Matthew was going through somewhat of a midlife crisis as of late.

He’d just wrapped filming for the fourteenth season of his tv show, Criminal Minds, and he didn’t have anything else planned role-wise. He was ‘unemployed’, technically speaking.

In other words, he had nothing to do. He was bored out of his mind. And to make matters worse, he was painfully single.

He’d gone through a pretty rough breakup about six months prior, and hadn’t quite recovered. Not to say that he’s heartbroken — he’s not. That relationship had been toxic as hell, and ending it was a relief. But he’s in his late thirties, and dating at that age kinda sucks.

Before, he had filming to distract him from how chronically lonely he was. Now, he didn’t have that luxury. He went to sleep in an empty bed, and woke up alone.

So far, the days had been nothing special. Matthew went to his favorite cafe in Manhattan, grabbed some coffee, ran into some fans on the street. Took photos with them, had light conversations, signed a few autographs. Every single day.

Matthew’s friends had been picking up on his depressing habits. How mundane his life seemed to be, the undeniable loneliness that he’d been experiencing. That’s why his friend Colin, who happened to also be his manager, insisted on dragging him down to Long Island.

Summer in New York is hot. What better way to spend your time during a heatwave than lounging on the beach? Matthew decided it couldn’t hurt.

After assisting Colin and his wife in setting up their spot — beach towels, a couple lounge chairs, a cooler; Matthew told the pair he was gonna take a walk down the beach and that he’d return shortly.

In other words, he didn’t wanna third wheel the entire day. Matthew’s happy for Colin and Karey, obviously. He just doesn’t need a constant reminder of how excruciatingly single (and in turn, lonely) he is.

So far, things were great. The tide was at a nice level, some teenagers were playing good music — 90s alt rock, and it wasn’t too crowded surprisingly.

That was when he saw you.

You were about seven feet away from him currently. And ironically enough, you seemed to be third wheeling for the day as well.

You were sprawled out across a purple striped beach towel in what had to have been the tiniest bikini he’d ever seen (not that he’s complaining). At your side was another girl, who was seated between a guy’s thighs.

There was something about the smile on your face that was so damn appealing to him. It was endearing, the way your eyes lit up. The way your fringe kept falling in your face and your lower lip was caught between your teeth. Not to mention the fact that you were pretty obviously (at minimum slightly) uncomfortable with your friends being all over one another, but were trying to play it cool as not to bother them. That was cute.

Fuck- you were literally his dream girl. From your body in that tiny bikini to the freckles that dotted your skin. The color of your hair, the way it framed your face. The contours of your jaw and cheekbones. How short you were, despite your shoes being platforms. Problem was, you were definitely at minimum ten years younger than him.

Matthew hadn’t even realized he was staring. His hands were pocketed in his swim shorts, his slender torso exposed to the New York sun — steps halted as he ogled. Like a fucking teenager.

And just when he thought things couldn’t get more embarrassing for him, your head turned. You locked eyes.

Instantly, your jaw dropped — your eyes widened. The smile on your face grew increasingly genuine as you eagerly tapped your friend’s arm.

In other words, you recognized him. You knew who he was. He found himself hoping you didn’t notice him practically drooling over you like a creep…

Instead of doing the smart thing and continuing to stroll down the shore, return to Colin and Karey, Matthew stayed planted firmly where he was. Pretended to glance around aimlessly.

You’d think an actor would be better at covering up his stares.

Yet still, he couldn’t bring himself to turn around.