Chapter 21
Another notification comes through, and I see Matt’s annoyance growing.
“Is it the guy from the Grind Stone today?” Matt asks.
I shake my head, looking into my phone with an irritated face. I glance at myself in the corner. My eyebrows are furrowed, my lips pursed, and my eyes are narrowed. “No.”
My laptop keeps notifying me of Riley’s texts, and now I’m getting embarrassed about it.
Amber: Matt texted me and then called and now we’re facetiming
Riley: What! Omg. Take a screenshot, I need proof
Amber: I’m not going to take a screenshot
Riley: Why not? Take a photo or it didn’t happen
Riley: What is he saying?
Amber: He thinks I’m texting Kyle right now
Riley: Kyle? The guy you dated a few years ago? How does he know about Kyle?
Amber: He came into the Grind Stone today and asked me if I had the same number
Riley: Tell Matt that you’re texting him
Amber: Why would I do that?
Riley: Every guy loves a little competition
“Really?” Matt asks, catching my attention.
“So, what if it is?” I shrug.
“You’re not going to text him anymore,” Matt says.
I mock him in his voice. “Because you didn’t give me permission?”
“Exactly. See, you know what I mean. I don’t even have to say it.”
I look up at my laptop and feel the frustration begin in my throat. “What would you do if I hung up on you right now?”
“Do you really want to find––”
I press the end button and laugh. I pull up the text messages from Riley.
Amber: Omg I just hung up on him
He’s FaceTiming me again.
Amber: Omg he’s calling me back
“Yes,” I say as soon as his face pops up on the screen.
“If you hang up on me, I’m calling you back,” he says.
I smile.
“Yeah, laugh all you want, Hughes.” He places the phone in the same spot. “Stop texting and get back to work.”
My laptop notifies me with text messages from Riley. The girl has speed in finger tapping.
Riley: Why did you hang up on him?
Amber: He told me I can’t text Kyle anymore
Riley: Oh, he’s in love with you
I look at him on the screen and blush.
Amber: No
But really, my insides are screaming and kicking their feet.
“What is he saying to make you look at the screen like that?” Matt asks, not realizing that I’m looking at him that way.
I blush further, staring at Matt’s face. God, why is he so hot? It’s like the more time I spend with him, the hotter he gets. Why must he do this to me?
“Don’t hang up on me again,” Matt demands.
“Don’t steal my number from the clipboard.”
“Hey, focus. Focus. We’re working right now. I’m busy.”
I turn back to my papers and take his advice.
Focus. But how can I when he looks so good in his Honey Badger hoodie?
His hair is free from the hat and his face is relaxed.
Through the screen, I can get away with staring for a moment too long.
I turn my head and focus now. I need to get this done before I go to sleep.
No time to waste, and Matt looks like he is busy with homework. Sure, I can do this on FaceTime.
I lean in, focusing on my task at hand. Where was I before he called? Right. Highlighting the key points to make a summary. I’m almost done.
Every few minutes, I glance at the screen to see if Matt’s still there.
He is. He’s leaning back in his chair, biting a pen, and reading something on his iPad.
Seeing him like this makes my stomach twirl.
He’s at home, studying, on a FaceTime call with me.
I return to my summary before I overthink the meaning of this.
I start typing on my laptop until the summary is coming along well. When I’m finally done, I lean back.
Matt’s eyes flick to the phone. “Are you done?”
I lean forward. “Are you pretending to study just to be on the phone with me?”
He shakes his head. “Reading puts me to sleep, but, uh, I’m going to call it a night.”
“Okay.”
“Same time tomorrow?”
“Oh, uh.” I watch him on the screen. Is he serious?
He nods. “I knew you’d be down. I’ll FaceTime you at the same time tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I say, confused.
“Good night, Amber.”
I offer a grin. “Good night, Matthew.”
The call ends and I break into a smile, placing my phone down on my desk. I push off the edge and spin around in my chair, leaning back on it. I cover my face and squeal. When the sound leaves my throat, I stop spinning and cover my mouth.
“Oh my God,” I mutter.
I’ve never been pursued like this before.
I think he likes me. I think he likes me like that.
My heart races when I think about us dancing at the party.
Was he drunk then? I don’t remember smelling alcohol on his breath.
The thing happened with Michelle, and he apologized about her.
I opened up to him. He left when Harvey called.
And then working together at the Grind Stone was been a breeze with all the flirty chit-chat.
He is pursuing me, but not pressing too hard.
The fact that he called me tonight is like another level up in our relationship. He’s graduated to FaceTiming? Now, at any moment, I have to make sure I look good just in case he randomly calls. And to be honest with you, I really hope he does.
Jen: (TikTok video link)
Jen: These hockey players are too much
Jen: You have to watch it
I click the link and wait for the video to load.
It takes about two seconds, but I’m impatient.
The video starts off with a guy skating across the rink.
It doesn’t even last a second, and then the next clip is filmed from a lower view, showcasing a good pair of buns.
The face that looks back at the camera makes my stomach jolt.
It’s Matt. He races off and then the next ass is in the camera.
I patiently wait until the end so that I can rewatch it, wondering if Matt will have more cameos in the video.
He does. Very briefly, probably less than a second, he’s smacking Harvey’s butt with his hockey stick.
