous, you're laughing when she pulls you away and the singer is left to fend for himself. And you’ve not seen him in a while, other than him delivering you new drinks before he disappears off to interact with other people who keep wanting his attention.

It’s almost 4am when you see Matty properly again, and you’re currently outside with Flo and Alex as he’s having a cigarette and you’re chatting away. He’s making a conscious effort to keep the smoke away from his wife which you think is rather cute of him.

You’ve just been chatting about where Alex is off to on tour next, and you were about to ask him another question until a different but more familiar singer grabs your attention again, “Baby!”

Matty wonders over to you pouting as he points to inside, “They’re teasing me for what happened after our date.”

“Who’s they?” You ask, wanting to thank anyone who was teasing him instead of you.

The curly haired brunette reveals, “Amelia and Charli.”

“Why? What happened after your date?” Alex asks, a little confused.

Matty chuckles, “You’re polite not commenting on her bruised neck Alex I’ll give you that much.”

“Oh well,” This makes Alex go all awkward and stuttery, “I didn’t-”

But his wife saves him the embarrassment. Flo grins, “It’s okay, I already did.”

“Of course you did.” Matty grins at her but his eyes find you again quickly.

His eyes are full of adoration, taking every bit of your face and it’s like it’s just the two of you standing there all of a sudden. His captivating gaze makes you forget you’re in the presence of others, and especially when he says, “I can’t stop thinking about it.” almost out of breath.

And it’s just that, the memory of you desperate to get him off has him struggling to get oxygen to his lungs. God, he still feels so fucking lucky to have witnessed it, he can’t help but want to again.

“Is that right?” You watch his pupils dilate and don’t miss how he licks his lips before looking down at yours and then back up to your eyes.

He nods like he doesn’t even believe you’re asking, “Best night of my fucking life. In fact...”

“Baby,” Matty says, getting down on one knee, “That was the best head in the fucking world, I can’t let you go, please be my girlfriend?”

You're grinning down at him entirely amused because there's absolutely no doubt in your mind that he is joking. So of course you entertain him and smile, pulling on his hand so he stands back up and you ask him, “If I say yes does that mean the blowjob song comes back on the next album?”

With one of his arms coming around your waist, he leans in and says, “Anything you want, baby.” against your lips so they brush together and the faint touch is enough for him to cup your jaw with his free hand and press his lips hard against yours.

It’s all-consuming. The feeling of his mouth on yours, his fingers clutching you tighter as he pulls you flush against him, his curls tangling between your fingers as you pull on them, the hum of satisfaction he gets from it and the one you give him back.

You swear you can feel each other's heart beating out of your chests as Matty deepens the kiss, completely forgetting where you are and the audience in front of you. There’s nothing else but him and you wouldn’t have it any other way. You can’t think of a better way to start your year other than being entirely captivated by him.

And it’s like the alcohol in your systems makes you two even more aware of everything that you’re making the other feel. The butterflies flutter in your stomach and it feels like they’re going so quick that you can feel the hum of their wings in your ears. The pads of your fingers brushing the back of his neck making his skin erupt in goosebumps all over his body and bringing what feels like a shock of electricity to every atom in his body.

You break away when you feel like you can’t do without oxygen any longer and your chests heave and meet in the middle as you try to catch your breath. You giggle against each other's lips, tempting each other to steal a few pecks as your holds on each other loosen up just a little.

“Best head he’s ever had.” Flo frowns as she turns back to her husband.

But Alex finds the whole exchange horrendously amusing. Such a Matty thing to do, declaring the best sexual experience of his life as his ex girlfriend is standing right beside his new one.

“Don't cry,” Alex tries his best not to laugh, he just wraps his arm around Flo, pulling her into him as he reminds her, “There's a reason you married me, Angel.”

“Well yeah, I'm definitely the best head you’ve ever had. Your ex’s are dire,” She rolls her eyes, “Especially the last.”

“No need to lower the tone.” Alex frowns.

Flo just chuckles a little though before saying, “El tono se bajó cuando él se puso de rodillas…” (The tone dropped when he got down on his knees.)

At this you burst out laughing, shocking Matty in the process who just kissed you again but you couldn’t hold in the reaction.

