Page 25
Story: Paint Me Dangerous
“Eric, wait,” I say with a groan. “Please,” I say. He takes a deep breath before sitting down.
I ask softly, “What’s wrong?” He doesn’t say anything.
I push, “What did Austin do?” He laughs coldly, and I take a deep breath. That was not like him at all.
“What would he do? He hit me because I asked you out,” he says through gritted teeth before getting up and leaving. I chase after him.
“Eric, why are you mad at me? I didn’t tell him to do it!” I say in frustration. He spins around.
He sighs, “I really like you, Lyra.” I press my lips together and look down.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Eric says with a sigh.
I say, “We can still be friends.” “And Austin will say he’s sorry.”
“Of course, unless Austin decides to beat me up again.” He laughs and hugs me. I feel like someone is watching me, and I see Austin glaring at us before he walks away.
Oh no.
I say to Eric, “I’ll see you later?”
“Sure,” he says. I sigh and run after my angry boyfriend, who thinks he can beat someone up and then be mad.
“Austin,” I say. He doesn’t say anything and walks to the garden, where he sits down and lies down. He shuts his eyes.
I say “Austin” again before I sit down. He doesn’t pay attention to me and grits his teeth.
“Why did you do that to Eric?” I almost scream. He clenches his jaw painfully when I ask him. He sits down and opens his eyes. His brown eyes are so dark that they look more black than brown.
He doesn’t answer, but I’m going to stick to my guns. He finally gives in.
“Because he is everything I am not. I was scared, okay?” he says through gritted teeth.
“Afraid that you’d like him. Afraid that you and him would be together,” he clenches his jaw before continuing, “he is sweet, like you said. I am not. And, seeing you hug him like that. I know I was wrong but,” Austin sighs and shakes his head. Before he hides it with anger, I can see that he is sad.
He gets up to leave, but I stay where I am. He begins to walk away.
“I love you, okay?” I yell at him.
“I love you, Austin. Not him, not anyone but you. You were the one who wouldn’t ask me out,” I say with a sigh. His eyes get big as he turns around. The sun hits him, and for a moment, I just stare at him. How did I ever meet someone like him? No one else had stayed that long.
“Say that again,” he says.
I get up and go to him. There isn’t anyone around us, so maybe the class has already started.
When we’re close enough, I whisper, “I love you?” and our chests touch.
“Again,” he whispers, and I look into his eyes. My heart is racing because I’m afraid he won’t say it back.
“I love you, Austin.”
Austin pulls me by the waist, pushes me against him, and kisses me. We finally break up after a long time.
“I love you too,” he says, putting his forehead on mine and breathing heavily. I feel warmth spreading through me.
“Let’s go and say sorry to Eric now,” I say with a smile. Austin lets out a loud groan.
“Way to ruin the mood. You had to take his name,” he says as he pulls away.
I laugh and say, “We need to get rid of that insecurity, Austin.” He kisses my forehead and smiles at me.
I smile and say, “You still have to say sorry.”
“Only if you keep telling me you love me, bunny. I can’t f*****g let it sink,” he says as he pulls me close.
I laugh a lot.
“Of course.”
********
Daisy wraps her arms around Lyra and says, “There’s my favourite bridesmaid.” Lyra smiles back at her with a big smile.
Lyra says, “Daisy, you look beautiful.” The girl looked great in the veil and white dress. It made Lyra think of her wedding. She remembers it with shining eyes.
“Thanks. But you looked better,” Daisy winks.
Lyra says in a teasing tone, “I still haven’t forgiven you for that night.”
“Oh, come on. Did you really think I’d like someone like Austin? No offence to you, honey. It was his idea to make you jealous anyway,” Daisy says. Lyra laughs at her and thinks back to the good old days.
A deep voice says, “It worked, though, didn’t it?” and both girls jump.
Austin puts his arm around Lyra and says, “You look beautiful, baby.”
Lyra blushes and looks at her husband. “You’ve told it like a hundred times today, Austin.”
Daisy laughs and says, “Oh come on, it’s been seventeen years already and you two act like newlyweds.”
“I wish my husband was as romantic as Austin. That time he showed up at the airport, Lyra, you must have been so happy,” Daisy says dreamily.
“Yes,” Lyra says. That was definitely one of the best days of her life.
“Oh, but I got slapped three times,” Austin says in a small voice, playfully, making both women laugh.
“You deserved it,” Lyra says with a wink and a smile that makes her husband feel good. Austin smiles and kisses her on the head. He knows he deserved it.
“Hey, Daisy!” a voice calls. Daisy says she’s sorry and leaves.
Lyra can feel her husband’s loving gaze. She looks at him with a look of confusion.
“What?”
“I love you.”
