𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 || MATT STURNIOLO

21*

Welcome to chapter 21! Enjoy ;)

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- Cassie -

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I sat alone in the middle of a dark, empty room. It smelled of nothing but burnt wood. I was scared and tired.

I looked around, nothing in sight. Fear, was all that I could feel.

I sat there for a moment, thinking of what to do. I tried to move, but I was tied down. My arms were tied up behind me, my legs the same, tied up below me.

Help! Help... I thought, but I couldn't speak. My mouth opened, but no words came out. A light above me flickered on, catching me off guard so I let out a slight squeal.

Two other lights came on in front of me, and two men appeared under each. They turned around to be revealed as... Chris and Matt? Another man stood over me, looking at me.

"Choose. You have to choose!" He raised his voice, echoing through the empty room. He repeated it, over and over.

I looked at Chris and Matt who seemed to also be tied up, and they were both crying. Tears also filled the brim of my eyes.

"Choose or they both die." The mans voice seemed to become deeper and darker.

Everything went blank, then I was awake.

Gasping for air, I sat up quickly holding my chest.

"Baby? Are you okay?" Matt said in a raspy voice. He sat up beside me, his hand on my back as he waited for me to speak.

"Yeah... I just, had a nightmare." I said, looking at him.

"I can tell, you've been tossing and turning for the past hour." He said, wrapping his arm around me.

"I'm sorry for waking you." I said in a calm voice. He shook his head, kissing my cheek and laying back down with me.

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"I had a weird dream lastnight." I said to Nick. We were out shopping since there was no food at home.

"What happened?" He asked, pushing the cart toward the canned food isle.

"I was tied up in a dark room, Matt and Chris were there. There was also this man... I couldn't see his face. We were all tied up, but the man wasn't. He told me to choose, whatever that meant." I looked at him. "I think he was telling me to choose... between Matt and Chris. He said if I didn't, they'd both die." I said, thinking about the awful dream.

"Woah, that... is weird." He pushed the cart further down into the isle. I hummed in response, looking down at the shopping list.

"I feel like I'm stuck." I spoke, tossing a few cans into the cart.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Chris is... still in love with me, but I love Matt. And Chris knows, but he wont leave it alone. He wont drop it!" I rubbed my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I looked at him. "I don't know what to do."

"Maybe you should talk to them, both. Like, at the same time."

"Oh yeah? What would I say?" I rose an eyebrow at him.

"Just, talk? Explain how your feeling, tell them about the dream. Your going to have to talk to them soon or you and Matt... might break up." I stopped walking.

"Your not helping." I mumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.

He turned around, rolling his eyes, then continued toward the produce isle. Maybe he's right though. This situation could cause me and Matt to split. Obviously, that's not what I want, and hopefully he doesn't want that either.

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We finished up shopping, checking out, and I drove us home. I still couldn't stop thinking about what Nick said. "you and Matt might break up." It echoed through my head. I tried focusing on the bright side, but what bright side? There was none.

We made it home and the boys came out to help bring the groceries inside. "Hey Cass, are you okay?" Alahna asked, sitting down on the couch beside me. I nodded. "Talk to me. Do you want to go upstairs and talk?" I looked at her for a second, then nodded.

We made it to mine and Matt's room, where I sat on the bed and Alahna sat next to me. "What's wrong?" She asked, looking at me.

"I had a dream lastnight." I started, her nodding. "It was really weird. I was sitting in the middle of this dark room, tied to a chair. In front of me, Matt and Chris were tied up as well, but they were crying in pain and fear. Seeing them like that made me cry, too... Then, there was this tall man, I couldn't see his face because of the lighting, but he was screaming at me. He kept saying "choose". I didn't know what he meant, but then, he said "choose or they both die." A tear fell down my cheek. I didn't say anything else, she didn't either. She just pulled me into a hug.

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The next morning, I sat at the dining table reading a book. I hadn't talked much since yesterday. I was tired, drained, and scared.

Scared? I don't know why, maybe it was the dream, or my own thoughts that had me frightened, but whatever it was, bothered me.

Matt walked into the dining room, placing his hand on my back, then he pulled out a chair and sat next to me.

"What's going on, Cass?" He asked, sincerely.

"What? What do you mean?" I asked, closing my book and turning toward him.

"You haven't been sleeping, you've been very distant, and you seem on edge." He listed my actions, clearly I was aware.

"I'm... fine. I'm okay." I spoke, him shaking his head at me.

"Nope, Nick told me."

"About what?" I asked.

"The dream, Cassie." He never uses my whole name... "I hope you don't actually feel that way."

"What do you mean? It was only a dream!" I put my head in my hands.

"You don't have to choose between us, I love you and that's all that matters. Chris hurt you and he's apologized, but you don't have to choose." He held my hand. "Look at me" I did. "I love you." I nodded, a tear falling down my cheek.

"I love you." I whispered back.

He smiled at me gently, pulling me into a tight, reassuring hug. "Baby, I'm always here for you when you need someone to talk to." He kissed my forehead, helping me stand up to go back upstairs.

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Well.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please check out my other 2 books, Comfort Crowd, and Us!

I recently uploaded another video on my YouTube, allabouthvrry. Go check that out as well. Bye guys, I love you all so much.

-T