It All Began When Aden Was Really Mean To Mattie

[jack+martha=trooluvv]

Lulz

He's from a small country town, maybe he's a bit cut off from technology. And maybe he just said he doesn't have a mobile phone because he didn't want me to have his number...*cries*

Uerugh, this is the first time i've had to deal with someting like this, and it feels like serious crap.

On the bright side, this will really help with writing all this fluffy ****, because now I really, truly, 100% from real life experience know what it is like to accidentally get a whiff of a guy's hair and it smells like shampoo and clean boy smell and you pretend to be looking over his shoulder to watch a video on the camera but you're actually just smelling his hair. I'm sorry if that was too detailed for you all

Anyway, I'm gonna stop spamming. Now. Done. Gone. SHRIMPY! Bye.

[jack+martha=trooluvv]

Chapter 11 is in the making, pplz.

There shall be Adelle fluff for those who wish it.

[matticus01]

Chapter 11 is in the making, pplz.

There shall be Adelle fluff for those who wish it.

HAAAAAAAA

I wish it Meggie I doooooooooo

Anyway's cant wait

[jack+martha=trooluvv]

So. Finally. For those of you who care, things have been getting easier I think things are gonna be OK. So that means I can provide you with lots more updates! Yay!

WARNING: Bit of swearing and soapy drama here.

Chapter 11

She pulled her coat tighter around her and pushed a strand of dyed red hair out of her eyes.

Belle sighed and looked out over the wild, grey-green ocean. Up here at the lookout the wind was whipping in her face like a million dishcloths flicked by annoying little brothers and as soon as she let go of the rail her skinny body found it hard to keep upright.

Tears were hovering just in the corners of her eyes, but they weren’t spilling. She wasn’t despairing. Yet.

God, it had been so humiliating, being rejected like that! The only thing that kept her from bawling was the fact that she had trust in her and Aden. She trusted that he would come for her, or she would eventually go and apologize, because it didn’t seem like something that could just snap off like that.

And the trust was well-founded.

“Hi,” said a husky, male voice from behind her.

She spun around and her heart did happy little flips as she saw Aden. His hands were pushing down into his pockets and he looked solemn.

“I’m sorry,” she said simply, taking a step closer to him. The wind buffeted her and she stumbled a little. His large, strong hands reached out for her and steadied her, holding her securely around her waist.

For a few seconds they stood like that and she felt her breathing quicken and her palms grow sweaty. He couldn’t just leave her. Not for that.

“It’s OK.”

A heartmelting grin spread across his handsome face and she threw her arms around him, pressing her face into his chest and inhaling his smell. She blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill. What had she done to deserve someone so…great? He wasn’t a perfect man – though he was extremely good-looking and his body was hot, he didn’t have the features of a Greek god. He was annoying, a little reckless, rash, and had a reputation for being a playa.

But he was so real. He was so real, and nice, and comforting, and solid, and when his lips brushed her hair like they did now all of her just wanted him, and wanted him to be there, forever.

She loved him, and it was crazy, because they’d only just begun going out. They hadn’t even gone on a proper date yet. But she loved him!

“I love you,” she whispered, keeping her eyes locked onto his. They were a perfect blue-green colour, iridescent, like the sea on a really nice day.

“I love you too.” He sounded a little surprised as he said it, and his brow furrowed a little. “I really, really do.”

She snuggled closer to him, enjoying his warmth against the cold wind.

“We are so pathetic,” she said, her cheek still pressed against his shoulder. “We’ve not even been on a proper date, and already we’re saying the L-word.”

“I know. Maybe we’re drunk or something.”

“All those beers at the island, possibly?”

“I don’t mean drunk in that way, Bells.”

There was a few more moments of silence and closeness, until Belle smiled and pulled away a little. “Do you like me, Aden?” It was a stupid question, but she wasn’t thinking very straight.

“Ohhh…” He pursed his lips as he pretended to debate the answer, and then looked down at her, pushing hair out of her eyes. “You’re all right.”

“Good enough for me,” she murmured, and kissed him.

“Aden? Aden?”

They pulled away from their embrace, and there was Matilda, standing right in front of them, her eyes wide with surprise and her mouth a little open.

