Chapter 6 Matthew
MATTHEW
I’m checking my watch as the line through TSA moves like damn molasses when I hear a familiar voice call my name. I turn, my eyes widening when I Sophie, five or six folks behind me in line. Without thinking, I wave her to come up to meet me, and she looks back and forth, chewing on her bottom lip.
“Get your ass up here, girl!” I say, probably louder than I should.
I’m drawing attention to myself, but I don’t care right now.
No use in her hanging all the way back there when we’re going to the same place, and maybe I’ll feel marginally less like an asshole if I have a companion to walk with to the gate.
Well, not just any companion…
Sophie.
Unlike Elijah—and possibly Benny, though I can’t prove anything and one outburst isn’t really enough to go on, but I have a hunch—I’ve never been quiet about my crush on Sophie. In fact, I don’t think I could have been more obvious all those years ago when she agreed to tutor me in math.
I tried everything. And I do mean everything. But every move, every flirtatious compliment, she casually dodged, almost as if she was oblivious. And maybe she was, I don’t know.
All I know is when she left, it sucked because I’d not only lost my tutor—and perhaps the one person in the world who could even get me to understand math, period—I’d also lost my friend.
And yeah, I do consider Sophie a friend. I’ve always considered her a friend, the same way I’ve considered Sam a friend.
Okay…maybe I don’t think of them in the same way. That’d be weird, with them being twins and all. Plus, Sam’s a dude. Nothing against guys who like guys, but that’s not my vibe. I’m not looking to be the filling in a Martin sandwich, thank you very much.
Now being sandwiched between Sophie’s round, plump ass cheeks…
That’s a sandwich I could get behind.
My cock jumps at the thought just as someone yells, “Move it!” and I realize I’ve completely spaced out. I absentmindedly adjust my damn cock and sling my duffel forward as I move up the line.
“Come on, Soph!” I say again as the TSA agent asks for my ID, and when I hear the grumbling of the folks in line with me, I know it’s because she’s moving. TSA guy looks like he’d rather be getting a colonoscopy than be here, so I smile brightly as I say, “She’s with me.”
Sophie’s gaze catches mine as the agent purses his lips. “I don’t give a shit, just move in front of the camera please for your picture identification.”
I do as he says, smiling wide for the camera, even though I know I don’t have to.
Thankfully it goes off without a hitch and I move through, tossing my bag up on the conveyor belt just as Sophie comes up behind me, nearly knocking into me.
“Sorry,” she says with a yawn. “Guess I’m still half-asleep.”
I smile at her. “No worries, we’ll just have to grab you a coffee once we get to the gate.” I look behind her, noting there’s no Sam or Raegan.
“Where, uh…where’s your other half and his other half?” I ask as the agent waves me to go through the detector. I step through with ease, thanking my lucky stars that I’ve made it without a hitch. Not that I have anything on me to set it off, but…I’m just unlucky like that.
When I get to the other side, I grab my duffel as it comes out of the conveyer, Sophie catching up to me. “Guess Raegan got them TSA PreCheck, so they get to skip all this,” she says, waving around us.
“TSA what now?”
“PreCheck. I guess you pay a fee or whatever and they do a background check and basically you can just walk on through.”
“And miss all this fun?” I motion to the guy a few folks behind us who looks like he’s having a meltdown when the agent pulls a giant double-ended dildo out of his carry-on.
I can’t help the chuckle that escapes my lips when I see Sophie’s eyes widen.
“Is that…”
“Double the pleasure, double the fun,” I say as I reach for her carry-on. She nearly jumps, turning to look at me, then down at my hand on the handle of her bag.
“What are you doing?”
“Being a gentleman,” I say with a smirk.
Sophie’s wide eyes sparkle as she grins. “Well don’t let me stop you, then.” She all but shoves the bag at me and I let out a laugh.
“Really living up to the princess title, aren’t ya?” I tease her as I lead us toward the tram.
I try not to stare as we wait for it, but it’s hard because she’s so freaking gorgeous. I know she looked amazing in that tight dress she wore to the dinner last night, but this—baggy sweatpants and a hoodie with her hair piled into a bun on top of her head, big thick glasses instead of contacts…
This is the Sophie I fell in love with.
I mean…it was kind of impossible not to.
Sophie was the only one who never acted like I was dumb.
