𝐼 𝒲𝒜𝒩𝒯𝐸𝒟 𝒴𝒪𝒰 𝒯𝒪 𝒦𝒩𝒪𝒲 - 𝒫𝒯. 𝟦
summary: matt can’t see any good at all, but sunshine sees the good in everything
warnings: smoking, mild language, slow-burn romance, anxiety
the sun was shining through the few clouds, making the midday feel warmer than it had all morning. a gentle breeze blew through the school courtyard, brushing strands of sunny’s blonde hair across her face as she walked toward the big tree where she usually spent her lunch break.
students were scattered around the grass, laughing with their friends or finishing their lunches, but sunny paid little attention to them. she was simply enjoying the warm weather. she reached the tree and was just about to sit down when she heard someone calling her name.
“sunnyy!!” she turned around and immediately spotted aubrey making her way over with a bright smile. sunny smiled back and gave her a little wave. “hii,” she greeted warmly.
aubrey didn’t waste a second before wrapping her arms around sunny in a quick hug. sunny giggled softly before hugging her back.
“you need something?” sunny asked curiously once they pulled away from each other. “well…” aubrey smiled. “i wanted to thank you.” sunny looked at her in confusion. “for what?”
“matt.” sunny blinked. “yesterday, after his break, he wasn’t grumpy at all.” aubrey laughed quietly. sunny looked surprised. “we were just talking…” “then you should do that more.” aubrey smiled. sunny couldn’t help smiling too.
“and as a thank you…or just because you’re a good friend…i have a taylor swift album for you.” sunny’s eyes instantly lit up. “you’re kidding???” she almost shouted. aubrey laughed. “nopee.”
“seriously??” sunny asked again, unable to hide her excitement. “come by the music shop after school.” aubrey smiled. “i’ll give it to you then.”
sunny nodded quickly, a huge smile spreading across her face. “thank you so much!” “you’re welcome.” aubrey laughed. “bye, sunny!” “bye!!” sunny waved excitedly as aubrey walked away. she turned around, still smiling to herself.
that’s when her eyes landed on someone across the courtyard. the black hoodie.
without even thinking about it, sunny hurried after him, weaving between groups of students until she saw him disappear into the narrow alley between the school and the library.
it was quieter there. cooler. the sounds of the school almost disappeared.
matt was sitting against the brick wall, one knee bent while the other leg stretched out in front of him. his hood was pulled over his head. he didn’t notice her. “matt!!” her cheerful voice echoed through the alley.
matt flinched so hard that he almost dropped the cigarette between his fingers. he immediately looked up. when he realized it was only sunny, his shoulders relaxed.
“are you crazy?” he said, clearly irritated. sunny blinked. “i thought you were one of the teachers.” he let out a long sigh. “god…sunshine.”
he took another drag from his cigarette. only then did sunny fully register what he was holding. her eyes widened. “you…” she stared at him. “…you’re smoking…”
he looked at the cigarette before holding it toward her without much interest. “want some?” “no!!” sunny yelped immediately. she looked around the empty alley. “you can’t smoke here!”
matt ignored her completely. instead, he leaned his head back against the wall. “what do you want, sunshine?” he asked, already sounding tired.
sunny hesitated. “i just…” she looked down at her hands. “…wanted to talk.” for a brief second, matt looked at her, then he looked away again.
“look.” his voice stayed flat. “i don’t have time for another conversation about nonsense.” sunny’s smile slowly faded. it wasn’t obvious. she made sure of that, but something inside her quietly sank. just a little.
she nodded. “okay.” there was a tiny silence. then she forced another smile. “bye, matt.”
she gave him a small wave before turning around. she walked back toward the school with slow steps. her chest felt strangely heavy. she couldn’t explain why. they barely knew each other. and yet…
his words stayed with her for the rest of the day.
the sun had already started setting by the time sunny hurried down the sidewalk toward the music shop. golden light reflected off the windows around town.
she had completely lost track of time after spending hours in the library, getting lost inside a book she had found tucked away on one of the highest shelves.