“Lo siento mucho,” (I’m so sorry.) Your hand goes up over your mouth as you turn towards Flo straight away, “Me olvido que ustedes estuvieron juntos.” (I forget you were together.)

“Está bien, solo estoy bromeando.” (It’s fine, I’m just joking.) Flo grins and waves you off.

Matty however kisses your cheek this time as he looks to Flo and says, “You’s best not be talking shit about me.”

“You’ll never know.” You singsong and the curly haired brunette doesn’t seem to like that answer because he playfully scorns you before he traps you in another playful kiss.

It makes Flo and Alex laugh, but the kiss ends up being broken by the sound of gagging getting closer to you both. And when you pull away, you see it's none other than your best friend who was making those noises, now standing beside Alex.

You’re laughing as Matty pulls you into his chest as he says to her, “Dimz, you’re so jealous.” and he kisses your temple.

At that, she raises her eyebrows and corrects him, “Jealous you’ve stolen my best bitch, yes I am.”

“Well I'm sorry but get used to it,” Matty tells you, squeezing you tighter against him, “I'm keeping her.”

You’re giggling into him as your heart swells and you hug him back. Even the mere thought at him wanting to keep you around is making you feel all gooey inside.

The night continues like that: giggling away in Matty’s arms as you continue to dance and chat with your new friends, stealing kisses here and there which grow clumsy the more drinks you have, keeping each other on your toes as you joke about with the rest of the group - until eventually, it catches up to you and you find yourself yawning continuously in the middle of conversations.

It’s 5am when you say your goodbyes to everyone. You thank Charli and George for a great night, and you thank Flo for being so lovely and you congratulate both her and Alex again before they leave. Amelia was out for the count and you and Charli put her to bed in her guest bedroom, both of you leaving kisses on her cheeks. You send your best friend a quick goodnight text that she’ll see in the morning that turns out to have many spelling mistakes, but you don’t notice in the moment.

At the same time, Matty was grabbing your bag from his best mates bedroom before he ordered the taxi and he escorted you out once it arrived. You fell asleep on his shoulder for a few minutes in the taxi which Matty thought was adorable of you but then the next thing Matty knows is the taxi driver waking him up and so the curly haired brunette gently disturbs you from your slumber so you can both get into his house.

The air when you get out of the taxi sobers the both of you up a little bit as it’s bone chilling. But it makes Matty thankful he had the heating scheduled to come on at 5am so he knew inside would already be warm for you both.

Once inside his house, Matty finds himself giggling at you many times. The first being when he sees you take everything in like a little kid at a museum seeing dinosaur skeletons for the first time.

“Ooo this is pretty.” You say in wonder as you walk through one of the archways and approach a wooden side table which has a few empty flower pots next to one that homes a pretty peace lily.

The second time you have him silently laughing is when he’s getting you both a glass of water to take up to bed, after he’s picked you up and placed you on the worktop just beside the sink and he sees you looking over at the windows of his courtyard and you sway a bit as you gasp and point, “Oh wow, I've seen windows like these on Instagram somewhere.”

Matty grins when he suggests, “Maybe on my Instagram baby.”

He snorts when you let out an ‘ooooooo’ in realisation and nod, remembering the many times you had indeed seen it on his social media. Which makes you think of more things you’ve seen on there and after that, you find yourself trying to tick off in your drunk mind what you get to see that you remember from his posts and his instagram stories.

Leading you upstairs to his room he notices that you’re almost searching for something, and you also look confused, so when he gets to his bedroom, he makes sure you’re sitting down safely on his bed when he asks, “What are you looking for?

And his heart feels so incredibly warm when you ask him, “Where's Mayhem?”

You start digging through your bag, finding the makeup wipes you packed earlier and you look all annoyed at yourself when you accidentally pull two out instead of one.

Matty grins at your pouting before you start to take your makeup off, “Mayhem isn't here baby.”

“What? Why?” You ask in a shocked voice, looking up at him as he closes the blinds as morning light is already starting to seep through. “He’s your dog isn't he?”

“Sort of,” Matty explains softly, finding your worry about his dog adorable, “But Mayhem doesn’t live here all the time.”

“But- what-” Your drunk brain doesn’t seem to be able to comprehend such a thought as you try and take your makeup off at the same time as talking.

