Chasing Blue

#24: Unhiding Truths.

Present

Isabella

"I cannot believe you invaded my private space," he was walking two steps ahead of me. 

I wanted to laugh but considering how pissed off he seemed, I didn't think it was a decent idea. "I did not invade it, Austin. I found it. It was almost like your private space wanted me to invade it." 

He stopped in his steps and I instantly stopped too. He turned around to glare at me. The night was cold but at this point, his stare was colder. Or it was just the empty parking lot bearing only Austin's car. I know taking his poetry paper was wrong even when I found it by mistake, I knew I had to keep it back. He has every right to be mad at me. 

But when he's glaring at me with my tote bag hanging on his shoulders and his black jacket on his arm crossed against his chest, it's easier said than done to look apologetic and not two seconds away from snorting. 

I rolled my eyes when he was glaring in silence. "I know I shouldn't have taken it home but I didn't know you wrote poetry. I wanted to preserve it," I saw his jaw harden. "Or at least keep it with me until I figured what it meant. Which I now have, so I will return it back." 

He took a step closer to me. His eyes narrow as they converge on mine. "It's not poetry." 

I genuinely seem clueless now. "What?" 

He angrily sighs. He speaks gritting his teeth. "It's a song. I write songs, not poetry." 

My eyes widen, dumbfounded. He turned around and began stomping his way towards his car. I run behind him. I remember Austin used to sing, and play the guitar but I thought he stopped doing it after getting serious about football in sophomore. I know for a fact that I am the only person apart from Aiden who knows how well he sings and plays the guitar. Austin always kept it in the dark. 

But I thought he'd stopped that. It's more of a shock to me and I want to be mad at him for not telling me he still continues to write songs. I catch hold of his arm just as we reach his car and I turn him around. My tote bag slips from his shoulders and falls on the ground right above his jacket. 

He looks away, exhaling loudly. "Yes?" 

"You write songs?" I demand an explanation. 

"Yes." He smiles in a mock. 

I gasp, almost surprised there's no tail to that acceptance. "How much have you lied to me in all of these years? What else do I need to know?" 

His smile dulls down and he looks down at his shoes. "I only lied about my feelings. Nothing else. I just kept myself from telling you things that would lead to mentioning my feelings for you."

"But there's so much I feel like I don't know yet." I sighed taking a step back from him. I pace in front of him, succumbing to stress about how different I feel he is. "You're this completely different person and I'm uncovering stuff you've hidden or kept from me and it's so unlike you." 

"I told you I needed a clean slate, Izz," He leaned against his car. 

I stopped pacing and stared at him. "Yes, for thirty minutes. You can't expect me to figure you out in thirty minutes, Austin. I'm sure you yourself need more time to remember everything you've kept from me."

His hand reaches to my arm and he pulls me to himself. I crash into his chest but I don't look up at him because I don't know where to begin so we can solve this. His arms snake around my waist and he carelessly keeps it there. 

I look up at him when neither of us speaks for a while. He's staring at me but I know he's thinking about a solution to this too. 

"If this has to work we need to trust each other completely, Izz." He tells me in a low voice.