otherside. | post malone

chapter ten.

Austin hops out of the car, making his way over to my side to open the door and help me out, keeping his hand on the small of my back once I have my two feet planted on the ground. We smile at each other, walking to the back entrance of the restaurant we are dining at. We get to a stand where a woman in all black is standing. All she does is nod at us, knowing who Austin is and guiding us to our table. I know Austin is a big deal, but I wonder if they know him so well here because this is where he takes all of the girls he's been with.

I try to shake these thoughts out of my head, Austin's past is just that: the past. Whatever he has done with other girls doesn't affect me, and assuming negative things about him will just plant doubts in my head. I need to be able to just enjoy being with him.

As we approach our private table, he pulls my chair out for me, pushing it in for me whilst I sit down. He makes his way to his seat across from me, plopping down with a big grin on his face. He pours us both a glass of champagne and I give him a light "thank you." I'm feeling nervous.

"Did I tell you you look beautiful tonight?" He asks, taking a sip of his champagne after. I blush at his statement, feeling my cheeks warm up. I'm not sure why I'm so nervous around him. I'm not one to let guys affect me, but there is something about him that gives me butterflies.

"You may have mentioned it," I joke. He takes my hand in his from across the table.

"You really do."

"Thank you," I smile, "you don't look too bad yourself."

This was the understatement of the century. Austin looked hot, and if I wasn't so shy around him I would be across the table with my face on his by now. He's wearing a black suit, and looking sharp.

Before he could reply, a server came over to take our orders. I ordered the lobster risotto, and Austin opted for the chicken parmesan.

"So, tell me about yourself," he requested, resting his elbow on the table and holding his head up with his hand.

"Well, I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. I have two sisters, Tess and Chloe, and two dogs back home named Delilah and Sunny. I've always wanted to pursue a career in film and music, so my family put everything on the line to hire an agent for me. When there were auditions for Riverdale, my agent had gotten me an audition despite the little experience I had. It was the most nerve-racking moment of my life. I remember when I got the call saying I got the role of Betty. My mom and I cried for hours. It was my big break," I finished, beginning to tear up a bit. I hadn't really thought about how much Riverdale meant to me. It was the moment that I could sit there and say I was a real actress. It was everything to me. And now it's all gone. I'm also emotional thinking about how much I miss my mom. I blinked the tears away, not wanting to bring out the waterworks on our first real date.

"That's awesome," he smiled, rubbing circles into the back of my hand.

"What about you? What's your story."

"I was born in Syracuse, New York. Moved to Texas when I was 9. I started playing guitar because of the game Guitar Hero. No one knew why I was so into music, because my family wasn't big on it. Sure, they obviously played music, but it wasn't a passion or a love like mine is. In high school I was in a hardcore band. When I was 16, I started recording my own mixtape on Audacity and I thought it was fire. I learned how to produce my own music. I wrote White Iverson two days before I recorded it. Me and a buddy made the the beat and then I was writing the words to the beat at my house. I didn't even know if I was going to record. It was the first thing I ever really put out, so I had no idea it would get that much attention."

My eyes widened at how crazy that story is. His fame genuinely came out of nowhere, and I'm so glad it did because he deserves it. I decide to vocalize my thoughts.