BLOOM • awsten knight

87

MAY 2019

Elle finally listens to Rainy Days In LA.

It leaves her heart aching, and a few silent tears slip down her cheeks; she doesn't even notice she's crying at first, until she feels a tear drop fall from her face and land on the back of her hand.

It reminds her of the night that she stayed over at Awsten's house, before he left for tour, when the bad weather woke her up in the middle of the night; she wonders if he took inspiration from that when he wrote it.

When he mentions the hoodie he left on her bedroom floor, she wonders if he knows that she actually has two; maybe he realised after he listened to Stay, but he hasn't mentioned it.

Elle also remembers leaving a t-shirt at his house. Maybe he didn't even notice it when he was moving, and it's in amongst his own clothes; or maybe, he saw it and tucked it away in a drawer back in Houston, so that he didn't have to look at it and think of her.

Pulling out her headphones, Elle takes a deep breath and heads towards the bathroom; she stands in front of the mirror and wipes the wetness from her cheeks.

She doesn't feel sad, which is good. She knows that her and Awsten are in a better place than they were when the song was written; and in a strange way, she feels comforted by it, knowing that he was missing her, too.

Elle takes another breath, looking at her reflection, and works up a small smile as she hears a familiar knock at the door.

A feeling of anticipation bubbles in her stomach as she heads for the front door.

She hasn't felt this excited to see Awsten in a while, and she's really missed having him around.

A giddy smile plays on her lips when she opens the door, and Awsten finds the expression incredibly infectious.

"Hey!" He grins, slightly confused as to why she's so happy to see him, but before he can get a second to even think about questioning it, Elle pulls him over the threshold of her apartment, and into a hug.

"Hi," she replies, with her arms wrapped around his waist, and her head resting against his chest.

Awsten is a little surprised by the swift action, but soon smiles, hugging her back.

"What's this for?" He chuckles, and Elle feels his chest vibrate with the slight laughter.

"Happy to see you," she answers, and Awsten's heart melts.

He holds her a little tighter, hoping that this is the start of things going back to how they were; not entirely the same as before, but he just hopes that he gets to keep this feeling.

"I'm happy to see you, too," he responds, grinning widely.

When she pulls back, though, Awsten's eyebrows knit together, as he looks at her eyes.

"Hey, wait," he tilts his head, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?" Elle answers, closing the door behind them, and beginning to walk towards the kitchen.

"No," Awsten shakes his head, catching her hand and pulling her back to him; the action takes Elle by surprise, and even more so when he cups her face, gently. "Your left eye," he starts, "it's bloodshot. That happens when you cry," he points out.