⟡ ݁₊ . 💒. 𝓛ET 𝓣HE 𝓛IGHT 𝓘N. . . ୨ৎ .ᐟ
( 012. ) ━━ ❛ expecting a declaration? ❜

i know your love's not real
but that's not the way it feels
💌
𝓕OOL'S 𝓖OLD, one direction.

𝓣HE 𝓕UNDRAISER is already in full swing by the time viola and matt arrive, the grand ballroom of the country club transformed with twinkling string lights, silk-draped tables, and the hum of polite conversation in the background. the scents of freshly baked goods and warm soup linger in the air, mingling with perfume, and the faint yet nostalgic smell of mrs murphy's knitted items. viola adjusts her tank top, exhaling lightly, before stepping forward with matt to greet their kind but extremely nosy neighbor.

"oh, there you both are!" mrs murphy beams, her knitted bobble hat slightly askew atop her dark brown curls. "come on, we have so much to do! and goodness, matthew, don't you clean up nicely? i almost didn't recognize you without that scruffy shadow on your face."

viola furrows her eyebrows at the backhanded compliment, which has also confused her. it's not like he has a full on beard. but matt just rubs his jaw, where the barest hint of stubble remains. "guess i had to make myself presentable for high society," he shrugs.

viola rolls her eyes. "we're selling hats and scarves, not mingling with the queen of england," she deadpans.

"isn't the queen dead?" matt replies with a smirk, raising an eyebrow.

"who cares!" mrs murphy answers before viola gets the chance to. "stop standing there like mannequins and help me set up," she adds, thrusting a box of neatly folded scarves at viola. she's grinning though, clearly amused by their banter — if it can even be called that.

viola is honestly losing her mind over it. she just can't seem to grasp how matt can keep up this teasing hatred between them, when only a few days ago he kissed her like there was nobody else in the world. it forces her to keep up the facade too, which is becoming more and more difficult with each day that passes.

she glances to matt, who grins back at her amusedly — an exchange that feels entirely too natural between them. they then get to work, with viola arranging the scarves while matt unpacks the gloves. soon enough, the table is a display of soft wool in muted winter shades, an inviting contrast to the stark white of the tablecloth. viola can't help but find it a little laughable though, how mrs murphy thought it'd be a good idea to sell winter accessories in the height of summer.

she's soon proven wrong though, because it isn't long before the first customer stops by, inspecting the handmade items with quiet murmurs of approval. it also isn't long before matt discovers his own personal form of entertainment for the night.

"this one's a personal favorite of mine," he says to the customer, plucking a dark green scarf from the pile. "here, nebraska, model it for us."

she doesn't even have time to protest before he's wrapping it around her neck, then adjusting it with exagerrated precision. "see? compliments any outfit."

literally boiling alive in the thick woolen thing, viola scowls up at him. the smirk on his lips doesn't falter. "i'm not a mannequinn." she says.

"no, but you're much better looking than i am," he replies with a shrug. "and if we want to sell all this cra— stuff, the presentation has to be perfect."

from across the room, mrs murphy chuckles knowingly. a moment later, a woman who appears to be in her fifties nods in agreement. "he's got a point, darling," she tells viola. "it really suits you."

slightly flustered, viola shoots back a polite smile before tugging the scarf off and folding it neatly back onto the table. "i think they get the idea," she scowls at matt, and his gaze on her is making it impossible for her to cool down.

matt, however, is relentless. each and every single time a new customer arrives, he's draping something new over her — scarves, gloves, and even a chunky knit hat that he insists is very fashionable. and despite the fact that she's literally burning alive in all this wool, viola laughs. it's hard not to, when matt is clearly enjoying himself far too much. his amusement is practically infectious, and it drives her insane.

she should be rolling her eyes at his antics, brushing off the way he keeps adjusting the fit of the items with lingering fingertips. but she can't, because truthfully, she likes it. far more than she should.

