Falling Slowly

Pt.3|Ch.4

One Month Later

•••••Austyn's Perspective

The days, cities, and performances flew by, and before I knew it, we were a month into the tour.

Appleton, Wisconsin, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Omaha, Nebraska, to Kansas City, Missouri, and our next stop was in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Leaving Appleton had proved to be the most difficult stop to leave, especially for Sky.

I was curious of the reason why he was so adamant about moving on, but when I asked him, he just muttered something about 'Margo' and stated that he didn't want to talk about it.

Whatever had happened to him, his mopeyness was also a result of another approaching dilemma: Aiden's departure.

I didn't even realize how soon she would be leaving until it was a day away.

Sky hardly let Aiden out of his sight for the entirety of those last 24 hours we had with her.

If he was with her, he was holding her hand.

If he wasn't with her, he was trying to find out where she was.

His attachment issues only got worse as the hours counted down to our arrival in Cincinnati, and her last show that night.

"We absolutely have to do something before you leave." Josh demanded. "We're not gonna see you until the next travel day."

Aiden attempted a shrug, but it was sort of difficult with Sky's arms locked around her shoulders. "What do you want to do?"

"Anything that doesn't involve dogs." Sky mumbled.

I shot him an inquiring look, but he just held Aiden tighter and scowled down at the floor.

"I have to go to the theater," Ben said, addressing a possible set back.

Josh tilted his head. "Why?"

"Apparently, they got a new understudy."

"I'll go with Ben." I offered. "And you can let us know when you figure a plan out."

The proposal was accepted, and we headed our separate ways.

I experienced another new concept that day: hailing a taxi.

It was definitely one of the strangest things I'd ever witnessed in my life. Ben was clearly used to it, but the whole idea just didn't sit right with me.

"I don't think I like taxis." I whispered to Ben as we climbed in the back seat. "They're discomforting."

He shook his head in disappointment. "We're gonna have to find something new that you'll actually like."

"Well, I liked performing, traveling is nice, cousins are nice, I like dating..."

"Oh, do you?" He asked, teasingly oblivious.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't push your luck."

"You're stuck with me." He pressed a kiss to the tip of my nose, earning a smile.