𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 & 𝗔𝗟𝗪𝗔𝗬𝗦, 𝐦. 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨

¹⁷

the family of three plus matt waved continuously until the silver car that had arrived merely two hours ago was out of sight. hope pulled matt to her room a short while after and they both flopped onto the bed, side by side and comfortable next to one another.

"that went by too quickly. it feels like she just got here and left already," hope sighed as she picked up her phone from her bedside table and clicked it on to check the time.

"at least we got to see her and spend time with her," matt reassured with a soft smile.

matt, hope and azula had gone to the park the day before she left. azula went on every piece of equipment imaginable and matt and hope followed contently. they continued their outing with a visit to matt's house, where the family was more than excited to see the little girl. it was nice spending time with the girl and the fact that they were together too was simply an added bonus.

"can we watch a movie?" hope asked as she grabbed the remote that had been tossed aside to the edge of her bed.

"what movie?" matt questioned after he nodded his head.

"my favourite barbie one," hope grinned as she began searching the title up.

matt didn't have to look at the screen to know which movie hope was putting on. ever since she was a child, her favourite barbie movie was princess charm school. it had stuck that way her entire life and it certainly wasn't going to change, ever. she couldn't really explain why it was her favourite, just that she could mouth along to all the words and sing along to the background songs. the ending gave her chills every time, despite knowing what happened and all in all, she adored it immensely.

"how many times do you think you've watched this movie?" matt mused as he shuffled closer to hope, closing the little gap to get more comfortable whilst choosing to ignoring the rapid pounding of his heart.

"i genuinely have no clue but i'm more than sure it isn't a healthy amount," she responded as she clicked play.

the movie began playing and because of how much hope loved it, matt easily felt drawn to it. he had seen it many times too because of her and every time, he felt connected to her which in turn made him enjoy the movie. hope smiled at the screen in front of them and matt tapped on the subtitles. hope had this thing where she absolutely needed subtitles or she simply wouldn't watch a movie. hope turned to face him and found him already looking at her with a smile that she returned momentarily before shifting her attention back to the laptop.

the movie was running its course faster than hope thought was normal. the scenes were blurring together and every moment she checked how long there was left, shocked her beyond belief.

it finished sooner than she would have liked and hope sighed both contentedly and in disappointment. matt nudged her side and she nudged his back before she shut her laptop screen.

"we should go for a walk?" matt suggested after a little while of comfortable silence and hope nodded her head immediately.

they both left hope's room and slid their shoes on before walking out the door and letting the humid air engulf them. the weather was increasing by the day and the brightness was almost overpowering as they took their first few steps.

there was no specific destination in mind as they walked. they simply travelled to where their bodies took them without paying any mind to the actual locations. sure, they glanced at the surroundings that seemed more alive than ever but they weren't really looking. in all honesty, they were looking at one another.

they snuck looks at one another at any opportunity they could find, whether it was minimal or not. the shift in their gaze as the other remained completely oblivious would have been funny if it were not for the painful feelings shared between the pair and the sheer lack to comprehend or even recognise them. maybe they were stupid or perhaps they were blinded by fear. their minds and their eyes were masked in a fog of fear, not allowing them to see beyond what met the eye because it felt like they'd drown in the sight. they were sure they'd make the sight appeal to themselves more, only to realise it wasn't what they imagined and to be left disappointed or worse, hurt.