My Brothers Best Friend [18+]

Epilogue

One Month Later

"...and therefore I would like to give my one month's notice on the house share. My last day at the property will be Friday 31st of March. Please get in touch if there is any other paperwork you need me to fill out or anything you'd like me to do before the move out. Kind regards, Madelaine. How does that sound?" 

Matt stares at me. 

"It's very... polite." 

"So?" 

"So I would just say this is my move out date, see you later, job done. Why are you offering to do extra paperwork and shit?" He grumbles. 

I lean back into the couch and huff, looking down at my laptop screen and the probably-too-long email ready to be sent to my estate agent. 

One month ago we decided that I'd spend four days a week living here and three days at home, but in that past month I've collectively spent around four days at my rented room all together, and so Matt caved and told me to stop paying for it if I'm not going to use it. 

Which was enough for me. I'd definitely rather just be staying here. 

Living with him doesn't scare me and living with Noah doesn't either. Going to my own house was the hard part every Friday (and then either Noah or I would cave, either late Friday night or very early Saturday morning, thus meaning he came to collect me and bring me back to this house. My house, now.) 

Fingers click in front of my eyes. 

I scowl at Matt, playfully rather than in a mean way, and click send on the email. 

"It's just good manners, not that you'd know anything about that." 

"It's just good manners," he repeats in a high, whiny voice. "Blah, blah, fucking blah Mads." 

He settles back into the couch next to me, flicking through the TV channels mindlessly. It's comfortable and easy again now, just as it was after I'd first settled in here. The initial week after our split day agreement had been awkward, both Noah and I fumbling around and avoiding Matt just as he avoided us, but eventually we all settled in again. Matt even managed to walk in on Noah and I kissing in the kitchen and didn't walk back out again, just made a faux vomit sound as he began prepping dinner. 

He picks out a film that's already halfway through and pulls a pillow onto his lap. I follow suit with a blanket after shoving my closed laptop back under the coffee table. Once again, the living room (and Noah's room) is filled with my stuff. Random bits and bobs, bags everywhere, shoes shoved under every surface. 

I have been planning to sort it all out, especially since I sleep in Noah's room every night now, but saying I'll do it and actually doing it are two very different things. 

We sit and watch for fifteen minutes before the air fryer dings. 

"Ugh," Matt groans, throwing his head back. "You get it." 

"Nu-uh," I scowl. "It's your dinner night."

He glares at me, no true heat behind his eyes. 

"Fine," he grumbles, rising. "Just because your boyfriend helps you cook when it's your turn. Oh, I'm Maddie, my boyfriend won't let me take a pasta dish out of the oven-" 

"He let's me!" I argue. "Just because you know nothing about chivalry-" 

My brothers infamous snort cuts me off. He shakes the chips in the fryer whilst staring across the counter at me. I stick a finger up at him, stealing two of his couch cushions and shoving them behind my back.