the next night, bella found matthew sitting on the couch, staring at the television with unseeing eyes. She felt her heart race, half-excited and half-terrified. she took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she had to say.

"hey matt," she began softly, her voice breaking the silence. "we need to talk."

he turned to look at her, his expression guarded. "about what exactly? wait..you're still mad, aren't you?"

"it's  not just about being mad anymore. It's about what you said. about aria," she replied, crossing her arms defensively.

matt sighed, rubbing his temples. "i didn't mean it, bella. i was angry. you know how i get when i'm  upset."

"do i?" arabella challenged, stepping closer. "because this time is different. this time it feels like you're regretting being with me. like i'm  not enough."

"that's not true! you are  more than enough," he replied, frustration creeping into his voice. "i messed up, okay? i shouldn't have brought aria into this. but sometimes i feel like you don't see me. like you'd rather have someone else around."

arabella's  heart softened at his words, but the hurt was still fresh. "i want to see you, matt. but i also want you to choose me. not just because you feel you have to, but because you want to."

( , AUTHOR'S NOTE ————! ★彡 , )——————PLEASE READ!!
————————— . . . ( ,DISCLAIMERS ! ' )
[] WARNINGS . . . this book will contain strong language, personal challenges, sad scenes, and intimate scenes.

[] DISCLAIMERS . . . characters in these books are owned!! do not steal them!! I tagged the owners of the designed characters!! (note: i do NOT own matthew sturniolo or any other characters who could be added.)

  [] COPYRIGHT. . . new characters that have been added through applications will be owned by that specific person. i mentioned the creator. please do not steal my plot idea for from the dining table (this story) or the plot to meet me in the hallway (the sequel to this story.)

[] CREDITS/SHOUTOUTS. . . n/a

[] INFORMATION. . .. hi!!
so uhm... this is the fourth chapter.. out of six for the complete story. that being said, my new fic, "meet me in the hallway" (the sequel to this!!) will be starting up within the next week!!!
———————————————————————word count: 369
©-𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐫, 2024