𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 - Matt Sturniolo

𝟹𝟿

✽+†+✽―― what a time ――✽+†+✽
₀₅.₂₃.₂₀₂₃
Cʜᴀɪsᴇ

I turned backwards and my heart stopped when I saw him standing in front of me. Matt.

So there he was, looking so much better than I remembered him. He was taller, more handsome, stronger, tattooed, more masculine. I shivered and froze.

I wanted to get away, just get away. I briefly thought about running, but I wasn't able to. I felt so many things at once. I wanted to cry, hit him, hug him, shout at him. But I did nothing.

"It's really you." He said firmly. Oh, his voice. It broke me into a thousand pieces.

He stood a few steps away from me but I felt this attraction to him stronger than I ever did. But I resisted it.

My eyes burned from the tears that were building up. For years I had dreamed of this encounter, of him, of his face, of him standing in front of me.

And he looked at me with that sad, hurt look. And I got angry. He had no right to be hurt. I was the one who was hurt, he had left me, not me him.

His chest heaved evenly and I wondered how he could breathe normally. I had the feeling I was about to collapse.

He took a step closer but stopped when I took a step backwards. He looked puzzled and hurt. I wanted to say something, yes, I wanted to insult him, tell him to leave, reproach him for leaving me at the hardest time of my life, insult him and tell him not to look at me with that look.

Because that look triggered so much in me. The streetlights were speckled in his eyes, shining like stars in the night sky. His skin looked flawless. He wore his hair in a center parting and it looked better on him than I would ever admit. I had never allowed myself to look at him closely in the videos, but now I couldn't help myself.

"What are you doing here? How are you?" he asked and I pressed my lips together. Did he really just want to make smaltalk?

"Oh. My. God." A voice suddenly sounded from the left. At the same time, we turned in that direction and that was where his doubles were standing. Nick and Chris. They both looked at me like I was a ghost, which I suppose I was to them. A ghost that existed in their memories from 2019.

"Chaise, I don't believe it." Nick said, still looking at me blankly. A tear left my eye and dripped onto the floor.

Mᴀᴛᴛ

I thought I had made a mistake. I thought it was like every time I see a redhead. But no, it really was her. She was really standing in front of me, still as beautiful as she was 4 years ago.

But something was wrong, she had lost her glow, her carefree attitude. And that scared me. For years I had hoped she was happy, as she deserved to be.

But no, she wasn't. I could see that from where I was standing, a few meters away from her. And it hurt that she wasn't happy to see me.

But what did I expect? That she would jump joyfully around my arms and tell me that she had missed me? Yes, somehow I had hoped for that.

But she stood there and I saw a tear fall from her eyes because it hurt her so much to see me.

I had been afraid that she had forgotten me, that I would never see her again or that she would no longer recognize me. But she hadn't forgotten me, I saw her again and she recognized me. But another fear developed. And that was that she didn't want to see me.