It’s when you frown and pout a little once you’ve finished with your wipes though that has Matty grinning at you again, asking, “What's up?”

“Was excited to see Mayhem.” You pout in a drunken explanation, and you shimmy yourself out of your dress as you lay back onto his bed. But then you ask him, like you don’t have a bag full of your own clothes with you, “Have you got a top I can wear please?”

Matty has to mute his laugh but he does promise you, “We can go and see him whilst you’re here, yeah?” and the singer grabs you one of his baggier tops so you’ll be comfy and he hands it to you after stealing another peck on the lips.

“Okay.” You hum, taking your bra off before putting the baggy top on before getting under the duvet and curling yourself up in his bed.

Matty finishes stripping himself down to his underwear and he gets in bed and he turns the lamp off before he turns to you and wraps his arm around you, kissing the back of your neck which seems to lead to you turning towards him and asking another question, “Can I meet Allen too?”

Matty again almost giggles but he just nods, “Course you can baby.”

There’s no better way you can think of saying thank you than with a kiss, so you lean in to capture his lips on yours and hope he gets just what you’re saying. He kisses you back sweetly at first until your hand appears to have a mind of its own and starts slowly travelling down his chest, a ghost of a touch that has goosebumps breaking on his skin and causes his stomach to flip.

You hear Matty groan when you trace your finger more intently over his We Are Kings tattoo, his hips pushing forwards a bit as he feels his dick twitch in his boxers. By then he breaks the kiss, hot air hitting your slightly agape mouth and his breathing becoming heavier the more you tease the pads of your fingers over the band of his boxers has a smirk breaking out on your face.

Hungrily, Matty pounces on your lips to wipe the smirk of your face and getting ahold of your thigh, he pulls your leg over his hip and, with his hand travelling upwards as he continues to make your head spin with his kiss, he grabs a handful of your arse.

You moan feeling him thrust forward at the same time his hand pulls you closer into him by your arse, the sudden friction and the dizzying kiss making yourself grow hot under the covers.

Trying to open your eyes to look at him after you break the hot kiss is almost impossible, you can barely look at him through half lidded eyes because when you smile at him your eyes close. He giggles at that, struggling to keep his eyes open as well. The light slightly peeking through behind the blinds is not helping either.

His hand goes from your arse to your inner thigh, a mischievous grin on his face as he feels you shudder under his touch the more his fingers trail upwards where you need him most. But then a yawn comes to you that you can’t even control and he lets out a breathy laugh at it.

Matty yawns back and you smile at him, you know you both would love to continue what you had started earlier but you’re far too tired and, quite honestly, being in each other’s arms is the best gratification.

The date went perfectly and your night was so much fun, so finishing it all off - and starting the year - like this, has you both silently thanking your lucky stars.

One of your hands comes up to brush his hair back, curls bouncing right back on his forehead and you laugh softly when catching that as your eyes continue to close against your will. Your fingers tangle through his hair until they end up trailing his jaw and you end up cupping it to lean in and give him another kiss.

This one is soft like the first one, sleepily trying to thank him for it all, and you both keep it that way. Getting slower as you succumb to your slumber, the kiss turning into long pecks and then into short ones until you’re just breathing against each other.

Maybe a minute goes by, maybe a bit more, when you realise you’re falling asleep so you leave one last peck on his lips and then hide your face in his neck, hugging his waist and snuggling yourself closer to him.

If you could have him like this all the time, you know you’d be the happiest girl on earth. You still don’t want to get ahead of yourself but it feels like the start of something that’s going to be good for you, whether that’s temporary or permanent you don’t know. But you guess time will tell, and you can’t wait.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Aren’t they disgustingly cute? *cries* Still trying to process the Wheels and Alex cameo, makes me tear up every time I read it, and I hope you liked it just as much as we do. We truly cannot wrap our heads around how much you guys love this story, it makes us the happiest reading every one of your reactions and we thank you all so much for reading and taking your time to chat about this with us. We cannot wait to have you read the next one! The news from this past month caught us by surprise lol but we’re so happy and this gave us more ideas on how to make the Taylor cameo even better. See you soon with the next one! xx (Also I have a little spin off from this exact chapter planned and I hope I have the time to write it and post it soon hehehe)

