Is all of this Worth the Trouble? [PlayingMonster]

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((It's fine. No worries!))

"Well it helps pay the bills, so I guess I can't complain too much about it." Matt shrugged, resting his back against the seat a little more in order to get comfortable. Just relax, he continued to tell himself, rolling his shoulders just the slightest bit to ease away the little bit of tension he held within himself. A little bit of a lull of silence enveloped them, but right when he went to open his mouth in order to bring back a little bit more conversation, another voice popped up, one calling out Bella's name.

Turning his head to look, he rose his brows at the male that came up, one that he didn't recognize, but apparently the two knew one another. And it was relatively obvious that they were happy to see one another. Matt straightened his posture again, becoming more rigid at the sight as he narrowed his eyes just the slightest bit. Why he felt this sudden wave of slight jealousy over the sight, despite the fact that he was confident it was only innocent? He couldn't exactly be sure, however what he did know what that as soon as Belle mentioned something about going to see another friend, the guy, Ed, he thought he heard her say, sat right in front of him.

"Three years clean... What?" He scrunched his face up, his brows furrowing as he shook his head. "I don't understand what you mean. What are you talking about? Bella's fine."
 
Ed's eyes widened. "Shit... She never told you?" He bit his lip, looking around, before sighing. "I'm guessing that you're not going to let me away without an explanation. She's probably going to kill me. But you're her boyfriend. She clearly likes you, she's probably just worried about how'd react." He sighed again, before leaning in. "She was addicted to heroin for a while in college. She managed to get herself clean after an overdose. But she was involved in some other stuff as well, stuff that probably wouldn't let go so easily. And I don't think it's my place to tell you about that. She didn't even tell me,"

Bella appeared back, a big smile on her face. "Am I interrupting something?" Ed's face was suddenly in a grin, like the conversation between he and Matt had never happened. "Not at all. Just telling him about some of the things we got up to together." She laughed easily as he stood up. She slid back into her seat and grinned at him. "You didn't tell him about the time we got locked into the library, did you?" He laughed and shook his head. "I'll let you tell him that story. I'll talk to you soon, okay?" She grinned and nodded.

The waiter appeared. "Are you ready to order?" He asked. She glanced at Matt, before shrugging. "Sure. I'll have the lasagna please."
 
Now the concern and worry were beginning to set in Matt. What had Bella done that she had never told him about? Apparently it couldn't be something simple, otherwise why would she hide it from him, and why would this guy have even brought it up in the first place? Frowning, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he stared down the other man before him. And then his words sunk in.

He didn't really know how to take it, didn't even really know what to think of it anyway. No. There was no way he was right about that. He had only said that to bother him, to throw him off... Yet why did it seem like it was all the truth? And then to say that she had done some other things, other things that he didn't even know about? Matt opened his mouth to say something, but when he found no words to speak he closed his mouth back up, his brows furrowed, his hands tightening into fist. His eyes looked down towards the table, not even acknowledging the fact that the Ed guy had gotten up and Bella had taken his spot again. Didn't listen to the little comments they shared with one another.

Heroine? She had been addicted to that, and even overdosed at some point? Why had she never said anything about it? Why would she even do that?

Only when the waiter came over to take their orders did Matt finally look from the table, his mind still disoriented. "Um, yeah... Sure, I'll just... Have the chicken alfredo." He handed the man the menu back before he nodded and walked off. He leaned back in his seat, that rigidness right back to where it had been before. "Where do you know that guy from? When did you meet him?" He finally turned his eyes up to look at Bella, his eyes a bit narrowed.
 
She frowned as she saw Matt's posture. He seemed tense, and she wondered if he was getting jealous. His words confirmed it, and she sighed, shaking her head. "Matt, it's nothing. We were roommates in college. He helped me through some rough times. No dating, ever. I was never attracted to him and I'm still not." She told him, staring straight into his eyes so he could see that she was telling the truth. Not that she wouldn't be able to fake it- she'd had a lot of experience of lying in her first two years of college. First with the drugs, then with the people and the jobs she'd been doing. Honestly, it was a surprise that she'd been able to get away as easy as she had. She'd just said that she wanted out, and she got out.

She had contemplated telling him, but then they'd had an argument of some sorts and for once in her life, she'd bitten her tongue. She hadn't wanted him to know for the first while, in case she scared him off, and when the arguing started, she didn't want to give him any more ammunition. The marks on her arms had faded enough so that they could be passed off as just imperfections in her skin.
 
Helped her through some rough times? What, the drugs hadn't been enough for her? Matt grit his teeth as he ran a hand through his hair, losing the eye contact that he held with Bella right after she stopped speaking. It seemed like she was telling him the truth, and though his concerns were no where near about what could have happened between those two in the past, it still made him wonder whether or not she really was telling the truth. If she had been hiding something like that from him all throughout their relationship, then what else was she hiding from him?

He wanted to question her about it; about her drug addiction and ask her what the hell was wrong with her, bu he decided against it. Now as not the time, and it definitely wasn't the place to be discussing something like that. Who was the woman he had been dating for the past two years, and what other secrets were in her past? He hoped that there were none and hoped that that was the only problem, but still. It was a big deal, to him anyway.

"Right, sure. I was just wondering since you've never mentioned him to me before." He gave a shrug, still refusing to make eye contact with her, still upset though he tried to contain it within himself. "It was surprising."
 
She frowned a little as his eyes pulled away from hers. She suddenly wondered if Ed had let something slip about the girl she'd been in college. Sometimes, she saw glimpses of that girl in the mirror- usually when she was angry. She'd had to pretend to be dangerous, and for a while, had actually become dangerous. Not that she'd ever done any of the dirty work, but being around those people long enough had had an effect on her.

She frowned again as he spoke. "Really? I'm pretty sure I told you some of the stories when I was in college. Maybe I just didn't mention Ed by name." He still wasn't meeting her eyes, and she leaned in a little, trying to catch his eye. "What's up, Matt?" She asked quietly, forcing herself to smile a little at him. "Come on, you know you can trust me."
 
Oh really now? Matt had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at her comment, furrowing his brows a bit as Ed's words continued to circle through his mind. Apparently she hadn't told him as much as he had previously thought about her college life, and while he couldn't necessarily think of a time when she ever mentioned Ed by name, that was long out of his mind. Was she on drugs when they first met? Had she ever gotten high or had she even been on a high when they first started dating? If sh did, how could he have missed any of it?

Only when she leaned forward to speak did he finally turn to look at her, his eyes still a bit narrowed. "Can I though? Because before I thought I could." And he really didn't know if he could any longer. He shook his head, turning to look away from her again. "We'll talk about it later."
 
She recoiled at his comment, shock filling her stomach as she realised what he was saying. Ed must have let something slip. Anger flared inside of her, but she forced herself to take a deep breath. She kept her eyes focused on the table. Ed was only human and he was naive. He had clearly thought that she would have opened up easier. "Ed said something, didn't he?" She said, forcing herself to keep her voice level. She shook her head. "No, you're right. We'll talk about this later."

She was as scared as she was angry. She had no idea how Matt was going to react to all of this. How much did he know? Just about her addiction? Or about everything else? About how, for eighteen months of her life, she'd been involved in something so dangerous, she'd been lucky to make it out alive and without any lasting damage? She'd been lucky to escape so cleanly, and she knew that if she hadn't had such a good relationship with the boss, she wouldn't have made it out.
 
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