🍓🍓🍓

୨⎯ "𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒙 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆" ⎯୧
⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : how you get the girl - taylor swift
ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ : ▮▮▮▮▮▮▯▯▯

Broke your heart, I'll put it back together
I would wait for ever and ever
And that's how it works
That's how you get the girl

𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. . .

LAX bustles quietly in the early hours of January first. Gemma and Matt tug their luggage through the airport, speaking in soft, tired murmurs and mere looks as she receives a text message from Jade, telling them where she's parked.

The couple walk through the parking lot looking for Jade's Range Rover, hoods up and hands covered in an effort to fight off the chilly winter breeze. Soon, Gemma spots the white SUV, it's driver curled up in the front seat in her phone in one hand and a coffee in the other, and she picks up her pace and beings to speed-walk to the driver's side window. Matt continues to trail behind and watches her in amusement as Gem puts her face right up to the glass and knocks n the window twice, startling her bandmate.

Jade's face breaks out into a grin and she quickly unlocks her car before swinging open her door and engulfing Gemma into an awkwardly angled hug.

"I missed you so much!" Jade speaks excitedly into her ear

Gemma says nothing and squeezes her friend even tighter, stepping back once she can sense Matt over her shoulder.

Matt wastes no time in taking his girlfriend's place as he reaches for Jade "How are you, Jade?"

Jade shrugs and smiles "I'm good, nothing has been happening since the two of you went away" she says as she presses the button that opens the boot of her car. The three of them walk around and Matt and Gemma place their bags in the car, organising them so that they fit neatly.

Gem walks to the passenger seat, opening the back door for Matt as she goes, and gets herself comfortable while both Jade and Matt slide in. The four of them wordlessly get buckled in, choosing to just enjoy each other's quiet presence as they all fight off fatigue. Jade presses play on her Spotify whilst also turning on the car, Gemma's voice unexpectedly playing through the vehicle's speakers.

Jade sucks in her lips and looks to Gemma "The night you left is a really good song, you and Josie's writing as a duo is really underrated"

"Yeah but this is a breakup song" Gemma points out skeptically "And it's seven in the morning"

Jade shrugs "It's never too early for a breakup song"

Gemma looks over her shoulder at Matt, who's sitting in the middle seat in the back, and cocks her eyebrow. Jade follows her movement in the rear view mirror and raises her eyebrows in realisation "Lily and I are fine! Just appreciating our first album" she says as she blindly skips to the next song. So What beings playing and she puts both hands on the wheel "Breakup album isn't really the vibe for the moment though" she says as she side-eyes her friends.

Gemma and Matt shake their heads as Jade continues

"I totally knew, by the way. I saw Matt walk out of your room once when you thought no one was home, definitely thought it was weird but I didn't know know until I saw the cookies on his other account"

Jade looks to the two of them for a reaction and is met with stunned faces. She laughs and focuses on the road again "No one else knew, though, I kept it a secret since I figured the two of you were sneaking around for an actual reason"

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

Matt pulls his backpack out from the boot and shuts the door, leading Gem and Jade to his front door. He smirks and looks at the two girls "I'll bet any amount of money that Chris isn't even awake right now" he turns the door handle and pushes it open, stepping into his home for the first time in almost a month.

Jade shuts the door behind her as the three of them walk up the stairs to the kitchen, coming face to face with none other than Chris and Madi. Chris is looking in the fridge and has his back turned to the trio but Madi almost immediately stands from her spot at the dining table and beelines it straight to Matt and Gemma.

She reaches Gemma's arms just as Chris turns around and Matt puts his duffel on the ground so he can hug his brother.

Chris grins at Gemma over Matt's shoulder "I told you I'd be awake"

Gem lets go of Madi and rolls her eyes, walking towards him "You look like you haven't slept yet"

Chris shrugs his shoulders and wraps his arms around Gemma's torso, rubbing her back as they embrace "I slept, like, two hours" He pulls away and keeps a hand on her shoulder "My alarm woke Nick and Madi up since I slept on the couch".

On cue, Nick walks down the stairs from his room and spots his brother and friend, a smile immediately blooms on his face "Welcome Home!"

