{irl, social media}
-

As Iris opened her eyes the next morning, she expected Matt to be out of bed and gone. But, there he was still next to her. The large space between them had minimized during the night and their faces were now only inches apart.

With one simple glance at Matt she noticed his messy morning hair, having more curl and volume than regular. The sleeve of his shirt was rolled and lifted.

His eyes meet her as his mouth curls into a smile.

"Hi"

"Hi"

They both keep a consistent gaze at the other after their introductions. Iris wondered what Matt was thinking. Was he noticing her tangled hair behind her? Are her heavy eyelids noticeable? Does he find this moment as intimate as she did?

Matt ,on the other hand, could only see how she has never looked better than she did in the current moment. Sure he has seen her when she's spent hours getting ready. To anyone else, those would be her best moments. When she has a full face of makeup on, her best outfit and curled hair. To Matt, he knew this was Iris at best. She was comfortable in her own skin when it's just her and her pajamas. When she has no makeup, relaxing clothes, and messy hair. To Matt, she was perfection.

"Did you sleep okay?" Matt asks, rubbing his eye and yawning

"Considering it was here with you instead of an empty house, absolutely" She softly laughs "More than okay"

Matt smiles at her answer, "We could stay here all day. Or if you want, go and get breakfast downstairs"

"I don't think you've ever made me a homemade meal so I'm gonna have to say go downstairs" Iris states

"Yeah keep hoping. The best I can do is hash browns in the air fryer and scrambled eggs"

After enjoying the presence of the other for a moment longer, they make their way towards the kitchen. Nick and Chris had already claimed a spot in their living room while watching what looked to be Ru Paul together.

"Cute fit" Nick teases, cereal in his mouth

"Chew your fucking food before showing it to the world" Chris groans

"Good morning to you too" Iris jokes

As promised, Matt cracks two eggs in a pan while putting pre-made hash browns in his air fryer. Iris pours two cups of apple juice and hands one to Matt, continuing to lean against the counter next to him.

"What are your plans for the day?" Iris asks

"We are going to Larray's around 3 to film, but we should be back by 8 if you want to come back over. I'll try to stay awake with you again to rewatch Ross and Rachel fall in love" Matt laughs

"Matt! No!" Iris rolls her eyes playfully, leaning her forehead against him in defeat before looking back up at him "They were already in love. They were in love all along. Ross sacrificed his happiness for her because of how much he loved her. Rachel didn't know she loved him until she realized she needed off the plane"
Iris found that the more she explained fictional tv characters, the more she realized how it sounded familiar. Matt was her Ross. He was there all along, and she just never knew how much she actually loved him until she didn't have him.
"We are going to rewatch it again. You'll see"

"I promise to pay more attention this time" Matt laughs, twisting the promise bracelet around his wrist "What are you doing before tonight?"

"Well, all of my art supplies that Dad had to ship me finally arrived yesterday. I just need time to decompress and take in all of the changes from the last two weeks" Iris sighs, stressed but joyful

"Express yourself however you need to. Whatever you feel, use the brush to tell yourself it's going to be okay" Matt says

Iris nods and leans her head back on him. Matt always understood her. Even if he didn't have an artistic bone in his body, he knew why she needed to do it. Only Matt would ever understand.

"Your hash brown and egg" Matt smiles, placing her food on the plate in front of her "Cooked to perfection"

"When he says perfection, he means probably burnt and fried" Nick jokes, walking into the kitchen and opening the fridge. He retrieves a can of Pepsi before sitting behind the counter

While eating, they talked about how Iris is liking Los Angeles and how the triplets first adjusted to the change. Eventually the day moved on and they had to drop Iris off at her own house before continuing to Larrays.

"I'll walk you up." Matt says, opening her door and shoving his hands in his short pocket's

As they reach the door, both bodies turn to hug the other. Iris felt warm and safe with Matt, like she was supposed to be there. With a big sigh she sends him on his way.

"Fun night?" Blake teases, sitting on the couch as Iris sneaks in the door, still in Matt's clothes

"Oh gag me. But speaking of... I actually won't be here again tonight" Iris laughs, smiling sheepishly

"Glad you had a great time. I put your mail on your bed, there's only about three or four"

Iris walks into her room and grabs the pile of white envelops that were placed on top of the box of art supplies.

Phone bill.
Bath and Body works coupon.
Home Garden magazine.
University of Pennsylvania.

Her heart drops at the name. She had the dream of attending UPenn ever since she was a little girl.

Iris's mom was once a professor at UPenn. Some of her favorite memories was coming to the campus with her mom and looking at all of the big adults around her. She felt comfortable there. Iris spent many late nights with her mom on campus, many great nights. She knew that's where she would belong one day.