on top of that, viola can sense mrs murphy watching all of this with quiet delight, her sharp eyes taking in every lingering touch and soft smile exchanged between them. to say it makes her nervous is an understatement, though viola isn't sure why. they're supposed to be dating, after all, but mrs murphy noticing how much more interested viola is in matt than he is in her might become an issue.

viola has just pulled off another pair of gloves matt forcefully pulled over her hands when he suddenly puts down the scarf he's holding and rubs his hands on his jean shorts. "i'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick," he tells her. "make sure to put this on if another customer comes over while i'm gone," he adds, gesturing to the scarf. viola flips him off, but finds herself nodding nonetheless.

after she watches him disappear into the hallway, viola busies herself straightening the table display, determined to ignore the warmth still lingering on her skin from where his hands had been. she's so focused that she doesn't even notice mrs murphy approaching her until the woman speaks, "you know, dear," she starts, which startles viola slightly. "that boy is absolutely smitten with you."

viola nearly chokes on air. she plays it off with a laugh, though it comes out awkward and stitled. "oh, no," she answers, profusely shaking her head. "no. he's not."

mrs murphy tilts her head to the side, eyes twinkling. "he's your boyfriend, though?" she questions.

viola realizes her mistake, and covers it up with yet another awkward laugh that sounds a little like she's dying. "i know," she splutters. "but, like, we haven't been together for that long, so..."

"you don't see the way he looks at you, do you?" her neighbor protests, and it causes viola to fall silent.

"it's not like that," she says, and she means it. she's been looking for it, and she swears she's never seen matt give her that look.

mrs murphy just hums, unconvinced. "perhaps you're too close to see it," she muses. "but i've been around a long time, and trust me dear, i know what love looks like."

love.

the word lodges itself somewhere deep in viola's chest, now impossible to shake loose. she wants to laugh again, to dismiss every word the old lady is saying. the truth is though, mrs murphy's words don't seem quite as ridiculous as they should. lately, everything with matt feels very... different. lighter. easier.

they went from strangers to friends to now... whatever this is. it's soft and lingering, like something deeper lies beneath the surface. the way he teases her, the way his touch always lasts a second too long — it all feels very real all of a sudden.

which is a massive problem, because this isn't supposed to be real. it's supposed to be simple, and easy, and fake, because it's going to end very soon. but standing here, with mrs murphy's words echoing in her head and the ghost of matt's touch still lingering on her skin, viola realizes she's in deep shit.

she's so lost in her own thoughts that she doesn't even notice matt's return. he grins as he approaches the table, shaking his damp hands off before shoving them into his pockets.

"what'd i miss?" he asks, and viola is so starstruck and confused that she can't even muster up a response. instead, she just forces a smile, hoping it hides the sudden turbulence inside of her. "was mrs murphy just being her usual charming self, then?" he questions, and viola nods.

"of course i was, matthew," mrs murphy chuckles. matt arches an eyebrow at her, and she merely smirks.

"what kind of charming wisdom did you share?" he asks her. before the woman can respond, viola quickly nudges the box of gloves toward him.

"she was just helping me sell these," she lies straight through her teeth. mrs murphy snickers but doesn't press the subject, instead turning her attention to an elderly couple approaching the table.

the night continues, bustling with conversation and the shuffle of well-dressed guests moving between tables. matt remains in his usual teasing mood, throwing glances at viola that make her stomach twist. at some point, he reaches over to fix a stray thread on the scarf he's thrown onto her, and she stills, breath caught in her throat.

their eyes meet.

the moment is fleeting, gone as soon as it arrives, but it leaves viola's heart hammering in her chest.

fake. it's all fake.

but if that's true, then why is she actually feeling something?

as the fundraiser winds down and they begin packing up, viola steals another glance at matt. he's smiling, talking to mrs murphy about something insignificant, but there's a warmth to his expression she can't ignore.

once they're outside, away from the lingering crowd, matt shoves his hands into his pockets, exhaling into the warm night air. "you've been weird tonight," he says out of nowhere.

viola stiffens. "weird how?"

