⟡ ݁₊ . 💒. 𝓛ET 𝓣HE 𝓛IGHT 𝓘N. . . ୨ৎ .ᐟ
( 011. ) ━━ ❛ fixing your car. ❜

love everything you do
when you call me fucking dumb for the stupid shit i do
💌
𝓣RAINING 𝓦HEELS, melanie martinez.

𝓐BSENTMINDEDLY 𝓟EDALING down the street, viola barely notices the first few raindrops. the damp chill of the evening sinks into her skin, and she frowns at the dark grey clouds looming over her. the rain starts off slowly, but then the light drizzle suddenly escalates into a full downpour. water coats her skin, her clothes clinging to her body. viola sighs, not even trying to wipe her face. there's no point, she's already drenched, and honestly she's too exhausted to even care. all she really wants to do is climb into bed, crawl under the covers, and forget everything about rehearsals today.

the faint sound of tires on wet pavement makes her glance to the side. headlights sweep over her, and her eyes widen as a vintage maroon car slows besides her. its engine chugs with a steady hum.

"nebraska?"

viola turns her head, blinking through the rain, just as he rolls down the window. matt's hair is slightly damp, like he's been out in the rain too, and his brows are furrowed in exasperation.

"what the fuck are you doing?" he asks.

"biking home," she deadpans, her voice flat.

"in this?" matt gestures vaguely at the downpour. the water is clinging to her skin, dripping from her nose and fingertips.

"my car's broken," she tells him.

matt lets out what sounds like a sharp breath and a frustrated laugh at the same time, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. "so, what?" he asks. "you've just been biking everywhere?"

"yeah."

"for the past week?"

"more like two, actually."

he stares at her in disbelief, then shakes his head. under his breath, he mutters something that she can't make out, before leaning over to open the passenger door.

viola hesitates. "i don't—"

"just get in the fucking car, nebraska."

his tone leaves no room for her to argue. with a sigh, viola pulls her bike off to the side of the road and shoves it against a tree. she doesn't bother locking it; it'll be fine there. probably. maybe. she doesn't particularly care in this moment.

the car is warm — almost suffocatingly so. the moment she shuts the door, the heat hits her like a truck. she hadn't realized how cold she war, and shivers involuntarily. matt — without a word — reaches into the back and tosses a hoodie at her.

"put that on if you're cold," he says, eyes instantly back on the road without sparing her a glance.

viola pauses, before slipping it over her head. it smells like him, clean like detergent mixed with something else — something distinctly matt. she practically melts into its warmth, grateful for his gesture but determined not to acknowledge it.

he glances at her, even as he continues driving. "you could've just asked me to give you a ride, you know."

she lets out a dry laugh. "okay."

"i'm serious."

she shifts in her seat, watching the way the streetlights reflect off of the wet pavement. "i don't wanna be an inconvenience."

matt exhales, gripping the wheel tighter. "nebraska, we're—" he stops himself, glancing at her before looking back at the road. "you can ask me for stuff. you're never an inconvenience."

it shouldn't be a big deal — he's probably just being nice — but the way he says it makes her chest ache. viola stiffens, desperate for a change of subject.

"where's chris?" she asks, mostly to shift the conversation to a different topic, but also because she's curious. she found it strange that he wasn't in the car the second matt pulled up next to her.

"he went to get food with ian and daniella," he shrugs, his voice void of any emotion or enthusiasm.

viola furrows her eyebrows. "and you didn't wanna go with them?"

"nah," he answers shortly. "wasn't in the mood."

she doesn't know what to think of that response, so viola just stays quiet. luckily, they're pulling up to her house, and she suddenly lets out a small gasp as she fumbles around her pockets.

she forgot her keys.

she groans, putting her head in her hands for a short moment before turning back to matt. "i forgot my keys," she murmurs, embarrassed.

matt blinks. "okay."

