The Mafia King’s Teacher

Chapter 5: Friend Zoned?

Lisa sighed as she shut her front door. The evening had not gone as planned, in fact, quite the opposite. Everything she tried, from laughing too loudly, having bad table manners, pretending to be stupid, and even endlessly talking about exs did not put the stubborn man off. In fact, Matt seemed to laugh out loud and thoroughly enjoy himself. Lisa shuffled to the kitchen and put the slow cooker on the side. She undid her dress and took it off, putting it straight into some black bin bags. She kicked the bag and moaned, "Dam it, why does he have to be so damn sexy?" 

Deciding that there was nothing else to do, Lisa went up and had a shower. The warm water helped clear her mind, and she let it drift for a bit. Lisa daydreamed about having a relationship with Matt. Where would they go on a second date? Where would their first kiss be? Would they live here or in Brazil? Lisa stopped the shower and pushed back the curtain. Through the steam, Lisa could see her reflection, and it made her come back to reality with a bang. Her body was covered in scars, a constant reminder of what could never be.

"You are so f*****g stupid, Lisa! No one can ever love you. You are a monster, Focus and keep your head down! " She said as she went to sleep, trying not to dream about the handsome Brazilian man.

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"She did what? Oh my God! " Alannah said, roaring with laughter.

"Yes, she brought out a slow cooker. The look on poor Ian’s face was priceless. He didn’t know what to do! I had to stop myself from bursting out laughing!" Matt said, smiling widely. He was not surprised when he was invited for an early lunch with Alannah and Kurt. They would want to know all the gossip from last night.

"I have to admit, she is clever. Lisa promised you one date, and she tried to make it as horrendous as possible so you would not want to date her again!" Kurt said approvingly.

"Oh, Lisa is clever! She was also witty, funny, and a rebel!" 

"The main question is, did her plan work? Are you put off? " Kurt asked.

"No, quite the opposite actually. Lisa is completely unlike any woman I have ever dated. She makes me feel free and I can be myself around her. We just clicked, and I don’t know how else to explain it. " Matt said.

"You don’t need to; we understand. Are you going on a second date with her? " Alannah asked excitedly.

"Well, she didn’t say no. Which, for Lisa, is as good as a yes. I am going to pop round for a cup of tea later. " Matt informed them.

"Tea sounds good," Kurt said, carefully.

"What is it?" Matt said, his eyes narrowing. He could tell by Kurt’s tone that something was bothering him.

"Well, a cup of tea is the British equivalent of friend-zoning someone," Kurt said.

"Friend zoning? Matt said, unsure if he had heard the term before.

"You know where a person wants to be your friend, rather than your lover," Alannah said awkwardly, and Kurt nodded.

"You think that she just wants to be friends and this cup of tea is..friend-zoning?" 

"It is a possibility, that is all I am saying. I think you need to use this opportunity to show her your attention. Like flowers and chocolates, for example. Just something to close the deal on a second date, " Kurt explained.

"Kurt, you make it sound like a business deal!" Alannah said, appalled, and Kurt shrugged.

"I don’t think flowers and chocolates will work with Lisa. However, I do have an idea! " Matt said, suddenly smiling.

Later that afternoon, Matt knocked on Lisa’s door. He was surprised when Lisa, who didn’t open the door, but a teenager with blue eyes and blond hair.

"Oh, hello. Is Lisa in please?" Matt said politely. The teenager stared puzzled for a second and then smiled. She made the sign for him to come in. Matt went in and found himself in a warm hallway that had wood chip wallpaper that was covered in magnolia paint. There were a couple of pictures on the wall that looked like they were done by the teenager in front of him.

"I am sorry, I don’t know your name," Matt said. Emily instinctively signed that her name was Emily, but Matt shook his head. "I am so sorry, I don’t sign."

Emily nodded and grabbed a small whiteboard and a pen that was hung up nearby. She wrote: "I am Emily, and Lisa is my sister. She will be back in a minute. 

"Thank you, Emily. My name is Matt, and I am pleased to meet you. " Matt said, and Emily smiled. She led him to the front room, which was painted green and had a couple of black sofas in it. Matt was surprised to find a young man sitting on one of the sofas. Somehow, he looked familiar, and when he turned, a look of shock filled his face.

"Are you OK, Will?" Signed, Emily

"I'm sorry, my love, but I wasn't expecting anyone but you!" Will said and signed, not taking his eyes off Matt. Emily signed some more and Will said, "Emily says please make yourself comfortable. This is William Collins, my boyfriend. Would you like a cup of tea or coffee? "

"I would love a cup of coffee, please," Matt said, and Emily smiled and went into the kitchen.

Will wasted no time and said, "If you are here to hurt them, then be warned that my cousin is the leader of the Grey Seals and they are under our protection!"

"Ahh, you are Jack Collins' cousin. Do they know about the gang world? " Matt said, eyes narrowing as he sat down.

"No," Will said, much to Matt’s relief.

"But you know who I am?" Matt said.

Will scoffed, "Everyone knows who you are!"

"Then you would know that if I wanted to hurt them, neither you nor the grey seals could prevent that," Matt said.

He thought, "The siren, on the other hand, could, but she was in Cornwall with the twin princes of mischief."  

"Are you?" Will said, trying to keep the panic from his eyes as Emily brought in a tray with milk, a coffee pot, and sugar. "Here, sweetheart, let me do that!" Will said as he took the tray off of her. He was rewarded with a sweet smile as Emily went back into the kitchen.

"No, I am not. I am here for the same reason as you, I suspect. " Matt said, as Will put the tray on the coffee table in front of him. 

"Emily?" Will said, confused.

"No, Lisa, you fool!" Matt hissed, and Will visibly relaxed as Emily came in with two large mugs of tea. She handed one to Will and set the other on the table in front of her, before sitting down. She then began to sign.

"Emily asks, "What are your intentions towards my sister?" Because if you hurt her, I will kill you! " Will said, with a chuckle. However, Matt looked into her blue eyes, which were as hard as ice, and did not doubt for one minute that she would.