Page 37 of Drag Me Up

“Super Mattie…”

Happy memories from our joint childhood run through my mind until I drift off into my own slumber. My dreams are all the good times we shared while weboth grew up. I was his superhero, saving his toys from the perils of the vacuum while Eliza cleaned the third floor of the house. I was his chaperone on his “adventures” while I would run errands for my mom. I was his comfort when his father decided he was too old for what he called baby toys and threw out all of his stuffed animals.

My alarm going off in the bedroom jolts me awake before my dreams have the chance to take a darker turn. The first thing I notice is the stabbing pain in my neck from falling asleep sitting upright on the futon. Thirty two is well beyond the “I can sleep in any position” phase of my life. As I try to massage the crick out of my neck, I look around and realize Eric isn’t in the room. Before I can panic, I hear whispered expletives coming from the hallway.

“Will you shut the fuck up, you stupid machine?!” he hisses as I head down the hallway toward my bedroom. “Where is the fucking off button?”

My cock definitely takes notice of the nearly naked man standing in front of my dresser, dripping water on my carpet. I’m a little disappointed he decided to take a shower without me, but wehaveonly been together for about a day.

“You have to hold two buttons at the same time for at least ten seconds, otherwise it’s just a snooze for ten minutes,” I tell him, making him scream and drop the towel he had loosely wrapped around his waist. I chuckle at his reaction. “Good morning to you, too.”

I walk up to my dresser to turn off the alarm. It’s astruggle to not smirk at the glare being leveled at me from the naked turquoise haired drowned rat before he turns to pick up his towel. I might have stopped the smirk, but nothing could’ve stopped the groan that escapes when I catch a glimpse of his pucker as he bends over.

The little minx shakes his ass before standing back up to look at me. I love the sultry smirk that blooms on his face as he tosses the towel over his shoulder and sashays his way out of my bedroom. Giving me a wink at the door, he disappears into my bathroom, and I hear the shower start back up. Shaking my head, I pull out a fresh pair of underwear and t-shirt for an undershirt.

When I reach my closet, I see that I have limited options for what to wear today. Most of the time, I grab a random button down and pair of slacks. I don’t even know if I match half the time. Will Eric care if I look like a bum? Probably, but I’m sure he will find a way to be my stylist going forward, just like he did for me when I started high school. He took over picking out my outfits every day for my entire freshman year before he deemed me proficient enough to be left unsupervised.

Turning away from my closet, I figure I can at least get coffee started. I’ve never worried about fashion for work before, but then again I’ve never had anyone to worry about what they think about how I look before.

As I scoop the grounds into the filter, I pause.

I’ve never had anyone to look good for? Didn’t I care about how I looked for Sylvia?

Putting the carafe under the spout, I hit the button tostart the brew. The realization hits me like a freight train. I never actually cared about what Sylvia thought. We basically just coexisted for our entire relationship. I mean, we talked and went on dates, but it was all perfunctory. Even the sex was merely mediocre.

Cocking my head, I listen for the shower. Estimating that I have at least ten minutes based on the number of skin care products I saw on my dresser top, I grab my phone to call Syl. I feel like I owe her an apology for wasting so many years of her life.

31

MATT

At seven on a Monday morning, Sylvia should be on her way to Salem for a meeting. It’s the only day of the week that she has to drive, so I know I’ll catch her alone. This is a conversation that has needed to happen.

“Hey Lew,” she says cheerfully. “I was going to call you later today.”

Taken aback, I almost miss my mug while pouring my coffee. Putting the carafe back so the rest of the pot can brew, I take a sip before answering.

“Hey Syl. Whatcha need from me?”

She hesitates for about ten seconds before she says, “I was thinking that we should give us another chance.”

Involuntarily, I spit coffee across the kitchen. Still choking and coughing from the shock of her statement, I put the phone down on the counter to grab a paper towel.

“We were good together, Lewis. Good enough you asked me to marry you. I freaked out when you said youweren’t coming home after your mom got better. I thought you’d fight for us. I was just being chicken shit about moving away from home. I miss you, Lew. I still want to marry you.”

The gasp from across the room makes me turn fast enough that I knock my almost full cup of coffee off the countertop to shatter on the linoleum below. I didn’t realize I had put the phone on speaker when I set it down.

Smashing my finger on the screen to end the call, I call out to Eric when he races back toward the bedroom. I can hear my phone ringing in the kitchen, but I ignore it. Sylvia is over nine hours away. She doesn’t matter. Eric does.

Knocking on the bedroom door, I call out to my boy. It takes a while for him to open the door for me, but when he does, he immediately turns away from me.

“I won’t be your little secret,” he says and sits on the edge of the bed before I can say anything. “I get that people can love more than one person, but that’s not me. I love you, Mattie, but I won’t share you. I don’t like ultimatums, but it’s gotta be her or me, Mattie. You have to choose, and you have to do it now before I fall any more in love with you.”

I fall to my knees in front of my brave boy. He’s put his heart out there, and there’s only one way I know of to reward him. Grabbing his chin, I pull gently until he’s looking at me.

“It’s Super Mattie and Sparkles forever,” I whisper,my lips brushing against his. “You’ve always held my heart, my precious unicorn boy.”

I give him my heart all over again with the kiss I place on his lips. I only want to make him mine in every way possible.

---