Chapter 6 6

Nina's POV

He furrows his brows. "Okay."

As we walked into the restaurant, the waiter seated us immediately. I don't know how, but whenever I'm with Matt, we never wait in line for anything. I like it, so I'm not going to question it.

After some time arguing over what to order, we agreed to pick for each other and share.

We started chatting about random things. Matt would lean in, whispering jokes in my ear, and I'd throw my head back, barking out a loud laugh-only to smack the frames behind me, earning a few curious looks.

"Shhhh," Matt tried to shush me, still snickering, but I only laughed louder, my face turning a bright red.

"I-I c-can't believe y-you thought your dog was a boy for th-three years!" I wheezed, holding up three fingers, laughing like a maniac-probably turning a shade of purple.

Matt's eyes widened in amusement, as if my reaction alone was enough to make him pass out. Which, of course, only made me laugh harder. I pounded my fist on the table, rocking back and forth as tears streamed from my crinkled eyes.

"I was five!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up dramatically before grabbing his fork and stabbing my steak with exaggerated force, muttering about how despicable I was.

"Awww, ish someone nawt happy?" I teased in my best baby voice, sticking out my bottom lip.

He turned his head away with a crisp fold of his arms.

Scooting closer, I tugged his sleeve. "Pwease don't be mad at me," I begged, giving him my best puppy-dog eyes.

He glanced at meand then burst into laughter. "You look like you're constipated."

I shot him a glare and pulled away, but he smoothly slid closer, draping an arm around me. My heart pounded unevenly as his warmth pressed into mine.

I looked up at him, grinning stupidly. Peeking down, I saw our matching best friend necklaces. It reminded me of the time we got them.

Matt's friend, Justin, had taken a trip to New York and invited him to visit. Matt told me to tag along. When we were there, he showed me around the city. I spotted an old toy machine and immediately wanted to try. I sucked at it. I lost five whole dollars-that's like a cup of coffee!

Matt saw how upset I was and tried to win the panda for me. He sucked at it too. I sat there for two hours, watching him sink more and more money into the machine.

I told him it was fine, but he said his manhood was on the line, and he would get that panda. And he did. The panda was holding a pair of matching necklaces. Matt took the silver one, and I took the gold.

At first, they were just dull, circular pendants. But Matt later had them engraved. Now, there's a star shape in the middle like a compass, and on the back, our nicknames are etched in.

It was the first gift he ever gave me.

He could've used all that money to take me out to eat, but... I guess this was okay.

"So, what did you want to tell me earlier?" he asked, taking a sip of his drink, snapping me back to reality.

I turned to him with a smile. "I have something to tell you."

He smiled back. "Shoot." He playfully shaped his hands like a gun and "shot" me. I gasped, clutching my heart, and pretended to die.

Digging into my purse, I pulled out the diamond ring I'd hidden and slid it onto my finger. I didn't want Matt to figure it out right away-I wanted it to be a surprise.

I lifted my left hand, hiding it beneath my right. "Guess who's going to be a married woman soon?" I sang, slowly revealing the diamond ring.

Matt's smile faltered. His skin paled a few shades as he stared at the ring like he'd never seen a diamond before in his life. His mouth hung slightly open, eyes wide-almost as if they might pop out of their sockets.

I frowned. "What's wrong, Matt? Aren't you happy for me? I just got proposed to."

Immediately, his smile returned. "Congrats, short stack! I'm happy for you!" He pulled me into a hug.

When he let go, I beamed. "I'm so happy. I thought he was never going to propose. Well, I knew he would since we talk about having kids and all that, but-" I went on about Kevin and me the whole ride to Matt's hotel.

Matt just sat there, smiling at me, nodding silently.

When we pulled up to a stop, I turned to him, biting my lip. Now or never, I told myself.

"Matt, I was wondering... would you be one of the best men at my wedding?" I asked quickly.

For a brief moment, something flashed in his eyes-pain? But I dismissed it, thinking it was just the bright hotel lights.

"Nina, I don't know if I-" He trailed off, rubbing the nape of his neck, lips caught between his teeth. His free hand clenched, knuckles turning white as his Adam's apple bobbed.

"Please? Pwetty pwease?" I begged, batting my lashes and puffing my cheeks.

He let out a deep breath, the edge of his lips twisting into a faint smirk. "Okay."

"Yay!" I threw my arms up, then wrapped them around his waist. When I let go, he stepped out of the car and grabbed his stuff.

Rolling down the window, I called, "I'll message you the details!"

He smiled. "Looking forward to it."

As I pulled away, I glanced in the rearview mirror. Matt was still standing there, staring after me. A frown creased his face as he ran a hand from his chin up through his messy hair.

Tightening my grip on the wheel, I kept driving.