"sorry, i'll just—" she starts, awkwardly, toying with her hair. "i'll just wait on the porch until one of my parents gets home. it shouldn't be long now and—"

she cuts herself off when matt opens the and steps out of the car. he walks around the front, opening the passenger side door and gesturing for her to get out as well.

"come on," he says with a shake of his head. "you can dry off at mine."

too exhausted to argue, viola follows him next door, feeling heavy and thoroughly miserable. his house is just as she remembers it, quieter than her own yet still warm and homey. the air thick with the scent of fresh laundry and something faintly citrusy, and it seems almost too inviting. she feels uneasy as she follows him upstairs to his bedroom, feeling like this is a very bad idea as matt reaches into his closet and pulls out a pair of sweatpants, an oversized t-shirt, and a pair of socks.

"i'll wait outside," is all he says, not even handing the clothes to her and instead delicately placing the pile down on the end of his bed. viola nods, refusing to watch him go as he leaves the room.

she lets out a deep sigh, peeling off his hoodie, followed by her tank top and shorts. the wamth of matt's clothes on her skin is comforting, and she closes her eyes, letting herself revel in the feeling. even with their comfort, however, matt's clothes are doing nothing to stop her mind from racing.

viola tugs at the hem of the t-shirt as she descends the stairs, padding towards the living room, only to stop short when she catches a glimpse of him outside, crouched next to her car.

frowning, viola moves towards the front door and pushes it open. the rain has definitely slowed down a litte, but it's still there. she walks over to matt, who is hunched over the open hood, sleeves shoved up, and grease smeared along his forehead.

"what are you doing?" she asks. he barely glances up.

"fixing your car," he replies as if it's the obvious thing in the world, because that's definitely a normal thing for him to do.

"you don't have to do that," she sighs, uncomfortable.

"i know." he doesn't stop working, even as he talks. "you shouldn't be out in the rain. you'll get sick."

she pointedly ignores his comment. "i'll pay you."

matt finally turns to look at her, his expression unreadable. "viola."

"what?"

"shut up."

a startled and surprised laugh escapes her, breaking the tension that hangs between them. matt smirks slightly, before going back to work. viola lingers, watching him, taking in how the light catches his hair, and the quiet concentration in his expression. this version of him feels calmer, more real — the opposite of how he was at rehearsals earlier.

"how was rehearsals?" matt suddenly asks, snapping her out of her daydream. viola frowns.

"boring," she deadpans.

matt wipes his hands on a rag. as he glances up at her, her heart skips at the amused grin on his face. "i'm not surprised," he chuckles. "i bet stacking chairs was more boring than rehearsal, though."

viola shrugs, tugging at the hem of the t-shirt once again. "really?" she questions with a raise of her eyebrow. she doubts he'll get what she's insinuating — the fact that he didn't seem to be bored while he was talking to daniella — but she still says it nonetheless.

"yup," is all he says, leaving it at that. they both fall silent, and any response viola might've wanted to say now gets caught in her throat as he studies her like he's trying to figure something out. his eyes flick down to her mouth for a fraction of a second — so brief that she almost convinces herself she imagined it.

but she didn't.

her heart pounds.

for a moment, she thinks he might close the space between them. he's definitely looking at her like he wants to... like he actually might.

but then, just as suddenly, he blinks, clears his throat again, and straightens up. "this is gonna take a few more hours," he says, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "might need to even buy a new part for it."

the moment collapses.

viola forces a nod, pushing down the ridiculous rush of disappointment she feels. "okay. well, um, thanks."

"don't worry about it," he replies, and she doesn't miss the way he exhales afterwards, all relieved. like he was afraid of what might have happened if he hadn't backed away.

maybe the lake was a one-time thing.

maybe he was high, and she hadn't noticed.

whatever it is, she hates it. so, she quietly thanks him again for the ride and the clothes, and walks over to her house. the lights in the kitchen are on now, so she knows at least one of her parents is back.

she trudges upstairs, exhaustedly closing her bedroom door behind her and sighing loudly. she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror and instantly scowls at her reflection. her hair is still damp, cheeks flushed, and her makeup is all smudged away. she looks tired and like a drowned rat, yet matt still looked at her like he wanted her just moments ago.

her stomach twists as her eyes drift downwards. she hates how much she likes wearing his clothes. and even more, she hates how her feelings for him aren't fake anymore.

