The Assistant (Matt Sturniolo)

28

"What's got you in a bad mood?"

"Nothing" I said, taking my shoes off at the door. My hungry stomach guided me over to the fridge.

"Then, stop slamming doors if you're not mad"

The microwave beeps at me, and I slammed that door too. There was a comfort in slamming things when you were mad

I sat down on the other end of the couch, opposite Holly.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing hair right now?" I asked, in between spoonfuls of soup.

"Aren't you supposed to be at school, or with your dad?" She asked in the same tone I just used.

Well played, Holly.

"I didn't want to be there any longer. And I'm going to see him tomorrow for his next chemo"

She hummed, still looking for something to watch. "Business was slow today, they told me to go home" She groaned.

"So, we're both having a crap day"

She nodded. "Why was yours crap, huh?"

"I don't want to talk about it"

Pulling out my phone, I unlocked it and found the app and profile I was looking for. One I've been staying away from, but I needed answers. As I drank my soup, I looked through photos and before long, I was looking at pictures from five years ago.

"Why are you looking at Matt's instagram?" Holly asked, moving to sit closer to me. I didn't answer, and when I looked up, she glared at me.

I sighed and realised I had to tell her. "He was the guest speaker for my class today" I said quietly, drinking more of the soup.

"Did I hear you right? Matt spoke in your class today?"

I nodded, sitting forward to set my bowl down. I hit the back of the sofa with a groan and looked back at my phone.

"And you're mad because?"

"He had a ring on his finger" I said, flicking my thumb across the screen.

"So? Everyone wears rings" Holly said, but I looked at her and didn't hide anything in my eyes. The realisation showed on her face. "Oh, Y/N. I'm sorry...But you can't know if it's a wedding ring or not"

"I know, that's why I'm checking his instagram. But I don't see anything about a wedding or a girlfriend"

"That's a good sign. Anyone would post about their wedding" She assured me, but her words didn't fix the hole inside of me.

"I don't know"

"Is that all, Y/N?" She asked and I dropped my phone on my chest, sighing.

"He looked so good, Holly. He looked amazing. He was in this black suit, and he had a beard, it looked so good on him. Everyone ate it up, even me" I confessed.

"Well, even I think he's hot, it's hard not to have a crush on him" She agreed and I opened my eyes to look at her. She flashed me a smile and stroked my hair.

"Did he recognise you?"

"Yeah, a few minutes into his talk. He smiled and it messed him up. Made him lose his train of thought" I said, smiling. Holly nodded. "I think he wanted me to ask him a question when it came to that part, because I saw him glancing at me a few times"

"Why didn't you ask him a question?"

"There was nothing I wanted to ask him. I didn't want to take away from the learning of other students"