Lyra laughs and then wraps her hand around Austin’s neck and pulls him in for a long kiss.
“I love you too.”
I ask softly, “What’s wrong?” He doesn’t say anything.
I push, “What did Austin do?” He laughs coldly, and I take a deep breath. That was not like him at all.
“What would he do? He hit me because I asked you out,” he says through gritted teeth before getting up and leaving. I chase after him.
“Eric, why are you mad at me? I didn’t tell him to do it!” I say in frustration. He spins around.
He sighs, “I really like you, Lyra.” I press my lips together and look down.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Eric says with a sigh.
I say, “We can still be friends.” “And Austin will say he’s sorry.”
“Of course, unless Austin decides to beat me up again.” He laughs and hugs me. I feel like someone is watching me, and I see Austin glaring at us before he walks away.
Oh no.
I say to Eric, “I’ll see you later?”
“Sure,” he says. I sigh and run after my angry boyfriend, who thinks he can beat someone up and then be mad.
“Austin,” I say. He doesn’t say anything and walks to the garden, where he sits down and lies down. He shuts his eyes.
I say “Austin” again before I sit down. He doesn’t pay attention to me and grits his teeth.
“Why did you do that to Eric?” I almost scream. He clenches his jaw painfully when I ask him. He sits down and opens his eyes. His brown eyes are so dark that they look more black than brown.
He doesn’t answer, but I’m going to stick to my guns. He finally gives in.
“Because he is everything I am not. I was scared, okay?” he says through gritted teeth.
“Afraid that you’d like him. Afraid that you and him would be together,” he clenches his jaw before continuing, “he is sweet, like you said. I am not. And, seeing you hug him like that. I know I was wrong but,” Austin sighs and shakes his head. Before he hides it with anger, I can see that he is sad.
He gets up to leave, but I stay where I am. He begins to walk away.
“I love you, okay?” I yell at him.
“I love you, Austin. Not him, not anyone but you. You were the one who wouldn’t ask me out,” I say with a sigh. His eyes get big as he turns around. The sun hits him, and for a moment, I just stare at him. How did I ever meet someone like him? No one else had stayed that long.
“Say that again,” he says.
I get up and go to him. There isn’t anyone around us, so maybe the class has already started.
When we’re close enough, I whisper, “I love you?” and our chests touch.
“Again,” he whispers, and I look into his eyes. My heart is racing because I’m afraid he won’t say it back.
“I love you, Austin.”
Austin pulls me by the waist, pushes me against him, and kisses me. We finally break up after a long time.
“I love you too,” he says, putting his forehead on mine and breathing heavily. I feel warmth spreading through me.
“Let’s go and say sorry to Eric now,” I say with a smile. Austin lets out a loud groan.
“Way to ruin the mood. You had to take his name,” he says as he pulls away.
I laugh and say, “We need to get rid of that insecurity, Austin.” He kisses my forehead and smiles at me.
I smile and say, “You still have to say sorry.”
“Only if you keep telling me you love me, bunny. I can’t f*****g let it sink,” he says as he pulls me close.
I laugh a lot.
“Of course.”
********
Daisy wraps her arms around Lyra and says, “There’s my favourite bridesmaid.” Lyra smiles back at her with a big smile.
Lyra says, “Daisy, you look beautiful.” The girl looked great in the veil and white dress. It made Lyra think of her wedding. She remembers it with shining eyes.
“Thanks. But you looked better,” Daisy winks.
Lyra says in a teasing tone, “I still haven’t forgiven you for that night.”
“Oh, come on. Did you really think I’d like someone like Austin? No offence to you, honey. It was his idea to make you jealous anyway,” Daisy says. Lyra laughs at her and thinks back to the good old days.
A deep voice says, “It worked, though, didn’t it?” and both girls jump.
Austin puts his arm around Lyra and says, “You look beautiful, baby.”
Lyra blushes and looks at her husband. “You’ve told it like a hundred times today, Austin.”
Daisy laughs and says, “Oh come on, it’s been seventeen years already and you two act like newlyweds.”
“I wish my husband was as romantic as Austin. That time he showed up at the airport, Lyra, you must have been so happy,” Daisy says dreamily.
“Yes,” Lyra says. That was definitely one of the best days of her life.
“Oh, but I got slapped three times,” Austin says in a small voice, playfully, making both women laugh.
“You deserved it,” Lyra says with a wink and a smile that makes her husband feel good. Austin smiles and kisses her on the head. He knows he deserved it.
“Hey, Daisy!” a voice calls. Daisy says she’s sorry and leaves.
Lyra can feel her husband’s loving gaze. She looks at him with a look of confusion.
“What?”
“I love you.”
Lyra laughs and then wraps her hand around Austin’s neck and pulls him in for a long kiss.
“I love you too.”