“Belle?”

She quickly disentangled herself from Aden. “Matilda…please…”

The girl bit her lip and frowned and shook her head. It was hard to tell if she was angry or struggling not to cry or about to explode, and then she ran away.

“Oh, god!” Belle groaned.

“Hey, hey, it’s OK.” Aden put his arms round her again. “You and Mattie will work this out, she’ll get over it.”

“I know,” she sighed.

“And besides, don’t you think that she deserves to know the truth? With everything you’ve done for her, do you really think that the best thing to do is lie to her? Now it’s out in the open.”

“Hmmm.” His voice sounded surprisingly wise. “I never thought about it that way,” she admitted in a small voice.

“It’ll be fine,” he promised, kissing her on the forehead.

Matilda looked herself over in the mirror. Her blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders. She wore a tight black jumper and dark grey skinny jeans. She looked fine. But she didn’t feel fine.

“I just have to talk to him,” she muttered. “I have to ask him why he really left me and if he’ll take me back.”

It sounded so pathetic, grovelling like that. But she had to do something. She wasn’t over him and she wanted to find out if he was over her.

She raced into the surf club, her eyes skating over the room, trying to see those familiar blue eyes. “Alf?” she asked.

“Yeah luv?”

“You don’t know where Aden is, by any chance?” She felt her heart thud-thudding. There was a mix of desperation and hope swilling in her stomach.

“I think he went up to the look-out on his lunch break…”

“OK.”

Look-out. Right.

Five minutes later she was panting her way up the narrow stairs. Tears were in her eyes and she tried to blink them back furiously. God, this was gonna be a great impression, collapsing at Aden’s feet bawling her eyes out.

“Aden?” she called.

There he is, there he is…but wait…

There he was, but wrapped around another girl.

“Aden?” she repeated softly, staring at him.

They turned their heads and the realization that it was Belle he was pashing hit her like a sandbag.

“Belle?” she asked incredulously.

This was just unreal. Belle wouldn’t do something like this. Belle knew how much she still longed to be in Aden’s arms. Belle wouldn’t rip out her already fragile heart like this. Would she?

She would.

“Matilda…please…”

She could see the guilt and remorse swirling in Belle’s brown eyes. She bit her lip and rushed away before she started crying and humiliated herself in front of them.

She rushed back down to the street and hopped back into her small blue car, and hit the accelerator. She didn’t know where she was going, until she found herself outside Irene’s house.

Why had she come here of all places? Belle’s home? The front door opened and out walked Geoff, blue eyed and blonde-haired and muscular, just like Aden, but lankier, taller, softer.

And that was it! That was it! Geoff was the only one who could make her feel better right now. The only one.

“Mattie?” he called. A small grin turned the corners of his mouth up, and she felt a sudden rush of warmth to her heart. Thank God. Thank god for Geoffrey Campbell.

Fumbling her way out of the car she raced at him and tackled him in a ginormous hug, flinging her arms around his neck, clinging on to his wide, strong shoulders and pressing her face into his neck.

“Mattie! Are you OK?”

“No,” she sobbed, untangling herself, and let the tears go.

“What happened?”

“Oh…I just…” Suddenly she felt a little embarrassed. After rejecting him, it probably wasn’t helping matters by divebombing him in a hug and bursting into tears on him. After all, she didn’t want to encourage him. She just wanted him there.

“I saw Aden & Belle together,” she sniffled.

“Oh,” he said blankly. She could see what was going through his mind.

“I know, I know,” she snapped, “we’re broken up, he has every right. But Belle knew exactly how I felt…how I felt about the situation…and…”

He exhaled, and she looked worriedly at him. Last thing we needed was Geoff bailing on her.

“How are we going to cheer you up?” he mused.

A small smile wriggled its way onto her face. “I don’t know,” she sniffed, wiping her running nose with one hand and digging the other one into her jeans pocket.

“Let me take you…let me take you somewhere special.”

He looked slightly scared, so Matilda touched his hand to reassure him. “That sounds good.”

His eyes were very blue. Bluer than Aden’s. There was a sudden intensity burning in them and she quickly drew her hand away. The last thing they needed was some sort of sexual tension.

