After 5 years

Mathew was in their kitchen making some coffee like usual. He heard a knock on the door. "Sir. Someone's at the door." came the reply from their bed room.

"I heard Mary." he said making no move to get the door. "It might be your dear friend Luke. Get ready fast and go. I don't have time for his hyper activeness this early in the morning." after all these years he still maintained to remain as Ryan's friend.

"He won't be coming today. Must be someone for you." came the muffled shout as a reply.

"No one comes for me." he took a sip out of his cup enjoying the taste and feeling his body starting to wake up.

Another knock came "Sir" Ryan shouted again from the room.

"Leave them be. They'll go away thinking no one's home." he sipped again lazily stretching his legs and moaning at the feeling.

Ryan came down with shirt tucked in khaki dress pants, hair combed neatly and a bag on his shoulders. Mathew whistled at the sight "Look who's ready to go out and work his ass off." he said dragging the words.

"You're the laziest person I've come across." he is lazy to even get offended to that so he just took another sip of his coffee. Ryan finally opened the door and came across an unfamiliar face.

"Is Mathew Collins here?" a woman with brown eyes and matching shoulder length hair who looked to be in her late twenties asked.

Ryan thought for a second; he can't remember his sir's name. Oh, he remembered his last name is Dildo and not whatever she said. No, that's not right. It was the name he had given him, Mr.Dildo. What was his name again? After a long thought process he finally decided to get some help as he asked "Sir, is that you?"

Mathew heard his name being said and waited what would be his student's reaction as he never once asked for his full name in the past seven years they have spent together. All the people that knew both of them always referred to him as Ryan's Sir or something else, never actually his name. Those people mainly consisted of Max, Luke and a couple other persons.

He tsked saying "Depends on who's asking."

"A woman- " he was cut off by her entering the house saying "Matty it's me."

"I don't know a Me. Word of advice don't go calling people by their nicknames." he said sassily and found the intruder as he turned. "Oh" he woke up preparing himself for an oncoming assault.

Just like he thought she directly came to him and hugged tightly. After he let go of her with a cheek kiss. "How are you? And what the hell are you doing here?"

"I went to your house looking for you. Max said I could find you at this address." she gave fake surprised expression "And you are actually here. I thought you made him say that just to get rid of me."

He chuckled "Why would I do that?" he motioned her to take a seat.

"You know considering our past." she said warily "I wouldn't be surprised if you did that."

He laughed it off by saying "It's past for a reason."

"I'm sorry Matty. You know- " she started by placing a manicured hand on his shoulder.

And that's queue for Ryan to get out of there. So, he opened his bag to make sure he hadn't forgot anything. "Sir, did you take my pen? I can't find it here."

Mathew was instantly alert "Yeah. I ran out of ink. I'll bring it here. Wait." and went to the room.

"Sir, have you seen my socks?" he shouted so that it can be heard to the person in the room.

"It's in the top left draw." a reply giving him his missing pen.

"Crap."

"What?"

"I forgot a file." he ran to the room as he was getting late to work.

"Slow down Mary." the concerned person shouted after him and got no reply.

"You haven't had breakfast."

"I'm sorry Sir. I don't have much time."

"At least drink some coffee." Mathew offered his mug when he back with a file.

Ryan took two big gulps of it "Ah! It burns" he said with his tongue poking out lightly.

"Do I have to teach you how to-" he was cut off by peck on his lips.

"Bye, Sir." he walked to the door Mathew right on his heels. "Don't be late to university." he said. As he saw a figure sitting on the couch he continued "If you're not going then send a mail. I'm not doing that for you." he righted his shoes "Again." and was out of the house shutting the door behind him.

Mathew waited there counting seconds before the door opened again. He displayed car keys in Ryan's line of sight. He looked at them and then at the savior with a grateful smile "Thank you Sir." pecked his lips again "Bye." said once again while retrieving his lips and was gone.

Mathew stood there sighing and thinking a big storm was gone. Except when a storm was gone you are happy and relived, but when his storm was gone it doesn't feel right. That's why he will be gone with in thirty minutes after Ryan was gone to his work.