"i don't know," he admits. "just... distracted, like your mind's somewhere else." he pauses, eyes scanning her face. "you okay, nebraska?"

for a second, she considers brushing it off, making a joke, deflecting. but instead, she lets out a breath. "mrs murphy said something to me while you were gone."

matt smirks. "let me guess — she thinks we should get married and have twelve kids?"

viola huffs a laugh. "not quite. but she did say..." she pauses, contemplating, before eventually sighing. "she thinks you're in love with me." she laughs, playing it off like she doesn't care, and that it's funny.

matt blinks, taken aback. after a moment, he snorts. "oh."

viola frowns, but tries to hide it from him. "oh?" she repeats. is that all he's going to say?

"what, now you're expecting a declaration?" he quips, his tone teasing. yet, viola swears she can sense something else in his eyes, but she just can't read it.

she shakes her head quickly. "no," she answers sternly. "i told her she was wrong."

a silent beat passes between them. "do you believe that?"

her heart stumbles over itself. "yeah...?" she answers, trying to sound sure of herself when it reality she just sounds week.

mattt studies her for a long moment, then reaches out, tugging lightly on the scarf she's still wearing — the very last one he put on her at the fundraiser. "it looks good on you," he says, voice softer now.

she swallows. "uh, matt..."

but he just smiles, stepping back. ending the conversation. "come on. let's get the fuck out of this place," he chuckles, walking to his car.

viola is now very sure she's far too gone for him than she should be.

honey <3 🫧🧸 ; honey
dylan <3 💒🪽 ; viola

dylan <3 💒🪽
you were right
i am SO SO SO screwed

honey <3 🫧🧸
I KNEW IT
ANDDDD i know this will work out for you tho

dylan <3 💒🪽
yeah lol DEFINITELY not
mrs murphy started yapping about how she thinks he's in love with me

honey <3 🫧🧸
OH???

dylan <3 💒🪽
yeah don't get too excited
i told matt what she said
and he just laughed and said "oh"

honey <3 🫧🧸
WHAT

dylan <3 💒🪽
yeah and then he was like "are you expecting a love confession?" or wtv and i was like wtf

honey <3 🫧🧸
BRO
omfg he's deflecting

dylan <3 💒🪽
see usually i love when u feed into my delusions but can we not rn!!!!!

honey <3 🫧🧸
GIRL
I SWEAR THEY'RE NOT DELUSIONS

dylan <3 💒🪽
honey PLEASE
i'm alr on the brink of killing myself can you pls be straight with me

honey <3 🫧🧸
i have never been so straight ever
even when i was in the closet
laughed at by dylan <3 💒🪽
i swear on my LIFE he likes you back
and he's too shy to say it
so he's deflecting

dylan <3 💒🪽
STOP
i'm going to sleep

honey <3 🫧🧸
yeah okay have fun sex dreaming about him
AGAIN !

dylan <3 💒🪽
i hate you

honey <3 🫧🧸
love you too!

dylan <3 💒🪽
yeah yeah whatever
loved by honey <3 🫧🧸

Ian 👽👽 ; ian

Ian 👽👽
soooo
how was the fundraiser?

triplet #2
How do you know about that

Ian 👽👽
bc i know everything?
(chris told me)

triplet #2
That shit

Ian 👽👽
hey
don't call him a shit
he's your brother

triplet #2
You're a shit too btw

Ian 👽👽
alr now that's just rude
just because i'm asking you about the girl you're too scared to admit you're in love with
EVEN THO SHE'S YOUR GIRLFRIEND
stupid boy

triplet #2
I'm gonna block you

Ian 👽👽
you should really learn to take criticism matt
you're 19 years old...

triplet #2
I can take criticism
But you don't get it

Ian 👽👽
what?
i don't get your pathetic love for viola?

triplet #2
No

Ian 👽👽
YOU ADMITTED ITTTT
YIPPEEEEE
disliked by triplet #2
MATT
YOU JUST ADMITTED IT
read? seriously?
you're no fun

💌 ⋆✴︎˚。⋆ ━━ ava speaks !

sorry for the short chap i'm currently hit w exam szn AND the worst my mental health has been since sophomore year of high school so pls bear w me LOL