The idea became harder after her mom passed away. Thinking about being surrounded by memories of her mom taunted Iris. She put off enrollment for a year after graduation, bound by the fear of overriding the memories she made there with her mom.

Her hardship ended whenever the nightmares became rejoicing. Those walls once held her mom and allowed her to flourish in her own dreams. Iris felt okay knowing they'd do the same for her. Things didn't work out to go to UPenn whenever her sister needed her in Los Angeles.

The desire still burned in her heart, and she still often wonders who she would've became if she went.

Making her way into the living room, Iris hands Blake the envelope.

"I can't read it. I just can't do it" Iris sighs

Blake takes the letter and opens it, allowing her eyes to scan the paper for a few moments. Once finished her eyes met with her sisters, this time with a different attitude.

"They want to offer you a full ride scholarship..." Blake says in a soft tone, huffing out a shaky breath before dropping the letter to her side in disbelief

Iris sits down on the couch behind her. She read the letter for herself before sitting in silence.

This silence was difficult. It wasn't awkward. It wasn't uncomfortable. She wasn't in pain or sorrow. Yet, it was the worst she's felt since being here. The silence was contained by her heart being pulled in different directions.

One way went towards Philadelphia. Her dreams of doing art for a living could come true. She would get to be in her mom's environment everyday.

The other was in Los Angeles. With her sister and new chapters. With her friends. With Matt.

Wanting to be alone, Iris goes to her room. She opens a blank canvas and allows the brush to comfort her, just as Matt suggested. Turns out, that's all she needed to feel better.

Her room slowly became darker as the day went by, but her focus never shifted from the canvas. Headlights shine through her window before her bedroom door slowly twists open.

The comforting smile greets her with a hug before turning to the now dry paint.

A new peace fills the room as his eyes scan every corner in front of him.

"What does it represent to you?" Matt asks, his hand rubbing her lower back as both have their focus on the canvas

"You see this hand?" Iris asks, pointing to the left side of the canvas "Half of her is reaching out for something else. The other half of her is comfortably in protection. She doesn't know where she wants to go and where she wants to be. I feel for her...In some way, she's me. This hand-" Iris then points to the right side "Well...that's you. You've got me. You keep me from slipping away too far. A deep comfort, you know?"

Matt stares at the painted canvas in silence for a moment longer. He stood in complete peace.

"I promise to always be that for you" He states

Iris grabs the painting and hands it to Matt, an obvious gesture of gifting. They drive to his home while listening to a shared playlist and enjoying the dark skies, eventually getting relaxed in bed together. Friends played on the TV before them.

As promised, she noticed him paying attention and evaluating the show in front of him. Just as he promised.

Her mind wanders back to UPenn and their offer, while her eyes wander to the boy next to her. Picking between her dreams and Matt would be the hardest thing she ever had to do.

@MATTHEW.STURNIOLO made a new post!

tagged ;; @christophersturniolo @nicolassturniolo

tagged ;; @irislilly

tagged ;; @irislilly

@MATTHEW.STURNIOLO: photo dump (again)
liked by @irislilly, @christophersturniolo, and 730,500 others
view all 5,700 comments

@nicolassturniolo: vamp anthem 🧛🏻‍♂️
↳ matthew.sturniolo: 🧛🏻‍♂️‼️

@irislilly:  thanks for the new wallpaper
     ↳ matthew.sturniolo: brb blushing
        ↳irislilly: 😊

@user:  not matt and iris publicly flirting

@christophersturniolo: holy talent
  ↳matthew.sturniolo: come see the real thing

@user2: flipping a bird is so childish lmao

@user3: bye i love her

@naileadevora:  i need a painting lesson rn.
↳ kennedyclairewalsh: DATE NIGHT?
    ↳ irislilly: come come come 🎨

@user4: he could do so much better

@larray: the art vs the artist 😍
↳ irislilly: luv u lay ❤️

@IRIZZ made a new post!

tagged ;; @undercovertrip

@IRIZZ:  life
liked by @undercovertrip, @livlaughluv, and 150 others
view all 87 comments

@nicktootired: why do i never get photo cred
↳ irizz: SORRY 📸

@livlaughluv:  all grown up ):
     ↳ irizz: u have my heart 4ever
        ↳livlaughluv: that's what they all say 😪

@user: OMG????

@undercovertrip: can't believe i got caught watching friends
  ↳irizz: yk u loved it don't lie
  ↳undercovertrip: maybe......

@user2: living for this content

@user3: just got accepted in the priv lets goooo

@ilovepepsi:  soft launch?
    ↳ irislilly: 🚀