Show Me That I'm Better | Post Malone

V

"I'm so sorry I'm late" her voice broke the silence as she made her way in the front door. It was like he had been in a daydream, on autopilot and hearing her snapped him back to reality.

"Kitchen" Gia called out as they heard Delilah's heels clicking on the timber as she made her way through the entrance.

Austin remained seated, his eyes low to the beer can he was fidgeting with in an attempt to keep himself from turning around to see her.  He had been spending the past three days desperately hoping that for some reason she would turn up on his door step again and after Brad had come over this afternoon and told him about dinner tonight, he had been impatiently waiting for the moment he would get to see her again.

He was still trying to figure out why he was feeling this way. He was sure it was just relief to have one person he didn't have to burn every piece of energy hiding his cards from. Sure, he didn't think it hurt that she was that one person, but he was still trying to figure that part out too.

"Don't stress, I'm just so glad we were able to organise this at the last second while you're both in town." Gia beamed.

"Well either way, I bought Dom so you'd have to forgive me" Delilah made her way around the kitchen island, wrapping Gia in a hug and handing the two bottles to her before moving on to Brad. She placed her bag and keys down on the edge of the kitchen island before making her way around to Austin. He was incredibly aware of the way his eyes had subconsciously trailed her every move.

"Hey Austin" she spoke quietly and he couldn't decide if the words had actually been as laced with empathy as they sounded to him.

"Del, how are ya" his eyes briefly meeting hers before darting back to the safety of his can of beer.

Fuck, there goes his stomach again.

"I'm good thanks, how are you?" He was relieved that Brad and Gia had turned around and were too busy grabbing glasses for the champagne to catch the level of concern in her eyes.

"I'm fine" he prayed the smile on his face was enough to convince her his words were true, or at least reassuring enough that she could spend the night acting normal with him rather than fawning over him like he was dying. 

The sympathetic smile plastered to her face and furrowed brow told him he really had to work on his acting.

He let out a heavy sigh as he watched her walk around and sit on one of the stools beside him, averting his eyes back to the beer can in his hand as soon as he noticed hers shifting to meet his gaze.

Feeling awkward around girls was becoming a distant memory for him now, a feeling he was more than happy to forget. His success over the past few years had ensured that he no longer had to put much effort in at all, his stage name being more than enough foreplay in most cases. But tonight, seeing her, being around her in front of Brad and Gia, his body was more overtaken with nerves than before he steps on stage.

Delilah was a private person. When Austin really thought about it, he barely knew anything about her besides what she had allowed the general public access to. They weren't close friends by any stretch however their best friends were getting married and surely that should count for something right?

He didn't even know if he could fucking trust her and yet here she was, knowing one of the biggest pieces of information about him, something no one else knew besides the doctors treating him. He didn't honestly believe that she would betray that, but letting himself be vulnerable with anyone wasn't something Austin was particularly good at before he moved to Hollywood, now his ability was almost as forgotten as the year of Spanish he took in junior high.