A few months later, on a chilly night, while Matt and Martine were strolling through an alley in Tigereast, a beefy dude with a spider tattoo on his arm suddenly popped out of a doorway and blocked their path. The guy was wearing a black jacket and ripped jeans, with that spider ink clearly visible. Matt and Martine had just grabbed some coffee and were in casual clothes; Matt was in a dark blue jacket and jeans, while Martine had on a beige coat and black pants.
Matt and Martine had just grabbed some coffee and were in casual clothes; Matt was in a dark blue jacket and jeans, while Martine had on a beige coat and black pants [https://img.wattpad.com/6108d9e4b9d48d7c991fdb54aaab852ad988671e/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f335152624b416f4d5256645f41413d3d2d313439323637363137362e313830636339633462363461383861623332313639333637373138332e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
«Gimme your phones and wallets!» the thug barked, pulling out a pocket knife and pointing it right at Matt.
Matt froze for a sec at the sight of the dagger, but as he looked at the thug, he took a deep breath, trying not to make a sound. His chest puffed up a bit, and that feeling of panic began to dissipate.
«O-okay, please don't hurt us...» Matt stammered, raising his hands in surrender.
«Yeah, yeah. Now hand over your stuff...» the punk shot back, glaring at Martine.
As the thug shifted the knife from Matt to Martine, Matt quickly snapped back into action, took a deep breath, and stayed silent. He couldn't let anything happen to her. So, he pretended to fumble for his phone with his right hand while lowering his chin and shifting his left leg back into a guard stance.
Once his left leg was back, Matt fully rotated his torso and threw a right hook with all his might, using his left hand to shield his face while he attacked.
The thug got nailed right on the chin and went down cold.
Didn't see that coming, huh? You punk, Matt thought, squinting after the hit and seeing the thug on the ground, unconscious.
Didn't see that coming, huh? You punk, Matt thought, squinting after the hit and seeing the thug on the ground, unconscious [https://img.wattpad.com/3754042bf47713696ea56e9b7b3539c0938c926d/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6e556d506d6e5775595150562d773d3d2d313439323637363137362e313830636266373138633464393962633736353030313831353739372e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
Matt then turned to Martine, who was still catching her breath.
«LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!» Matt then yelled, grabbing Martine's hand and pulling her toward the other end of the alley.
Matt and Martine kept running until they were safe out of the alley, onto a well-lit street.
«That was insane,» Martine said, breathing hard and leaning against a wall.
«I know,» Matt replied, exhaling and bending forward, resting his hands on his knees. «But I had to do something. I couldn't just hand over the cash like that,» he continued, catching his breath and standing up straight. «And who knows if he wouldn't have stabbed us anyway? Some people are just unpredictable.»
After a few seconds, Martine stepped closer to Matt, and the two lovebirds hugged it out.
«I can't believe you took him down like that, he was way bigger than you,» Martine said, squeezing him tight.
«The bigger they are, the harder they fall,» Matt said, hugging her back. «You could weigh a hundred pounds, but the chin is always a weak spot. No matter who you are,» he added after the hug. «You good?» he asked, glancing at her clothes.
Martine sighed and took a tiny step back to look around.
«Yeah, let's head home, Matt, I'm still freaked out,» she admitted.
Matt nodded and took Martine's hand to make her feel safe. The couple then headed to Martine's place in Lionwest, and Matt kept glancing back to make sure nothing else went down. It was a total trauma. Everything went down so fast, and the thought that something even worse could happen started messing with Martine's mind. But then she managed to chill when she turned her gaze back to Matt.
He was brave after all, she thought, watching Matt stroll beside her.
The streets were wet from the rain earlier, and the sidewalks were all jacked up, making it easy to roll an ankle, which wasn't helping at that moment. Then out of nowhere, a black Opel zoomed by, way too close to the curb, splashing water everywhere. But Martine caught it in time and dodged it.
Matt and Martine then stopped and realized they hadn't gotten soaked, but Matt shot a nasty look at the car as it sped away.
«What the hell, can't they see it's all wet?» Matt grumbled, then turned his gaze to Martine. «You good? Did you get wet?» he asked, eyeing her clothes.
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«I don't think so,» Martine replied, turning her back to him.
Matt took one last look and saw everything was cool.
«You're all good, just what we needed today,» he said, grabbing Martine's hand and starting to walk again.
After about ten minutes, the two finally made it to her doorstep. Matt glanced back one last time and sighed.
«Safe and sound,» he said, taking both her hands and showing a small smile.
Martine smiled back and leaned in for a kiss.
«Thanks, Matt,» she whispered before kissing him on his lips.
«No problem,» he replied, kissing her back and then letting go of her hands.
«Goodnight, love,» Martine said, kissing him once more before opening the door.
«Goodnight, sweetheart,» Matt said, watching her close the door behind her.
