STAND BY ME

chapter 15 - viral post

MRS Miller and Owen had stayed a little longer after Austin had left, and Avery felt happier now that she'd seen her family again. Her mother, being a rich and successful model, was always flying around to different counties ever since Avery was a teenager.

Yet although she could be quite unreliable, she had always been there for her daughter. Whenever young Avery had scraped her knee, she'd always been the one to plaster it up.

Whenever young Avery had had a first boy issue, she'd always been the one to wipe her tears. But as the older Avery grew and the more popular her mother's name became, the less she saw her. The less she was there for her.

Now, Avery sat with her back slouched on the couch, rubbing her forehead since she'd still had a headache. I mean - come on - the girl had gotten into a severe car accident 2 days ago.

She pulled her hoodie strings tighter to her neck, her face being pressed against the comfy fabric. A soft knock came from the door, "Avery's it's me," the familiar voice of Austin shouted.

Smiling to herself, she replied. "Who's me?"

A long pause followed after that, "It's Austin," he said shakily - worried she may have forgotten him. "Nope don't know you," she said as she opened the door, looking up at him.

"Bye!" she stated politely leaving him just standing there alone in the doorway, staring at her. Since she hadn't heard any noise, she decided to turn around and look at the bewildered man, "I'm joking, come in you weirdo."

"Shut up. I hate you."

"You love me."

His eyes met again with hers for a split second, "I mean if you say so."

"I was just watching Colleen Bangers apology. You interrupted me," she laughed.

He made his way to the couch after taking his shoes off, "Toxic gossip train, driving down the tracks of misinformation," he sung with an Elvis Presley voice.

"Toxic gossip train, you've got a one way ticket to manipulation station," he mocked. Laughs escaped her lips frequently and he smiled besotted at her.

"Stop, Elvis. What've you got in ur bag?" She questioned staring down at his Walmart bag.

One of his hands reached into the bag, "Galaxy, MnMs and Moams." He pulled each one out as he said it.

"I love all of them, you know me so well," she replied, fake fanning herself.

After closing the blinds and turning on a movie, she began to make her way to the couch sitting down closely to Austin. His arm was placed on the back of the sofa and she moved closer to him. A smile crept up on his lips as he felt her head nuzzle into the crook of his neck and he wrapped his arm around her, reaching her other shoulder.

Gently, he placed a kiss on her forehead, rubbing his thumb in circles on her arm. "What's this film?" He asked.

"Beautiful Boy."

"The one with Timothee Chalamet?" he questioned.

Gently, she nodded her head as an answer and looked up at him through her eyelashes, "Be prepared to cry."

"I'm not gonna cry mate."

A laugh escaped her lips.

- after the movie -

Sobs escaped Austin's lips as Avery wiped her mascara, "I thought you weren't gonna cry," she paused, "mate."

He laughed still sniffing, "Actually shut up."