LES || matt sturniolo ( ✓ )

𝟎𝟒𝟑. not everything's about you

CHAPTER 043 -
╰┈➤ ' not everything's about you ' ೃ⁀➷
「 real life 」

─ real life ☾

MATT PACED THE LIVING ROOM, his phone clutched tightly in one hand as he glared at the screen. still nothing. no reply from vivienne, no call, no read receipts. it had been three days of radio silence, and he was spiraling.

"matt, you're gonna burn a hole in the carpet," nick said from the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table as he scrolled through his phone.

chris, sitting cross-legged on the other side, glanced up from his bag of chips. "yeah, seriously. just sit down before you wear out the soles of your shoes."

matt ignored them, running a hand through his hair as he muttered, "she's ignoring me. i knew it."

nick sighed, tossing his phone aside. "you don't know that. maybe she's busy. or her phone's dead. or—"

"her phone isn't dead," matt snapped, spinning around to face his brothers. "she's seen my texts. i know she has. she's just... not answering."

chris raised an eyebrow, crunching on another chip. "so maybe she needs space. did you do something stupid? say something dumb?"

matt shot him a look. "no! at least... i don't think so. things were fine last week. great, even. then out of nowhere, she just..." he gestured helplessly at his phone. "...cut me off."

nick leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "okay, let's think this through. did anything happen recently? like, anything that might've set her off?"

matt opened his mouth to respond, but the words caught in his throat. a memory flashed in his mind—rio's face, twisted with anger, spitting words like venom.

he exhaled sharply, sinking onto the armrest of the couch. "i think rio told her."

chris frowned. "told her what?"

matt hesitated, the weight of the past settling on his chest. "about what happened between us. why we stopped being friends."

nick's expression darkened. "you mean the car thing? that was ages ago. why would he bring it up now?"

"because he hates me," matt said bitterly. "he's always hated me, but now that viv and i..." he trailed off, running a hand through his hair again.

"now that you and vivienne what?" chris pressed, leaning forward.

matt hesitated before muttering, "we're... kind of dating."

chris choked on his chip, coughing and laughing at the same time. "wait—what? since when?"

nick rolled his eyes. "not the point, chris."

matt ignored chris's theatrics, his focus on nick. "if rio told her what i said back then, about her, it's over. she'll never talk to me again."

nick frowned, sitting back. "you think she'd hold that against you? she knows you're not the same guy, right?"

"i don't know," matt admitted, his voice cracking slightly. "but if rio twisted the story... she might think i still feel that way. and i don't. i don't even recognize the person i was back then."

chris finally stopped laughing, his face growing serious. "so what are you gonna do? just let her ghost you forever?"

"no," matt said quickly, his jaw tightening. "i've been texting her, calling her, nothing. i even thought about going over there, but..." he trailed off, unsure if that was the right move.

nick studied him for a moment before speaking. "you need to give her time, man. if she's upset, pushing her won't help."

"but what if she's upset because she thinks i'm the same jerk who said those things?" matt argued. "what if she's sitting there, doubting everything we've built because of something rio said? i can't just sit back and do nothing."

chris shrugged. "then go over there. but if rio answers the door, you'd better be ready for round two."

matt groaned, slumping back against the couch. "that's exactly why i haven't gone yet. the last thing i need is another fight with him."

nick tapped his fingers against the coffee table, thinking. "okay, let's say you do go over there. what are you even gonna say to her? you don't know for sure that rio said anything. what if this is about something else entirely?"

"like what?" matt asked, exasperated.

nick shrugged. "i don't know. maybe she's stressed about school or her brother or... whatever. not everything's about you."

chris smirked. "shocking, i know."

matt shot him a glare but didn't respond. nick had a point. maybe this wasn't about rio or the past. maybe vivienne was dealing with something completely unrelated, and his paranoia was just making things worse.

but the doubt lingered, gnawing at the edges of his mind.

"i just want to fix this," matt said quietly, his voice softer now. "i don't care what it takes. i just... i can't lose her."

nick's expression softened, and even chris looked slightly less amused.

"then give her a little time," nick said. "and if she still doesn't respond, go over there. but don't go in guns blazing. be ready to listen."

matt nodded, though the knot in his stomach didn't loosen. he stared at his phone again, willing it to light up with a message from her.

nothing.

chris leaned back, shaking his head with a smirk. "man, you've got it bad."

matt didn't bother denying it. he just stared out the window, his mind racing. he wasn't sure how much longer he could wait before taking action. something had to give. and soon.

evie speaks
don't worry guys angst isn't gonna be that long