𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 & 𝗔𝗟𝗪𝗔𝗬𝗦, 𝐦. 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨

⁴

the day had arrived. the moment both matt and hope were anticipating for an entire week. it felt surreal; the thought of seeing each other and actually communicating made their stomachs do summersaults with butterflies swarming around. it was something they never ever expected to happen after they broke up yet here they were, merely moments away from reconciling. nerves ran through their veins and their breathing was rather uneven. despite the way they were feeling, they reassured themselves that it would all be okay and to just head into it with an open mind-set.

hope felt strange knocking on the triplets' front door. when her and matt were together, she would walk in as she pleased and nobody would bat an eyelid but now it felt strange and impolite to do such a thing. her hand quickly twisted into a fist and tapped on the door a couple times. her heart was surely beating too fast for any normal person but she ignored it, not really thrilled by the fear that had overtaken her. she waited a few seconds before the sight of the door in front of her changed to a smiling chris. the smile on his face was adorable, he looked like his jaw would fall off at any moment and he wouldn't care because in front of him stood hope and with hope, nothing else mattered.

"hope! i'm so happy to see you. come here," he beamed at the girl before pulling her into the tightest embrace ever, almost as though he was scared she would escape their lives again if he didn't hold on.

she returned it with no difficulty and she too held onto him tightly, clutching his body firmly with her smile pressing into his shoulder. though it had been a long time since their last hug, the joy it brought never disappeared and they stood like that for a while, content in each other's arms before they happily let go. hope followed chris inside and shut the door behind her before looking around at the house. an overwhelming sense of the past washed over her and her knees almost gave out when she took in the scenery in front of her. she was walking back in time to a place she had locked away in the back of her mind but she had remembered every little nook and cranny and it showed as she walked straight to the living room.

nick was in the kitchen, chris had told her, and chris quickly trailed off to join his older brother, most likely to give matt and hope the space they certainly needed. as hope walked in and caught sight of matt, her smile faltered and her eyes lingered on his figure. she simply couldn't look away and when his eyes looked up to meet her own, she felt like she was trapped in a cage. she wasn't sure if she wanted to find the key and throw it so far that she would never find it again or if she wanted to find it and free herself as fast as possible.

she walked closer and closer until she couldn't and settled beside him on the couch, leaving a little space between them. it was painful honestly, how months ago they'd cuddle so tightly that not even air could work its way through but now they felt worlds apart.

"hi," he breathed out in a gentle whisper.

"hey," she responded in a similar tone.

they seemed like people who were afraid and that, they were. how could they speak normally after they had been deprived of communication for what felt like an eternity? it was all so confusing and every time they processed the situation they were in, they'd felt utterly lost.

"hope, i'm so sorry. i'm so fucking sorry for everything. we just weren't what we used to be and i didn't know what to do and i'm just so sorry," after a few moments of silence, the words tumbled out before matt could stop them.

she shook her head, "it's okay matt."

"it isn't though, is it? i ruined us," he mumbled.

"matt i always told you things happen for a reason, if not you then it would have been me. we just have to move on," she comforted him with a genuine smile.