Oh, Baby! #Wattys2020

Chapter Twenty Seven

Bella glares at the guys, each scattered around the restaurant, in various ridiculous disguises. Hale wears a fedora over slicked back hair with those goofy glasses that have a nose and mustache attached. He also decided to wear a purple pinstripe tux, and he sits several sits away, facing Bella so he can watch her face.

Dom is dressed in leathers, wearing all black with a bandana tied around his head. His blonde locks are gelled and standing up to form a mohawk. He sits just a few seats away. Jinx is dressed as an elderly man, with a gray wig and a beer belly. Sitting across from him, Omar, wearing a dress and silver wig. They all look utterly insane, but it lightened her mood.

She's meeting with Austin today, and accidentally let it slip to Jinx that she was meeting him at a restaurant. It took her a few days to contact him, just because she didn't know how. But finally, she located his number, doodled on one of her freshman year notebooks. And surprisingly it hadn't changed. Turns out he was in town to cover Lasting Revival for an article the paper he worked for wanted to write.

He was late, as usual, but he wouldn't stand her up. He was always five minutes late no matter where he was going. She knew that habit wasn't ever going to change. That was just Austin. She was just about to leave when she saw his familiar golden brown hair bobbing through the doors. He looks around for a moment, then spots her and makes his way over. He was still the same, but with more defined features. Bella doesn't spend long on him, looking away from him as he sits down. Her nerves buzzed and she clutched the pendant hanging from her necklace. One Hale had given her, of a music note.

She takes a deep breath and looks at him, this time he's up closer and she can see the blue of his eyes. A pale, washed out blue that reminded her of faded jeans. She used to be so obsessed with his eyes, she thought she was safe when she looked into them. But it turns out she was wrong, entirely wrong.

"Bella." He breathes, his voice sending shivers down her spine. She never wanted to hear it again. But she needed to move on. And her therapist made the point that he didn't make it as bad as it was. He spread some lies about her, but the real enemy was the student body at the academy.

"Austin." Her voice was short. "Look---"

"I'm sorry---"

Bella pauses for a moment, and before she can respond he apologizes in full. For everything. From using her to what happened after. He offered no excuses for his actions and took the blame. She listened to him, and wondered if she should tell him to stop. She doesn't really care. She doesn't even know what she wanted out of this meeting. But knowing he's sorry for what he did, eased the pain slightly.

"I forgive you, I have for a while. For the longest time what happened consumed me, it put a screeching halt to my life." Austin winces. "But I'm happier now and I just wanted to get some closure between us."

He smiles at the last sentence, "I'm glad. Hale Nathan seems like a nice person, when he isn't stabbing me with his eyes." Austin chuckles, looking over at all of the Lasting Revival guys who quickly look away. "You definitely deserve someone far better than me. But it looks like you found him, and more."

Bella smiles, the mood lightening. "He's good for me. But don't beat yourself up over what happened between us. Forgive yourself."

"I'm trying. I've done a lot of bad things. But I'm getting my life back on track." Austin smiles, "I'm engaged and I have a son now."

And that started an hour of catching up. Austin told her all about his career and his son. His family was doing good, his father retired from the police department and his mother opened her own bakery. She told him about her parents, their art and her plans for the future. And thankfully, Austin doesn't ask about Hale or the other members of the band. He respects the boundaries, and they actually enjoy catching up. Bella didn't want anything to do with him after this, that was not to be mistaken. But, before their shit storm of a relationship, they were good friends and it was hard to just let that go. If only it had stayed that way, all of this could be avoided.