The sound of the front door swinging open alerts me to the fact that Austin is back. I sit up from where I was lying in bed throwing myself a pity party. Perched on the edge of the bed, I rub a hand across my forehead, the soft fabric of Austin's sweatshirt that hangs past my fingertips caressing my skin.

I stand up and pad over to my bedroom door, opening it and leaning against the door jamb, arms folded protectively around my midsection. From this angle I can see Mom stomping into the dark house with Austin trailing behind her. I make eye contact with her as she passes me in the hall, and I'm sure her splotchy cheeks and red-rimmed eyes match my own. I flinch when she slams her bedroom door closed.

Austin walks towards me, one hand in his pocket and the other hanging at his side. A manila folder dangles from his fingers. I turn and step into my room, Austin silently following. When the door closes behind him, I lean against it and watch as he drops to the edge of my bed with a sigh.

Silence ticks between us, our eyes locked on each other. I softly clear my throat and dip my chin towards the folder in his hand. "What's in it?"

He smirks bitterly and plops it on the bed beside him. "Your reprieve."

My arms, still folded across my abdomen, clench the fabric of his sweatshirt.

"It's done? She signed them?" I croak.

Austin sighs again and shakes his head, his gaze skirting to the floor. "She didn't want to, but yeah, she signed them."

"How..."

"Aria," Austin cuts me off, his voice straining. "Come here."

My heart gallops and I freeze. Austin senses my hesitation and rubs at his eyes tiredly. "Please, baby," He says quietly. "Just let me hold you. I need to hold you."

My throat burns and, vision blurry, I stumble his way. And, of course, Austin catches me. He pulls me onto his lap and wraps his arms around me, one palm clutched gently at the base of my neck and the other grasping the base of my spine.

"You knew," I whisper into his neck, a little unsure of whether or not it comes out as a question or a statement. "How did you know?"

He dips his head down, his stubble grazing my cheek as his lips find my ear. Quietly, hesitantly, he says, "Six months ago, I was leaving from a meeting with the owner of Vice. The meeting ran late, I didn't end up exiting the building until around the time the doors opened for the night. A little ways down the block, there was a woman crying. Howling. Cursing. And then there was you. You were trying to get her into a taxi, ignoring her while she spewed hateful shit at you amongst some drunken nonsense."

Austin pauses and tilts his head back, meeting my eyes and what I'm sure is a shocked, horrified look on my face. His jaw clenches as he continues, "Three months ago you walked into the bar that I was now running, and the sight of you almost knocked me on my ass. You had that same look on your face like the night I watched you handle Maeve."

I pull back, my body tense and insecurities slamming into me at full force. "So you hired me out of pity. You saw the girl with the alcoholic mother and wanted to help her out, get close to her so you could.. what? Restore your hero complex?"

Austin grips my chin and brings my face closer to his. "I hired you because I needed another server and you fit the bill better than anyone else I already had employed." His head dips lower, eyes meeting mine, fingers pinching my chin and breath fanning across my lips. "I got close to you because I saw a pretty girl with a lost soul that looked a hell of a lot like mine. I helped you out because I wanted to get to know you, and because I cared about you way more than I should have after knowing you for such a short amount of time."

"Nothing about me and you has ever been nor will it ever be a friend helping a friend. It's me wanting you and wanting to take care of you because I can't fuckin' focus on anything else if the thought of you not being okay crosses my mind. This is real and always has been, Aria. My love for you exceeds what you're comfortable with hearing. What you think you don't deserve. All I want is to be the man that spends every damn day of his life proving that to you. Proving that I'm, that our love, is different."

His thumb swipes away a tear that drops onto my bottom lip. "I'm not your dad, baby, and you're not your mom. What we have doesn't even come close to what you had to witness growin' up. And I know, I know it's hard, but-"

"Austin," I whisper with a hoarse sniffle. "I know. I believe you. But my brain is a fucking bitch and she's gonna keep trying to convince me that you're lying. And I can't give you what you need until I've evacuated her from my mind."

"All I need is you."

I shake my head, but his hand on my chin stops the movement. "But if I want you," He says quietly. "I know you've gotta do what it is that you're trying to do."

My heart cracks. "And what am I trying to do?"

"Let me go."

"God," I mumble burying my face in my hands.

"Look at me. I know. I know you're pushing me away. And I know I've told you before not to do that. But I understand why you feel like you have to. So I'm gonna be here until you need me, alright?"

"I just need to.. fix myself," I croak. "I'm.. I cant keep living like this. Always scared and distrusting. Always with one foot out of the door. You don't deserve that version of me."

"Neither do you," He says simply. "So when you're ready," He pauses, squeezing my waist. "You know where to find me, don't you?"

"Yeah," I whisper.

——

Not ready to let him leave, I stay perched on his lap while I read the manila folder. Austin's chin rests on my shoulder as I read a copy of my parents' divorce certificate. In 90 days, my parents will no longer be married.

"She was able to push for an adultery charge. He admitted it on the spot, made things easier. They both settled for a small alimony payment," Austin says quietly.

I run my fingertips over my dad's sloppy signature. "What about the house?"

"He was bluffing. Whatever leverage he threatened you with was fake. He agreed to let you keep forging the mortgage payments in his name until it's payed off and he can transfer it over in your name."

My head snaps in his direction. "How in the hell did you get him to agree to that?"

"Yeah, that tactic's gonna have to remain undisclosed," He murmurs.

I smother my smirk with my hand. "And the stalking?" I ask quietly.

"Him trying to scare you. But it's over. We settled that issue in private too."

"It feels weird that he signed off on one family just to sign onto another," I murmur.

"Hey," He squeezes my waist. "He never deserved this one. To Hell with him."

"Yeah," I whisper sadly.

——

Half an hour later, I'm standing outside Austin's Jeep, the light October breeze swishing tendrils of hair across my cheeks.

"I'll see you at work this week?" He asks quietly.

I nod sheepishly.

"And you'll call me if you need me." He states instead of asks.

I roll my eyes in jest, but nod earnestly.

"Come here," He murmurs, pulling me into his chest.

"We're different aren't we?" He asks, his voice gruff.

"Yeah," I whisper.

Austin smirks. "Yeah."

And then he kisses me, his tongue searing the caverns of my mouth as he makes a silent promise.

I'm leaving, but I'm not going anywhere.

We pull back, both of us breathing heavily. Austin inhales deeply, exhaling sharply. "I'll see you later, pretty girl." He dips to plant a soft kiss on my forehead, and then I'm backing away so he can climb into the Jeep and drive home.

I stare at Austin's receding taillights, deja vu washing over me as I recall doing the same when he left for New Orleans. My heart skips a beat, the thought of him leaving and never coming back flitting through my thoughts.

Did I make a mistake, pushing him away?

I picture Austin's voice answering my question, his gruff timbre promising, "I'm not going anywhere."

...hopefully not. As long as I can get my shit together.

——

🙂

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