“There’s no guessing,” Austin said immediately. I startled when his hand lifted toward me, but only for a second. He gently brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear instead. The touch was careful. Intentional.
“You’re beautiful,” he said quietly. “And you deserve to hear it.” His hand slid from my hair to my shoulder, his palm warm against my bare skin. Slowly, he let it travel down my arm until it reached my elbow. With a gentle pressure, he guided me to turn toward him. I let myself move. When I finally met his eyes, the sincerity there stopped me short. There was no performance in his expression. No expectation. Just the truth. “So why?” he asked softly.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. The honesty surprised me as much as it seemed to surprise him. “Maybe…” I searched for the words, for the root of it. “Maybe I’m used to hearing those things when the person saying them wants something from me.”
“I don’t want anything from you,” he said without hesitation. “I just want you to hear it.”
“I think I know that,” I replied. And I did. Somewhere deep inside me, Austin felt different. “I guess that’s why it feels more intense when you say it.”
He nodded slowly, like the answer mattered. “I don’t want you to do that, Yellow. I don’t want you to pull away when I make you nervous.” His mouth curved slightly, the smallest hint of a smile breaking through. “I want you to trust me when I compliment you. Because I mean every word.”
I nodded, taking it in, letting it settle instead of pushing it aside. “Okay.”
“Yeah?” His smile came fully then, the seriousness lifting from his face almost instantly. “You trust me?”
I laughed softly, unable to stop myself. The joy on his face was impossible to ignore. “Should I trust you?” I asked. The teasing in my voice was real, but so was the question.
I was trying to stay logical when it came to Austin. I needed my mind to keep up, to separate what was real from what only felt real. Because if my heart had its way, I already knew where I’d be headed.
And while Austin made my skin sing and my stomach feel weightless, I had reasons to be careful. Valid ones. It was as complicated as what I knew he was involved in, the lighter side of the drugs I hated so much. But it was simple too. The last time he had spoken words that felt like poems, words that turned me inside out, he had vanished into thin air.
“I mean,” Austin laughed, releasing his grip on my body. I watched his hand linger in the air for a moment afterward, like it was reluctant to leave me. “Obviously, I think you should trust me.”
He stepped away, crossing a few short steps toward a large rock and leaning back against it. His arms folded over his chest as he tilted his head, studying me. I had to mentally shake myself free of the hold he had on me, the way my eyes followed him without permission. I turned instead to the wooded clearing around us, scanning the rocks until I found one of my own. Silence filled the space as I walked toward it, but once I sat down, he spoke again.
“Trust is earned,” Austin said. “It isn’t free. So I don’t think I can answer whether you should trust me or not.” He paused, his gaze steady. “What I can tell you, Yellow, is that if I ever held your trust, I’d do anything I could not to break it. What can I do to make that happen?”
“That’s for me to know,” I told him, “and for you to find out.”
I was partially thankful that the air between us had lightened. Still, just because it had been heavy moments before did not mean it had been bad. Heavy air can be negative, sure. But some of the best breaths a person takes are born in that thickness.
Austin looked surprised for only a second before he let out a quiet chuckle. “I guess that’s fair.”
“So,” I said, shifting slightly on the rock, “you never answered my question. Is this place special to you?”
He shook his head almost immediately. “Not yet. I went looking for somewhere beautiful to take you. I had a little help from a friend.”
“Oh really?” I asked, curiosity pulling at me. “Anyone I know?” Levi crossed my mind for a brief second before I dismissed it. He did not strike me as the type to hike through the woods in search of quiet water and hidden beauty.
“Actually, I think you do know him,” Austin said. “You remember my friend, Seren?” I nodded, and he waited for it before continuing. “She mentioned that you and her boyfriend, Zane, went to school together.”
“We did,” I said. “Before he transferred to West Bridge.” I glanced around the clearing again. “He showed you this place?”
Austin laughed, shaking his head. “No, we’re not that close. I asked Seren, she asked Zane. I guess he likes to explore.”
“Well,” I said, forcing my eyes to stay on him, “it’s beautiful. So thank you for showing it to me.”
“I’m glad you think so,” Austin replied, his smile soft, his gaze never leaving mine.
“I guess I’m lucky you chose today,” I added quietly. “It’s rare that I don’t work weekends.”
“Nah,” he said, rubbing his chin. “I don’t like leaving things up to luck, Yellow.”
“Oh really?” I laughed. “So what, you’re psychic? That would explain the cupcakes. And the favorite color thing.”
“Not quite.” His smile widened with every word. “Just resourceful. I called The Pitt and asked if you were working tonight.”
“You did?” My brows lifted. “It might have been easier to just ask me.”