👻
Matt Sturniolo

viola 🦥

Matt Sturniolo

Matt Sturniolo is typing. . .

Matt Sturniolo sent a chat!

Matt Sturniolo deleted a chat!

Matt Sturniolo
| Anything for you

𝓕ROWNING, 𝓜ATT deletes the message, switching off his phone and shoving it back into the pocket of his jeans. he sighs, running a stressed hand through his hair.

he's not sure when this started.

he thinks that maybe it's always been there, buried somewhere beneath years of pretending she didn't exist and that she was the most annoying person on the planet. maybe it started when she moved in next door, all wide eyes and brown hair in pigtails, her voice far too loud for someone so small. or maybe it was more recently, now that she's started looking at him in a way that tells him she sees him, everything that he is. he doesn't know. he just knows that now, he can't escape it.

viola is everywhere.

she's in his head even when she's not around, like some sort of permanent presence he can't shake. he'll be talking to ian, or daniella, or even his own brothers, and his mind will still end up circling back to her. he'll hear a song on the radio and think about whether she'd like it or not. he'll see something stupid in a store window and know it would make her laugh. it's ridiculous.

fixing her car tonight was just an excuse to stay near her a little longer. he knows that. but what else was he supposed to do? let her keep biking everywhere like a damn idiot. even the thought — let alone the sight — of her out in the rain makes something in his chest twist in a way he's not ready to unpack.

and then there's the way she looked at him as they stood in front of her car, drowning in his clothes, her skin still damp, and her hair curling at the ends. in that moment, he swears he could feel his throat tighten. she's objectively beautiful; he's not blind... but it's not just that. again, it's the way she looked at him, almost hopeful. like she wanted something from him.

he'd been ready to kiss her.

again.

and that's exactly why he forced himself to move away. the first time in the lake was already a mistake, and deep down he knows he shouldn't have done it. not when this whole between them is fake, because he refuses to let her believe it meant something. it can't mean something, not when eventually, it has to end.

because it will end. she's going to NYU in the fall, and she'll get her psychology degree and eventually become something great. she deserves to be with somebody who matches that — not someone like him, who's happy to stay in this town, fixing cars for the rest of his life. she should be with someone who can keep up with her, and while he knows he can't, he still selfishly wishes it would be one day.

he's distracted from his thoughts then by the sound of his phone buzzing. it's embarrassing how quickly he pulls it from his pocket, staring intently at the screen.

new chat from viola 🦥

👻
viola 🦥

viola 🦥
| oh btw
| my mom just got a call from mrs murphy
| she's asking if we want to help out at a fundraiser tmr evening

Matt Sturniolo
| For the ball?

viola 🦥
| yeah
| it's fine if you don't want to
| i can go alone as well

Matt Sturniolo
| Nonono
| I'm happy to come

viola 🦥
| yeah?

Matt Sturniolo
| Of course

viola 🦥
| okay!! perf 😇😇
| i'll ask my mom for the address and then text it to you

Matt Sturniolo
| Okay great

viola 🦥
| oh also
| i'm paying you for the car
| my dad will literally kill me if he finds out you did that for free

Matt Sturniolo
| I'm not taking your money

viola 🦥
| you are
| i'm gonna sneak it into your pocket when you're not paying attention

Matt Sturniolo
| I'm always paying attention to you
not sent!
| I think I'll notice

viola 🦥
| you underestimate me matthew

Matt Sturniolo
| Hahaha alr
| Whatever you say Nebraska

💌 ⋆✴︎˚。⋆ ━━ ava speaks !

short chapter oh welllllll

matt pov 😊😊😊😊😊 yay

someone hold me back from making this fic super sad and emo i'm literally consumed by sad romances rn i can't deal