I promised you. | Austin Butler

Part 20

The rest of the evening was spent, quite literally, catching up over the last 5 years lost but with so much affection and not an inch of awkwardness. We lay on the sofa in blankets, we went into the hot tub under the moonlight and we shared hundreds of kisses. Short ones, long ones, deep ones, playful ones. As many as possible and at any given moment. It felt just like we were 16 again but so different at the same time. When we finally got ourselves into bed, at 3am may I add, we were both so beautifully drained from the adrenaline of it all that we fell straight to sleep in each others arm. So when Austins alarm woke us up at 7.30am, I felt my heart drop. 

"Baby, we need to check out in an hour." he whispers in my ear, then follows with soft kisses down my neck and onto my collar bone. His lips feel warm on mine and so comforting, like they belonged there forever. I smile into him and push my head to the side so my cheek ends up against his hair, but he stops and pulls his head up to kiss me on the forehead. I sigh, because I know I have no choice but to face the outside. 

I open my eyes and he's looking at me with so much love and admiration but theres also a hint of sadness in his eyes. We had a 4 hour car journey ahead of us but for some reason this part here felt like goodbye. The weight of how long goodbye would be for being completely on my shoulders. I'd go straight home with him tonight, if I could, but it wasn't so easy and I had adult priorities to figure out. As much as I wanted to be, we weren't 16 and experiencing love for the first time anymore. 

He smiles at me now and plants a kiss on my forehead before rolling himself over and getting out of bed. I twist to the side and put my head on my hands as I watch him gather up some of his clothes. When he notices that I haven't moved he looks straight at me and a chuckle escapes his lips. 

"I don't know how I'm going to cope without seeing your beautiful face in a morning." 

I blush and smile because the feeling is matched, massively. 

"I just got to figure it out, okay?" 

He looks down at the floor and runs his hands through his hair before looking at me again. Theres a question on his lips, I can tell just by looking at him, but he looks at the floor again. I stare at him, his beautiful blonde hair in a mess around his head from laying on it, and his eyes meet mine again. I widen my eyes, signalling for him to ask whatever it is he wants to ask. 

"Can we still talk? I don't think I'll be able to completely be without you."

I laugh, because I genuinely thought he was going to ask something deeper. He looks at me with a concerned expression and I calm myself down.

"I want a good morning text everyday" I joke, and he rolls his eyes and walks off into the bathroom, but theres a smile playing on his lips as he rounds the corner. 

Our awkwardness was fading and the entirety of last night felt like the last 5 years had never happened. Everything felt so good. Every conversation, every movement. It all felt so natural between us and there was a feeling this morning in the pit of my stomach I couldn't describe. I was in for a tough few weeks, but somehow it felt like it was going to be totally worth it.

I drag myself out of bed and stretch out, letting out a yawn as I did so. All I wanted to do right now was go into the living area of the cottage, drop on the sofa and watch films all day. Maybe a horror, or even a Christmas film. Time felt like nothing when I was with him. But the reality that we were heading home hurt as I kicked open my suitcases and grabbed out some fresh clothes. 

I can hear Austin washing his face in the bathroom as I walk over the the long mirror, pulling one of my hoodies over my head and then taking a brush to my hair. I had to go home looking normal, and the tired eyes worked a treat. If I could get away with just one more night, I could figure all this out in the morning. I sigh heavily as I pull my hair into a tight pony and then I jump as I feel arms snaked around my waist.