Love At First Sight / Post Malone

Chapter 26

Austin POV

I watched as Juliana attempted to kick off her Ugg slippers in what she thought was a corner of the foyer. I chuckled to myself, leaving them in the middle of the hallway as I brought her to the entryway leading into my living room. My hand rested against the small of her back, guiding her to the couch, signaling with my touch that it was okay for her to sink down onto the cushion.

I slumped down next to her, my fireplace still going strong from when I started it early this morning. My coffee mug sat along the coffee table, still halfway filled as I was in the middle of drinking it when I received Juliana's panic struck phone call. I dropped everything at once, jumped into my car and rushed to her as quickly as I could without even a second thought. The hysteria in her voice worried me to my wits end as I instantly regretted my decision to leave her alone last night.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. How could I be so fucking stupid?

How could I put her in danger yet again? It was her first time being alone since her discharge from the hospital and I thoughtlessly walked out of her apartment, assuming that she would be okay on her own. This women had been through enough. Losing her sight from our tragic accident, hospitalized for thirteen days, and now here she was, five painful stitches in her right hand. All because of me.

I knew I couldn't allow anything else to happen to this beautiful creature. She was so different than anyone else in my life and I couldn't ignore the burning urge to protect her. She still had no idea who I was, and I knew with each day that passed, I was digging myself into a deeper and deeper hole of lies.

I had tucked my decievement to the back of my mind, ignoring the fact that I was betraying her trust in me with each second that passed.

But at this moment, nothing else mattered because she was here. In my safe place, in my home. The only escape from my never ending hell. She was here, where I could tuck her away from the danger of being alone and where I could begin to make up for what I had done. She had enough faith in me to allow me to care for her and that was enough for my heart to burst from my chest.

"It smells very woodsy in here."

I watched her as she furrowed her brows, more with intrigue rather than disdain. Her nose inhaled a deep breath, just before wrinkling as she tried to place her finger on the scent.

"Like pine sap."

I cleared my throat, my eyes slanting to the 9 foot tree that sat off in the corner of the room. It was free from any ornaments or dressings as I had only gotten it a few days before.

It was as if a light bulb appeared above her head, her face lighting up with the answer, and then almost instantaneously scowling with judgement.

"Austin, is your Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving?" She asked teasingly, my lips twitching into a smile as she carried on with utter disbelief.

"Maybe." I snapped back in a small voice, knowing damn well she was disappointed in the single word that came from my mouth.

"Oh my God. Here I thought, you were one of the good guys. And I come to find out this nonsense about you."

"Nonsense?"

"Yes, nonsense." She emphasized, throwing her hands in the air just before crossing them over her chest.

"There's two types of people in this world. People that put their Christmas tree up after Thanksgiving, and ridiculous people that do it before. You cannot just surpass Thanksgiving. It's simply one of the best holidays." She pointed out, obviously poking fun at me as she chuckled at the end of her rant.