Page 19

I walk home, trying my best not to cry. Why do bad things happen to me?
I had done a lot to look good. I bought some makeup and curled my hair loosely. I wish I hadn’t done any of it. Eric didn’t even text or call me to let me know why he didn’t come.
I texted Eric while I was on my way.
I know things come up at the last minute, but Eric, it would have been nice to have a little more warning.
I can get home without crying, but once I get to my door, I can’t stop myself. I cry and get inside, locking the door behind me.
“Bunny?” I can’t even begin to describe how shocked I was. I stare at Austin with wide eyes.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, my voice breaking.
“I came to… uh, give you your… your bag. You left it at my house,” he says, scratching his neck because he knows he’s lying. I didn’t forget my bag at his house. But I let that go.
“Who let you in?”
“I think her name was Kira.”
I walk to my room with a sigh, wiping away a hot tear that has rolled down my face. But before I can go in, a very familiar muscular chest pulls me in. This makes more tears fall. Austin pats my back as I cry and sniffle every so often.
“Please don’t cry, bunny,” he whispers sweet things in my ear.
He pulls back for a moment to check my body for any injuries. When he’s sure there aren’t any, he pulls me back to him.
“I just wanted my first date to be perfect,” I say. He gets stiff, but he doesn’t stop to pat my back.
“Don’t cry, baby. He’s a jerk,” he says softly. Austin, you are too. You are too. You’re playing with my heart.
The mixed signals are driving me crazy.
I mumble, “I hate him.”
He says “Me too” in a low voice and then kisses my forehead. I sigh because of how it feels. My tears are slowly drying up.
After a moment, I say, “I’m sorry, Austin.” If that’s possible, his soft look gets even softer. “For telling you I shouldn’t trust you,” I say before putting my face back into his chest.
“Shh, bunny. I know you didn’t mean it.” His hand running up and down my back makes my heart race and I feel myself melt.
How many times have we been in this situation? Isn’t he tired of being the hero?
Austin asks, “I’m guessing he didn’t show up?” I shake my head.
He looks down at me and says, “How about I take you to dinner? We don’t want all this to go to waste.” All of this, like my hair, makeup, and dress?
“Right now, I look terrible.”
Austin rolls his eyes. “You look beautiful, Lyra.” My cheeks get hot.
I ask him softly, “Is it going to be like a date?” and look at him in disbelief. He laughs.
“Okay, bunny.”
Are you sure? What kind of response is that? I don’t think about it.
“Okay, let me fix myself up a bit. Thank you, Austin,” I say as I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him on the cheek before going to my room. I don’t miss how his eyes get darker and his lips part when I kiss his cheek.
I hate how my hair and makeup look when they are all messed up. I wash my face and dry it off with a towel, then I comb my hair and put it up in a side bun.
I don’t wear as much makeup as I used to; just a little lipstick and mascara. I stand in front of the mirror and check out how I look. Not too bad.
And I’m glad I don’t regret buying this pink dress anymore. It feels just right. I put on a pair of pink earrings that match.
I take one last look at myself before I leave my room. I don’t get why my heart is beating so fast now that I’m on my way to meet Eric. And for some reason, I’m not even mad at Eric anymore.
And he will never get another chance, and I have a feeling there is another reason for it.
A larger one.
After I go outside, I close my bedroom door and see Austin sitting on the couch. When he sees me, he stands up and I can feel his eyes slowly moving down my body. This makes me feel hot and fuzzy.
Butterflies.
I also look at how he looks. He wore a light blue button-up shirt and black trousers, with the sleeves rolled up to show his forearms. His toned chest sticks out from under his shirt, and I can’t help but bite my lips.
The air feels thick and the tension in the room rises. Austin looks at me like he wants something. Like when you’re really hungry but the food is too hot and you can’t stop looking at it.
When he turns around and picks something up off the couch and hands it to me, I’m surprised.
A small bouquet of red and white flowers.
My heart beats faster. When did he get it?
I take it from him, say thank you, and put it in a vase.
I say, “Uh… we should go,” and my voice sounds a little breathy. Austin looks at me for a few more seconds before reaching out his hand and I take it.
“Hey, Lyra. Where are you going?” Kira yells from her room.
“Dinner. I’ll be back in an hour or two,” I yell back before going outside.
Austin takes me to a restaurant that is a bit too fancy for me. I’m glad I wore this dress again. I would be so out of place otherwise. We talk about dumb things during dinner, not serious things.
We lose track of time, and when we leave the restaurant, it’s midnight. He drives me home, and even though the ride is quiet, it’s very comfortable.
I lean against the window and fall asleep because it’s so comfortable. After a while, I feel like a hard but soft thing is lifting me up and holding me. When I snuggle up closer, it makes it laugh.
I smile before I fall asleep again, burying my face in whatever it was.
It pulls me in closer.