Shutting the door he turned inside to find a woman standing there. He was startled for a second as his routine doesn't consist of finding a woman in his home, then quickly recovered remembering who she was.

"Sandra." he exclaimed "I'm sorry. Was little busy. You were saying?" he motioned for her to follow him into the living room.

"Who is he?"

"Who?" he paused for a second "Ryan?" he asked sitting and taking his coffee cup again which has spilled a little after it got into Ryan's hands as he burnt himself. He chuckled to himself remembering that. At Sandra's weird expression he scolded himself for not paying attention to her. "Right." he cleared his throat sipping coffee "Yeah. Him. He is Ryan" at her expression to explain more "He is" his student? They are not teacher and student anymore. "a friend" well he can't say he is his boyfriend and make him act. That's reserved for his parents. So, a friend it is.

Sandra looked like she didn't believe it but Mathew didn't care as he continued "Enough about me. How's everyone? Are you still in contact with them?" he asked enthusiastically. Wanting learn about his old friends.

"Not all of them. But yeah, some are even married." she brought out her phone showed some pictures.

"Is Lily married?" he asked shocked looking at the pictures.

"With two children." she showed him two of her fingers while smiling evilly.

He laughed "And I thought she would be the last one out of everyone."

She gasped "How could you think that when you are so against marriage and commitment?"

"I never was against marriage. You all are older than me and was talking shit like commitment. I was not ready. I, at least want a house of mine before all that." he waved his hands indicating those pictures.

"Of course. I knew that and that's why we broke up." she laughed and caught herself as if she made a terrible mistake.

Mathew laughed with her. Not noticing her change of mood he said "I still don't understand the logic behind you breaking up with me by saying you wanted a committed relationship."

"I wanted something real and you said you can't give me that." she has a lost look on her face as if remembering the situation.

"Yeah. We both wanted different things." he said as if it didn't bother him. In reality, it took him a long time to get over their break up as it was his first real relationship and they both were very good friends before that. "Well, what are you doing now?" he suddenly realized something "Don't tell me you were getting married and came to invite me." he smiled and turned his head left and right as if searching for someone "Who's the lucky guy and did you bring him here?" he fake gasped "That's so mean of you to suddenly show up to your ex with a marriage invitation card." with a mock hurt look.

She hit his shoulder "Stop, you drama queen. There's no guy in my life right now unless if you want to be in it."

He laughed "Nice joke." at her expression "You're kidding. Right?"

"No. Why do you think I'm here? Max told me about you having problems with the break up. So, I thought may be there is still some chance for me even though I'm the one who messed it up."

"I HAD problems, not having. You don't have to worry about it. Don't take the entire blame. We both messed it up."

"So does that mean I still have a chance?"

Mathew didn't know how to outright reject a woman "I'm not thinking about any of that stuff. I'm perfectly content with how I am right now." to sooth the blow he continued "I think every thing happens for a reason. For better or worse things happened, let them be."

"So you're saying, you're giving up just like that?"

Ryan came to home and found it empty. It's not a new thing to him as it happens a lot. But, what he didn't know is, he would've to wait till late night as he fell asleep waiting on the couch.

He woke up to his shoulder shaking "Mary. Wake up. Why did you asleep here?"

Sitting up while rubbing his eyes "Did I fall asleep? Just a busy day at work."

"Then why didn't you go to bed." he said taking his jacket off.

"I made salmon fry." standing up stretching he said "It took me hours to get it like you want."

"Why did you make it when you're tired?" he didn't follow the sleepy head into the kitchen.

"You wanted it last week remember?" he took it out to get it heated "Why are you complaining though? It never concerned you as long as you got your food."

"I already had dinner."

"You -" he started pointing a plate at him and stopped mid sentence as he saw a person behind him. "Oh." he retrieved his hand "Hi" she is the person he saw this morning. What was her name again?

"Hi Ryan." she gave her hand to shake.

He shook it "You are?"

"Sandra. Mathew's" "girl friend" "best friend" they both said at same time. He looked confused for a second.

"Ex girlfriend and best friend" she explained.

"If you don't mind. She is going to stay few days here." Mathew said after their greetings.

Ryan looked at him silently for a few seconds before nodding his head "I'm off to bed then." and was off.