Going Under - C. Sturniolo
Pt. 2
WC: 5085
A/N: actually not confident in this part at all LMAO i didnt know where to end it either so mb if its such a sudden ending. not proof read :)
'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•'
Friday night we're all gathered around a bonfire on the back patio, Ally is pestering Chris with questions about Matt since she's a proclaimed ‘Matt girl’.
“Is Matt more funny in real life? Does he really hate ketchup that much? Is he a good driver?” She rambles, Anyone who knows Ally knows she's been a fan of the triplets since they first started on Youtube and she's definitely losing her mind over talking to the Chris Sturniolo right now.
“Eh, he's pretty funny. I’d say he's a decent driver too, hasn't gotten into a crash yet!” He laughs, genuinely interested in the bland conversation.
“Masie, c’mere.” My mom whispers, pulling me into the kitchen with my aunt.
“Are you and Chris fighting or is he just really distant?” My mom asks, anyone who wasn't stupid could tell that Chris and I aren't showing as much affection as a normal couple does.
“Oh, he’s not too big on PDA, it’s not a big deal. Promise were still goin’ strong guys!” I exclaim, trying to make it sound believable.
“If he's not treating you right, let me know and I’ll put ‘em in his place.” Aunt Sarah jokingly threatens, throwing a fist in the air.
“No, no, no need for that! We're totally fine guys.” I fake a laugh, grabbing a soda out of the fridge for Chris. He’s still being entertained by Abby when I walk back outside. Taking a seat next to him, I hand him the soda. “Hey Ally, you wanna go play with your cousins?” I ask, taking the hint she walks off, joining James and Sophie in a game of cornhole.
“So… just had a fun conversation with my Mom and Aunt Sarah.” I state with a sigh. Chris looks at me cluelessly. “They said we aren't as affectionate as a normal couple.” I let out a dry laugh, He pulls out his phone to text me instead.
If you think im gonna kiss you n shit, your wrong
*you're :)
Stfu. not gonna kiss you, not gonna hold
your hand, not doin any of ts
u suck
He sighs in defeat, putting an arm around me and pulling me close to him. Is it weird that I kind of liked it? Is it weird that he smelt good? I swear this altitude is fucking with my head.
“Better?” He whispers in my ear, I try to hide the embarrassingly stupid grin on my face but fail. This almost felt… right?
“Yep.” I mumble under my breath, staring into the fire in front of us.
“Look how cute you guys are!” Mark coos, snapping a photo of us before we could process it.
I hope he sends that to me later.
“Thank you brother in law. Very appreciated.” I grin at him, my dry humor somehow entertaining him.
“Very welcome, sister in law.” Mark, along with most other adults are tipsy from all the drinks they’ve had tonight. With tomorrow being the wedding, you’d think they wanted to save all that shit for then but apparently not.
“Maise, tell us how you guys met.” My dad chimes in, at this point he’s had a few beers and that ‘big ol’ softie” in him really comes out after at least two beers.
“We met at a party! It was real sweet actually, this cutie wouldn't stop staring at me so I finally went up to him and asked for his number.” I gush about our fake encounter, hugging his waist.
“What can I say? I see a beautiful lady n’ I can't help but stare.” a hint of sarcasm in his voice but no one catches onto it.
“You’re a good man, Chris.” My dad preaches, taking another sip of his beer.
After another hour or so of conversation, I decide it's time for Chris and I to head to bed. Especially since we're gonna have to discuss the sleeping arrangement. We say our goodnights to everyone and head up to our room.
“So…” I start, unsure of how to go about this.
“Just share the bed with me, Masie. It's not that difficult.” He sneers, reaching for his pajamas in the dresser and heading to the bathroom. Leaving me with the most confused look on my face.
I decide that I should change too, while I have the chance. Very quickly, I throw on an old t-shirt and shorts, as if on cue, Chris walks out of the bathroom crawling into bed.
“You aren't gonna brush your teeth? Nasty ass.” I tease, heading to the bathroom to do just that. Chris groans, getting up again to join me in the bathroom.
