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i.
It was university. Time to let loose a little bit, that’s what Foggy told him. He probably didn’t mean this much though. Drinking and the occasional late night escapade with a Greek heiress was okay, but this?
“You’ve lived in New York all your life and you have never been to the State of Liberty?” Elektra teases.
“What am I going to do at the State of Liberty? Smell it?”
Before he knows it, he is on a ferry to the State of Liberty, surrounded by tourists taking pictures and tour guides shouting trivia.
“The view is nice,” Elektra notes, her arm hooked in his. “It’s a clear day today. Sun’s out. You can see the whole island.”
The breeze did feel nice, Matthew thinks. Still, he would have rather just stayed in bed with her.
“Don’t look so grumpy, Matthew.”
“I’m not grumpy.”
“Okay, I know I can’t hear your heart beat, but you’re a terrible liar.”
“I’ve actually been told I’m pretty good at it.”
“Not around me, you’re not.”
She presses her smirk into the side of his neck and he can’t help but to smile. She’s wrapped up in an expensive coat and a scarf- Burberry, he thinks. It’s cold, but not freezing. He reaches for her hand to keep warm.
“I don’t need to lie around you.” He turns his head to peck her lips.
An announcement over a static-y foghorn alerts the passengers that they’ve arrived. Matthew braces himself for the overload of voices and smells that usually waft from high density places. But when he gets off the ferry, he is surprised by the silence. The sound of crashing waves on the rocks is the loudest thing he hears. The wind funnels around his head, through his hair, bringing Elektra’s scent to him. He hears her smile.
“It’s smaller than I thought it’d be.”
“Describe it to me.”
They begin strolling, hand in hand, blending right into the honeymooning couples and vacationing families.
“She’s got a modest dress on, nothing too fancy. Definitely not going to any parties in that.” She earns a chuckle from Matthew. “The way her arm is raised, it looks like she is calling for someone. Of course, she’s got that torch in her hand but I think she looks quite lonely. She is hoping for someone to come to her.”
Matthew focuses on Elektra’s voice, her silky description of this statue.
“Then, she’s got that disgusting hat. Or is it a crown?”
“Beats me.”
“You don’t learn about this in grade school?”
“Not with the nuns, we didn’t.”
“Americans.”
Matthew catches her waist, spins her into him, and presses a deep kiss onto her lips. She hums happily, clutching the lapels on his jacket. This was romance. Obnoxious romance.
“Thank you for bringing me,” he says after breaking the kiss. They are still wrapped in each other.
“You’re welcome.”
Sometimes she is not just hard edges.
ii.
They’re in Central Park in the fall. The semester has barely started so Matt has used this as an excuse to spend a little more time with Elektra. As if he needed another excuse.
He sits on a bench, enjoying the sunshine on his face. Elektra is nearby, buying some coffee for them at a stand. He can still hear her heartbeat, her voice tailoring their order.
She is dressed in a light blouse, barely made up but still elegant. She didn’t dress up for him on days like this- it’s not like he could see her anyways. She smiles at the vendor, sparks a little charm that she knows Matthew can pick up. She can almost see that smile creep across his face.
When she turns around, three kids, maybe in high school brush by her. They chuckle to themselves. “Hey, do you think that dude’s blind?”
“Yo, he totally is.”
“Shh, watch this.”
The boy in the sweatshirt picks up a rock from the sidewalk and tosses it Matthew’s way. She knows he can hear them, catch anything they can throw at him, but he lets it happen and feigns surprise. Elektra suddenly lights up, livid.
Instinctively, almost primal, she storms over and shoves one of the boys over.
“Whoa, lady, what’s your problem?”
She gives a quick, non-lethal jab at the boy’s sternum, which sends him crying. The last boy runs away.
When she looks up, she sees Matthew standing next to her, eyebrows raised.
“What?” she snaps. “They were making fun of you.”
“I heard them.”
“Why didn’t you do anything?”
“They’re just kids, Elektra.”
“They’re cruel.”
“Yeah, some kids are. I was. And, if I had to guess, you were too.”
Elektra hands Matthew his coffee and then jabs a finger at his chest.
“I won’t allow it. Not to you.”
Matthew smirks at her sentiment. Her ways of romance were differently, but still endearing. He can feel the subtle vibrations humming from her body, remnants of her frustration. He holds her hand on his chest. “My hero,” he says.
She rolls her eyes. “Please.”
They both laugh it off, ready to move onto their next antics. But Matthew’s heart can’t help but to swell at the idea of Elektra defending him.
iii.
