Hollywood's Bleeding - Post Malone

New Start

Ophelia wakes to singing again. It's a low hum and it comes from down in the kitchen. She can smell food and her stomach churns a little. She is not sure if she is hungry or sick. She has kept such a close eye on her cycle that she was able to catch up on her pregnancy very early on. She had been to the doctor before she came home and he confirmed that she is five weeks pregnant. She has never made it to seven weeks. So she is not getting her hopes up just yet. Austin is the only other person that knows she is pregnant but she is not expecting anything from him. This is not his burden to bear. She slips out of bed and makes her way down to the kitchen. Austin's back is to her as she comes in because he is cooking again. He is scrambling eggs and Ophelia has to breathe out her mouth to avoid the smell making her sick. On the kitchen island is a stack of pancakes, a massive plate of sliced fruit, and a pot of burnt oats. She can also smell freshly brewed coffee. "Hi," she says softly, announcing herself. Austin stops singing and spins around with the pan of eggs and a spatula in his hands. "Hey! You are awake. I was planning on bringing this up to you but it's probably best that you are down here. I don't know how the fuck I would have carried it all up," he says waving the spatula over the plates of food. "It's ok. What are you doing?" Ophelia asks smiling at him. She takes hold of the back of a chair but Austin stops her. "Wait, let me," he says putting the pan and spatula down then running around the kitchen island to her. He pulls out her chair and then pushes it in once she is sitting. Then he bends down and gives her a peck on the lips. "Good morning, baby," he says then turns to the coffee machine but stops and points at her. "That's not overstepping? That's the type of affection you were talking about, right?" he asks a little weary.

Ophelia has barely been in the kitchen for five minutes and her cheeks are hurting with how much she is smiling. "Yes and you can kiss me whenever, wherever and However you feel like," she says. Austin winks at her and then turns to get her a cup of coffee. "Right back at you, baby," he says kissing her temple as he puts the coffee in front of her. "So what is all this? There is enough food for at least ten people," Ophelia notes. "Well, I remembered that my father used to make a point of making breakfast every Sunday for my mother. Give her a break, and show his appreciation and all that fluffy shit. I remember how much it would make my mother smile. So I figured I would just do what I know...you know?" he says walking back over to the pile of food. "Your parents sound like lovely people," Ophelia says sipping her coffee. "Yeah, they were a pain in my ass growing up but it was because they cared, wanted to be involved in all my shit. They are good people and married for like 100 years so they are doing something right," Austin shrugs then points to the pancakes. "I made pancakes but remembered how much you hated the idea of eggs the other day so I then made oats...I burnt that shit so I figured you gobbled down fruit yesterday so I made this," he points to the sliced fruit on a platter, "you like it sliced, right?" he asks. Ophelia nods, "I will have the fruit, thank you," she says. Austin punches the air, "winning!" he shouts and slides the platter over to her. She catches it before it slides off the Kitchen island.

He grabs a fork and the pan of scrambled eggs then sits down next to her. He gets halfway through his eggs before he notices Ophelia looking at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asks then points at her coffee cup. Ophelia picks it up and hands it to him. "The eggs are not going anywhere. Why do you eat like they are going to disappear?" Ophelia asks then accepts a now empty coffee mug back from Austin. "You sound like my mother. Did I tell you she was a pain in my ass as a kid? Don't you go filling her shoes. I eat how I eat," he says shrugging then he starts shoveling egg into his mouth again. Ophelia actually likes the way he eats, it's sweet, like a hungry baby. But she does not tell him that, she does not think he would appreciate that. "I like how you are unapologetically you. People can take or leave you...I on the other hand feel the need to apologize for who I am all the time. Like me being me is an inconvenience for others," Ophelia says taking a bite of a slice of mango. Austin smirks and piles his fork extra high with egg and makes a show of shoving it into his mouth - ignoring the mess he makes. "You could be like me. Just throw caution to the wind and let go," he says shoving another heaped fork of egg into his mouth. Ophelia wipes off some egg shrapnel on her shirt then picks up four thick slices of kiwi.