𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 & 𝗔𝗟𝗪𝗔𝗬𝗦, 𝐦. 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨

⁸

the weeknd was blaring through hope's headphones as she nodded her head along to the beat with her book held shut in her hand. her fingers swiped over the title of the hardback and she twisted the bundle of pages in her hand. her silver ring was shining brightly in the light and the sparkle caught itself in her eyes. her brown eyes shone perfectly as she breathed in the moment.

she was purely sitting with the triplets. they weren't necessarily communicating with her but being within their company made her content regardless. each individual was doing their own thing, indulging in the people around them without actually doing anything at all.

chris had his head resting on hope's leg as he scrolled through his phone, occasionally lifting his phone for her to see something. matt sat beside her and hummed softly to the music playing through his airpods. he was dangerously close with his hands ghosting hope's side. nick was on the other side of hope, flicking between the various social media apps on his phone and making a comment about something or the other every now and then.

this had become their spot in some sort of way. it was a beautiful tree planted in hope's garden and in the moment of spring, there wasn't another place they deemed more perfect. the bright green leaves towered over them and the bark of the tree provided the cool they needed in the heat. their drinks were laid out carelessly beside them and they forgot about them more than they would have liked to admit.

hope shuffled in her position as the song shifted to 505 and she smiled minimally before opening her book up and resuming where she had left off. her eyes ran through the pages and soaked in the text all over it. her mind travelled to another universe, the way it always did when she read a book. her brain pictured a whole other world and she smiled as she let the scenes play out in front of her. she often laughed at the funny moments in the books and sighed when a character did something particularly stupid.

matt removed his airpods and gently placed them back in their respective case. he nudged hope's side and when she let her headphones fall around her neck, he smiled.

"what animal would you be?" he asked as he carefully plucked her book from her hands and placed the bookmark on the right page before shutting it entirely.

"what i would choose to be or what i would be?" she mused as she grasped her book as matt handed it back to her.

"what you would just be," he replied quickly and took in the way her eyes slightly squinted as she began to think.

"i don't really know, what do you think i would be?" she asked with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"a butterfly," he answered instantly like he had the answer memorised for his entire life.

she let her head fall to his shoulder, somehow realising the even further lack of distance between them.

"why?" she asked and it wasn't delivered in anything other than a curious tone.

"you're like the person that everyone looks at when they're around and you make things easier. that's how i see butterflies," he confirmed, keeping the "and you're so fucking beautiful" lingering on the tip of his tongue.

hope turned her face so she could get a better look at him, now able to count the small strands of stubble on the corner of his jaw.

she shyly hummed a little, "you're always saying too nice things, you spoil me matthew."

he laughed at her words but ignored the way his heart wanted him to say so much more. he turned to look at her too, their faces just barely apart and she abruptly turned to face forward again. he let a small frown capture his mouth yet he didn't look away. his eyes roamed her face, the cherry shaped silver earrings sitting on her ears and the sunglasses with the matching-coloured frame perched on her head. he was so close; he could smell the kiwi lip-gloss she had been using for as long as matt had known her. he smiled as the scent wafted up to his nose and he fondly remembered how much the girl adored the fruit.