Lauren and Chris arrived home after a fun afternoon of shopping. As Lauren entered her bedroom, she immediately realized that something was wrong. Matt was there and, what's more, he had a strange, distant expression on his face.

—Ahn... Hi.- she said, leaving her bags in a corner near her bedside table.

—Hi.- he replied, looking apparently very interested at the cover of the book the blonde had brought from home.

—What are you doing?- she asked, waving her hand in front of his face.— You're acting weird. More than usual. Are you drunk?

Matt sighed, seeming lost in thought.

—It's nothing, Lauren. Just a hard day and a sore back, since someone told me to sleep on the couch almost two weeks ago.

—Ah, okay. I'm going to take a shower.- the girl said between her teeth, arching an eyebrow.

At the end of the shower, Lauren opened the shower door to get her towel and realized that she had forgotten to bring it into the bathroom.

—Matthew!- she shouted.— I forgot my towel. Can you get me one?

—Why would I have to do that? You can get it yourself.

Lauren frowned, irritated by Matt's attitude. He seemed to have gotten over that "difficult day" pretty quickly.

—Are we fighting over a towel now? You're being completely irrational!

—You're fighting alone! I just said I wouldn't take it.- he shrugged, as if Lauren could see.

The argument continued, escalating over small things that wouldn't have caused problems before. The tension in the air was palpable, and the atmosphere between them grew heavier and heavier.

—I won't stop yelling until you bring it to me!- the girl threatened.— Matt, Matt, Matt...

—God, you're unbearable!- he shouted back, throwing a towel into the room.

—Thanks, asshole!

A little later, Rachel called them to dinner and, as always, the tension between them only increased. Indirect remarks were exchanged during the conversation and the food went down their throats crookedly.

When everyone had finished, Marylou appeared in the living room with a large box in her hands.

—Look what I found when I was cleaning out the shed earlier today!- she smiled.— A box full of memories of our little ones!

Lauren's mother smiled excitedly and immediately joined her friend in removing the tapes sealing the lid.

Little by little, the other members of both families joined them, giggling at the amount of photos they had found.

—Look, Justin, when you dyed your hair pink because you lost at Uno!- Jimmy laughed, holding out the photo to his son.

Meanwhile, Lauren was sitting quietly in a corner, looking at the photo in her hands, but her peace soon ended when Chris pointed and said:

—Look, Nick! The photo that Matt keeps on that wall in his room to this day!

An uncomfortable silence settled over the room. Matthew didn't say anything, he just got up and left.

—Congratulations, jackass!- Nick exclaimed and, before the argument could continue, Lauren went after the other boy.

The bedroom light was on, so the girl assumed that Matt was there. She opened the door cautiously and sat down next to him.

—Matthew, can we talk? We have to resolve this once and for all.

Matt sighed, without looking away from the horizon displayed in the window.

—What's to be resolved, Lauren? It's clear that we're not going back to the way things were.

—But we have to try, Matt! We can't let things fall apart like this. We need to talk openly about what's going on. And, honestly, I don't even know why this started in the first place!

Matt turned to her, his eyes full of frustration.

—Do you think it's easy for me? To see you so close and yet so far away? One day we're fine and the next we can't bear to look each other in the face?

—And you think it's easy for me too?- the blonde replied, almost shouting.— I tried... I tried really, really, really hard to make things right with you this summer. I was terrified when I arrived at the idea of having to share a fucking bed with you, but then I let my guard down and I cared about you, I looked after you every time you got sunburned!

—I never asked you to do that.- Matthew muttered, looking at her.

—You never asked because that's what normal people would do! They don't need to be questioned about it.

—You don't understand my point of view, Lauren! Always putting the blame on me, as if I'm the only one who knows the truth! Ever since you got here, you've been giving me a hard time about the bedroom! How many times have I slept in the living room because you fucking told me to?!

Harsh words continued to be exchanged, each fueling the other's anger and frustration. But in an instant, something changed. A brief silence fell, and their gazes met. In a split second, so did their lips.

—I'm sorry.— he whispered, still holding the younger girl's face.

Lauren felt her heart race at the closeness. For an instant, all the hurt and resentment seemed to be gone.

Lauren felt her heart race at the proximity. For an instant, all the hurt and resentment seemed to disappear, replaced by a spark of hope.

Without waiting for an answer, Matt leaned slowly towards Lauren, hoping he wouldn't get punched. Luckily, Harrison didn't move and then their lips collided again.

The kiss was like a whirlwind of emotions, a mixture of anger, passion and vulnerability. The world around them seemed to disappear, and all that mattered at that moment was them.

When they finally broke apart, their panting breaths echoed in the silence of the early morning. They stared at each other, their eyes conveying a mixture of surprise, uncertainty and a spark of something new.

—I keep my copy of that photo on a wall in my bedroom because... we were so happy, Laurie. I remember as if it were yesterday the day we took that picture. We were in that fancy restaurant that we never went back to because we paid too much for half a dozen prawns.- he laughed. After that we went to the ice cream parlor, since we were still starving.

—I was wearing a long yellow dress and you were wearing a dressing gown.- they both looked at each other, giving each other a sincere smile.— You told me I looked like I was going to a gala ball and I said the same about you. So we started pretending we were famous and, damn, we laughed so much that day...

Matt smiles, lowering his hands to the girl's waist.

—Matthew, why don't you want to talk to me anymore?- Lauren asks again.

He lowers his head in an attempt to answer, but can't.

—Because I loved you and I still do, Lauren. And I knew that you didn't see me as anything more than an older brother. But you're so fascinating, so beautiful and full of personality that it's basically impossible not to fall in love with you.

—Matt...

—I was an asshole for a while because I didn't want to have to make things awkward and I ended up messing things up as usual and you're not to blame for any of it!

—Matt...- the blonde tries to speak but is interrupted again.

—It's okay if when I shut up you want to turn your back and never look me in the face again and...

—Matthew!- she called out, almost shouting.— I've always been crazy about you, I thought it was already obvious.

The brunette looked at her with dilated pupils, almost hiding his blue orbs.

—And I still love you. Even if the spark is half gone now, I'm sure it'll light up stronger than ever if you really do me the favor of closing your mouth and kissing me again.- he smiled.

—I can't believe what an idiot I've been...- Sturniolo laughed, moving closer to his lover to finally fuse their lips again.

They were both in pure ecstasy and didn't quite know what to do in that situation. Gasping breaths, hands roaming over every corner of their bodies and restrained smiles surrounded the room, which had previously been filled with tension and now you could feel all the passion exuding from afar.

Lauren and Matt's hearts were finally at peace. The rest of the night was spent catching up on all the conversations, desires and kisses of the last few years. The young couple couldn't name a happier moment than that. Love was in the air, and the sea would not carry it away.

•••