I never really noticed our height difference until I was staring at us in the mirror. He’s a good six inches taller than me. Cute.
“Stop staring and brush your teeth.” He rolls his eyes at me, I feel the heat rise to my cheeks, embarrassed that he caught me eyeing him.
Heading to bed, I keep a safe distance from Chris at first, until a good twenty minutes later when I’m tossing and turning unable to fall asleep.
“Stop moving so much, holy shit.” he complains per usual.
“Can’t sleep.” I fluff my pillow and tangle myself in the duvet in an attempt to find a comfortable position.
“We can talk, usually helps me fall asleep.” He suggests, turning his body to face me. “What’s keeping you up?” Chris mutters, fighting off his own tiredness
“Oh I don’t know. Maybe the fact that I have to share a bed… with you.” I state coldly. Shifting my body a little bit closer to his.
“If you’re gonna be a bitch, I'm not gonna do this.” Although I can't see it, I can hear the eyeroll in his voice. We stay silent for a few moments before he speaks again. “Sorry. This is weird. You know I actually can't sleep without someone else being in the bed?” His poor attempt at sparking conversation actually works on me.
“Oh, that’s kinda cute actually.” I’m glad its dark in the room otherwise Chris would definitely be making fun of the pink tint that paints itself across my cheeks. “How do you like it so far? The trip, I know I kinda begged you to come but you seem to be having at least a little bit of fun.” I ramble. I wonder if he knows that he makes me a little nervous.
“It’s actually not as bad as I thought it’d be. Lowkey, excited to see what you're gonna wear to the wedding tomorrow.” He replies, I hadn't thought about that, but the idea of seeing Chris in a suit was almost impossible.
“Nothin’ special. I’m glad though. I get to meet Charity tomorrow, super stoked for that.” I smile at the thought of my baby cousin. With most of my family being in Colorado, it's heartbreaking that I don't get to see them as much as I’d like to but California is more convenient for my career path.
“Oh, yeah! A baby, huh? Not a big fan of those.” He laughs at his own stupid joke, propping his head on his hand. The moonlight peaking through the curtains making his features more prominent in the dark room.
“Okay, weirdo.” I giggle, lifting my hand up to play with his hair. “Sorry, don’t know what made me want to do that.” my eyes widen once I realize what i'm doing, snatching my hand back down to my chest.
Chris lets out a sigh in response. “Just couldn’t resist, hm?” He hums, turning to lay on his back. Guess we’re both having issues getting comfortable. We lay in silence for a little while longer, still keeping a dangerously safe distance from each other.
That's the last thing I remember before passing out. When I wake up, It’s daylight outside and I'm wrapped in a pair of arms.
“Chris,” I groan trying to escape his grip. He doesn't budge, How deep of a sleeper is this motherfucker? I decided to do the only logical thing I could think of and kick his shins.
“Ow! Asshole, I'm up!” He yelps, I assume he realizes that he's cuddling me because he almost instantly pulls away and I nearly shudder from the loss of his body heat.
“It’s wedding day!” I jump out of the bed, a huge grin plastered on my face as I walk toward the balcony of our room. The morning fog over the lake tells me it's still the early hours of the morning.
I sit for a little while, leaned up against the railing listening to the birds chirp, so serene. I’ll never be able to get used to the mornings I spend on the lake, no matter how many I have.
“It's like, six in the morning, I wanna go back to sleep.” Chris goans, ruins my peaceful moment with myself by walking his happy ass to the balcony to join me.
“Then go back to sleep, I’m going to spend time with Amber on her wedding day.” I grunt, walking back into our room. I reach for an outfit from the dresser as Chris crawls back into the bed. More sleep does sound incredibly tempting but I really should go downstairs and spend time with my sister before she becomes a married woman.
“Come back to bed.” He whines, holding his arms out like a child.
“You're disgusting, I don’t wanna cuddle your ass.” I retort, heading for the bathroom.
I change into a pair of jeans and a sweater, quickly brushing through my hair and walking back out to find Chris doomscrolling for what felt like the eight millionth time since we’ve been here.
