forward / slash ✭ matt sturniolo

FORTY-SIX

"But, not at the expense of your mental health." He pulls her hand away from him and looks straight ahead. He does love Leanna, but she needs to put herself first.

There's a long pause. Leanna knows what he's saying isn't crazy, it's incredibly valid. But, she's waited too damn long to let Matt slip through her fingers. "I'm going to give my social media to my management. They'll promote my singles for me. I won't see any comments, I'll be ok."

Matt squeezes her hand gently. "We'll have to take our relationship slow and we'll grow as we go."

She squeezes his hand back, "I'm ok with that."

The pair sat in comforting silence. They know what they want now and nothing can stop them from pursuing it. Leanna moves closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Matt rests his head on top of hers.

"I missed you." Matt kisses the top of her head.

Leanna blushes, "I missed you too."

The quietness that had formed was disrupted when Matt catches Lea fishing for her phone out of her pocket.

"What are you doing?" He asks, his cheek resting against her head.

"Calling my manager, you gave me an idea for a song," Lea responds as she lifts her head up from his shoulder.

Matt pushes the hair that's falling in her face, behind her shoulder. "Oh, so I'm like your musical?"

Lea stops before she can press her manager's phone number.  "My what?"

"Your musical. You know like inspiration for art and shit." Matt shrugs, throwing his arm over Leanna's shoulder. 

She leans back into his arms, "That's a muse, Matt. Not musical."

"Oh." He flushes out of embarrassment, "Must've mixed them up or something."

"You're cute," Leanna says, pressing the phone to her ear. She hears the line connect and greets her manager, Juliette. "Hi Juliette, I have an idea for a song. I was wondering when I could come to New York to record it."

Juliette tells her that she'll call Columbia and asks Leanna to stay on the line. As Matt focuses on her, he can't help but pepper kisses on her face.

A kiss is placed on her cheek.

He can hear her manager ask her when she's done with her semester.

He kisses the temple of her head.

Lea discloses to Juliette that her last exam is in two weeks.

Matt briefly kisses her neck as he readjusts her necklace.

Leanna pulls the phone from her ear and chastises him for distracting her. He can tell she's not upset because after she reprimands him she kisses him on the lips and focuses back on her phone call.

"Late July to early August of this year is available?" Leanna repeats her manager's statement as a question, looking at Matt. If she says yes, that means she'll miss their birthday two years in a row. At that moment, she knows she'll decline the offer. Even if she has to wait for the next open slot, which is in November.