Gemma matches his tired energy and dramatically opens her arms for him to walk into. Nick gets to the bottom of the stairs and leans down slightly, engulfing her in a bear hug and swaying slightly.

Gemma pulls back and looks at him before gesturing to Matt, who's reunion is just as tired as his one with Chris. They pat each other's backs and pull away, everyone moving further into the kitchen and choosing to either sit at the dining table or stand around idly.

The tired, puffy-eyed looks present on Chris, Nick and Madi's faces tell Gemma that a proper welcome home isn't in the cards for this morning as she cracks open a plastic water bottle

"How's your mom and dad?" Madi asks as she fidgets with the zipper of her jumper

Gemma takes a sip of her water before answering "They're really good. It was great to have some proper time to see them and Mason"

Madi nods and looks to Matt "And how was New York?"

Matt looks to Gemma and then smiles at Madi "It was really good, we had fun".

Nick squints and looks quickly between the two of them, his hands beginning to move as he speaks "Just so we're clear: you two weren't dating before New York, yes?

Gemma tilts her head and nods "Yes"

Matt follows her movement "Correct"

"And Avery doesn't know?"

Matt levels Nick with a look of suspicion and Gem shrugs "You all found out at the same time".

The eldest triplet purses his lips and slyly pulls his phone out from the front pocket of his hoodie, flattening his mouth into a thin line as he enters is passcode and begins to type something. The action reminds Jade to check her own phone and she pulls it out of the pocket of her sweatpants, frowning at the messages on her screen.

the spades

josé
hello is gem coming home or what

-A
fr like we want food

josé
we should make pancakes

-A
im not getting to of bed for shit

-A
gem and jade can buy us pancakes

josé
true !!!

Jade shakes her head at her best friends and looks at Gemma across the room, nodding her head "We gotta go, Josie and Avery are asking for food"

Gemma rolls her eyes and caps her water bottle "I know, I was ignoring them"

Jade smirks and jingles her keys, leaning on Chris as she speaks "Let's go, I don't feel like making them wait".

Gemma nods and the group says their goodbyes. Exchanging affectionate but tired hugs as Gemma and Jade make their way towards the top of the stairs, Matt trailing behind as he leans down to grab his discarded duffel bag.

"I'll come over tomorrow and drop Christmas presents off"

Matt slings his arm over her shoulder "Sounds good to me" he says before he meets her halfway and gives her a quick peck on the lips "Love you"

She smiles and taps his lower back "Love you too"

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

Jade is pulling out of the Sturniolo's driveway when she finally turns to her friend in the passenger seat "Love you?"

Gem simply nods and hums in response.

The older girl seemingly relaxes in her seat, leaning back while keeping a loose grip on the steering wheel "Does this mean that we can't put crash and burn on the album?"

Gemma tilts her head thinking and leans her elbow on the door of the car "I'll talk to him about it, the label like that song"

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

Matt's just put the contents of his backpack back where it belongs in his rom when he spots Madi standing in his door frame.

"I was right"

He gives the girl a questioning look, clearly not on the same page as her, and he stands up straight after plugging his charger back into the wall "What do you mean?"

Madi shrugs "I told you that she had to come back on her own. Worked out fine, didn't it?"

It finally clicks in Matt's mind and he reminisces about that night at the halloween party. The distant, awkward looks along with the ridiculously honest advice from Madi still makes him squeamish if he thinks about it for too long but now, after meeting her family and spending days with just eachother, he's grateful that things worked out the way they did.

"Worked out better than fine"

Madi smiles and pushes herself off her door, giving him one last reassuring look before making her way to Nick's room. She leaves Matt standing alone in the quiet of just himself and he chooses to throw the covers back and slide into his bed that hasn't been slept in, the smell of clean linen fill his senses as soon as his head hits the pillow.

He falls asleep to the sound of his brothers doing their own thing around their home, to the warmth of the Los Angeles sun that peaks in beneath his blinds and to the thought of Gemma.

💌
oh em gee slay

back in la!!! how fun!!! 5 more chapters to go!!! and then we're done!!!

this isnt rlly proof-read to the best of my abilities but I did try even tho im super fucking tired

love u, thank you for reading and I hope you have a good week <3