27 November 2011. 10:15am

Matt loved food. He really did. Good thing, because his fiance wife made tons of food. Always. When they knew it was just the two of them, she made enough for an army. So, you can probably imagine what happened with Thanksgiving. Matt felt as though he had gained twenty pounds in just one meal's sitting. But oddly, he was completely okay with that. And that's why he was here, at the gym. Since his little infidelity with the girl he waved to on his morning jogs, he told himself he could never go on that bike path again and joined the gym instead. Here, he just put on his music, found a television, and read the closed captioning on ESPN while he had his five mile jog on a treadmill.

It wasn't really a punishment, but it sure as hell wasn't the same as jogging outside. Somehow it felt like it took forever to go five miles when you were stuck in one spot. His thoughts couldn't flow as freely when he was here rather than if he was outside with the fresh air. Ah, the fresh air. That was the other thing. He appreciated that so many people wanted to work out, but when enough people were in one area and sweating, it didn't make for a very appetizing aroma. But, if working out here made him feel better and kept him from possibly screwing it up with the love of his life again, so be it. Plus, he felt obligated to lift weights when they were sitting right in front of him.

With his run finally over, Matt ran a towel over his face and the back of his neck as music blasted into his ears. He caught his breath as he walked towards the mats over by some free weights. Taking a seat, he lowered his back to the mat and started his routine of sit-ups. Halfway through, his eyes opened briefly and caught a glimpse of someone standing fairly close to him. It was definitely a female and he took a double glance until he realized he recognized this girl. Holy shit. Where did he knew this girl from? He stopped his sit-ups, sat up, and dropped his arms from the back of his head. He popped out his earbuds and put his iPod on pause. Standing up slowly he tried to remember this girl's name. She was a cheerleader, he remembered that for sure. That long red hair, that body, he was suddenly aware of why he went for her in the first place. And oddly, why he went for Hailey just a couple months ago. Name, what was her name? Tiffany... Brittany... Megan... God, he slept with a lot of chicks in college. Heather? Holly. That was it. Holly Stone. He tried to force a smile, "Holly?" He needed to make sure that was it. If it was... he might have more problems than he thought.

Holly wasn't exactly a girlfriend back in college, but she wasn't just a one night stand either. She was more of a repeat booty call that thought it meant more than it did. To put it lightly. The guys on the team warned him about her before he went home with her at that party when they first met, but did he listen? Nope. And it got him into a whole mess of trouble. But maybe she grew up, maybe she changed. Hell, it had been... almost seven years since he'd seen her or even talked to her. Once they graduated, they... or he... lost touch. Maybe she was married and happy and just wanted to say hi. Maybe.

Holly Loved the gym. Actually, she liked working out for no reason. Being a dancer all of her life, helped her keep her figure, but the gym has helped also. She didn't care where she worked out, just as long as she could keep her figure. She never really paid attention to her surroundings while she was exercising. She'd turn on her ipod, and blast her music. Then she would run for a few hours, or when she was in college, practice cheers for the college games. Always at the top of the pyramid, she got the spotlight. So she had to keep her figure.

But, today, she saw something that made her stop her workout. She knew she had to go say hi, because it was her ex-boyfriend from College. They hooked up one night after a party, then they became the model couple in college. The perfect cheerleader, and the all star basketball player. Who could ask for more? But the day after they graduated, that was it. He didn't call her, or do anything from then on. She felt bad about it after a while, should she have tried to call him? She didn't because she thought he was busy.

Here he was, and he looked good. He must have been working out over the years also. He said her name, almost like he was unsure. Holly just shrugged it off, maybe he was in disbelief that he saw her. Maybe he couldn't believe the love of his life, was standing in front of him. "Matt! I knew that was you!" She gave a big smile, leaped into his arms, and gave him a huge hug. "How have you been? It's been years!" She exclaimed. She kept her big smile planted on her face, even though she saw the wedding ring he wore.

A wedding ring? Why in the world was he wearing a wedding ring? He couldn't be married. Holly never thought this would happen to her. He said he wasn't the type to ever be married, so she settled for the girlfriend status. And to think she changed for him. She waited all these years in hopes that she'd finally meet him again and they could catch up. She secretly hoped that when he saw her again, he'd be reminded of how much he loved her. and of all the things they did together. But, instead he moved onto a wife. A WIFE who wasn't Holly.

Oh God. It was her. Her saccharine sweet voice pierced Matt's ears and he held back his wince. How could he doubt that it was Holly to begin with? She looked exactly the same. His faked smile was fading fast and before he knew it she was on him, trying to embrace him in a hug. He had been working out all day, was sweaty and just really didn't want to hug Holly right this moment. There goes another rumor... He could almost feel the eyes around him, judging him and immediately convinced he was doing this girl, too. Didn't help that she also had red hair, just like Hailey did. His arms hovered over her back, not fully embracing the hug. Good thing he put on deodorant today. She was all up, close and personal with him. His eyes briefly looked up to see if anyone was paying attention or around, but then quickly reverted back to the ground in his little area.