It’s a dive bar near the campus. Elektra was staying overnight at his place so they figured they would stay nearby for the night. As with any college town, the bars and restaurants were always several points rowdier and unpleasant than the places Elektra was used to visiting. She’s sitting at the bar with her glass of (cheap) wine. She considers ordering Matthew’s usual whiskey instead. He’s been dragged away by one of his colleagues for a chat and he assured her she’d be bored.
Then she feels a pair of eyes beside her. She glances over her shoulder to find a blonde, thick-chested boy, probably in the upper levels of university. He smiles at her.
“Wine, huh? Classy.”
She almost bursts out laughing but plays along.
“It’s hard in a place like this.” She accentuates her accent, makes it sound especially exotic.
The boy slides a little closer, amused. “What’s a gorgeous lady doing here, then?”
“Just passing the time.”
“Looking for some company?”
“I have some.”
He looks around, squints his eyes and shields them from the invisible sun. “Don’t see anyone here.”
Just as he reaches out to touch her bare shoulder, a quick hand stops him. “Ow! Hey, man that hurts-”
Matthew jerks the boy’s hand away. “Get out of here.” he states. Elektra watches from behind her wine glass.
The boy stands up. He’s about a head taller than Matthew, with maybe thirty pounds on him. He hovers over Matthew, close enough so that Matt can smell the cheap beer and weed on his breath. “Are you blind, bro?”
“Yeah, actually I am.” Matthew’s voice wavers slightly, not wanting to cause a commotion, but Elektra lives for it. She touches his arm, gives it a squeeze, and lets him know she’s watching him.
“You can’t go touching people like that in bars. I’ll give you a pass since- you know.”
“Since what?”
“You’re handicapped, dude. I don’t want to pick a fight with you.”
He can feel Elektra’s amusement. This was a show for her.
“You scared?” Matthew muses.
The guy scoffs and shoves Matthew away, just hard enough to knock him into the bar. Matthew stands back up, dodges the next move without hesitation, and uses the guy’s momentum to slam his face into the countertop. A few half hearted laughs and hushed cries of alarm ripple through the bar.
Matthew leans into Elektra’s ear.
“Let’s get out of here.” he whispers, practically licking her ear.
“Let’s.” She grabs his hand and leads him out.
On the street, in the cool October air, she pulls him down for a kiss. He responds just as vigorously, pulling her hips close, threading his fingers through her hair. Mine.
iv.
He is out of his scope here at this party. In addition to the swanky jazz music, there are a number of languages being spoken, lots of expensive jewelry being dangling on bodies, and plenty of drunken rich laughter. He’s only here because Elektra insisted that it would be quick. They hadn’t seen each other in a week since he was busy with exams and she was out of town. He could stand a quick party if it meant being with her.
She kept him on his arm like an accessory, showing him off. He didn’t mind. In fact, he enjoyed it.
“There’s a few old acquaintances I’d like to say hello to before we go,” she says. She straightens out his tie. “Remind me to buy you some actual neckwear for your suits.”
“This is neckwear.”
“More like a noose. Come.”
A murmur of voices swell around him, but Elektra keeps his arm locked in hers. She stops and introduces him. “Henri, bonjour.”
“Elektra!” a jubilant, accented voice exclaims. The man, Henri, leans in for a kiss on the cheek. Matthew grimaces. “It’s been too long.”
“Has it?”
“America has made you forgetful. Paris misses you.”
“I’m sure.”
“And who is this?” Henri sticks out his hand before recoiling, realizing Matthew’s blindness.
“This is Matthew.”
“Hi.”
“Hello, Matthew.” Henri takes Matthew’s hand and shakes it with extra tact. “Are you enjoying the party?”
“Very much.”
“All thanks to Mr. Natchios’ generosity. Something I’m sure you’re aware of.”
Both Matthew and Elektra cock their heads to the side. Henri clarifies, “It’s just that Elektra and her father donate to many nonprofits. Which one are you from?”
A backhanded remark. It doesn’t stop.
“It is uncharacteristic of you, Elektra. To bring your charity to a benefit party.”
“Speaking of charity, Ms. Natchios has arranged a cab for me so we’d better get going. Nice to meet you.”
Matthew drags Elektra away before she can get a word in. She wrestles out of his grip.
“What a conceited asshole.”
“He had a weird accent.”
“Those fucking pompous autocrat offspring think they run everything.”
“They kind of do.”
“They’re criminals and liars. And they try and buy everything that’s missing in their lives and run over anything in their way.”
“Sounds like you have a vendetta.”
Elektra grips the lapels of Matthew’s jacket and kisses him violently. He smiles into it and pulls away every so slightly so he can speak. “So, what do you say we make up for last week?”
“I suppose I owe you for dragging your ass out here.” She wraps her hands around his ass and gives it a squeeze. “It’s a nice ass.”
“I can show you other nice parts too.”
“Let’s go, Matthew.”