Waiting for Never - Post Malone

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Marli gets a cab and catches the next flight to Utah. It's after midnight when she pulls up in a cab in front of the Utah house. It's completely unrealistic. It's been two years since she has been here. Austin could have sold the house for all she knows. He could have his new girlfriend staying here. The house looks locked up tight though. No lights even as they pulled up was an indication that no one is there. She gets the emergency key that's hidden in the wall, the code for the box is still the same. That's a good start. Walking inside she can see that a lot has changed. The house has had a complete revamp and remodel. It looks beautiful. Where Austin had once preferred harsh metals and black leather finishings, straight ridged furniture, stark white walls, and dark draining colors have all been replaced by warm inviting rooms with furniture that looks lush and plump and materials that looked soft enough to sink into. It looks like the house is now an extension of the cave that she had decorated while living here. She sees that the area where the bar once stood has been incorporated into the kitchen, and the bar is completely gone. There used to be a light vomit smell that always lingered in the air, but now there is no such smell. She does smell fresh flowers though and the more she walks around the house the more she realizes that there are beautiful fresh flower arrangements on nearly every surface. Some look like they were made by a child, small and messy but sweet.

She walks into the cave and stops dead in her tracks it's almost the same. When she had lived here Austin had let her have this room to do with as she pleased. The great big poofy cloud couch was still there, and the three dog beds were also still on the floor. She can see a stack of books and reading glasses on a side coffee table along with a stack of what looks to be fan letters. Thrown across the couch is a fluffy blanket with a writing pad on top and some more letters. Austin is writing back to his fans? That's new, and sweet though. There are also house slippers thrown next to the couch in Austin's shoe size. It's clear that this is Austin's preferred spot in the house. She takes a closer look at the shelves by the TV. They contain several photo frames. There is one of Austin with Charlie out by the pool area, they look happy. There is one of Max and Austin holding up a big fish in a boat both smiling proudly at their catch, and one of Austin and Jonas at a camping spot too. There are a lot that have Austin with people she does not know. There is one where he is standing with a cake that reads 365, Austin along with the others in the photo all have big grins on their faces. In another photo he is holding a little boy about 6 months old, actually, there are a number of him and the little boy, the latest one the boy looks about one year old. There are also a number of him with a little girl probably about 5 years old, the little girl looks like a carbon copy of Austin. There's is one with a woman that Marli recognizes as his sister, they both look very happy in it. There are others with more people she does not know, horse riding, skiing, at the beach, at dinner, on a yacht. Austin is in most of them, a big smile on his face. He has a whole new life.

It makes Marli sad that she is not part of this, but happy that Austin has the right people around him now and he looks so happy. She lifts the one cushion that Austin used to hide bottles of liquor under in the couch out of curiosity, no liquor only some candy bars and a bag of doggie treats. She walks down the passage and goes to take a left down the second passage that leads to Austin's room but stops, shocked. The whole left side of the wall that had once been a window is now a ginormous fish tank. It's casting a warm blue light across the passage and when Marli takes a closer look there are hundreds of fish swimming around the coral reef. Angelfish, African leaf fish, neon tetra, guppies, cherry barb, swordtails even a Bala shark. She wants to stare at it all night but she is so tired, she needs sleep so she tears herself away from the tank and trudges to the room heading straight for the shower. Once showered and her teeth brushed she puts one of Austin's thread bear old oversized t-shirts on and heads for the bed. Shit, she really hopes she does not have to explain herself to a girlfriend. What is she doing here? It's crazy. But if she is going to be honest she has felt off-kilter for the past two years and the second she walked through the front doors of the Utah house something seemed to shift back into place. This is home. It just is...