“i hope i’m not too late…” she whispered to herself and pushed open the shop door. the tiny bell above it rang.
“we’re closing!” a familiar voice called from somewhere in the back. sunny looked toward the storage room. matt was crouched beside a stack of cardboard boxes, sorting through records without even looking up.
she carefully stepped closer. “i said we’re—“ “matt?” his sentence stopped and looked up. “…oh.” he sighed. “what do you want?”
“um…” she smiled awkwardly. “is aubrey here?” “no.” he stood up. “she and chris left like…thirty minutes ago.” “oh…” sunny looked at the floor. before she could say anything else, matt grabbed another box.
“whatever it is…” he muttered. “…i don’t have time, sunshine.” he went back to organizing records. sunny stayed standing there. she watched him quietly for a few seconds.
then she spoke. “do you…need any help?” matt paused and looked over at her. then at the mountain of boxes surrounding him.
“…” finally, he sighed. “open that box.” he pointed toward one sitting near the counter. “put the albums on the shelves.” “alphabetically.” sunny’s face immediately brightened. “okay!” she smiled so widely it almost made matt regret asking. almost.
she carefully opened the box and began sorting through the records. they worked from opposite sides of the shop. the only sound was the occasional shuffle of cardboard. every few minutes one of them would quietly place another album onto a shelf.
slowly…they ended up working closer together. until there was only one album left. both of them reached for it at the exact same moment. their fingers brushed.
sunny immediately pulled her hand back. “i’m sorry!” she apologized quickly. matt simply picked up the record and handed it to her. she accepted it carefully.
“…mac miller.” she smiled while reading the cover. “i’ve never bought any of his albums.” “i have all of them.” sunny looked up. “really?” he nodded once.
for a second…they just stood there, looking at each other. until matt looked away first. “you know…” he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “…i could play it.”
sunny blinked. “if you want.” her face immediately lit up. “really?” instead of answering, matt walked toward the old record player sitting in the back corner.
he carefully placed the vinyl onto it. a quiet crackle filled the room, then the music started. they listened in silence for a moment. “this one’s my favorite.” matt said unexpectedly. sunny smiled. “i like it too.”
they continued carrying boxes together while the music played through the empty shop. well…matt carried them. sunny tried. she picked up one of the larger boxes before immediately realizing how heavy it actually was. “um…” she struggled to keep it balanced. “…matt…”
he looked over. she was barely holding onto it. he walked over without saying anything and lifted it out of her hands effortlessly. “okay.” he smirked ever so slightly. “this isn’t for you.”
sunny laughed quietly. “i tried.” “i noticed.” “is there anything else i can do?” “no.” he adjusted the box in his arms. “just these.” sunny nodded.
instead of getting in the way again, she sat down on the wooden floor nearby, resting her chin on her knees. she quietly watched him move around the shop. after a minute…matt noticed.
“…are you seriously just watching me?” he asked without looking at her. “something like that.” she smiled innocently. he rolled his eyes.
“you’re weird.” “thank you.” she answered proudly. he couldn’t help letting out a tiny laugh under his breath. the music continued playing. sunny softly hummed along.
after another verse she quietly sang, “she hates that she cries when she is all by herself…” matt glanced over and small chuckle escaped him.
sunny immediately covered her mouth. “sorryyy…” “you’re fine.” he shook his head with the smallest smile.
a few minutes later the last box was finally empty. matt carefully removed the record from the player and slid it back into its sleeve. the shop had become almost completely silent again. he walked back toward sunny.
“thanks…” his voice was quieter now. “…for helping.” “you’re welcome.” she smiled up at him. there was another small silence. “see you, matt.” she turned toward the door. “bye, sunny.” she smiled one last time before stepping outside. she had barely taken two steps…“wait—”
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