He's My Muse

Chapter VIII

Y/N began to fiercely run her nervous hands through her damp locks. She held the results of her actions in front of her and peered down with wide eyes. Her eyes darted across her hair-tattered fingers. She felt hot in the face, itchy, and the shock wave of her fear shot through her body.

"A-Austin?" She whimpered.

Her voice was too soft and shaky to be heard over the running water, so she received no response.

"Austin!" She tried again.

Fast-paced footsteps could be heard approaching the bathroom door. "You alright Y/N?" A voice asked from the other side of the door cautiously.

"Austin..." She trailed off, still in a state of utter shock and fear.

"Y/N, you're worrying me, what is it? Do you have a towel?" He questioned.

There was no response on her end, the only thing that could be heard was the shower water pattering on the porcelain.

"Can I come in?" His tone grew more worried.

"Yeah." She managed to chirp out but her voice still cracked.

He quickly flung the door open, allowing steam to rush into the larger portion of the room. He swiped the towel from the rack and held it out.

Y/N slowly pulled the curtain to the side and stepped into the towel as Austin wrapped her in it.

While still holding her in one arm, he leaned over and turned the clouded knobs to shut off the water.

Her breathing picked up again, which caught his attention right away.

"What? Y/N what's wrong?" The concern grew.

She slowly shifted in his arms and extended her hands out.

His straight brow followed his eyes down to the source of her odd behavior. His eyes immediately got wide and he began shaking his head. "No. No, you're not one of them, I know it." His eyes tried to meet hers, but she didn't look away from the ground. His hand found its way under her chin and he looked into her eyes with certainty. "I know you're talented."

She shook her head as it fell and she sniffled.

When she lowered her head, he could see clear over her into the shower and he cocked his head. He guided her by her shoulders to sit down on the top of the toilet. He slowly stepped over to the tub and reached over to one of the shelves. He snatched the shampoo and observed it. His hand found its way over his mouth and he closed his eyes in embarrassment. A chuckle escaped his lips as he turned to the scared girl.

"Did you use this?" He held up the bottle and raised his eyebrows.

Y/N sniffed and nodded with furrowed brows wondering what that had to do with anything.

"This is Belle's. She keeps it here in case she crashes here. It's old lady shampoo. This shit is so hard on healthy hair. I used it once and I thought I was balding early." He stated as he ran a hand through his locks. He giggled and set it back on the shelf.

Y/N looked up at him in disbelief and didn't have any words.

He crouched to her level and cupped her face with both of his firm hands. "It's okay. Calm down." He almost whispered.

She took a deep breath and nodded.

He stood back up and left the bathroom for a moment. When he returned, he had one of his silk robes from Paris draped over his forearm. He held it out and Y/N took it shyly.

He winked at her and left the room.

She took a moment to process everything that had just happened and collected her thoughts before standing. She dropped the towel as the cold air clung to her body immediately. She swung the robe behind her, pushing her slightly damp arms through the arm holes. She tied the strands of silk together in front of her and observed herself in the mirror. She messed with her hair for a moment still paranoid and finally snapped herself out of it and hung up the towel and opened the bathroom door to exit. Her bare feet pattered across the wood floor and she walked into the living area a bit ashamed of displaying her dramatics. She plopped down on the sofa and looked around the room oddly.

Austin re-entered the room and flashed Y/N a comforting smile before slipping onto the piano bench on the other end of the room. He propped up some sheet music and glanced over it. His strong hands appeared more delicate when they rested on the keys before playing.

Y/N watched intrigued and smiled.

He began playing a soothing tune and his hands glided over the keys effortlessly, almost like watching a prince and princess dance across a ball floor in a beautiful gown and timeless tux.

His music felt like it had a spell that made you feel sleepy but at the same time want to hang onto every note.

Y/N stood up from the couch and slowly walked over to the piano. She tried to slyly sit next to him trying not to break his flow. Her eyes trailed from the paper above, to his dancing hands, then to his face. His eyes were closed, not harshly, but just resting shut. His head made small dips following the notes from time-to-time as well.

His hands stopped and his eyes slowly opened, seeming satisfied.

"That was beautiful." Y/N interrupted the brief silence.

"It's my latest." He answered.

"That's what you've been working on?" She asked in a higher pitch.

He chuckled, "yeah." He replied.

"I love it, it's perfect." She smiled brightly at him.

He turned his head to meet her face, "play something." He simply said.

"What?" She said caught off guard.

"C'mon. You said your grandma taught you when you were younger." He stated.

"You remember that?" She turned fully toward him amused.

He motioned toward the instrument and raised his eyebrows.

Y/N rolled her eyes and adjusted herself in front of the piano. She wiggled her fingers above the keys before placing them down. She tried to recall at least one song she learned all those years ago. She smiled to herself and began pushing down the keys and playing some nonsense song she didn't remember the name of.

Austin watched her dainty hands glide around the white strips and play a tune he had never heard. He looked between her hands and her face watching her focus intently.

She stopped abruptly and giggled a bit, "that's all I can remember."

"That was good. You're definitely rusty, but time can fix that." He shrugged.

Her mouth fell open and she shoved him.

He threw his hands up in defense, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" He laughed.

She laughed as well and then their giggles died down drawing the silence back in.

His gaze met hers and his eyes twinkled while hers held so much innocence and curiosity.

His eyes trailed down to her lips then back up to her eyes asking quietly for permission.

Her eyes gave the silent okay and allowed him to lean closer and meet her pillow-like lips falling into a world of bliss and utopia.