Page 47 of Your Biggest Downfall
“Do you care about me?”
He just stared down.
“Do you?” I repeated.
His eyes snapped to mine. He looked exhausted, but a smirk spread on his lips. “I thought I wasn’t supposed to talk.”
“Austin,” I snapped. “I’m being fucking serious.”
He threw up his hands. “Okay. Okay. I’m sorry.”
He walked a little bit closer, and I pulled him inside by his shirt and shut the door behind him. “I don’t want my neighbors to hear and record this.”
He nodded. “Good idea.”
He reached out, and this time I didn’t pull away. I let his fingers touch my cheek. He was soft and warm, even with his calloused fingers.
“So much, Nova. So fucking much.”
“Don’t tell them who the girl is.”
He pulled away and nodded. “I wasn’t planning on it. I promise on my life. I told Ledger, who already called me, that it was a puck bunny.”
The words hurt me, him reducing me to some fuck toy. So much about last night was unresolved, but this overshadowed the pain from yesterday.
“If I leave.” His voice shook. “Will you wait for me?”
I closed my eyes for a moment. He sounded so young and innocent—almost childlike. I slowly shook my head. He reached for me, and I didn’t pull away when he rubbed the back of my hand.
“No,” I said softly.
“Please,” he begged. “No one in my life has ever waited for me. Everyone sees me as this failure. You understand.”
I did. I knew why he did drugs and drank, but he treated people like shit, and there were consequences for his actions.
“Take responsibility for this, Austin. Show empathy and compassion, and maybe you’ll learn something.”
He nodded and swallowed audibly. “Okay.”
“You should go.”
He turned toward the door and grabbed the knob.
“Walk down the block before you call a ride share.”
“I will.”
My heart splintered. “Austin?” I called out as he stepped into the hallway.
He turned around but kept his head hung low. “Yeah?”
“You can do this.”
A slow smile spread on his face before disappearing. “You’ve always believed in me, Supernova. Even when you shouldn’t.”
He disappeared down the hall, and I shut the door, letting myself breathe while I processed what had happened. I wasn’t going to let this tear me down. I was good at my job, and Iris didn’t know that. So I could be one step ahead of her.
I grabbed a shirt that Luna had laid out for me. It was a basic white button-down, and I added a long-sleeve thermal underneath. I didn’t give a fuck that it was almost summer and I was going to sweat. I was determined to cover my tattoos and not let anything peek out. I pulled on my black work pants, swiped on mascara, and said bye to Luna.