Matt knew that Evan forgave him. He knew she loved him. But what he didn’t know, is how she would react to another rumor about him canoodling with another red head while he was exercising. That rumor is more believable because, well, the last rumor like that was true. Dig your own grave, ya know? Why on Earth he had to have this weakness for redheads, he really didn’t know. But he also had quite the weakness for cute blondes, too. And brunettes. Hell, he just had a weakness for women. And sometimes, it really got in the way of him trying to be a nice guy and keep his wife and kids. As much as his brain was shooting up red flags left and right to get the hell out of dodge, he stood there and continued conversation with Holly. He knew he shouldn’t. He knew how she was and what she did in the past and he had a vague understanding that she considered him to be much more than just a fuck buddy from college.

To put it bluntly, Matt knew how psycho Holly was. When she finally released him from the death trap that was her hug, he immediately took a step away from her. He had to admit, she was still hot. But, that hot was very much set off by the fact that she was crazy. Her eyes gazed up at him with that crazy love, the same gaze he remembered from college. ”Yeah, yeah it has…” He wiped the back of his neck with his towel and saw her eyes graze over his left hand. Then he remembered what he had told her back in his dorm senior year. He went on that they couldn’t be in a relationship or get serious because he didn’t see himself as a relationship kind of guy. He went on forever about it and continued to say, with confidence, that he would never get married. Ever. Which, he believed at the time. But, he also just wanted her for sex and needed to get her out of his room at the time. He couldn’t help that every time he saw her on the top of that pyramid, he wanted her on top of him. That was a different time, though. ”Things have been… great. How are you? What are you doing… in Evergreen?”

Seriously, what was she doing in Evergreen? He was just being paranoid, he knew that. Matt shook the idea out of his head that she was there to find him. She probably got over him the moment he pulled a dick move and just stopped talking to her after graduation and moved away. This was merely a coincidence. Matt knew he had a big ego, and many girls did try to get with him, but this had to be going too far, thinking too much, and overanalyzing the whole situation. She was probably signed up for the Vow, if not dating some other dude. This wasn’t a Zach Matthews coming back for Evan situation. It couldn’t be.

Holly still couldn't get her mind off of his marriage. It was weird that she didn't expect it, this town was practically for marriage. Plus, Matthew was handsome, so if she didn't hold on someone else was bound to snatch him up. She flipped her red hair, and twirled it a bit. It was friendly, but it was a subtle flirt. She wanted to make it evident, but not trying too hard. Holly wasn't sure why she was overthinking this, but it was her Matt, and she had to meet that wife of his.

"Oh, I'm here for you. I followed you all around, until you stayed in one place long enough for me to come out and be with you..." She waited for that to sink in a while, then she burst out in laughter. "Jeez Matt. You went to college, I thought you would connect the dots. I'm here to get married like everyone else." She wasn't sure if he got her joke, but it's not like it mattered now. She couldn't take it back. Holly secretly hoped that he wouldn't think she was out of her mind. She still kinda wanted him, and hoped he felt the same. Somewhere in her own mind, she imagined he got married to rebound from her. Which in reality, wasn't true.

"So, where's your wife? Holly said pointing to his ring. She smiled, to make it friendly, while deep inside she was kind of sad. She wanted to be the person wearing that ring. But, she'd be married soon, so she could have a life of her own. She didn't want to show too much interest. Because the he'd think he was overly important. Which is something she wanted to avoid. Seeing Matt brought something out in her that she hadn't seen since college. So, she had to make her move carefully. Or She would just drive Matt away.

Matt froze. He looked from left to right and wondered if anyone else was hearing this. Was it possible this was happening? His eyebrow arched as he looked at Holly who had a dead serious face while she talked about following him around. He got the gist that she was kind of crazy in the past, but this was taking the cake. Then, she laughed. She laughed loud. Kind of... crazy loud. Matt was a bit startled and took a half step back again. At this rate he was going to be up against the wall. He'd be cornered. No, he was fine. This was a small harmless girl that was light enough to be the top of the cheerleading pyramids at one point.

Thank God she was kidding.

Nervous laughs were pouring out of him. Of course she was just there to be matched. That's why everyone was here. He often forgot about it, being one of the few people to not use that place to find the one he loved. That one he loved, however, did use the Vow before she came to her senses and realized she needed to be with Matt. But that was neither here nor there. "Oh, right." He took a deep breath. "Well, I hope that works out for you. I've heard mixed reviews." There was Evan's experience, but then there were the Morans. And if it wasn't for Evan's experience with the Vow, they wouldn't have Gemma and Ellie in their life. But why was he worrying? It was Holly. He should be more worried for the guy that has to marry her.

