The crinkling of paper rouses me from a deep sleep. My lashes flutter open, the dim lighting from the lamp on Austin's nightstand casting a warm glow in his dark room.

I turn over and stifle a yawn against the pillow. Austin looks over at me from where he sits leaned against the headboard, another letter clutched in his hands. I'd stayed up as long as I could taking turns reading them aloud with him, but my long shift and lack of sleep finally caught up to me and I ended up crashing at around six thirty.

"Time is it?" I mumble sleepily, closing my eyes again.

Austin places a warm palm on my back, stroking upwards and squeezing the base of my neck.

"Still early," He replies, voice raspy. "Get some more sleep."

"You okay?" I murmur, my voice slightly slurring.

He gives my neck a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "Yeah, baby."

I wordlessly drift off again as Austin absentmindedly strokes my skin.

——

I wake up again what feels like hours later to gentle kisses being placed on my fluttering pulse point. Austin's lips trail around the base of my throat leaving kisses in their wake, stopping at the collar of my (his) t-shirt.

I crack my eyes open, tilting my head to the side as warm palms skate up my sides, bringing up my t-shirt with it. Cool air hits my exposed skin as the fabric sits bunched beneath my breasts. I squirm when he trails another path of kisses down my stomach, lightly dipping his tongue in the divot of my bellybutton.

"That tickles," I murmur, swallowing hard as his eyes meet mine.

He smirks. I raise an eyebrow in amusement.

"You're in a good mood," I state.

My heart stutters in my chest as Austin's hands slide around my hips, lightly caressing the lace fabric of my underwear with his thumbs. "Woke up with you in my bed, so yeah, I am."

"You've got lines," I sigh, my cheeks flushing in both lust and embarrassment when he slips each thumb underneath the band of my underwear and my hips instinctively arch up off the bed.

He tugs at it, but doesn't take them off.

I whoosh out a nervous, excited breath. "What are you waiting for?"

Austin fully slips his hands underneath the band and grips my hips. He leans up, hovering over my body without touching me. He kisses my cheek and brushes his lips against the corner of my mouth. "Want a kiss first," He mumbles against my heated skin.

I dip my head back when his lips brush against mine. "I haven't brushed my teeth yet," I warn.

"Don't give a fuck," He says, effectively crushing my lips with his.

Well, then.

I sigh, sinking deeper into the soft mattress as Austin parts my lips with his tongue and slowly and sensually explores my mouth, tugging at my bottom lip gently when he pulls away. His face hovers above mine, his eyes dark with unmistakable hunger.

"Fucking beautiful," He says in that deep, gravelly voice.

It unlocks something in me that was too shy to come out before.

My hands leave the mattress and trail along the sides of his thighs and over his boxer briefs, stopping on the band of his underwear. He raises an eyebrow, a look on his face that makes me wonder if he's challenging me or warning me. I look him dead in the eyes and slip my hand beneath his briefs, wrapping my hand around his hard length. His jaw clenches as I squeeze gently.

"I want to play too," I say breathlessly.

Austin tilts his head down, leaning closer to my face. One hand leaves my hip to brush against the damp fabric of my underwear and a low hum forms in the back of my throat. Anticipation thrums in my veins.

Austin's lips brush mine as he rasps, "You sure you know what you're doing?"

I give him another squeeze, a warning of my own. I dip my head back again, refusing my lips. "Shut up and find out."

A groan escapes his lips as I twist my hand, giving him a slow, firm stroke. My motions stutter when the tip of Austin's finger nudges my underwear aside as strokes through my sensitive folds. A harsh breath escapes my lips.

"You play dirty."

"You love it."

I do.

My back arches off the mattress when he slips a finger inside. The sudden pressure causes me to clench my hand tight around him. A low moan escapes my throat as Austin grits his teeth. I smirk, loving the impromptu push-and-pull game we have going on.

"Something funny?" He asks, pumping his fingers in and out at a steady pace.

My turn. I inhale sharply, stroking my thumb over the tip of his member, rubbing gently. His body jerks, a harsh breath leaving him.

"Nothing that I can think of," I whisper. "But let me check just to be sure," I taunt, pulling him from the confines of his briefs and coyly tilting my head to the side, examining the harsh purple of his veiny skin.

He growls softly, reaching forward and yanking my shirt over my breasts. Cool air washes over my skin and my nipples pebble, pointing up and begging for his attention. I stop breathing as Austin's lips enclose around the tiny bead, his teeth softly grazing, gently tugging. He alternates between licking, nipping, and sucking, all the while his hand picks up speed. I try to match his pace, my hand working in time with his as my head thrashes against the pillow, low moans bubbling from my throat.

"Let me hear you, pretty girl," He mumbles against my skin.

His thumb rubs at my bundle of nerves. He adds another finger to the mix, swiftly curling upwards. It sends my hips shooting off of the bed and I jerk my hand and give him one last harsh squeeze. A strangled cry rips from my throat, and we sing together in tandem. Austin collapses against my chest, quickly rolling over and pulling me across his own. His chest heaves slightly, his heart thumping steadily beneath my ear.

