BLOOM • awsten knight

93

JULY 2019

Awsten is in his car, and driving to the studio, as soon as his phone call with Elle ends.

He's tapping nervously on the steering wheel, unsure of what to expect when he gets there.

He's anxious to hear her song, but he's also half-dreading showing her his.

Awsten's song is High Definition.

It's his favourite song he's ever written, and he's sure that objectively, Elle will probably like it.

However, he doesn't know how she'll react to the stinging details he'd put into the song; including almost direct quotes from himself and Elle.

Meanwhile, Elle is twisting her rings around her fingers, as her foot taps against the floor.

Zakk looks to her, raising an eyebrow, as the tapping suddenly gets a little faster. "You doing okay?"

She hesitates for a moment, avoiding eye contact. "I feel sick," Elle lets out a long breath, letting her head fall slowly to rest on the edge of the soundboard.

"You're gonna be fi—"

He stops when Elle's phone pings with a text.

"Oh, fuck, he's outside," she lets out a long, exaggerated breath. "Okay, I'm gonna go," Elle nods to herself, standing up. "You sent me those files, right?"

"Yep," Zakk confirms, as she grabs her things. "You'll be fine, don't worry," he offers her a sympathetic look, to which she works up a smile in return, waving as she leaves.

Elle spots Awsten's car easily, feeling a mixture of emotions; she feels like she's asking to his car painfully slowly, and the anticipation is killing her.

Once he spots her, Awsten hops out to open her door. Elle smiles at the polite gesture, thanking him as she always does; she doesn't think his gentlemanliness could ever get old.

The two of them settle into their seats, with an odd silence in the air as Awsten begins to drive.

"Okay, so, are you just as weirdly nervous about this as I am, or—?" He admits, openly, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh my god, yes," Elle sighs, relieved. "Is it stupid? Or like—?"

"No, I don't think so," Awsten lets out a breathy laugh. "But, we have always been just a little dramatic," he smirks, glancing over to her.

"Yeah, just a little," she shrugs back with a smile.

The rest of the drive feels a little lighter, and they reach Elle's apartment fairly promptly.

Once they're inside, they take a seat on the couch, opposite each other.

"How're we gonna do this?" Elle questions, pulling her knees up to her chest. "We shouldn't listen together, right? Like, I feel like we should listen on our own."

"No, yeah, I agree," Awsten nods.

"Okay, so, maybe if I go in one room, and you go in the other?" She suggests. "Then we can meet back out here once we're done. To you know, talk or— whatever."

"Yeah, okay, that's a good plan," he agrees, before pulling up the song on his phone.

Awsten sends her the file for High Definition, and Elle sends him the file for In My Head.

Once they've both received the songs, they stand up from the sofa.

"You go in my room, and I'll go in Taylor's?" Elle raises an eyebrow, earning a nod, before Awsten begins to head towards her bedroom. "Wait," she stops him, abruptly, holding onto his arm. "I, uhm," Elle swallows, trying to figure out what to say.