the spaces between

forget me

matt didn't sleep. he'd been staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours, phone clutched in his hand, scrolling up and down the same thread of messages that didn't say enough. none of them ever did.

the last text was from isa at midnight: "home. packing."
he typed a dozen responses last night. deleted all of them except "get some sleep."

he almost added "i'll miss you" but that felt... too big. too permanent. too much like the truth.

his alarm buzzed, but he was already awake. the house was quiet, the way it only was before sunrise. for a second, he thought about ignoring the world, pretending this wasn't happening—that she wasn't leaving, that he wasn't about to spend weeks without hearing her laugh or watching her push her hair behind her ear when she was thinking too hard.

he sat up and glanced at the chair by his desk. the hoodie he'd lent her—the one she'd worn that night, the night everything cracked open between them—was gone.

matt swallowed hard, chest tight. she took it.
somehow, that made it worse. like she needed a piece of him to take with her because there was a chance... she might not come back the same.

he typed out a text: "u up?" sent it before he could overthink. then started another: "don't go yet." but he deleted it before the second letter appeared.

the ride to her house was too long, though it was just a house away. it was him, nick, and chris in the car. luca loaded bags into the trunk while isa stood on the porch in a sweatshirt that was too big for her, hair pulled into a messy bun, shadows under her eyes like she hadn't slept either.

she smiled when she saw him—small, tired, but real—and something in matt's chest broke open.

"hey," she said softly.

he wanted to say stay. instead, he just reached for her suitcase. "i'll grab this."

isa didn't argue. she just let him, like she was too tired to fight him on anything. her hand brushed his when she passed him her carry-on, and he almost dropped it because even that little touch felt like a goodbye.

the car ride was quiet, filled with half-hearted jokes from nick and chris that no one laughed at. isa stared out the window, earbuds in but no music playing—he knew because he could hear the faint hum of the engine, nothing loud enough to hear through her headphones.

he wanted to take her hand. god, he wanted it so bad his fingers twitched against his thigh. but luca was watching in the rearview, and isa... she didn't look at him once.

the airport was chaos—lines, announcements, the rush of people everywhere—but for matt, it was like everything moved underwater. muffled. slow.

he carried her bag because she was juggling her passport and some forms, mumbling under her breath about the flight. she looked so small in that moment, drowning in a world that didn't care if she was breaking inside.

he wanted to fix it for her. he couldn't.

when they reached the security line, luca gave them space to say goodbye, stepping a few feet away to take a call. matt's heart pounded so hard it hurt.

isa turned to him, and for the first time all morning, their eyes locked. hers were glassy, like she was holding back everything she didn't want to say.

"matt," she whispered, voice cracking just slightly.

that was it. that was all it took. he pulled her in, arms wrapping around her so tight like maybe if he held her hard enough, time would stop.

she melted against him instantly, burying her face in his shoulder. and he thought, god, how am i supposed to breathe without this?

when he finally loosened his grip, she didn't step back right away. she just looked up at him with this raw, open expression that made his throat close.

"don't forget me," she said, so quiet he almost didn't hear it.

he didn't answer. didn't think. he just kissed her.

it wasn't soft. it wasn't careful. it was desperate and messy and tasted like tears—hers, his, he didn't know. her hands gripped his sweatshirt like she was trying to memorize the feel of him.

when he pulled back, it wasn't because he wanted to. it was because if he didn't, he'd never let go.

"go," he said, voice rough. "before i make you miss your flight."

isa stared at him for a second longer, eyes shining, then nodded and turned away.

he watched her walk with luca and her mom until she disappeared behind the security gate. and even then, he stood there like an idiot, heart lodged in his throat, waiting for her to come back. she didn't.

the silence in the car on the way home was unbearable. nick and chris tried to talk—about practice, about anything—but matt couldn't hear them over the ringing in his ears.

he didn't go downstairs when they got home. didn't eat dinner. he just went straight to his room, shut the door, and finally broke.

fists in his hair, tears burning his eyes, breath coming in harsh, uneven pulls. because it hit him all at once—how empty everything felt without her. how much it scared him that she was so far away, dealing with things he couldn't protect her from.

his mom knocked at one point, gentle as always. "matt? you okay?"

"yeah," he lied, voice wrecked.

she didn't believe him. later, he found water and snacks outside his door. marylou always knew.

that night, he sat on his bed scrolling through isa's instagram, stopping on a photo of her laughing, head tilted back like the sun belonged to her. it hurt to look at. it hurt more not to.

he opened their chat. typed: "i miss you already." didn't send it.

instead, he got up, grabbed the polaroid they took last year—the one she truly smiled in—and pressed his chest it, clutching it like a lifeline.

"i wont forget you, ever." he whispered into the thick air, voice breaking.

- chlo speaks!

am i evil 4 this

pleaaase dont be a dry reader!