LES || matt sturniolo ( ✓ )

𝟎𝟒𝟔. perfectly imperfect

CHAPTER 046 -
╰┈➤ ' perfectly imperfect ' ೃ⁀➷ 
「 real life 」

─ real life ☼

THE LIVING ROOM WAS ALIVE WITH THE EASY CHAOS THAT ONLY THEIR FRIEND GROUP COULD BRING. nick was stretched out on the floor, tossing a ball in the air and catching it lazily, while chris sat at the coffee table, flipping through a deck of cards like he was preparing for a magic trick that would never happen. nate was in the corner, fiddling with the speakers, trying to get the music just loud enough to drown out the background noise but soft enough to keep them from getting yelled at.

vivienne was curled up on the couch, tucked right next to hope, who was absentmindedly braiding her hair as they shared quiet whispers. matt sat at the opposite end of the couch, his arm casually slung over the backrest, fingers brushing close to vivienne's shoulder without quite touching.

it was comfortable, easy. like they were all exactly where they were supposed to be.

"so," hope whispered, leaning in closer to vivienne, her eyes sparkling with curiosity, "did rio really give matt his blessing?"

vivienne bit back a grin, her voice low. "yeah, he did."

hope's eyebrows shot up. "wait, what? when?"

vivienne glanced sideways at matt, who was half-listening, half-smirking like he knew exactly what they were talking about but was waiting for the right moment to chime in. "he showed up at the house last week."

hope's eyes widened. "you're kidding."

"nope." vivienne shook her head. "rio opened the door, and it was this whole... thing. i thought they were going to fight, but they ended up talking it out."

hope stared, open-mouthed. "and rio didn't punch him?"

vivienne laughed softly. "no, but it was close. you should've seen his face when matt said he wasn't leaving until rio heard him out."

hope grinned, practically bouncing in place. "oh, i would've paid to see that."

matt finally spoke, his voice light but cocky. "i was charming, as always."

hope snorted. "sure you were."

vivienne rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the fondness in her smile. "he was... persistent. and somehow, rio actually listened."

matt leaned in slightly, his smirk softening. "it wasn't that dramatic, viv."

"it kind of was," she said, shooting him a look. "you basically told him you weren't leaving until he accepted us."

"and he did," matt pointed out, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

hope glanced between them, clearly enjoying the story. "so rio gave his blessing, huh? that's kind of huge."

vivienne shrugged, though her smile betrayed her. "i guess."

"he said it to my face," matt added, his tone just cocky enough to make vivienne nudge him with her elbow.

"you don't have to brag about it," she teased.

"i'm not bragging," matt replied, grinning. "just stating facts."

nick, who had clearly been eavesdropping, rolled over onto his stomach. "wait, rio actually gave you his blessing? like, you're officially boyfriend material now?"

matt shot him a look. "obviously."

chris laughed, shuffling the deck of cards in his hands. "wow, guess miracles do happen."

nate finally got the music to the right level and turned around, raising an eyebrow. "so when are we meeting vivienne's dad? because if rio gave you a hard time, i'm betting her dad's going to be worse."

matt shrugged, leaning back like it didn't bother him. "bring it on."

vivienne smirked. "oh, you say that now, but wait until you meet him. he'll probably give you a lecture on respect and make you sit through one of his long stories."

"sounds fun," matt said, though there was a playful gleam in his eyes.

hope giggled. "you're in for it."

nick groaned, throwing a pillow in matt's direction. "can we stop talking about your gross love story and do something fun?"

"you're just jealous," matt shot back, catching the pillow and tossing it back.

nick scoffed. "yeah, right."

chris tapped the deck of cards on the table. "okay, how about a game? losers have to answer truth or dare."

nate grinned. "now we're talking."

as the group settled into their usual rhythm of playful banter, vivienne leaned back against the couch, her hand brushing matt's. she didn't move it away, and neither did he.

"you okay?" he asked quietly, so only she could hear.

she turned to him, their eyes meeting, and for a moment, everything else faded into the background. "yeah," she said softly. "i'm good."

matt's grin softened, and he gave her hand a quick squeeze. "good."

the game went on, filled with laughter and dares that ranged from harmless to slightly embarrassing. nick had to call someone and sing off-key, and chris had to admit to a crush he had in middle school. everything felt light, easy, like the world outside didn't exist.

but soon, the game lost steam, and nate stretched, yawning dramatically. "okay, i'm starving. anyone else?"

nick perked up. "always."

"what are we thinking?" hope asked, looking around.

vivienne shrugged. "we could go out."

matt smirked. "only if i get to drive."

chris groaned. "not the minivan."

"the minivan's got character," matt shot back, standing up and stretching.

vivienne laughed, grabbing her jacket. "come on, let's go before you two start another argument."

matt held the door open for her, and as they all piled into the minivan, she couldn't help but think how perfectly imperfect this all was.

evie speaks
so are we ready for the last few chapters...?