“Get up and come socialize with my family. I’ll be downstairs.” I state before walking down to the kitchen to find my Mom and Amber already having their morning cup of coffee.
“Good Morning! It’s Your big day, How exciting!” I smile at my older sister, pouring myself a cup of coffee.
“I’m so nervous, what if I puke at the altar?” Amber stirs her spoon around in her mug, looking at me with weary eyes.
“Oh Amber, don’t say that!” My Mom Laughs, waiting for her toast to pop out of the toaster. Amber had shared her wedding plans with me and from the shared Pinterest board we have, I can tell it's gonna be beautiful. She's aiming for more of a rustic woodland theme since its gonna be right on the lake. I always knew she had taste.
“You’re gonna be fine! Plus I have an amazing Sister-Of-The-Bride speech.” I coo, I’ve been working on this speech since she told me she was engaged and I just know it's gonna make her cry.
“Good morning, ladies! Happy wedding day, Amber.” Chris shouts, Descending from the stairs. He’s still in his PJ’s.
“Mornin’ Chris, come sit with us. There's still some coffee in the pot.” My Mom invites him to the kitchen island. Chris accepts, sitting next to me.
We sit and talk about the plans for the day for a bit,eventually James and Sophie come peering around the corner like it's christmas morning.
“Aunt Laurie, can you make us cereal?” James asks my Mom, getting up, she starts to make them breakfast and I decide that me and Chris should go for a walk around the property.
“C’mon, I wanna go for a walk.” I say to Chris, grabbing his hand. With my coffee mug still in hand, we start towards the woods.
“You excited?” He asks me, walking besides me, he’s careful to make sure there's no tripping hazards on the path.
“Yeah, I’m giving a speech tonight. Most excited for the food though.” I peer up at him, flashing a smile.
“A speech? Didn’t take you as much of a public speaker.” Chris jokes, intertwining my fingers with his. As taken by surprise as I am, I don’t react to the gesture.
“Me either, We’ll see how it goes.” I shrug. Chris was really starting to get on my good side and it's only Saturday. We still have two more days in Colorado and I truly can't wait to see how it all plays out. I was beginning to see the true Chris and he’s not the avoidant asshole I originally thought he was.
“Weddings are so weird to me. Love in general is weird to me.” He’s quick to change the subject, now swinging out arms back and forth as we continue to walk, he gives my hand a light squeeze.
“How so?” I furrow my brows, I get where he's coming from but I wanna see if I can break him out of his shell a bit more.
“I dunno,” He starts, his voice flat. “I mean, It’s so scary, the idea of being tied down to one person for the rest of your life. Like, I hate the idea of that.” He admits, the shell is cracking!
“So you’re scared of commitment?” I chime in, I’ll be the first to admit, I too, am terrified of commitment but I guess when the right person comes along, you just know.
“Yeah. Guess so.” Chris looks down at the dry ground beneath our feet, unsure of where else to look right now. I think about any past relationships he may have had and none come to mind. Has this kid ever even dated a girl? I know he’s had girls over. I’ve seen them and even spoken to a few of them when I stayed the night at the triplets house. But why was committing such a bizarre concept to him?
“Right, well, I’m right there with ya, I've only had one boyfriend, and I never even thought about wanting to marry him.” I blurt out, why am I opening up to Chris? I’m not sure but if I'm trying to get him to break out of his comfort zone with me, I should probably overshare with him too.
“Why’d you guys break up? You were pretty upset about it, you didn’t come over for almost a month after it happened.” Chris was finally actually making an effort to get to know me better. I like this, I like this side of him.
“He cheated on me three times and I only found out the last time.” I state, thinking back to that relationship. I really loved him but I guess he had commitment issues of his own.
“I’m sorry, Mase.” He calls me by my nickname for the first time ever. It sounds almost melodic coming from his lips. Mase, Mase, Mase. I keep replaying it in my head.
After Chris and I’s little heart to heart, we head back to the house to get ready. After stealing all the hot water in the shower, I sit on the counter of the bathroom, beginning to do my makeup.
