BLOOM • awsten knight

22

APRIL 2018

Awsten gets up early the next morning, as he usually does; his movement causes Elle to stir, which he feels a little guilty for, considering she looks so peaceful when she sleeps.

"You weren't joking when you said you get up early, huh?" She rubs her eyes, attempting to wake up.

"Yeah, I feel like shit if I sleep in," he laughs lightly, as she rolls over on her front, groaning into the pillow. "And you weren't kidding when you said you aren't a morning person."

A smile tugs at the corner of her lips as Elle peaks one of her eyes open again, to see Awsten looking at her, with his head tiled to the side, wearing a subtle smirk.

She stretches her arms out, grabbing at the air as she reaches for him; Awsten chuckles as he makes his way over, catching her hand in his own, and falling onto the bed next to her.

"What's the plan for today?" Elle asks, absentmindedly playing with Awsten's hand.

"Well, I've got a meeting for a little while," he answers, his eyes locked on her, while her's are focused on their interlocked fingers. "But, then I can come back to get you, and we'll go to the studio, yeah?"

"Yeah," a grin spreads across Elle's face, suddenly seeming more awake. "That sounds good."

"Good," Awsten nods, pulling her hand to his lips and planting a kiss on her knuckles; she avoids his gaze, as the heat rises up her face, and she sighs, contently.

"What time do you have to go?" Elle looks towards the clock on the wall, though she can't quite make out the time, since she isn't wearing her glasses.

Awsten notices her squinting, and grabs her glasses from the nightstand beside her, placing them on her face. "Soon," he points out, now that she's able to see. "You don't wear them very often," he moves a hair out of her face, as she adjusts her glasses.

"Yeah, sometimes they hurt," Elle frowns. "Plus, they make my makeup go weird."

"And that outweighs your need to see things?" Awsten raises an eyebrow, curiously.

"Yes, absolutely," she nods, earning a laugh as Awsten shakes his head. "You sound like Taylor," Elle rolls her eyes.

"I think you look pretty," he compliments, causing her to look up at him through her eyelashes. "I mean, you always look pretty- like, I think that's just a given at this point, I just-" Awsten cuts himself off as he notices Elle staring at him.

The air is heavy for a moment, but not in a bad way; their eye contact is softly intense, and Elle finds that she stops thinking entirely.

All she can see right now is Awsten, and in this moment, she thinks that's all she wants to ever see.

Awsten almost feels like he could panic; he could kiss her, and he wants to - but the voice in his head, telling him that it's not the right time is too overwhelming.

If it was anyone other than Elle, he thinks he would freak out; but, he doesn't think he could, not when it's her, and she's right here in front of him, still holding his hand.

A phone ringing disrupts the moment abruptly, and Awsten's head falls to face-plant the bed.

"Fuck," he mumbles against the sheets, as Elle giggles softly.