BLOOM • awsten knight

7

FEBRUARY 2018

Awsten has allowed himself to have a pretty lazy morning; he's stayed away from his phone for the most part, working on whatever he wants, since this is probably the only downtime he'll have for at least the next month.

But, as the afternoon rolls around, his mind inevitably wanders to Elle; he hasn't heard anything from her today, which gives him an odd feeling.

Then, when he texts her, he gets no answer, which is highly unusual.

Out of curiosity, he gets in his car and goes to her apartment; he knows that Taylor is currently at work, but Elle has a day off, and he's certain that she wouldn't mind him showing up to check on her, especially if she's alone.

Once he reaches her door, he doesn't hear any sound coming from inside.

Usually, he finds that there's always some sort of noise coming from the apartment; whether it's just someone moving around, or Elle's music playing a little too loudly, mostly accompanied by her singing.

The longer he stands there, the more the silence becomes suspicious, and almost worrying.

Awsten lifts his hand up to knock lightly at the door, to which there's no answer, so he knocks a little harder.

"Elle?" He calls, after a third knock.

It's quiet for another moment, before he finally hears footsteps coming from inside, followed by the sound of the door unlocking.

He steps back as the door opens slowly, and he's ready to greet her with a relieved smile; but as soon as his eyes land on her, his heart drops.

"Elle, what's wrong?" He frowns, seeing her eyes red and puffy.

She steps away from the door, allowing him to walk further inside; closing the door behind them, she turns back to face him, but her gaze is still downcast.

Awsten stays quiet for another moment, his mind racing, but at the same time, all he can think about is how she looks like she's about to fall apart.

"Can I give you a hug?" He asks quietly, not wanting to overstep a boundary.

It's silent for another moment before she finally looks up.

"Please," Elle's voice cracks, and Awsten immediately wraps his arms around her.

She tucks her arms around his waist, and buries her head in his chest; Awsten can feel that she's trying to hold in a cry, so he lifts a hand to gently stroke her hair.

"It's okay," he whispers, and she lets out a choked sob; the sound feels like it breaks Awsten's heart. "You're alright, it's okay."

She clings to him tightly, and he holds her even closer.

The apartment is dark and gloomy, even though it's mid-afternoon, and Awsten has a horrible feeling that she's locked herself up in here all day.

Elle's crying begins to slow, and he moves his hand to rub circles on her back.

"Sorry," she mumbles against his chest, slowly stepping away from his grasp.