Amber didn’t hire a makeup artist for the wedding and I honestly preferred it that way. I sat in silence except for the muffled sound of Chris’ music playing from the bedroom, I’m left with my thoughts. All I can think about is him. Chris playing nice with my cousins. Chris being a gentleman to me. Chris staying up to talk to me last night.
I had to be going insane or something, I don’t like him. I can’t like him, It’s Chris. There’s simply no way.
Once I finish my makeup, I slip on the dress Amber had picked out for me, a pink silk mermaid halter dress. A beautiful one at that.
“Wow. You look beautiful, Masie.” Chris has a hard time keeping his jaw attached to his face when I finally walk out of the bathroom. His sincere compliment threw me for a bit of a loop.
“Thank you, You look pretty handsome too.” Chris in a suit. Something I never thought I’d live to see. He looked so proper it was actually pretty impressive how nice he cleaned up. “Here, lemme help.” I smirk, helping him adjust his tie. Straightening his tie out a little bit, I can feel him staring down at me as I fiddle with the fabric.
“What?” I question, A cheeky smile plastered on my face as I fold his collar down.
“Nothin’.” He’s so obviously lying, there's definitely something. We walked downstairs, met with everyone else staying in the house except Amber and Mark. I assume they're doing the first look deal right now.
“Ready?” My Dad asks, leading everyone to the driveway. Luckily it’s not very far from the house at all, about a twenty minute drive. Chris and I ride with my parents, Dad pestering Chris with more questions. I felt bad for him at this point.
“I wanna know what it’s like being famous, is it really all fun and games? Masie won't tell us a thing!” He exclaims, Famous was a stretch. I’d consider us public figures at best.
“We aren't really famous, It’s fun though, my brothers and I have a pretty solid fanbase. Masie has a cult though, I swear I see her fans post about her all the time.” Chris laughs, I notice him fiddling with his suit jacket, must be an anxious habit. I take his hand in mine and give it a gentle squeeze. Chris gives me a half assed smile and goes back to conversing with my dad.
The rest of the car ride, Chris continues talking to my parents while I’m zoning out, staring at the trees we drive past. Autumn in the mountain sides definitely trumps autumn on the west coast.
Once we arrive at the venue, the rest of the family is there. Including my baby cousin Charity who I was most looking forward to seeing. I waste no time going to greet my uncle Theo but more importantly, Charity.
“Uncle Theo, this is my boyfriend, Chris. Chris, this is uncle Theo.” I introduce the two men to each other. Chris holds out his hand for a handshake.
Chris and my uncle do their little introduction while I’m distracted by baby Charity.
“Hi sweet girl, I’m your favorite cousin, but don't tell the others.” I coo, watching as she wraps her little fingers around my big pointer. “You are just adorable aren't you?” I smile at her, noticing the miniature dress she's in. How cute is that?
“Can I hold her?” I ask, once he gives me the nod of approval, I pick her up from the stroller, holding the delicate baby in my arms. While I'm distracted by Charity, Theo goes to socialize with our family.
“She’s so tiny,” Chris comes up from behind me, Placing his hand on my hip while I coddle the baby. I look up at him for a moment, Feeling awkward, the two of us, like this, with a baby in my arms. Too intimate.
“Hi, I’m Chris.” He smiles at her, making Charity giggle at him
“I think she likes you.” I whisper, rocking her back and forth. “Theo, take her away, I’m getting major baby fever.” I panic, turning around to find my uncle, handing Charity back to him.
“Baby fever? You're only twenty!” He laughs, placing her back in the stroller.
“Yeah, that's why it's scary.” I purse my lips, turning back to Chris who has a huge smile plastered on his face.
“Thought you didn't like babies.” I confront him, playing with my bracelet.
“I liked seeing you with her, It was cute.” Chris coos, what the fuck has gotten into him? Everyone enters the cathedral after socializing for a bit. Chris and I took a seat next to my Mom up front, Music begins to play over a speaker, a Lana Del Ray instrumental. Never doubted for a second that my sister had taste. We all watch in awe as Sophie throws rose petals down the aisle, She makes the most adorable flower girl ever.