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noacfapologyst · 20 days

Text

birthday surprise — matty healy

(the birthday party: day two)

summary: even surrounded by people he loves and people he doesn't know at his birthday party, matty feels alone. by chance or by consequence, he finds a piece of his past that it stirs absolutely everything in the depths of his soul.

warnings: mention of alcohol, approach to loneliness, flashbacks of the past. cry on your birthday (guilty). open ending (maybe?)

wordcounter: 4,8k

Birthdays are one of the things Matty has enjoyed most since he was a kid. It's not just the fact of seeing all the people he wants in one place or the gifts he receives, although obviously that's also a plus for the basis, but the most important reason boils down to another: Matty has learned to celebrate being alive, to have a day, or a year more to live.

Maybe for the same reason, one of the environments Matty is best known for could be at parties. He always gathers endless crowds inside the walls of his house, always ends up being crazy between the amount of mess he has to clean up afterwards and the mess he has to take care of while they dance drunk on the tables and sing without being able to stop.

He has never considered himself a person of few friends, but he doesn't think he has a huge amount either because he's had to leave a lot of people behind. He has the necessary ones to be good with himself and with them, his presence does not suffocate them and they know how to understand him even when he cannot control himself and impulsivity controls him. But he's calm, he always is.

Of course, he now finds himself in a situation where many people entering his house are unknown to him because they are companions of his friends, or acquaintances of them. And God, Charli gathered a crowd in here. He recognizes them because he believes he went to high school with one or two, the few years he attended before deciding to miss an exam to go to a music festival.

Entities mix because he fails to recognize among low-profile, famous or just known people who have found out. In a way, it feels a bit like a party I'd throw if I was 18 and walked out of a Santbury's with several bottles in my hand and on my head. But it is not, because he is 35 and is in the middle of going through his thirties crisis.

Although now he deduces that none of it matters to him. He's much better than fine. He has gone from having the weight of a feather to getting stronger and seeing its fruits after many months without stopping at the gym. It has healed in all senses: broken heart, mental frailty, bad habits and addictions. Or at least in most of them, because he still smokes and still drinks alcohol, but at least now he equates it with something else and knows he can control it better. It's not entirely perfect, it could never be because that's metaphorically what the human being represents: a canvas that looks beautiful, beautiful and honest until you see the poorly made brushstrokes, over and over again until a result bulges.

"Hey, come to the kitchen." George awakens him from his thought with a touch. Matty leaves the beer can half-open on a shelf in the living hallway.

Then they arrive in the kitchen amidst a tumult of people that opens up in their path. The open backyard door is a plus because it's a good place to get some cold air and realize that he's lost a lot of stability and composure after several beers and a few more shots.

Ross is leaning on the recently acquired white marble countertop, as he opens a bottle of Don Perignon and the foam splashes over the top of the bottle. With quick movements, he pulls seven glasses from the shelf, and fills them to distribute later.

"Let's toast in honor of Matty, because it's his birthday and we love him. And we are incredibly proud of him." Ross cheers, while everyone raises their glasses. Charli applauds with the palms of his hands, and everyone knows that he has lost his mind. Matty smiles as much for that last act as for what his friend has just said, it's really an honest smile and full of feeling though he may not be able to prove it now.

Everyone toast, and then Carly pulls out of her purse a digital camera to capture the moment in eternity. They take a selfie together: George, Matty, Ross, Adam, Carly, Charli, and Chloe. Then there are some spontaneous ones between the four guys, the girls and one of each of them with Matty.

"Oh, my boys. I love all of you so much. You are the best on my life, really." It's finally Matty drinking the champagne out of his glass. Feel the golden bubbling liquid falling down your throat. "Thanks for everything you've done for me throught this years, forever."

When the conversation becomes that emotional tone that always happens on birthdays, it is also the moment when the bubble of intimacy breaks and everyone leaves that state.

"Hey I'm sorry, but there's not more ice." A woman's voice sounds from the frame of the kitchen, but Matty can't recognize her even when he looks at her with a frown.

"Oh! Now I'll bring more, thank you darling." Matty answers almost automatically as if he had given up control of his head. Actually the words are leaking out of her mouth but it's nothing too worrying yet, and she hopes it stays that way. "Some of you know who is?" He receives negative responses after the restlessness and sighs sillylyly laughing. "Thanks for all, friends."

