BLOOM • awsten knight

37

MAY 2018

"It's done, that's it," Elle sits back from her computer and takes a deep breath.

"You did it," Awsten looks at her with a soft expression. "I'm so proud of you."

She looks up at him, cracking a smile, before hugging him tightly.

Awsten is taken aback by the force of the hug, but he welcomes it, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"Should we listen to it?" He asks, after a moment, and Elle sits back. "Like, fully, all the way through."

She takes a breath, looking at the list of songs, laid out perfectly on her computer; it's surreal to see the seven songs, in the format that she's so familiar with - except, usually, it's not her own music.

"Yeah, okay," Elle nods, pulling herself closer to Awsten before pressing play.

They listen in silence the first time, taking in every note and ad-lib.

But, the second time, they pause at parts that stand out to them and lyrics that Awsten wants to question.

He asks about each one gently, careful not to over step, but Elle answers every query he has, confidently.

The songs are done, the cover art is done, everything is done. It's her first legit project that she has finished, and it feels surreal.

They listen through a third time, and by the end of it, Elle cries.

Awsten pulls her close, her head buried in his chest; it's a good kind of crying, but he still doesn't like the way her left eye goes red and bloodshot when a tear rolls down her cheek.

"Okay, okay," Elle sits back, wiping her face with a laugh. "I'm done, no more crying," she smiles, as Awsten looks back at her. "Thank you."

"What for?" He asks, brushing the hair out of her face.

"I couldn't have done all of this without you," she gestures towards her laptop.

"Of course you could have," Awsten shakes his head. "You don't need me to be talented as fuck, Elle."

She smiles, hugging him tightly again, as they remain in each other's arms for a little while longer.

//

"Glad to see you back, Elle," Sarah grins, as she finally catches her walking around the store.

"Did you miss me?" She raises an eyebrow, playfully.

"Definitely," Sarah laughs. "It's not like you to take a sick day, though," she adds. "Everything okay?"

"Hm, yeah, I just think I needed it," Elle shrugs, thankful that she took Awsten's advice. "Didn't want to burn myself out."

She finishes her shift by the evening, as the dark starts to creep in; she begins to head home, but she's startled by a car beeping at her.

Elle turns around to quickly realise its Awsten.

"Oh, hi?" She furrows her eyebrows, with a questioning tone.

"Hey, want a ride?" He smiles, pulling up next to her.

"Yeah, sure," she responds, as he pushes the door open for her, allowing her to get in the car. "What's this for?"

"Knew you were finishing work about now," Awsten shrugs, beginning to drive off. "And we haven't done that thing we said we were going to do."

Elle frowns as she thinks; they've said they're going to do plenty of things, as they come up in casual conversation - they talk about things to come in the future, involving each other in their own visions as if it's nothing. "You're gonna have to be a bit more specific."