Everyone turns their heads to look at Amber as the door at the end of the aisle opens, She looked as if she were glowing. Her dress was almost identical to the one she would describe to me when we were growing up.
My Dad is very clearly trying not to cry as he walks her down the aisle. This whole moment felt so surreal for me I could only imagine how Amber was feeling right now.
Once she makes her way to the altar, my Dad takes a seat next to my Mom, I watch silently as she consoles him, Knowing that watching his daughter truly grow up was such a proud Dad moment for him.
Chris takes my hand in his again, this time, raising it up to place a kiss on the back of my hand. I look at him with the most confusing look ever. Why the hell did he do that?
“The fuck?” I mumble under my breath, just loud enough for him to hear but he ignores my comment, all of his attention on the couple at the altar.
They begin to exchange vows, Mark is trying his hardest to control his tears as he speaks. I can feel Chris’ eyes practically burning a hole into my side profile as he stares at me while my brother in law vows to always love my sister. Looking at Chris, I can tell that this isn't just a normal look. I’m not sure how he's looking at me or what emotions he's hiding behind those eyes, I can’t tell if I like it or not.
It's now Ambers turn to read her vows. She’s talking about how she'll always root for the Avalanches during every game and how she could never imagine herself with someone other than Mark. The vows to each other are short and sweet, once the officiant announces that he can now kiss the bride, I can't help but look away. I’ve managed seven years without seeing them kiss and I'm not letting today be the first time I see it.
After the ceremony, we’re all instructed to meet at a small winery for the reception. I still haven't spoken to my sister since this morning and that's all I was dying to do. Especially after the looks Chris was giving me.
“Hey,” Chris starts as everyone begins to stand up. “I wanna talk to you later if that's okay, like after the reception ‘n everything.” He looks at me with that stupid look in his eyes again and all I manage to do is smile and nod.
Once at the reception, we’re all served our food and I get to tell my speech. “Hello everyone, So, I’m Masie, the bride's sister. When we were younger, Amber would tell me non stop about her dream wedding. If you ask me, I’d say this is exactly what she described.” I speak into the microphone, looking at Amber. “Amber is my best friend and I love her to no end but, Mark, I’d have to say over the years, you have become my best friend too-” I feel myself start to choke up as the audience coos at my introduction
The love that my sister and Mark have for each other is the same love I’ve always wished to receive and being able to see my sister be treated the way she deserves to be treated is very bittersweet. “I know for a fact that Mark is her soulmate because no one else I know is willing to sit through a six hour car ride with her, listening to The Vamps on repeat.” The audience giggles at this and Amber is practically doubled over in laughter knowing that her obsession with Brad Simpson when we were younger carried on into adulthood too.
“You did so good.” Chris praises me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder when I sit back down. I watch as he brings the pad of his thumb up to my face, patting at the last of my happy tears that have fallen.
Once everyone gives their little speeches and we’re all full from the food, we all head to the dance floor, dancing to Amber and Mark's amazing playlist they’d made.
“Um, can I dance with your boyfriend?” Sophie tugs on my dress, I look at my ‘boyfriend’ for confirmation and he nods. Chris dances with Sophie to Hey Ya! By Outkast. He’s crouched down, holding her hands and spinning her around, It’s quite cute actually. The way he’s only known my family for two days and is already so comfortable with them.
I head to the table Amber and Mark are sitting at, talking to Mark’s parents. I need to talk to Amber or I might lose my mind.
“Congratulations! You're a wife now!” I exclaim, wrapping my arms around her.
“Thank you, your speech was so good it nearly made me cry, I love you so much.” Amber smiles at me, I feel like everytime Ive tried to talk to her this weekend, she's been too wrapped up in the stress of her wedding to stay focused on our conversation but now that we're here, her full attention is on me.
“I love you too, Look at Soph. She tell you about her little crush on Chris?” I giggle, pointing at them on the dance floor.