A song by the Backstreets Boys begins to ring through the speaker in the living room and resonates between all the divisions of the house. Taking advantage of the commotion and celebration about it all he leaves the kitchen and disperses. Matty searches for a bag of ice from the fridge, breaks the wrapper with scissors and takes it to the main table where he places it in the fountain designed to keep the cold.

When he crosses the center of the dance floor, many people greet him and flatter him, giving him little shouts of love or complete sobriety, and more than one even asks him to dance for a few moments.

For a moment he manages to put away the idea of how he is the only one in his group of friends who has no one, which becomes more raw when he sees too many couples kissing on his couch, also generates a bit of disgust but he doesn't want to feel like a snob. He did the same thing and doesn't know when he stopped doing it but he understands the adrenaline generated by kissing someone when you're drunk and hot in public spaces, even if it's a pretty adolescebte attitude.

He takes his beer from where he left off and goes on. They have all built long-lasting relationships or are in the process, which makes sense for the age that passes.

He's okay with that, too. Yeah, logically, he´d like to have someone to dance together right now and then sneak out to enjoy a moment alone. Intertwining his hands with someone and having someone fixed to wake up with every morning while the smell of coffee runs through the room. He wants it the same way people who don't have it do, but he thinks he needs a break now.

Her last love attempts have gone overboard, and further down. They have simply come out disastrously and reject the idea that he wants to have for love: it all ends in silly discussions about mundane and monotonous everyday things that make up a ball that explodes, then everything weakens and the routine too tiresome. He wanted to live in the madness with which he used to live love in his 20s, where there was no fear of the future and only the expectation of living in the present.

Remember that frenzy of love when he was a teenager, when it is the purest love you contemplate inside you, when the barrier of who is going to judge you and the responsibilities are inhibited and you just go drunk with love walking down the streets arriving at the door with different flowers every day. He wants to love and get it right this time, obviously, but he doesn't want the person he leaves his legacy with abruptly taking away the magic of love Matty once had.

By the same token, he takes care of letting it flow. He's not waiting for anyone and he's hoping that things will just get better. She doesn't know if her future is to love someone and make it work, but she doesn't give up hope.

"I'm going to smoke, just in case." He says, when he sees Carly near him. He knows she's the one he can trust most because she's the most sober and the least alcoholic.

"Stay safe, Matty. Hope I won't have to look for you." She approaches him and kisses him on the cheek in an act of love, something like a motherly love. Even though she's only a little older than him, since she's with Adam she considers Matty to be completely special to her, and she loves him as much as she literally loves her children.

He says goodbye to her and walks to find the back door sneaking around. He looks the place and he see that there are really not so many people huddled together in the same place as they are scattered. The courtyard is huge, after the cement floor the grass extends along perhaps half a kilometer, where in the middle there is a swimming pool, and in the width there are some palm trees that accompany it. In the background there is a gate that leads to a construction connected to the house, but for which Matty is not responsible.

He looks for a place under the palm tree, the breeze that the leaves cause as they move embraces him at dawn. It's funny to him, he sneaks away just like he did all his life at these kinds of events, punctually on his birthday. He loves people and loves being with them, but at some point he needs to isolate himself from that same environment and have air to himself.

He fiddles with the lighter between his fingers passing it from hand to hand until he decides to pull a mentholed cigarette out of the pocket of his black leather bomber.

"Matty?" A whisper of the wind reaches his ears, although he does not know where it comes from, he acknowledges that there are not so many people who call themselves that.

He hears footsteps on freshly cut grass and hears crackling under his shoes. The only light out there comes from a curtain of lights hooked to the grill, so it's pretty dark.

But then a female presence appears in front of him. He really does nothing but admire her and for once his eyes run out of the cylinder he is about to light.

The two look into each other's eyes, Matty feels his whole life is passing before his eyes and is afraid he's having a concussion, or he's having a stroke. It doesn't make sense for her to be here in front of him after all these years.

"y/n?" He dares to ask. He doesn't have anyone around to confirm his presence there so he hopes he's not too drunk to hallucinate and hopes he's really on the physical plane. "I'm sorry, it's just…wow." Her tongue catches the words as her head runs a thousand miles after seeing her nod to get out of her trance.

