Chapter 5: Just Talking 

Jordy saw him before Matt saw him.

Matt was sitting on a wooden bench at the far side of the park, one leg stretched out, the other bent, his phone loosely in his hand like he wasn’t really paying attention to it. He looked… calm. Like he belonged there. Like he hadn’t spent the last hour overthinking everything.

Jordy slowed down a little as he approached.

The park wasn’t crowded, but it wasn’t empty either. A few people were walking by, a couple sat under a tree talking, someone jogged past with headphones in. It felt open, exposed. Too open.

He suddenly became very aware of himself—how he was walking, where his hands were, whether anyone was looking at him.

Then Matt looked up.

Their eyes met, and just like that, Jordy felt it again. That same pull. The same thing from the club.

Matt smiled.

Not big, not exaggerated. Just… natural. Like he was actually glad to see him.

“You look like you’re about to turn around and leave,” Matt said.

“I’m not,” Jordy replied quickly, even though for a second, he had thought about it.

He walked the rest of the way over and sat down beside him, leaving just enough space between them.

Matt glanced at him again, still smiling slightly. “You’re nervous.”

“I said I’m not.”

“You’re looking around like someone’s watching you.”

Jordy huffed lightly. “It’s a park. People are everywhere.”

Matt let out a quiet laugh. “Fair.”

There was a short silence after that.

Not awkward. Just… heavy.

Jordy didn’t want to waste time pretending everything was normal. It wasn’t. And the longer he sat there without saying anything, the worse it felt.

So he spoke.

“Don’t you have a girlfriend?”

The words came out sharper than he intended.

Matt blinked, clearly not expecting that to be the first thing.

Jordy kept going before he could stop himself. “Are you even comfortable doing this? Seeing someone else while you’re with her? Or is that just… normal for you?”

He paused, realizing how much he had just said.

“I didn’t mean—” he started, but stopped.

Matt didn’t interrupt him. He just listened, his expression calm, but more serious now.

When Jordy finally went quiet, Matt exhaled softly and leaned back slightly on the bench.

“I’ve never been with a guy before,” he said.

Jordy frowned a little. “What?”

Matt shrugged lightly. “Ever. Not even close.”

That wasn’t what Jordy expected.

Matt continued, his voice steady. “When I saw you at the club, it just… felt different. I don’t know how to explain it properly. It wasn’t something I planned.”

Jordy didn’t say anything, so Matt kept going.

“At first, I thought it was just the drinks. You know, the music, the atmosphere, everything mixed together. But the next morning…” he paused briefly, then added, “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Jordy looked away for a second.

That didn’t help.

If anything, it made things worse.

He let out a small breath. “You’re saying that like it’s normal.”

“It felt normal to me,” Matt said simply.

Jordy shook his head slightly. “You have a girlfriend.”

“I know.”

“And you’re here.”

“I know that too.”

Jordy turned back to look at him. “Then explain it.”

Matt met his gaze without hesitation. “I don’t fully understand it myself,” he admitted. “But I know what I felt that night wasn’t fake. And I know I wanted to see you again.”

Jordy stared at him for a moment, searching his face for anything that looked like a lie. He didn’t find it.

That was the problem.

“Do you always talk like this?” Jordy asked after a few seconds. “Or do you just say things you think people want to hear?”

Matt blinked, then laughed softly. “So now I’m a smooth talker?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You kind of did.”

Jordy shrugged. “I’m just asking.”

Matt shook his head, still smiling slightly. “No. I don’t do this with everyone.”

Jordy raised a brow. “So I’m special?”

Matt looked at him for a second longer than necessary. “Yeah,” he said simply. “You are.”

Jordy rolled his eyes, but he could feel the heat creeping up his neck.

“See?” Matt said. “That right there. That reaction.”

“What reaction?”

“You pretending it doesn’t affect you.”

“It doesn’t.”

Matt gave him a look that clearly said he didn’t believe that.

Jordy looked away again. “You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“Talking like that.”

Matt chuckled. “You asked if I do this with everyone. I said no. You’re my first.”

Jordy glanced back at him. “Your first what?”

“My first time actually trying to talk to a guy like this,” Matt said. “So yeah… I’m glad it’s working.”

Jordy let out a small laugh despite himself. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It’s not.”

“Still sounds like one.”

Jordy shook his head again, but the tension from earlier had eased a little.

They fell into a more natural conversation after that.

Nothing too deep at first. Just simple things.

Where they grew up. What they liked doing. Random stories. Small jokes.

Matt talked about how he had always liked drawing but never really took it seriously until recently. Jordy listened, asking questions without even realizing it.

Jordy mentioned his job briefly, complaining about how busy it got, and Matt laughed at the way he described customers.

At some point, Jordy forgot to be careful.

He forgot to overthink every word.

They sat there longer than he expected.

The conversation flowed easily, like they had known each other longer than just one night.

Every now and then, there would be a pause, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Just quiet moments where neither of them felt the need to rush.

At one point, Matt leaned back and looked at him. “So… this isn’t so bad, right?”

Jordy hesitated, then nodded slightly. “It’s not.”

“See? I told you. Just talking.”

Jordy gave him a look. “Don’t push it.”

Matt raised his hands slightly in mock surrender. “I’m not.”

But the tension was still there.

Subtle. Quiet. But there.

Jordy felt it in the way Matt looked at him sometimes. In the way their hands almost brushed when they both moved at the same time. In the small pauses where it felt like something could happen if neither of them stopped it.

So he kept a little distance.

Just enough.

When it started getting late, Jordy checked the time and stood up. “I should go.”

Matt nodded, standing as well. “Yeah.”

There was a brief moment where neither of them moved.

Then Jordy spoke again. “This was… okay.”

Matt smiled. “Just okay?”

Jordy hesitated, then added, “It was good.”

“That’s better.”

Jordy shook his head slightly. “Don’t get used to it.”

“I’ll try not to.”

They stood there for another second before Jordy finally turned to leave.

“Hey,” Matt called.

Jordy stopped and looked back.

“I’m glad you came.”

Jordy held his gaze for a moment, then nodded once. “Yeah.”

Then he walked away.

By the time Jordy got home, he didn’t even realize he was smiling.

He dropped his bag on the chair and went straight to his room, sitting on his bed.

He replayed everything in his head—the way Matt talked, the way he laughed, the way things felt so… easy.

“Just talking,” he muttered.

But it didn’t feel like just talking.

He ran a hand through his hair and let out a quiet breath, a small smile still on his face.

He didn’t even try to hide it.

Matt got home not long after.

He opened the door, stepping into the living room, and immediately paused.

Ella was there.

She was sitting on the couch next to Maya, his younger sister, and they were both laughing about something.

Maya noticed him first.

“Oh, look who’s back,” she said, grinning. “Where were you?”

Ella turned to look at him too, her expression soft but curious.

Matt froze for a second.

Just a second.

Then his eyes shifted to Ella, and for the first time that day, he didn’t know what to say.