BLOOM • awsten knight

59

SEPTEMBER 2018

Elle feels better.

It's been a couple of days, and she feels okay.

She's accepted what happened, and she knows she has to work on moving on with it; but first, she wants Awsten.

"Are you gonna invite him over?" Taylor asks, preparing to leave, and Elle just nods, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Be careful."

"I'm always careful," she retorts, feigning offence.

"I don't just mean that," Taylor rolls her eyes. "Don't forget everything we talked about a couple of weeks ago."

Elle swallows thickly, hoping she would've somehow forgotten all about it, or at least just ignored it.

Taylor quickly notices her expression, and sits down again, momentarily.

"What are you gonna do?" She raises an eyebrow, earning a shrug. "What if he like- I don't know- tries to tell you he loves you, or something."

"Don't put that scenario in my head," Elle covers her ears.

"Don't act like a child about it," Taylor glares, but her look softens after a moment. "I'm not trying to make things harder for you. I'm just trying to make sure that you know the reality of these things."

"I know," Elle nods slowly.

Surely, a conversation between her and Awsten is inevitable; she can't avoid it for much longer.

"Whatever, okay, go," she insists, pushing Taylor out of the door.

Elle calls Awsten, and asks him to come over; this time, he can hear the smile in her voice, for the first time in a while, and he feels relieved.

Awsten drops everything and heads to her apartment.

Elle opens the door to him, before he can even finish knocking, and pulls him inside.

Soon enough, her lips are on his, and Awsten smiles against her, his hands cupping her face.

"Hi to you, too," he mumbles.

"Shut up," she giggles, tugging him towards her bedroom.

They walk backwards to the edge of the bed, and Awsten guides them down; his hands are on Elle's hips and she lays back, watching as he pins her to the bed, before she begins kissing his neck, sucking occasionally, when she finds a sweet spot that makes him squirm.

This is how they seem to talk.

They've found that this is the easiest way for them to communicate, though it may not be the best for them in the long run.

Neither of them know how long it can go on for; an end feels inevitable now, though they won't acknowledge that.

But, that only makes them want each other more in this moment.

//

"A party, huh?" Elle raises an eyebrow, as Awsten climbs back into bed with her.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to," he assures, "like, I totally get it, if you're not feeling up to-"

"Awsten," she stops him, with a sharp look, "I'm fine," she insist, cuddling closer to him. "Who's party?"

"There's just some people I know, passing through on a tour," he shrugs. "Columbus is about an hour in the car, and Travis is gonna go, too, because it's like, half way between us," Awsten explains further.