unbreakable heaven • awsten knight

1.18 happy birthday merry christmas

houston tx
december 2008

As the evening has rolled by, the night creeps in, slowly getting darker outside, when James pulls his daughter to the side, once again.

Awsten's eyes follow Ellie as she trails after her father, out of the room. He wishes he could hear their conversation.

His curiosity shifts to concern when Ellie returns, with a frown on her face.

James doesn't re-enter the living room; instead, he heads out to the kitchen to speak to Awsten's parents, and after a short while, he begins saying his goodbyes.

Ginny grabs his coat, double-checking that he has everything he needs, as everyone makes their way to the door to see him out.

Awsten grabs Ellie's hand, gently, pulling her a little closer to his side, before dropping it.

"You're not leaving yet, are you?" He asks, quietly.

Ellie only shakes her head in response, working up a small smile, which falls short after a moment.

She sighs once her father is out of the door, her energy deflating significantly.

"Hey," Awsten whispers, catching her attention. "Should we go upstairs for a while? Just us," he suggests, carefully, earning a relieved expression, and a nod.

He takes her hand again, leading her upstairs to his bedroom.

Ellie feels an odd sense of comfort when she steps into Awsten's room.

The walls are entirely blue— a colour that reminds her a lot of Awsten. She isn't quite sure why, yet.

It feels calming, and safe, and comfortable; which is why, as soon as the door is closer behind them, she turns to Awsten and hugs him tightly.

Pressed onto her tiptoes to reach his height, she wraps her arms around his shoulders, burying her head in the crook of his neck.

It takes Awsten by surprise, but he hugs her back as soon as his brain catches up to the present.

His arms settle around her middle, holding her securely, before beginning to rub slow circles on her back.

"Is everything okay?" Awsten questions, quietly, when he hears her sniffle.

"Sorry," Ellie mumbles. "I'm sorry, I—"

"Hey, you don't have to apologise," he tells her, as she pulls away, and he guides her to look at him. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

"He just—" Ellie pauses, letting out a sigh, as she tries her best to hold back a sob. "He couldn't even stay for me," she says, sadly, referring to her dad. "But, I— I shouldn't be sad because it's Christmas and it's your Christmas and I don't want to—"

Awsten listens while Ellie rambles, seeing that she clearly needs to let off some steam.

He eventually cuts her off gently.

"Take a breath, Ellie," he instructs, softly, as he encourages her to sit down.

She does as he says, the tears threatening to spill over, while she lets out a long, deep breath.

"Thank you, Awsten," Ellie murmurs, now sat on the floor, cross-legged, in front of him. "For today and for just— everything," she says, sincerely. "I know we haven't even been friends that long and it's probably a lot but you... Thank you," she adds, stopping herself from rambling this time. "Today was going to be really hard if it was just me and Dad...You really saved me from that."