I hum as he snakes a hand through my hair, his fingers gently massaging the base of my scalp. My hand lightly traces over the vibrant colored koi fish inked high on his bicep, the bright orange and red shades standing out beautifully against his tanned skin. He presses a kiss to my temple and I sigh in contentment.

"Called the prison today," He murmurs suddenly, definitively breaking the sated silence. I freeze, my limbs stiffening with worry.

"While you were sleeping," He continues. "Got through a bunch of letters this morning. Got the answers I wanted. So I called him."

"Wow. How'd it go?" I ask gently, carefully.

Austin sighs. "He sounded sick. I could hear it in his voice. Was coughing a lot. Had a real cajun accent though. He was.. nice. Excited to hear from me. Got choked up a bit and it made me feel guilty."

I move my head back, trying to make eye contact with him. He stares pointedly at the wall across from his bed.

"But he told me I shouldn't be. I was fed a lot of wrong information and kept in the dark for a lot of my life. I told him I'd been too scared to call, and he told me he understood. And when we hung up it felt like a bag of bricks had been moved off of my chest. I wasn't expecting to feel this light afterwards. It makes me wish I would've called him sooner," He says huskily.

I squeeze his bicep. Austin meets my eyes.

"I'm so happy it went well. I'm glad you two were finally able to clear the air. It took a lot of strength for you to call, to venture head first into the unknown," I tell him. "I'm proud of you."

"Told him about you," He murmurs.

My heart stutters in my chest for a moment, and then slowly picks up speed. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," He swallows. "Told him how damn pretty you are. How strong you are. How selfless you are."

Crimson stains my cheeks. "Stop," I murmur bashfully, averting my gaze.

"Look at me," He instructs. I tilt my head back.

"Care about you. Want you to know that."

"I do," I whisper. I mean it.

Looking satisfied, he presses a wet kiss to my lips. "Good."

——

Hours later, we arrive back at my house. Austin helps me make dinner, and the big pot of gumbo sits idly on the burner, the strong smell of the spices wafting deliciously through the air.

We're both in a good mood, sneaking kisses and squeezing waists as we brush by each other. Austin sets the table, something we never do but it feels right since we're in such high spirits. I turn the stove off and glance at the clock, happy that the food is done just in time for Savannah to get home and enjoy it with us.

Like I conjured her up myself, the unmistakable sound of shoes hurriedly stomping up the porch sounds from outside. I unlocked the dead bolt earlier since I knew what time she'd be getting home, but I'm taken aback when she busts through the front door instead of calmly walking through it like a normal person.

Dressed in her olive green work polo, the name of the grocery store embroidered in the corner, and a pair of khaki pants, Sav stands in the middle of the doorway panting heavily. Her hair is falling out of her ponytail, her backpack is hanging off of her shoulder, and an excited grin is etched across her face.

"I got in!" She screams.

Austin and I pause, him outstretched across the kitchen table with a fork in his hand and me standing at the stove shoveling gumbo into bowls.

"I got into Tulane!" She yells, waving a piece of paper in the air.

Shock hits me. "Holy shit."

I drop the bowl in my hand, not even caring that rice, peppers, and sausage splatter across the stovetop.

"Holy shit," I say again. "My sister got into Tulane."

I look over at Austin and a grin tugs at my lips, matching his.

"My baby sister is going to college!" I yelp, rushing forward and pulling her into a hug.

Her yell is muffled against my chest. "I'm going to college!"

And, cue the sobs.

I step back, taking the envelope from her hands. Through blurry, tear-filled eyes, I make out the words "Congratulations! We're excited to offer you admission into the Class of 2023..." and nearly fall to my knees.

She did it.

She really fucking did it.

After busting her ass at school. Busting her ass at a job that she was determined to get. Persevering through all the bullshit that our parents put us through. Me quizzing her on biology and history while mom and dad argued in the kitchen. Her studying at the coffee table while I bathed mom after one of her episodes. Waking up at five o'clock in the morning to catch public transportation so she'd be able to take her SAT at the city auditorium.

She's worked so hard and it all paid off. She's gonna go to college. She's gonna get out. She's gonna go and do all the things that I never could.

"I'm so fucking proud of you, Savannah," I say, pulling her into another hug. Austin's arms come around either side of us, and we dissolve in a fit of laughter as he playfully lifts the both of us off the ground.

A phone rings as he sets us down, and while he steps out into the living room to answer it I proudly hang the acceptance letter on the fridge, gushing to Sav about how proud of her I am. She rolls her eyes when I ask if I can move to New Orleans and sleep on the floor of her dorm, and I playfully shove her when she smugly tells me how many frat parties she plans on attending.

I spin around as Austin treks back into the kitchen, my grin fading when I notice his forlorn expression.

Concerned, I ask, "Who was that?"

"Reed." He says, meeting my eyes. He grimaces. "Dad's release was finalized so he wants me to drive down to New Orleans so I can help get him settled in at his place."

Austin clears his throat. "He gets out Tuesday, so I have to leave tomorrow."

——

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