𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 ✯ 𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐫

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚

╰┈➤𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙨𝙨

✧༺♥༻∞

i'm going to keep it real here, i gave vin diesel a run for his money and possibly gave austin a heart attack. maybe keeping my speeding tickets on the down low is a good thing to do. we had about a two-hour drive ahead of us, so for the sake of my costar i slowed the car down. "from now on i'm driving, " he said, finally letting go of the handlebar. all i could do was laugh at his unamused expression. "aw come on i'm an amazing driver!" i said as we made our way onto the interstate. i could see him shake his head with a tiny smile beginning to grace his lips.

i reached over to grab the aux cord and plugged my phone in before clicking on spotify. "passenger picks the music." i said handing him my phone and focusing back onto the street. he hummed to himself as he scrolled through my playlists. "you're getting spammed by the way." he snickered as my phone vibrated violently. my brows furrowed," by who?" i asked passing a few cars in the process. "some group chat...'elordi's hate club' cute name." he chuckled lightly before finally selecting a song. the soft tune of 'suspicious minds' filled the car as we were silent for a moment.

"do you wanna talk about it?" he asked softly. my grip on the wheel tightened not really wanting to remind myself of everything again. "you spill your guts and i'll spill mine?" i relaxed some after meeting his kind eyes for a second. he huffed running his fingers through his grown-out hair. "vanessa and i were together for a long time...eight years actually. i don't really know what happened but we just fell apart you know? we never really fought or anything we just fell out of love i guess." he kept his eyes in front of us as he spoke. i knew he had never really talked about his ex-girlfriend much just by the way he anxiously played with his fingers. my heart hurts for him, eight years together just to end out of nowhere. and i thought i had it bad with my measly one-year relationship.

he turned back to me with a raised brow, "your turn." i bit the inside of my cheek mirroring his actions from moments earlier and staring ahead. "i met him on set and we got together not too long after. it was paradise for a long time but a few months ago he started getting distant and getting angry out of nowhere. a few days ago me and my friends in that chat went out and i caught him cheating. i should have expected it i know that...but it still hurts. especially after i find out that it was all a lie and he was using me for over a year..." i trailed off a single tear slipping down my cheek only for me to quickly wipe it away. i'm done crying over him.

"so that's actually why you were upset last night?" he asked with a clenched jaw. i only nodded as we floated into a tense silence. i could practically hear the gears turning in his head over the melody coming from the speakers. "so what about it austin, "i spoke up making him focus back on the conversation, "you gave up on love?" my lips rose into a grin letting him know i was ok. he chuckled dryly," i don't know...not yet. you?" his eyes traced over my face as he allowed a small smile to grace his face again. damn even after that dumpster fire of conversation that smile could still get me flustered.

"nah not yet."

✧༺♥༻∞

the remainder of the drive was not as depressing i swear, all talk of past relationships was left behind thank god. now here we are driving through the town i was raised in. it's been a fat minute since i've been back and damn i feel old. up ahead i spot the world-famous cloud 9 station aka the only gas station/convenience store that doesn't id it's customers AKA the holy grail for my teenage self. hey don't judge. the small shop was never hardcore like the shit on tv just cigs, vapes, and the occasional supply of mary jane. they arent trying to be a real-world fezco but i will say i was here often before i moved away. i quickly pulled in and parked at an open pump before turning the car off. "you're in my neck of the woods now butler wanna have a look around?" i smirked jumping out of the car. austin quickly got out as well following me to the store. "what is this place?" he asked quietly joining my side. "old hang out you'll see." i said opening the door for him to go in first.

"welcome in- holy shit is that little miss hollywood?!" a mop of blonde hair popped up from behind the counter. "in the flesh!" i said holding my arms out and doing a little twirl. he laughed loudly hopping over the counter and tackling me into a bear hug. "hey ace" i whispered in his ear. "hey phelia." he squeezed me one more time before releasing me. ace barlowe and i had been friends since middle school and he was pretty much my older brother, well he acted like he was at least. he was one of those people that you can go no contact with for decades and then pop back up and it's like nothing changed. it made our relationship even more exciting because we never got tired of talking shit about anything we could.

i flung an arm around his shoulders and turned him to face austin. once again his shy side was taking over but it's ok. "ace this is austin butler. he's my costar for a movie i'm in." ace eyed him for a moment before smiling. "what's up bro! i gotta say you look hella familiar... wait you- ow!"i sent a sharp slap onto the back of his neck to shut him up. austin smiled anyway as i thanked god he's not getting any of what's happening in front of him. i already know my cheeks are bright red thanks to this blonde asshole. ace used to make fun of me for my childhood crushes and austin's old character was high on his list. "anyway! how's business?" ace sent me a playful glare leaving my side to return behind the counter. "eh it's alright. why do ya need something?" he asked resting his head in his hands on the countertop. i shook my head, "nah i'm on the way home to surprise everyone before i'm gone for a while." his face fell and he poked his lower lip out, "where are they shipping my girl to?" he asked looking between me and austin. "i'm stuck with her in australia." austin answered smirking at me. "HA good luck dude!" ace laughed pointing at austin lazily. "wow! its not like i'm standing here or anything." i huffed walking over to the coolers and ignoring the dying laughter. i grabbed two bottles of water after fighting with myself about if i should get soda instead. i turned back around to see austin leaning against the counter talking with ace quietly. i furrowed my brows setting the bottles down and fishing out some cash from my pocket. "aye no it's on the house and gas too." he said pointing out the window to my car with his thumb. i knew better than to try to fight him about it. "thanks acey. i'll stop by again before i go." i said leaning over the counter to hug him again. "you better. we'll have some fun like old times." he said ruffling my hair as he released me. "see ya round alien boy!" ace yelled as we stepped out of the door. oh my godddd i'm gonna kill him! i shot the blonde a bird through the window as i heard him cackle inside. austin gave me a confused look, "alien boy?" i took his arm dragging him back to the car.

"don't listen to him he's high off his ass."

✧༺♥༻∞

the drive to my parent's house wasn't that long but it was loud. austin had picked 'on the floor' for some reason and we were belting the words like crazy people. his singing wasn't half bad i on the other hand was imitating a dying cat. but that's irrelevant.

eventually, we made it to my childhood home. yeah, i'd visited every chance i got but it never got old seeing my parents after long periods of time. both cars were parked in the garage letting me know they were home. "home sweet home." i said letting my eyes roam over the house. "you ready to see them?" austin asked looking around as well. i sighed with a nod.

"hell yeah get out of the car."