"Isn't it?" With every word the past moves down the earth for both him and her. Too many, too many layers of memories that were left behind many years ago now threaten to float as if they could seep through the holes in the green ground.

There is a prolonged silence for a few seconds. Actually, nobody knows what to say because everything seems like a fantasy about to be pricked with a pin and nobody wants to go beyond that.

Matty's looking at her. She has always had that carefree but wrinkled profile and he recognizes her under the black dress sleeveless dress glued to her body and the hair cut on her shoulder, with the last minute scissors marks and something uneven. She complements it with high-cane boots, something like the ones she defined as her favorites too long ago. She still has that sparkle she had when she was a teenager, she's still incredibly beautiful without asking. He looks at her surprised that she's here, grateful to see her once more. He can't stop thinking about it, but she's really radiant.

She looks at him. He has changed a lot from the superficial, his hair is now almost shaved, only with hints of hair growing on his entrances. She doen't need to inquire to know that his fitness owes it to the gym, even under his jacket she can see how well marked are his muscles compared to the little skinny teenager she met a long time ago. The expression on his face did not change, if he looks into his eyes he still finds the frightened child because he does not know if things will turn out well, but also the child waiting for his mother after school to give her a hug. She has a white T-shirt that's stuck to her body and her tattoos are transparent. She looks at him impressed.

"Hey." He breaks the silence by speaking softly but with total softness. She smiles at him without showing her teeth and Matty feels something rising up her body. "What are you doing here?"

He is lying against a palm tree, she is standing nearby but neither wants to move into the position of the other, there is some barrier that prevents it and possibly it is discomfort.

"I'm the babysitter of my sister and her friends, they are your brother's friends." She anwers by returning the tone of calm. "In fact, I found out today."

"Wait, really?" He answers, and for a moment the atmosphere seems to disappear only because he is seeing everything through it. "But Louis is not there." He shrubs his shoulders.

"Yes, I noticed that. I guess he told the others in some nonsense conversation." She analyzes how he hasn't lit a cigarette since he arrived. "Are you going to turn it on or?"

Matty feels like a fool. "Do you continue smoking?" Ask without a second thought. He just wants to know what's in her life now. "Sorry, what about my maners, do you want one?

"No, but I'll share one just for the old times." She smiles at him again, and he mentally keeps the memory of how the burgundy color highlights the cheekbones of the white skin of the woman in front of him.

"Do you want to sit?"

"I'm alloweed to?" Matty is restless under such a formal tone and considers that the passage of the years now takes its points.

"Of course." Now he's the one smiling at her. "Are you still in the same job?

She laughs slowly, refuses with her head a bit apart. "God, no. I work in a notary's office now, but I'm more comfortable." She answers, he opens his lips in surprise, a whistle escapes from her lips. "May I suggest why are you here and not inside dancing with the others?" She asks with some shyness as she approaches to sit down, without doing so facing or beside him, as at an angle of seventy-five.

"Maybe you know the answer. It hasn't changed." He answerd and when he feels that he is drowning in too much of the past, he lights the cigarette. He pauses and takes a drag.

"You still get loneliness sometimes." She reasons, he nods with a look of pity and gave her the cigarette. "I really didntt know this was your house."

"It's quite different from the old porch, it doesn't have a loft with a balcony or red tiles either, but i like it." He sighs embracing the melancholy that escapes from his bone structure. "How did you get here?

"My friend was dizzy from so many people and then I lost her because of a child." She laughs wryly. "I started walking and then I reached the palm tree, and maybe I understood the host of the party."

"¿Yes?"

"How many people do you know whose birthday is April 8th, Matty?" She stares at him with direct intent. He flies in the nebula. She remembers her birthday.

"You still remember it." He has a smile that runs through his face from end to end, he feels satisfied with the interaction, whatever it takes. She leaves the cigar in her hand and the touch makes him shake.

Matty's head is about to fall apart. He himself sees how his vision becomes twofold, one leaving him in reality under the palm tree, and the other teleporting him 22 years ago to a rather similar place.

It's autumn, the leaves of the trees turn yellow and fall to the ground. There's a breeze but it's not cool or threatening, it's friendly. Matty's eighteen now, he's of age.

