"I was thinking," I start and Austin gives me a surprised look before running his hands through his hair in slight frustration. "Maybe, just maybe, this was a bad idea." I conclude, sipping from my frappe.
"Are you gonna help or are you just gonna stand there and watch me suffer?" He groans out and I nearly start cackling at the situation. "Hey, it's not my fault you decided to play with some glue last night!" I raise my hands in surrender and he looks like he's about to punch something. I flip my phone out and quickly take a picture while ignoring his protests before taking out a scissors and walking slowly towards him.
"You know, I kind of like the positions, hmm..." I tease, tracing my finger down his jaw. "Woman, cut the damn shirt off me!" He presses and I whine. I start cutting the shirt off him and give him the scissors to do his pants. He's pretty lucky it's still cold out, else, he'd be looking for a towel. Hehe.
"What did you even do to make Kai so pissed?" I ask after he's done tearing the clothes off his body. A beautiful pajama shirt gone to waste, a true shame.
"Do I need to give her a reason to glue me to the fridge? She's deranged and I need to get out of here, fast!" He ranted, stomping out of the kitchen with a thg tight grip on the scissors. I look back to the pajamas glued to the fridge and my eye catches the picture of us in Manchester at the Christmas tree. The kiss.
My cheeks heat up at the possessiveness, the gruffly voice, the tight grip. He was almost a different person, and I'd be lying if I said that person did nothing to me.
We've been back in San Diego for a week now and he brought up the idea to go check out an apartment for ourselves. It's not really a shock since we were already living together for the past few months and I knew he'd eventually bring it up. Kai was over yesterday and she suggested some places for us, bullied Austin a little and it ended up in an argument then she decided to glue him to the fridge.
"Wait, how did she even get inside?" I ask, suddenly concerned because the door was locked, I double checked. Austin looked at me like I'd grown two heads suddenly. "Are we talking about the same Kai that we both know? Kai winters? With DID? My supposed best friend?"
I roll my eyes at the questions. "Does she know where the spare key is?" He nods silently while pulling on a new shirt and I frown. He seems to notice and a smirk pulls at his lips. "Ooh, someone wants a little taste of me huh?" He chuckled, picking me up. He swings me around him until he's carrying me on his back and I pump my fists in the air. It's been a while since I was carried like a baby.
"So, does my girlfriend want to take a shower or eat first?" He asks as he slowly walks up the stairs.
"I think I'll shower first. I'm craving pizza and I'm sure I stink." I reply as he puts me down. "Yes, you do stink." Austin laughs and seals any protests with his lips.
"Go on, I'll order the pizza."
°•°•°|°•°•°
"Pizza in the morning sounded great, but now I'm starving." Austin pouts. It's true, I'm also starving. "Should we stop by the restaurant after we're done with this? I just want to move in already." He whislers in my ear, his stubble tickling my face. I nod eagerly as we follow the agent to last room in the house. I suggested three bedrooms so we can have somewhere for Layla when she comes over and also where I can put my art stuffs.
"So, do you like it?" The nice lady turns to us, I forgot her name. I look around again and wonder why we're getting such a huge place so far away. "Yeah, I really do, it has all the space we might need and a beautiful view, I think we got it from here." She does a little dance and starts talking to Austin while I space out, given that my stomach starts to rumble.
Austin chuckles beside me and wraps his hand around my waist, pulling me closer. "You know, there's something I could do to make all that rumbling go away," He smirked as his breath fanned my face.
"Oh really lover boy?" I roll my eyes and quickly get out of his grip as soon as we leave the house to hop into the driver's seat. "Get your lazy ass in here!" He stands outside the car and gives me an are-you-serious- look. I smile sheepishly at him and shift into the passenger seat and watch as he gets into the car.
"Okay so what restaurant do you want to go to?" He asks as he pulls out onto the road. I shrug and start playing with my hair. "Why don't we just go get a sub or some burgers or something? I don't really want to sit in a fancy restaurant right now." I suggest and he hums, looking at me with a small smirk on his face.
"You know, if you keep eating all these burgers, you'll end up becoming as huge as aunt Clara." He laughs and I smack his hand. "Sorry, I'm just kidding! I'll still love you even if you look like a watermelon." I glare at him and point.
"Being cheesy isn't going to get you out of this one mister. Besides, I think this level of chubby is the farthest I can go." I say as I pinch my cheeks.
"You do know that you aren't chubby at all yeah? Like you're really just perfect, and even if you were to get as fat as aunt Clara, I'd still be able to carry you, and that's all I care about. I'll love you even in all of your sizes." I feel the heat crawling up to my cheeks and I turn my head away.
"I'm thinking of getting my locks out. I've been carrying it for the longest time and I'm tired of only one style." I say and he fake wipes a tear.
"You will be deeply missed, dear locks." He cries.
"Shut up you dork."
°•°•°|°•°•°
My hands run through Austin's soft hair, the black contrasting against my fair skin tone. His soft snores as he sleeps peacefully with his head in my lap makes me smile. Kai walks up to me with a bowl of chips and sits beside me, her hands filled with her own bowl of chips. I also notice that her chips are slightly lesser than mine, making my browd furrow a little.