Even when I could barely divide or had to count on my fingers, or had to rework the same problem multiple times only to still get it wrong, she never acted like I was too dumb to get it.
She was patient and kind, and as a teenager who was constantly getting bullied in the locker room or made fun of for being in the special ed class, Sophie was a breath of fresh air.
I looked forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays, to those nights she’d show up in her yoga pants with her hair in a messy bun, sans contacts, with an iced coffee and a smile on her face like she was truly happy to see me. Not just because she was my tutor, but because she was my friend.
I’m not sure when it happened, but I guess it was inevitable. I wouldn’t be the first guy to fall for his pretty, perky math tutor who’s so far out of his league they aren’t even in the same ballpark.
“After you.” I motion for her to enter the tram before me, because contrary to popular belief, I really am a gentleman. My mama always said she wasn’t going to let the absence of a daddy in my life turn me into some slug.
Sophie enters the tram, and I can’t help but watch her ass sway as she walks in. I know I shouldn’t look, but sue me. She has a great ass. Not too big, not too small, just curvy enough and plump enough that I know it would be a sight to watch my dick disappear between those cheeks.
Fuck, I need to be careful. I don’t need to come in my pants on the damn air tram at five in the morning. That wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me.
So I clear my throat, shift my stance, and adjust my cock again just as the doors shut.
“You okay?” Sophie asks, and I blink, realizing she is indeed talking to me.
“Huh?”
She nods to my hand on my dick and I freeze. “Need a bathroom?” she asks, and I don’t miss the slight flush in her cheeks.
“Uh…I’m good,” I say, feeling strangely on the spot, and really wanting to avoid this conversation. The last thing Sophie needs is to know about my overactive dick that doesn’t know when to quit. I know I’m more sensitive than most guys, I learned that the hard way. Literally.
Somewhere in that first year with Sophie as my tutor, I started to realize I had a…
problem. Every time I saw Sophie for a tutoring session, I had to get off after she left because I was always hard as a fucking rock.
And I swear, as soon as I’d get off, if I even thought about Sophie in those yoga pants, or in those low scoop-neck tank tops she always wore, I’d have to rub another one out.
At the time, I just assumed it was because I was young and horny, and that once I had sex, my dick would cool down.
But it’s been a decade and I still haven’t had sex with anyone except my own damn hand.
And I can still barely keep up with my steady regimen of self-pleasure.
If I don’t come at least three times a day, I feel like I’ll explode.
Which is why I made absolute certain that I came before we left the house, because I knew it would be a long while before we touched down at our destination and I could get some privacy…
That’s the one nice thing about Benny’s place—even though it’s not huge, Benny and Elijah are never all up in my business, which I appreciate. And seeing as Benny and Eli both work a lot, I usually have the place to myself so my me time is uninterrupted.
But I cannot take care of myself right now at the fucking airport, and certainly not with Sophie in tow. I don’t need her to know about my weird dick problems.
When the tram doors open, I breathe a sigh of relief as we exit, following the flow of traffic. Sophie waits for me by the escalator, looking as cute as ever, and that certainly doesn’t help matters.
“Down, boy,” I mutter to myself, trying to stay focused.
Goal: Get Sophie to the gate without busting a damn nut. Should be easy, right?
“Thanks again,” she says as I approach her, taking her spot on the moving stairs. I get behind her, trying my hardest not to look at her perfect ass again. I keep my eyes trained on the ceiling, focusing on my breathing.
I am not here to ogle my high school math tutor in her perfect, tight yoga sweats. I’m here for a beach vacay and a wedding, damn it!
When Sophie walks forward, I realize a moment too late and nearly trip with her carry-on and mine over the ledge, causing a damn pileup in the process.
“Sorry,” I say to the grumbling people who are tripping and falling behind me.
“Oh my God, are you okay, Matt?” Sophie asks, coming to my aid like the angel she is. Suddenly the influx of embarrassment and stupidity subsides as she grasps my arm, and I look into her bright green eyes and find my center.
It’s been years since I’ve seen her, and yet she hasn’t changed one bit. I know that, because when I look in her eyes, I see the same Sophie who stole my heart all those years ago.
“I’m fine, now that you’re here,” I say without thinking. Maybe Eli would ruminate over saying something so cringe, probably second-guess himself for saying it. But me? I make no apologies.
Sophie can take it however she wants. She knows how I feel. I’ve always been more than clear about my feelings, even if she’s ignored them.