“Oh my god, that's so cute. She's a lil’ boyfriend stealer. You better go get your mans.” She jokes, I’m almost positive that Chris doesn't mind it at all though. “We’re gonna cut the cake soon, I’ll save you a big piece!” Amber nudges me, motioning for me to head back to the dance floor.
Eventually, Sophie gets distracted by some kids on Mark’s side of the family and wanders off with them. Chris and I are finally alone again and of course a slow song comes on.
Forever By The Beach Boys. Curse my sister and her good music taste.
“Wanna dance?” Chris asks, holding out his hand. I take his hand in mine, and he places the other one on the small of my back. “So, I wanted to talk to you after the fact but I think now is a good time too.” He begins, swaying us back and forth.
“Good talk or bad talk?” I let my other hand find its way to the back of his neck, waiting for him to respond.
“Not sure. Look, Masie, I’ve always been avoidant of you for a reason. I think you know why too.” He sighs. Oh my god is he gonna say what I think he's gonna say? “I guess I like you? I dunno, I’ve been texting Matt this whole trip tryna figure out how to tell you and I guess being straight up about it is the only way.” Chris rambles, surprisingly not stuttering once.
I stare at him in silence, truly at a loss for words because I’ve developed a crush on him too. It's only been two days but within those two days I’ve seen the side of him he often tries to hide from me and I really like it. I really like him.
“Oh.” Is all I manage to get out and he looks at me dumbfounded. “Sorry, I have to use the restroom.” I excuse myself, dramatically rushing off the dance floor and into the bathroom, immediately calling Nick.
“Nick, thank god. Listen, we’re at the reception right now and we're dancing, right? Chris just expressed his feelings for me and- Jesus I’m so…I’m gobsmacked!” I exclaim into my phone, barley letting Nick process the words that leave my lips.
“Okay, first of all, Gobsmacked? Are you ninety? Second of all, do you feel the same way?” He asks me, his voice sincere on the other end of the line. I rack my brain of the thought of liking Chris. I know there's a little bit of admiration there, I mean, he makes me nervous. He’s been really opening up to me today, He’s got the most beautiful blue eyes I’ve ever seen-
Oh my god. I do like him.
“Yeah…” I reply, sighing in defeat waiting for Nick’s reaction.
“Okay, so why don't you tell him that? Like he obviously isn’t gonna be disgusted.” He suggests, Nick was right but I couldn't come to terms with my own feelings. Liking Chris felt so foreign to me and considering our commitment issues, it just didn't seem logical.
“I can’t tell him that. It’d be so weird for the rest of the trip.” If I reciprocate my feelings for him, the tension would be looming over us like some dark cloud right before a storm, a bad one at that. On the other hand, If I didn’t tell him the truth, it’d be ten times worse.
“Masie, Literally just tell him how you feel. It could lead to something great.” Nick urges, growing impatient with my indecision. I ultimately end the call with the oldest triplet, staring at myself in the bathroom mirror. My makeup has slowly melted away from the sweat and tears I've endured throughout the day and my skin felt cold to the touch. I take one last deep breath, wetting a paper towel and blotting it on my neck before walking back out to the dance floor.
I find Chris sitting at our table, patiently waiting for my return. He looked anxious, like he didn't want to be here any longer.
“Hey.” I squint, my eyes adjusting to the dim lighting of the room. I take a seat next to Chris, waiting for the next words to leave his mouth.
“Sorry- ‘bout what I said.” He admits, playing with his fingers in his lap. I think for a moment, taking his hands in mine.
“No, don't apologize. It’s okay. Let’s just enjoy the rest of the night, yeah?” I purse my lips. My heart is practically beating out of my chest as I speak to him. Thank god for timing because Amber and Mark are about to cut their cake.
Everyone takes their seats, watching the newly weds cut into the three tiered cake together. Wedding cake is served to the guests and while everyone is happily enjoying their dessert, the two of us are awkwardly picking at our food. Both of us too nervous to say a word.
After nearly another hour of partying, we eventually call it a night, ubering back to the lake house, still barely a squeak from either of us. I’m almost dreading sleeping in the same room as him tonight.
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