On the other side of the race to see who gets to the pile of leaves first, there's her. She's dressed as simple as if she'd just gotten up, the blue skinny jeans and a black shirt with a print of some band scratched by the number of times she's washed. They're both older, but running down the alleys of New Castle looks like they're 12 still.

The muddy shoes, their coats that shelter them both, her bracelet tied to his hand, the kiss on the cheek when greeting each other, the butterflies every time they look at each other. The celebration of walking, the adrenaline of winning the race to the leaves and rolling in them.

Matty abandons everything else, leaving behind the nightmares, his parents' parties and sleepless nights when he has her. He's happy with her, he feels protected and nothing can hurt him. He loves her, with all his heart. He's eighteen, newly grown, wears glasses that slip on the tip of his nose but make him look smart. It has some protruding pimples between the cheek and forehead, but in sunlight it still looks like a baby's skin, fragile to the touch.

He doesn't know when he fell so in love with her, he doesn't know when he found the connection and when it began to appear in his innermost dreams. He couldn't stop thinking about her and all her dreams, the dress she wore on her birthday, the hug after the holidays. Every touch gives Matty years to live, and although he's been a sad kid for most of his life, he'll always be grateful that she changed that.

"You are eighteen, you can run fast." She says in a competitive tone, without slowing down.

"I will win, idiot." He's self-proclaimed.

"And if you do, what will you get? A painful coronation as king of the leaves." She jokes and throws herself headfirst on the leaves of the ground. "I told you."

But Matty was willing to win.

"I already decided my prize." Vitorea approaching the leaves, diving into them.

"You didn't wi-"

Matty doesn't think about what's going on, he just lets the impulse take him further and control him. It may be his only chance, and it may ruin it, but he have to try before he let any more time pass.

She is in shock on the leaves when she feels the lips of Matty on top of hers. She doesn't understand what's happening, or if it's really happening. The only thing she remembers afterwards is feeling Matty's hand squeezing her cheek with soft caresses. He kisses as much as he can, and after a while she gets used to the movement.

They go on like this, without saying a word for many minutes. Their sequence and their need is to kiss until the lack of breath wakes them up, smile with their noses stuck and merge again. Maty tastes like mint and chocolate, so it's the flavor she'll love the most for the next two years. Teenagers at the height of their purest love.

"Didn't I tell you? I would win." Matty comments when both feel they have shared too much saliva, but he does not take his hand off her cheek.

The wind is blowing in both heads. They have never known love this way, and they will remember it so well for the years that this love lasts, and for a few more.

Actually, and though Matty doesn't know it yet, she, sitting in Matty's house, is thinking about the same fall of memories. She feels like she's about to die and the best years and moments of her life go by, they've always had that facility of telepathic connection without having to try. Also because, for a long time, it was the memory they most enjoyed in years.

Matty then sees, in his memories, everything he's longed for for so many years. Midnight getaways, intense kissing at nightclubs, family meals, she dressed in him on Sundays, family trips, snow wars with her kisses sunk in the snow. He sees fireworks now that he remembers her, how he was first in everything for her and how she has marked him even more than he can say.

After that comes the band, and even before and after the previous names. But he focuses on when the band is already confirmed as Drive Like i Do and then like 1975, he sees her sitting at the table listening to them rehearsing, he sees heer at the clubs drinking beer and screaming crazy when he comes out in his most misaligned ensemble.

Matty may never have said it like that, but the girl he fell in love with is part of the band just like them. Almost the entire first album has its muse, in each of the stanzas and in each of the notes of the compass. She has followed him for all these years, it has been his greatest point of inspiration and of genuine and re-created love. She has given him the best years when he was twenty, he has written the songs he enjoys most thanks to her.

But equally, to say that he hasn't forgotten her or that he's remembered her like that for fifteen years without seeing her since she left in her twenties, would be lying. He remembered her for years, but then he was no longer present in her mind.

She can't judge him. Maybe she waited longer, but she had to move on anyway.

But it's okay, they existed at the time they had what. They learned enough from each other to remember each other fondly.

"You think about that autumn too, didn't? "During all this trance, the connection has become stronger. The discomfort is ignored, and she ends up sitting next to him.

