#chaoticmattwhitlock

[birchrcse]

Who: @chaoticmattwhitlock Where: Hawkins Reception

Everything was set out in the holding trays waiting for the announcement of dinner, the prep was set out and Birch finally found herself standing in the kitchen with a moment where she had nothing to do but breathe. Even Wilbur was out enjoying the party with Joel or one of the other guests and she rested, hands on the counter, recapturing her composure just as a very welcome face appeared through the doors. "You been such a big help today, I dunno how I'm ever gunna make it up to ya." Every time she'd gotten too stressed he'd swooped in with a kiss to the cheek or a touch of her hand and the distraction of the butterflies he caused pulled her back to herself and for that she'd be eternally grateful.

[holyemu]

who: @chaoticmattwhitlock where: carroll medical center

emily still couldn’t believe she was matt’s emergency contact. out of everyone in his life. the nurse had said she was the newest one on file, like that was a normal detail to casually drop, and emily hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it since. when did he change it? why?

she sat in the stiff chair beside his hospital bed, thumb nail between her teeth, leg bouncing despite her best efforts. the room smelled like disinfectant and something metallic, and every beep from the monitor felt too loud. matt looked wrong in a hospital bed—too still, too pale, like the world had taken someone loud and made him quiet. her chest tightened painfully at the sight.

when he stirred, emily snapped upright so fast the chair creaked. she was out of it in a second, leaning closer without thinking, her voice careful like she was afraid of startling him back into unconsciousness. “matt…?”

[diamondkatz]

who: @chaoticmattwhitlock where: Pier July 4th

"Hey there, Matty, look at you grillin and shit." Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she stole a little tap of a touch to his arm as she spread her blanket out on the bench behind him. "That for me?" Motioning to the bottle of water next to him, she made sure when she sat that he'd have a view of all her best angles. He'd become her white whale, and she knew it was only a matter of time before he'd take the bait. "Where'd your cowgirl go?"

[thexcarrollxtimes]

@chaoticmattwhitlock

The crowd was bigger than the carnival. At least it felt that way. The line for concessions sure seemed a lot longer than the ones he stood in back then. Of course, he hadn't paid too much attention last time as he had to wait for his funnel cake because the wait hadn't mattered. Not like it did now.

He sighed and checked his watch. The line couldn't move any slower. His gaze danced over the faces in the crowd, looking for the only one that mattered, when he found one he knew. "Hey Matty!" he called out, raising his hand up in a wave. "You been ta Birch's stand ye'?"

[birchrcse]

Who: @chaoticmattwhitlock Where: Carroll Campus

"So we strollin' first, or eatin'? Strollin' ta where we wanna be eatin'?" Birch grinned as she motioned to the covered wicker basket on the elbow of the same arm that currently held her piglet's leash. She'd actually taken a long time that morning getting ready, knowing she'd be going from classroom right into their date, butterflies swirling in her stomach the entire day.

They'd been texting most of the day, and her excitement had only grown, so now as she walked out to the very welcome sight of him outside the doors of the elementary, she couldn't help but be all smiles.

[birchrcse]

who: @chaoticmattwhitlock Where: Kitchens

Phone set down as the Joel stopped responding, the guilt of the entire conversation weighing heavy on her shoulders after everything that had happened in just the span of a few hours. She never should have even considered leaving early so Joel would never be tipped off that anything was wrong, but the staring of everyone out there was too much.

Head shaking as he came through the kitchen door, she was barely holding herself together. "The whole night is falling apart." And she didn't know what to do about it, and she didn't want to have to have any sort of talk with Matthew when she so badly just wanted everything to go back to how it had been, when the night was still perfect.

[birchrcse]

Who: @chaoticmattwhitlock where: Carroll campus elementary

It had beena fairly long morning trying to get her kids to sit still, but she'd saved the best for last. Neylani was killing it with her talk about being a police officer, but she knew the last presentation would be the one to truly catch the children's wavering attention. Stepping out of the classroom as Ney started the question and answer part, Birch had to stop herself from pausing for a moment at just how handsome the firefighter who'd shown up was. Maybe it was the uniform, or maybe his jawline?

"O-Oh, Um, Sorry, I'm just real frazzled, it'd been a busy day. I'm Miss Birch or Miss Rose, it's really up to you. You're our fire fighter, right?"

As if the signature fireproof get up wasn't a dead give away, but she was still stuck on his smile and fighting a losing battle against her blush as she held out a hand for him to shake. "You must be cookin' in all that gear, I'll have'ta open up some windows b'fore you come in. Make sure ya get ya a good ol' breeze."

[birchrcse]

Who: @chaoticmattwhitlock Where: Pier 4th of July Festival

She'd just been walking up when she watched Naomi walk away from Matthew with a little pat on his butt that Birch didn't appreciate at all. The woman gave her all the bad vibes, but it was hard not to feel so frumpy next to her when she was flaunting a perfect body around like that. Something Birch didn't have and couldn't flaunt.

"Hey." Though she gave him a smile and a kiss as she came up to him manning the smoker, there was something much more muted about her now as she took a peek in the cooler. "Almost all out' of'a hot dogs, maybe we'll be able ta close up earlier than I thought."