Tennis Instructor (A.K.)

Chapter 20: Let Me Show You

    Owen and Awsten had both been scooting closer to each other the entire night. They started the movie spaced out reasonably, sitting in their own space on the couch and leaving one another be. Owen wasn't bold enough to snuggle up to him and Awsten was too worried he would scare her off.

    Maybe it was their subconscious desires or an actual attraction between their bodies, but by the time they were halfway through the film Awsten was close enough to smell the sugary body spray Owen doused herself in before coming over.

    They had been gradual, though, with Awsten leaving to get a drink and then sitting closer than before when he got back. Or when Owen started to see a glare in the TV from her spot in the room, of course she had to scoot over so her viewing experience wasn't flawed.

     Still, they held on to their personal space. They kept things respectful, enough so that people wouldn't assume anything if they were to look in on the scene. Even if he was single and Owen was a legal adult, liking Owen still felt like he was doing something wrong. Maybe it was just her lack of experience that left Awsten scared he wouldn't treat her right.

    At the same time, her innocence in that area intrigued Awsten. Owen wasn't a nun and he knew she wanted someone to give her those experiences, those firsts. No girl had ever given Awsten butterflies or lived in his mind like Owen did. He knew he wouldn't be able to hurt her, even if he wanted to. The guilt would have probably killed him.

     He wanted to cry when Owen simply thought she had upset him. After Melody's little stunt to push her out of Awsten's life, he wanted to apologize relentlessly and he hadn't even been the one to hurt her. Knowing that such a thing had hurt her so bad tore him apart and filled him with a hatred for Melody.

    Awsten never even hated his ex-girlfriends. The occasional one might hold a grudge towards him, but Awsten did his best to end things on good terms with girls. He could see any of his other exes and pull them in for a friendly hug without a second thought, but he knew the next time he saw Melody all he would feel is anger.

    The result of Awsten's mental battle over Owen showed him that he cared too deeply for the girl to not treat her well. If things ended between them, he was at least sure that he could take care of her enough to not regret their time together. Though, the idea of her ever wanting anyone other than him made Awsten sick. He wasn't even sure she wanted him.

     Awsten was too busy justifying his feelings to even pay attention to the movie on the screen, enough so that the only way he knew it had ended was from Owen's soft voice beside him. He shook his head, glancing down at her with curious eyes.

    "Sorry," he chuckled, embarrassment prevalent in the pink ghosting his cheeks. "What did you say?"

    "I was just asking if you wanted to pick the next movie," she grinned. "I picked this one and you clearly didn't like it very much."

    "No! No, Owen, it was good," he said frantically. He was scared she was hurt or offended by his disinterest, which made him feel guilty. He could have been watching his favorite movie ever and not been able to focus on anything but her. "You can pick whatever you want."

    "You don't have to like it," she said lightly. "I didn't think it was that good, either."

    "I don't even know what it was about," he admitted. He stretched his arm across the back of the couch to avoid nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I've just been thinking a lot."

      "Do you want to go to bed? I'll drive home, I hadn't realized how late it was," she frowned, beginning to stand up. Awsten's hand shot out to grab her, pulling her back into her seat on the cream colored couch.