"You are inside my mind, literally." He laughs with his eyes full of glass. He just had a recession that knocked him down. "Yes, I thought about it."

"That autumn was the best of my life. The fucking golden time." She confesses, with the moon now fully reflecting her. He looks at her with a longing smile, he also misses feeling so complete. "I have loved you for so many years and I think I could do it for more."

She complains hugging herself. Matty leaves the previous state and now the alcohol seems to have lost its effect. He extends his hand to put it behind the brunette girl's back and draw her in. The woman's head rests on his chest.

"I have loved you too, you know? The first album is about you." He kisses her hair, but she can't help but cry. They are breaking up with each other next to them and that's why they prefer not to be seen. It's too strong for both. "I'm sorry."

"What do you mean?" She looks up. The brown eyes meet the eyes of the british man.

"I-I screwed up that June afternoon, and I carried the blame for many years. I've never really been able to apologize, and I know the last thing you got from me was a horrible argument. I'm sorry, it won't fix something so many years later, but it's sincere." He manages to loosen a gear that has been weighing on him for a long time. He finds serenity in the brightness of the moon, and though he knows he can't go back in time, when she intertwines his hands he thinks he hasn't gone too far.

"Thank you for that. I know it's your party, but you don't have to cry to the end." She kisses his cheek and wipes his tears with her fingernails painted dark red, then returns to his neck. She repents and prefers to sit in front of him. "But it was true, wasn't it? Did you fuck everybody in this town?" She asks, without any resentment or sense of judgment.

"You compromised me, honey." He nods nervously accompanied by a laugh. In fact, he's still crying, but he's feeling much better. More airy, more connected and more peaceful. "I missed the car and the argument."

The two laugh at each other, it's an atmosphere that has now become more comfortable than ever. She has got her makeup destroyed by tears and he is s getting water marks through the seams of his shirt.

"The end of that hallway was fateful." She ironizes it with a recharged energy that dances inside. It feels as if she is now the final part of a song that breaks the melody and raises the instruments to a higher level to close it in the greatest ecstasy. "Even so, maybe you were right a few years ago. You needed more than me." She points to itself and then points to the atmosphere.

"Sorry, I don't get it." He feels bewitched by her words, but is so deep inside that he can't even think about what she's saying.

He just knows she comes, again. He sees her crawling and crawling up to his lap. He's afraid that this will still be a bad trick in his head and that tomorrow she'll never have been here. She'll be in another country, with someone else, and without him. His heart pumps like it has seldom done.

He knows they're soul mates, or he used to know, and now he's reconfirming it. Now there's only one thing that separates them and one thing that could bring them together.

"You needed a cigarette, alcohol and a sad conversation." She finally answers, as she settles down to her mercy on his lap. Matty feels like he has a fever when he feels the back of her palm on his face. It's been floating for over 15 minutes. "As i do."

After this, it just happens.

After 15 years, they're kissing in Matty's backyard. The two cry in between, because they haven't recovered from the emotional delirium they just had, but the fireworks they once had at eighteen come back the second their lips touch.

He hasn't changed, Matty still smells like chocolate and mint. She neither, she tastes the same as always does, she still tastes well enough to satiate Matty. They remain exactly the same for each other and what they still need.

The kiss does not have a taste to be described by or a unique feeling. It is the taste of remembrance and reunion, of melancholy, of adolescence, it is pure nostalgia in its splendor. It tastes like sadness, the tears of the last time they argued, and in turn it tastes as the ice cream they ate holding hands in the park, the chocolate they always gave each other as a gift. It tastes as Christmas food and the summer breeze. It's all together in one, and that's why they don't bother to feel sorry for how the waterfalls in the eyes accumulate coming down later.

A kiss, that's all. Matty doesn't want to think, but he inevitably does and finds only two options.

Tomorrow you will both remember this and you will both retire by lowering your guard and remember it as a secret. There is no one around to prove the presence and existence of the woman he has there, no one has seen her and the easiest excuse is to say that he simply confused everything with someone else because of the amount of beer. Or they could tempt fate and stay there, they could heal the wound and they could try again to have the best they ever had.

But now, does it matter?

"Hey." She puts pressure on his hair. He opens his eyes feeling fuller and more human than ever. "Happy birthday, Matty. The birthday boy always needs a gift."

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