Matt then shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to head home. With his head down, images of that guy with the knife kept replaying in his mind. He couldn't take it anymore. He needed to talk to someone, and who better than Rick?
image [https://i.imgur.com/zgwgIFq.jpeg]
Matt pulled out his phone from his pocket, opened the WhatsApp convo with Rick, and hit the call button. He switched it to speaker and held the phone close to his mouth as he walked, still scanning the area. Walking with his phone out was risky in this part of town-another thug could pop up out of nowhere.
Hope he's not already asleep, he thought while the call was ringing.
Rick was in his PJs and dealing with a stomachache that night. He'd been in the bathroom for about an hour, trying to get himself together.
Damn, this hurts. I knew I shouldn't have gone ham on those cookies, he thought, just as he saw his phone ringing on the bathroom counter.
Who the hell is calling me at this hour? he wondered, getting up fast.
Matt? he said to himself, before accepting the call.
«Yo, bro, what's up?» he asked, plopping back down on the toilet.
«Rick, oh man, you won't believe what just went down,» Matt replied, just about to cross the street.
«What happened?» Rick asked, leaning back and flushing the toilet.
Matt paused for a sec and heard the flush.
«What the hell are you doing?» he said as he chuckled a bit.
«Ugh, too many cookies, bro. I've got the runs, haha.» Rick responded, closing his eyes for the embarrassment.
«The runs? Haha, you're something else. But you good?» Matt asked, watching a car zoom by.
«Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Rob hooked me up with these Danish cookies, and they were so good that I ended up polishing off the whole pack, you know how it goes,» Rick replied, finally coming out of the bathroom with his hand still on his stomach.
«Dude, why didn't ya leave me any? Anyway check this out, a whole mess went down,» he was about to reveal.
«Spill the tea, bro,» Rick replied, as he walked toward his bed.
«While Martine and I were walking down the street, some thug rolled up on us and asked for our wallets and phones,» he explained, blinking as he walked.
«What?» Rick exclaimed, his eyes going wide at the shocking news. He turned his back and glanced at the wardrobe, feeling the urge to intervene right away.
«I threw him a right hook, man, then we bounced,» Matt explained again while Rick headed toward the wardrobe.
«What did you just say?» Rick said, stopping dead in his tracks.
«Uhm, like I said, Rick. I just needed to chat with someone, so I hit you up,» Matt replied, keeping it moving home. «We're all good.»
Rick sighed. The fact that Matt told him they were safe eased his racing heart a bit.
«You scared the crap outta me, dude. I was about to get dressed and come get you two,» he replied, rubbing his neck a bit from the stress. Then he tried to lighten the mood. «All that boxing training finally paid off, huh?» he asked with a half-laugh.
«You didn't even believe I could pull it off,» Matt replied. «Wanna meet up?» Matt asked as he stopped and looked around. But the streets were empty.
«Yeah, why not at this point,» Rick replied, putting the phone on speaker.
«You good in fifteen minutes?» Matt asked, then kept walking.
«Cool. Let's hit that bar near your place,» Rick suggested, putting on his jacket.
«Sounds good, thanks, Rick. See you in a bit,» Matt said before hanging up.
Matt picked up the pace, and when he got to the bar, Rick was already there waiting for him, dressed in a gray jacket over a black sweater.
«What are you doing? You playing vigilante now? Haha,» he said, opening his arms for a hug. «You're a madman. Tell me more about what happened,» he asked as they hugged.
Matt gave a weak smile; the trauma was still fresh in his mind.
«It was shocking, Rick,» Matt said after they pulled apart. «I still don't know how I pulled it off,» he continued, shaking his head and shrugging. «And I can't stop thinking about what could've happened if I hadn't reacted in time,» he finished, blinking a bit.
«But you did,» Rick replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. «You should be proud of yourself for being brave in such a scary situation,» he went on, nodding at his words.
Matt looked away from Rick for a moment, remembering the incident, and smiled faintly before meeting his gaze again.
«I am, thank you, Rick.»
«No prob, bro,» Rick replied, giving him a light punch on the arm. «Come on,» he said, spotting an empty table. «Tell me more about Martine. You know, I don't really know her that well,» he continued as they walked. «What makes her different from the other girls you've dated?» Rick asked after sitting down at a small white table for two.
«She's different,» Matt replied, taking his seat. «I feel like I can be myself around her, and she gets me,» he continued, resting his hands on the table and interlocking his fingers.
«Oh, that's nice to hear,» Rick said with a smile, crossing his legs.
«She's amazing; I can't imagine my life without her,» Matt said, leaning back in his chair.
«Well, that's a good sign; you deserve to be happy!» Rick added, grabbing some peanuts from the table as a snack and popping them in his mouth.
«Thanks, Rick. Martine brings out the best in me,» Matt said, trying a few peanuts himself.
«Well, she turned you into a self-made hero! Keep treating her right, and she'll stick around forever,» Rick laughed as he chewed.
Matt laughed and leaned back in his chair. The danger had passed. For now.