A thousand bad times - Post Malone

Twenty two

After the doctor is done and excuses himself, Ren leaves quickly after him too. Austin does not acknowledge either man's exit, choosing to rather stare Holi down. She would be lying if she said his stare did not give her butterflies, she is practically giddy. He is leaning with his elbow on the table, his hand draped over his mouth - it makes his eyes stand out more. The air feels electric.

Her skin prickles as he continues to watch her. She tries to break the tension by offering him a small smile but he does not react the way she hoped. Rather, all it does is makes his stare intensify and now she feels like an ant trying to dodge a sunbeam under a magnifying glass. She is not sure what to do. She can't stay seated on the bed so she breaks eye contact and stands but then is not sure of her next move. Her eyes shoot back to his. He has not moved but fucking hell, his stare is galvanizing and she feels frozen in place.

Eventually, he stands, places his hands in his pockets, and walks toward her with lethargic nonchalance. His every step pulls the coil in her chest tighter and when he reaches her, he does not stop. Her reaction is to walk backward until she slams into the wall with her back. Austin crowds against her then slowly pulls his hands out of his pockets and leans them on the wall, either side of her head. Holi holds her breath.

He leans down so he is eye level with her, "you got games, Holiday," he says, well it's more of a mumble, and his breath fans over her lips making her knees feel a little weak. She shakes her head, not trusting her voice right now. Austin cocks his head and raises one eyebrow in question to her denial. "No? How about you click your tongue at me again then... let's see what happens," he challenges her, his voice is low and husky - Holi wants to fucking melt. All her nerve endings feel like they are on fire.

She should not goad him. He has had a rough few weeks and he has had to accept her stance on marriage of late. She should just give him a break, let him be. She should pull him in and apologize for doing something he asked her specifically not to do as it clearly irritates him and he had given her fair warning. She lets out a defeated sigh and opens her mouth to apologize.

Austin catches the defeat in her stance so he lets a small satisfied smile form on his lips even before she gets her words out. Little premature, Holi thinks. A little too smug. Then there's a clicking sound. A distinctive tongue clicking sound. She knows she is done for when Austin's eyes widen and he pulls back slightly in shock. She really should have more control over her body. Shameful. She sucks her cheeks in as she tries to hold her laugh in.

Austin is also having a tough time holding back his smile. Eventually, he loses the battle and a shit-eating appears on his face, "she does have games," he says then grabs her waist and flings her onto the bed. She lands with a thud, a little disorientated. By the time she rights herself Austin is already crawling over the bed toward her, "and I would expect nothing less," he says then grabs her ankles and pulls her to him.

She slams into him with a squeak and then lets out a squawking laugh as his thumbs dig into the sensitive spots on the sides of her hips. She knows he is not going to stop until she promises never to click her tongue at him again. Holi knows she does not have the willpower not to click her tongue at him just to rile him again up in the future - especially if this is her punishment. She refuses to promise him that. She has no choice but to play dirty.

"Stop, stop - you are hurting me," she shouts between her squawking. Austin immediately lets her go and when she looks at his face she fully regrets her words. He is looking at her like he just kicked a puppy. "Shit, baby. I am sorry - I never meant to hurt you," he worries his bottom lip as he talks. Guilt creeps up on her, Austin has never hurt her. He is always very careful with how he touches her.

Holi is quick to scramble into a straddle on his lap, pressing her palms to his cheeks. He hesitantly wraps his arms around her and Holi does not like that. She belongs to him and she never wants him to feel hesitant to touch her. "You did not hurt me. I was just saying that to get you to stop tickling me," she says quickly. Austin leans back and frowns, he is really mad. "Holiday!" he punches her name out in annoyance, "I thought I had hurt you. Don't do that again. I mean it."