Harvey wasn’t expecting it, so his reaction is hilarious.
He whips up quickly and tries to block his ass, but he’s not quick enough.
The video starts over and I wait to see Matt’s face, even though his back-end view looks good too.
I open the comments to see what people are saying. There are about ten thousand views on this video, so there are some funny comments on here already.
Damn
That look back tho
The last clip is my fave
I click on my profile to see if I’m on the spam account I made in high school, and I am. I used to troll Matt with this same account, but I don’t think he ever knew it was me. So, for a good times sake, I start typing away.
OoohBurnQueen: Smack my a$$ with that hockey stick and I’ll call you daddy
I giggle, questioning if I should delete it. I swipe to check out their next video. Eh, this one doesn’t have Matt. Skip. Skip. Okay, he’s the first face in this video.
OoohBurnQueen: First guy can get it
I laugh, wondering if he ever reads through these comments.
Matt
Dylan: Bro, you have to read these comments on this new video
I roll around in my bed, wondering why the hell I waste my time opening Dylan’s text messages.
All the guy cares about is clout, but I guess I get it.
He’s a college hockey player and probably has nothing better to do.
Some people care about social media more than others.
I open the video and see the load of comments coming through.
The last clip is my fave
I blow out hot air, replying back to the comment from my personal page.
Pearson31Matt: My finest moment
Why can’t that be me?
Pearson31Matt: Could be you but you playin
I keep scrolling. Many people just comment emojis that imply very naughty things.
This account is all over my feed. Now I want a hockey player
Pearson31Matt: Come and get it at the next game
There’s nothing wrong with self-promotion, right? I keep scrolling.
That hockey hair
Pearson31Matt: Shout out to body wash for these locks
I chuckle as the comments continue. I keep scrolling, deciding that I should probably stop replying because I’m already receiving replies back.
I laugh at the next one I see that just came through.
Smack my a$$ with that hockey stick and I’ll call you daddy
Pearson31Matt: I’ll let you call me by my name
Amber
I sit up straighter in this office chair that I have yet to leave because did Matthew Pearson just reply to my troll comment? I click on it, astonished to see the username Pearson31Matt. He really did reply.
And he said: I’ll let you call me by my name
What the fuck? I burst into laughter, feeling giddy down to my toes. There’s no way he’s replying to fans right now. I flick through the comment section just to see who else he replied to. He’s currently on TikTok, replying to people. This is fantastic.
OoohBurnQueen: Ok, Matthew Pearson
I continue looking at their old posts. On a random video, I write: Matthew Pearson replied to my comment. Okay, daddy.
I laugh because I absolutely hate the word daddy when referring to men. Like what kind of issues was society having when it became a thing? Because it makes no sense.
I keep scrolling and comment on a few more.
OoohBurnQueen: Suddenly I’m all about hockey
OoohBurnQueen: The hair on these boys
OoohBurnQueen: Number 31
OoohBurnQueen: How many times have you watched number 31? Me: yes
OoohBurnQueen: I am soaking
Okay, that last one was a little unorthodox from my style, but so is the daddy thing. Matt will never suspect that I would stoop this low and be thirsting over his TikTok videos. I love the games that we play.
A reply comes through and my heart is thumping in my chest, eager to see what he replied.
Matt
Dylan: (Screenshot of OoohBurnQueen comments)
Dylan: You have a mega fan spamming the account right now.
Matt: How the hell do you have access to the account?
Dylan: How do you think?
I roll my eyes. I won’t be surprised if he’s sleeping with the social media manager because she is a little hot.
Matt: Good for you man
I read through the comments that OoohBurnQueen has posted.
She is spamming the account and specifically complimenting me.
I’m not going to lie, I’m not one bit flattered.
This could be anybody. Fuck, it could even be Dylan right now.
I click on the profile to check out who this is, and the profile is empty of posts.
Just another spam account amongst the millions of spam accounts.
But I can’t help myself, so I reply to one of her comments.
Pearson31Matt: Changed my mind. That’s daddy to you
I close my apps as my eyes linger on the FaceTime app that’s still open. I think about Amber, wondering what she’s doing. When I’m done closing all my apps, a text comes through, and I read the sentence via the notification box on the top of the screen.
Amber: I still don’t appreciate you stealing my phone number
I smile.
Matt: Good night, Amber
She sends me the eye-roll emoji and I smirk. I send her the heart-eye emoji. She’s quick to send me the middle finger emoji.
How refreshing to know I can still push her buttons.
Amber
I force myself from the office chair and head for the shower.
I feel like today has been a really good day in comparison to the last few weeks.
I worked at the office this morning, and surprisingly, that went well.
Mr. Robinson was in a good mood. I worked at the Grind Stone right after, and that was fun because of all the flirting, and then I ended the day with easy work and FaceTiming Matt.
The common theme is that my day was consumed of Matt, and I kind of liked it.
Maybe even want more days like today. I lather my hair with shampoo, relieved I can finally fall into bed after this.
I apply conditioner to my hair and then wash my body when I hear my phone notification from my open laptop in the other room.
Immediately, my gut is swirling with thoughts of Matt, so I quickly finish in the shower and grab my towel.
I race to my phone just to find it was a late notification coming through.
I plop onto my bed and sigh.
I haven’t been into anyone like this before. Tomorrow night can’t come fast enough.