mira ۶ৎ

“Shit!” I hear Matt's panicked voice making me smile as I get up, stepping through the hallway as I see him come into view, surrounded by smoke erupting from the toaster. Giggles push through my lips, the sound making his head swivel towards me, his cheeks flushing as his eyes go wide. 

“Having fun there?” I tease. 

Scratching the back of his neck, Matt shrugs, “I wanted to bring you breakfast in bed, I… sorry for waking you up.” 

I shake my head from side to side, walking around the kitchen island to shuffle my hand through his messy hair. “I don’t mind,” I remark, letting my hand fall down to cup his cheek as his eyes peer into mine. 

It could be the lingering sleep, but something just feels so right, so peaceful. I find myself staring into his eyes, unable to peel my gaze away as he curves his arm around my back, pulling me flush against him. 

“You look really pretty,” he breathes, his eyes shifting between my own as I feel my heart pound in my chest. It’s intoxicating. The warmth of his words wash over me like sunlight, a glow of pure joy making my skin prickle with goosebumps. 

“I, uh - thank you.” I blush as he leans down, brushing his nose against my own. 

It feels different. There’s no pressure, just us. 

___

“Are you warm enough?” he asks, tucking the blanket around me as I sit in his lap. He had insisted on sitting on the balcony, and on having me sit in his lap, but I wasn’t complaining. 

I hum in response, nuzzling my head into his chest more as he hugs me closer. His hands tangle through my hair, gently massaging the roots as he rocks us with a soft motion. “That feels so good,” I say. 

“Hmmm, good,” he coos. 

The silence is so calm. I find myself sinking against his body with complete relaxation, my bones feeling as if they’re melting to mold against him. 

“I’m not ready to go back,” I sigh, dreading the thought of going back home, facing the pressures of everything I’d wanted to avoid. 

Matt looks down at me, his hand cradling my cheek as his eyes softly gaze down at me. “I know, me either. I love this… the view, the mountains. I love yo-” 

He cuts himself off, his lips opening with a large huff of air as I go stiff in his arms. “I - you don’t need to say it back, but.. I need you to know,” he says, his eyes squinting with emotion as he rubs his thumb along my jaw, “I love you.” 

My eyes go wide. I feel my spine tingle, my body pulsing as I try to wrap my head around the words. 

“You don’t have to say it back, I-”

“I love you.” 

The interruption makes us both go silent. All thoughts run blank as I let my heart echo through my veins, pure instinct and emotions leaking through my lips.

“I really love you. I mean it,” I repeat. 

Matt’s eyes gloss over with an innocent devotion. He hugs me tighter, his forehead resting against my own as he lets out a small laugh of endearment. “Even with the burnt toast and boney ass?” he jokes. 

I scrunch my nose, humming as I let out a small snicker, “Especially with the burnt toast and boney ass.”

It’s so stupid, but it’s breathtakingly innocent. So genuine and raw it makes my bones vibrate inside my body. 

“Promise that nothing changes when we go back. Please.” 

The vulnerability leaking from his voice makes my heart clench in my chest. I find myself in pain even at the thought of losing him, losing this. 

“I promise.”

___

It was almost sad coming back. Rumors were spreading like wildfire. Hayden kept yapping, name dropping me as my reputation got dragged through the dirt. And the more people said, the more quiet I got. 

I promised Matt, but I didn’t expect to put his life in a negative spotlight. The promise lingered in my mind as I peeped through my blinds, seeing a crowd of people stalking outside since someone had leaked my address. 

There was no proof, but I knew Hayden did it. Something about the way he was thriving off the attention from the public, showing a fake pout as he told people to ‘be kind.’ 

The knock on my door catches me off guard. Although people were watching outside, no one was knocking. 

Stalking over to the door, I gasp looking through the peephole. Matt. I rush to open the door, pulling him inside as I lock the door quickly. 

“What are you doing here? Are you stupid, you’re gonna get blasted on the inter–”

Matt grabs both of my forearms, his disheveled appearance accompanied by his heavy breaths. “I don’t care. You made a promise. You… don’t let this come in between us, please,” he begs, looking into my eyes before taking a deep sigh, “Please. You - you promised.” 

I did promise. But, I never expected that promise to hurt him like this. 

“Matt, I… I don’t want to drag you into–”

Cutting me off once more, he grabs both my hands in his, kissing my knuckles. “I don’t care. I don’t care about anything if I can’t have you. I… I love you, please don’t - please,” he whispers, pulling my hands to his chest, his pounding heartbeat thumping against my palm. 

“I love you so much, I just - I don’t wanna hurt your reputation. I know you say you don’t care–”

“I don’t.” 

As I go to push back, I feel him grab my hand, dragging me in his footsteps as he marches towards the door.

Sunlight invades my vision as he guides us outside. My eyes go wide as I look up to see phones all pointed at me. 

“Matt, what’s going on?” I hiss, shying into his hold as he hugs me closer. 

His eyes venture into mine with love, raw emotion seeping through as I feel myself forget about our surroundings.

“Do you trust me?” he asks. 

Nodding, I find my breath hitching in my chest as he leans down. His nose presses into the side of my cheek, his lips finding their way to my own as he softly kisses me. My spine straightens as I gravitate towards him. I let my hands plant themselves on his shoulders as his lips mold onto mine, soft passion chasing between our movements. 

The ringing in my ears is subtly interrupted by shuttering camera sounds. I tense in his hold as I look around, my eyes widening as I see dozens of phones pointed towards us. 

“Matt…” I whisper, my hands clasping into his shirt, “-what’re you doing?” 

Gently, he grabs my chin. I feel his warm breath against my lips, his mouth venturing closer to my own once again, kissing me softly as he muffles against me;