BLOOM • awsten knight

81

APRIL 2019

"There she is!" Jawn beams, grabbing Awsten's attention quickly, as he points out Elle, making her way towards them.

Awsten almost chokes on his drink once he gets a good look at her; she looks stunning.

She's wearing a long, pale yellow dress, covered in small pink flowers; the skirt flows down from her waist, with a slit up one side, allowing her to expose her leg.

Her hair is waved, the dark strands falling down her back gracefully. And her dress sits off her shoulders, leaving her collar bones exposed; Awsten swallows thickly, trying his hardest not to stare, but he's finding it near-on impossible.

He seems to completely zone out, missing Daphne greeting Elle excitedly, and he doesn't seem to snap out of his daze, until she pulls away from Jawn's hug.

Daphne and Jawn turn away to greet Taylor, while she introduces them to Ethan, and Elle steps towards Awsten.

"Hi," she works up a smile, meeting his eyes.

"H-hey," he clears his throat, standing up straight. "Y-you, uh," Awsten presses his lips together, frustrated that he can't seem to get his words out, "you look amazing," he finally says.

"Thank you," Elle returns, feeling her face heating up.

She'd be lying if she said she didn't want to return the compliment; his hair is a little faded, compared to the last time she saw it, and he's wearing a muted-turquoise shirt, left unbuttoned to show his black t-shirt underneath, paired with his usual black skinny jeans.

"You, uhm, I didn't—" Elle begins, stammering just the same way Awsten had, "Sorry," she pauses, taking a breath. "I'm really glad you showed up."

"Yeah, me too," he replies, finding it difficult to tear his eyes away from her, his cheeks blushing red. "You nervous?" Awsten changes the subject. "For the release tonight, I mean."

"A little," Elle nods, looking around them. "I didn't expect this many people to be here, if I'm honest."

"It's beautiful, all of this, by the way," he compliments, gesturing to their surroundings. "And I'm guessing that most of this was you?"

"Yeah, maybe," she shrugs, offering him a sheepish look. "Someone at the label wanted a black and white theme to match the cover art and shit," Elle rolls her eyes. "I mean, as much as I get it, aesthetic-wise, but that'd be so fucking dull for a party. I wanted it out in the open, and bright and—"

"Have lots of flowers," Awsten smiles, finishing her sentence.

"Yeah, lots of flowers," Elle repeats.

She allows herself to stare up at him for a moment longer, before she feels like her heart is rising up her chest, and she has to snap herself back to reality.

"Elle!" A voice calls, causing her to look over her shoulder, to spot Spencer and Jeffery making their way over.

"Oh my god, hi!" She turns around with a bright smile, while Spencer scoops her up into a tight hug, playfully. "I thought you guys were busy!" Elle hits his shoulder lightly, before accepting a more sincere hug from Jeffrey.