I promised you. | Austin Butler

Part 25

The strained tension hits me like a ton of bricks as soon as I open the door the my apartment. I can hear the TV, playing softly with some Monday daytime television, and I can hear the tap of a laptop keyboard. The smell of freshly brewed coffee making me blush at the reminders of this morning with Austin. Cold coffee had never tasted so good, but everything was about to taste sour. 

I closed the door behind me and was sure to do so so that it shut with a loud clunk, the noise instantly making the pitter patter of the laptop keyboard quiet for just a second, before the sound of a coffee cup being picked up and placed back down took its place. I sighed, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders, but knowing it was now or it was never. This couldn't eat me up inside for a second longer. I placed my bag and the rest of my belongings down on the floor before making my way into the kitchen. 

Andrew sits so that he is side view on, deep concentration on his face as he looks down at his laptop but I see the way his jaw tenses when he know I've entered the room. My breath gets taken away, a sudden feeling of nervousness rushing over me, and I suddenly don't know how to start the conversation. Andrew doesn't look my way, but his hands pull away from the keyboard of his laptop and his fingers trace the rim of his coffee cup. I can see from here its almost full, but I ask my next question to lighten some atmosphere. 

"Do you want a refill?" I ask, my voice sounding croaky from the nervousness. 

His fingers pause on the rim of the coffee cup, and then I watch as his head slowly turns to mine. I see the pain in his eyes as he instantly notices Austin shirt and I mentally kick myself for not just throwing on my own hoodie despite it making it me feel unclean. I take in a deep breath and the sound makes him look up at me. 

"How long?" he says now, looking at me like I'm his least favourite person on the planet. I probably am. 

"What?" I ask, and his voice turns deeper.

"How long as this been going on?" 

I look down at the floor for a slight second before looking back at him. How long HAD this been going on? Because it was only over the weekend that we physically did anything, but do you count the texts? The welcome home dinner? The short moment in the kitchen at Danielle and Brads when Andrew was outside? The wedding?

"A while." I admit. 

He closes his eyes and leans back in his chair now, looking up at the ceiling with an expression I can't understand. Hurt, shock, anger. He closes his laptop lid down now as then turns to me again, arms crossed over his chest. 

"Did you fuck him at the wedding?" 

I bounce forward now and take the chair seated in front of him. 

"No. God no it hasn't been like that." 

He looks me in the eyes now. "Then like what?" 

I lean back in my chair now and look up at the ceiling, a strong smell of Austins aftershave travelling to my nostrils. At this point, the smell was probably imbedded into my hair. Looking back down and towards Andrew, his eyes are scanning my entire body and suddenly I feel like I'm sat here completely naked. I cross my arms over my chest, completely aware now of the fact I'm not even wearing a bra, and the motion makes him look at my eyes. He scoffs back a laugh, and suddenly theres an irritated expression on his face. That expression lights a fire in me I wasn't expecting to have. 

"I won't deny the wedding was more than friendly, okay? It wasn't to start with, but in the end ... I don't know Andrew. You've got to remember this man was my everything for practically my entire life. I have known no different to Austin before you."