Matt smiled immediately when she asked about his wife. He still liked saying that. Wife. Evan Hunter, his wife. He looked down at his ring when she pointed to it. "Oh, she's at home." That felt good to say, too. "Her name is Evan, it's still pretty new for me. Kind of a long story, but we have twin girls and... she's actually expecting another in May." Underneath it all, Matt was actually secretly saying 'I'm taken, I'm taken, I'm taken, I'm really taken, oh, and I'm taken.' As if his ring didn't already say that. He needed to be nice. He wanted to get out of there and then fully avoid ever seeing her again in this small town. Which... might prove difficult. "So, what brought you here besides Vow? What are you doing?" He didn't care. Well, he kind of did. So he could avoid that area. Or maybe he was just being weird about it. Paranoid? Over reacting? He wasn't that guy that thought every girl wanted him anymore. Right?

Holly saw a glimpse of Matt's scared reaction when she made her joke. She laughed it off, careful not to scare him even more. Instead she focused on the comment he made. Mixed Reviews? What did that mean? Was his marriage in trouble. Maybe there was some things he had to work out with his wife. Maybe there was a gap Holly could peep in and fill. But she wouldn't necessarily tell him this yet. She'd be very careful with her words. Unless she was to play another scary joke on Matthew. Which amused her a bit more than she expected.

He said something about his wife being named Evan, and more importantly.. Pregnant. Holly couldn't believe what she was hearing. The guy in front of her wasn't the Matty she knew in college. She was hoping he was, maybe they could stroll down memory lane? Figure out what went wrong with their relationship. And fix it now and live happily ever after. Without the Evan chick. Holly decided to play it off, and deal with the Evan girl later. "Aw, that's so nice! I'm proud of you! Becoming an honest man and all." Holly said with a false kindness.

"Well I'm here because I want to open my very own Dance studio. Maybe train a couple of young girls and get them out there on broadway or something." she said. Which was partly true. She was here mainly for Matt. The Dance studio was a lie. Completely. She could care less about opening her own studio, Matt would soon be supporting her soon anyway. Wait, she forgot about the guy she was going to marry in the near future. Then a great idea popped into her crazed mind.

"I'm getting married soon! Would you come to my wedding. You and um..what's her face." Holly snapped her fingers as if she was trying to remember his wife's name. She knew and she knew very clearly. "Evan! There we go. You and Evan can come. You are the closest thing to a friend I have right now. And Evan can help me pick out a dress! That would be wonderful. Thanks Matt!" She was so excited. Maybe a few bigger plans in that brain of hers. But mostly spending time with Matt, and getting Evan and their 'children' out of Matt's Life. He never wanted kids anyway. And soon he'll see that he missed out dumping Holly. Yes, he's figure it all out.

Matt really couldn't tell if she was being sincere or making a small jab at his past when he had told her he would never be in a relationship. Probably a little bit of both. It shouldn't matter, but he did feel a little bad about that. And he gave her props for just putting it out there, though. Still had some spunk. He gave a weak smile and almost laughed at being called an 'honest' man.

His lips curled over his teeth and he bit down as he listened to Holly's simply fascinating goals. Even his thoughts were being sarcastic. She wanted to open a dance studio. In Evergreen. And send students to Broadway? At least she had big dreams, but he had a feeling she was getting a little ahead of herself. He didn't remember if she was a good dancer or bad dancer. He just knew she was flexible. Really flexible. And she was always full of energy and really liked to be on top. Of the pyramid... yeah. He nodded, realizing he wasn't really making any sign that he was actually listening.

Opening his mouth and closing it again, he was going to give her some false encouragement and let her know that if she really put in her effort she could do anything, blah blah blah. Before he could do that however, she blurted out that she was getting married. He knew that. It was the town of Vow Inc. Then, she asked something that he really had no idea of how to answer. Would he go? What? Why? With "whats-her-face?" Really? That was on purpose, he knew it. His face looked at her with a look of disbelief. Disbelief in the fact that she wanted him there, disbelief in the fact that she wanted Evan there and disbelief that she didn't remember Evan's name. He took a small sigh in and put his hands on his hips. Did she have to say he was the closest thing she had to a friend? That made him feel like shit. If he said no, he'd be a dick. But why did he care? Because he was a changed man and actually cared about what he did to the girls in the past? That she might have liked him a little more than he thought and he just shat on her feelings? Maybe.

One problem. Evan would not do this. Any other person on the planet, and she would agree to it. Unless he didn't tell her it was a crazy chick he just used to bang a lot in college. Which, he couldn't do, because he couldn't lie to her. That was the trouble of actually loving someone. You couldn't just lie to them, have something work out, and not feel bad. Or get caught lying and make things absolutely worse. "You know... as much as I'd like to, I just don't think I can do that. I mean..." Shit. Could he tell her 'I can't go because I cheated on her once and this is just way out of the line of appropriate?' Evan picking out a dress for an old one night stand... as mildly funny and just fun to watch as that would be, it would never ever happen. But he still felt bad saying 'no' right away. "When is it?" His shoulders shrugged and his arms fell to the side. He should just leave. Just laugh, say 'yeah right,' and leave. But, he didn't. Damnit.