"Are you seriously going to leave him there? I talk a lot. and I talk loudly too." She suggests, her eyes shifting to Austin. "Yeah, he's still battling with his sleep so wherever he sleeps I like to leave him there sometimes. Besides, he likes chips hair."
Okay so that last part was a lame excuse and Kai knew it. She gave me a weird look and just turned back to watch the boring animal show. "So any names for the baby?" I ask awkwardly and she looks at me, slightly annoyed.
"The baby isn't even up to three months I think it's okay if I haven't picked one yet." She scoffs and I raise my brows.
"Oh sorry I was just trying to have a conversation in this awkward silence." I roll my eyes, pissed and very offended. I shove some chips into my mouth and chew very loudly.
"You're right," I hear after a while and I turn to face Kai. "I don't know why but I just woke up pissed at everything and the only person that can calm me down has been stuck in another country for a while now because of terrible weather and he's with my baby girl and I'm bored and I have no friends and I really just don't know what to do." She sobs and wipes her eyes and my own eyes almost fall out.
"Kai... are you crying?" I ask and touch her shoulder and she nods slowly her sobs turning into hiccups. Although if I listen closely now it sounds more like hidden snickers. I roll my eyes when she holds her stomach from laughing so quietly to herself.
"Haha very funny Kai. You should get a job as a stand up comedian so you can share to the public just how hilarious you are." I pout and she laughs even more.
"You know, I don't know how you did it but I can hang out with you now, even though it mostly consists of me making fun of you, you're pretty fun. I mean for Austin to decide he wants to spend his life with you, then you must be something. But don't get me wrong, I still don't like you but if you're willing to let me tease you until further notice then maybe, just maybe I can put up with you for however long I'll know you." My eyes grow wife and I start to feel a smile stretch across my face.
"Kai, you like me?" I tease and she huffs, turning her face in the other direction.
"Not possible." She mutters, taking a sip of out of her drink. "Aw, you're being so romantic! You know what? I like you too." I laugh and wrap my hand around her shoulder.
"Get off me, I'll shove your head down a toilet."
°•°•°|°•°•°
When I left highschool, I expected to meet my friends and the people I knew again, at least once. The feeling of not creating enough memories haunted me to great depths, fear of loosing the people you once held dearly to yourself, of growing up and having to face the real life. Waking up and realizing that the person you talked to everyday is now a fifth choice, how slowly you drifted into strangers with memories. Your body is used to reacting the way it does whenever they're around, but you slowly forget how excited you used to get whenever you're in their presence.
It's inevitable, but it doesn't mean that it won't hurt.
So as I catch a glimpse of him in the parking lot, I feel my heart lurch, my hands slowly reaching out, my feet jerking forward, until I come to my senses and stop abruptly. The memories of our last summer together washing down on me. The last words, his final goodbye.
My brows furrow and I clench my fists, reminding myself that it's all in the past, that I don't belong in his present or future.
I start rushing towards my car in order to avoid him and thankfully, he doesn't see me as he stands behind his own car with the trunk open. I try to hide my face as I dump my groceries in the car. With the thought that he's definitely not going to see me like this, I start to relax and my tingling hands start to cool.
I shut the door and see his car driving past and I let out a sigh of relief. Swinging my keys in my hands, I start to open my door when a hand lands on my shoulder and my heart drops. I spin around to see him staring right at me, the same way he did that day. I rest my back against the door as I stare right back at him.
"April." He murmurs.
My heart beat increases, my eyes widening. "Fancy seeing you here." He laughs and steps back. My head falls and I clench my fists.
"Yeah, I guess." I whisper. We stand there in awkward silence before I turn to open my door.
"Wait a sec." He holds my hand and I pause. I feel like running, my head feels light, my throat is tight.
"What do you want Noah?"
"I-"
"I don't know." He mutters finally, his hand slowly letting mine go. I slip into the car, shutting the door when I hear something that makes my eyes widen. I start the car and drive off, not wanting to believe what I just heard.
My mind is thrown into a flurry of buried emotions and memories. If after all these years it was still locked up away somewhere then I don't think I'd like to see anyone from my highschool ever again.
I take a deep breath and try to drive calmly back home, a twenty-minute drive seemed to drag on for an hour, my my eyes blurring out to see only what my mind sees and my ears ringing loudly with what my heart feels.
My mind clears for a second and I catch a glimpse of Mia's car.
Huh? When did she get back?
I pull over in the driveway and start packing out the stuffs I bought.
"I'm home. What's that beautiful scent? I know it's not Austin though...." I called out.
My eyes must be betraying me if what I'm seeing is really my boyfriend cooking.
"Mia? Are you seeing this?" I yell and she laughs a little.
"Of course my darling, you shouod know, as a latina that I am, introducing people to cooking isn't even going to be that hard for me." She brags, her smile lifting her cheekbones.
I slowly put down the bags and start clapping.
"Wow! Austin vooks something and not a single smell of burning pots, I'm impressed." I breathe out.
"What? You aren't even going to taste it?" He asks, holding a spoon out for me.
"If it's not burning, then it's gotta be something." I beamed.
"Why, thank you, kind sir!" Austin curtsies and I bow to him.
"Alright, cooking lessons are still on! You, go do whatever you want to do. It's Austin and Mia time now." Mia shoos.
"Whatever you say boss."