***

“I…wow.”

“I know. I always used to come here when I lived here. It was my place to think.”

She smiled, awed at the landscape in front of her.

She’d asked endless questions as Geoff drove further and further out of town. When she wasn’t talking, she’d remember Aden & Belle, and it felt as if someone had reached into her chest and twisted her heart. But then Geoff would make some lame joke or start singing (very badly) along to “Hot & Cold” on the radio, and she’d feel that warmth again. He was truly a gift from the gods.

She was totally confused when they pulled up at the farm where Geoff & Annie used to live.

“Are we allowed to be here?” she asked. “I thought it was on the market now?”

“Meh, whatever.”

Now that was a side of Geoff she hadn’t seen. I wonder what other hidden sides he has she mused.

He’d grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her out behind the house, past the barn and through a paddock. They’d struggled through a little bush, and then emerged onto the edge of a large hill.

It was sunset now and it cast a glorious golden glow on the soft, undulating curves of the landscape in front of them. Paddocks were tucked inbetween hills with barbed wire fences dividing them. A small river sparkled its way up and down. Over at the horizon there was the small clutch of buildings that was Summer Bay, and then past that, the ocean, the sun sinking into it, the water pinkish and purple.

He pulled her down on the rough, stubbly grass under a big eucalyptus tree.

“So how much of this land is yours?”

“Up until…there.” He pointed at a fenceline about a kilometre away.

“OK.”

They sat in silence for a while, until she broke it.

“Thanks for this, Geoff.”

“No problem. Why do I feel like I’m always the one comforting you, though?”

She exhaled sadly. “I don’t know. It’s kind of sad, right? I’m always crying or leaning on you. I’m sorry.”

“No, no, it’s fine, I’m pleased I can help you.”

“You make me feel better, just from looking at you.”

“Well, I am pretty amazing,” he boasted gently, stretching out his long legs.

“Shut up. No…you know what?”

“What?”

“I think I’ve found my Jacob Black.”

“Your what?”

“You know, Jacob Black, from Twilight.” She laughed a little, realising how true it was as she said it. “You’re my sun. My personal sun. I don’t know you all that well, but you make my day better.”

“Jacob…” He struggled to remember. “Isn’t he the one who’s in love with Bella? But she doesn’t love him.”

“Well. She does. But it takes her a while to realise.” Her breath hitched a little. Were they still talking about Twilight?

There was definitely an awkwardness in the air, so she stood up with her back to the tree. He stood up as well. There was the burning thing again. Oh crap.

“I’m glad that I could be your Jacob.” His voice was husky and solemn, and his hands were shoved into the pockets of his hoody.

“That’s OK.”

He walked over very slowly to her, until he was standing right in front of her. She swallowed. How? How was it possible for the world to feel so dizzingly right at this moment, when she’d just had her heart broken? Again? How was she not able to move? She wasn’t attracted to Geoff. Was she?

He moved in just a little, asking for permission. She inclined her head a little, granting it, and his lips met hers.

Small fireworks went off in her stomach.

Oh yes she f*cking was.

[matticus01]

hahahahaha

Geoff is Mattie's Jacob Black! How did I know you were going to add that in one chapter Meggie? ? ?

“I just have to talk to him,” she muttered. “I have to ask him why he really left me and if he’ll take me back.”

That line was written perfectly Meg I loved it

Small fireworks went off in her stomach.

Oh yes she f*cking was.

That just made me crack up !

Loved it!

[amz89]

loved this love all the fluff more soon please xx

[Jody]

I haven't reviewed this fic much but I am reading and loving it. I couldn't ever imagine some of these friendships working on the show, even in most fics too, but you somehow make them work here. I love all the banter between the characters. And you write the serious stuff just as well. Naturally, the Aden and Belle scenes are definitely my favourites and the ones I look forward to the most.

[jdoddy]

Awesome!

[Jack+Martha4Eva!]

Great Chapter

cant wait for more

[KaiyaBlake]

Such a good chapter!

No JnM though *cries* That's alright, you made up for it!!

I do feel sorry for Mattie, but I'm glad Geoff's there for her.

Glad everythings getting better for you too

Loved it. Can't wait for more!