Show Me That I'm Better | Post Malone

XXXIX

*This chapter touches on abuse, nothing too heavy but please be aware! X *

* Austin's POV *

He held her in his arms while she fell, his grip on her the only thing holding her together.

Within minutes Rich and Jodie were outside trying to help him. Austin quickly shooed them off, Jodie ran inside and pulled down the blankets on her bed, setting her pillows up to be as comfortable as possible while Rich had made her a cup of coffee - cream, no sugar - and placed it and a bottle on water on her bed side table.

He collected her in his arms, holding her tightly so she wouldn't fall as he made his way inside and headed to her room, placing her down gently on the end of the bed. He helped her remove her shoes and watched as she slid up the bed.

"Are you comfy? Do you wanna take your jeans off?" He asked before she began getting under the covers. His fingers quickly rushed to help her undo the button and zip once she'd nodded yes.

She climbed under the covers slightly, wiggling back a little to allow him space. He quickly kicked off his shoes and slid out of his jeans and T-shirt before climbing into bed beside her.

He watched her as she lay silent, running her fingers over his chest, collecting herself and regaining control of her breathing. He knew enough by now to know that no good would come from trying to rush her.

"My lawyer called. He um... he's written a book. About what happened, what he did. Lawrence got sent a draft of some of the chapters and photos." Her voice was still shaking heavily as she whispered, he had to put in all his attention to hear each word.

"Can he do that?"

She shrugged, her eyes still low. "He only needs to send it to a couple of people for the damage to be done, for everyone to know."

"You act like you're ashamed..." he started before she quickly interrupted him.

"I am. I don't want people knowing what happened."

"But darlin' what could you have to be ashamed of?" His fingers gently brushed back some hair from her face, clearing his view to her glistening eyes.

"I should have known better. I shouldn't have trusted him. I should have fought back harder and tried to get out sooner..."

"Del I can promise you, no one else is going to be thinking that. There is no way any of this is your fault." He could feel his chest getting wetter from her constant stream of tears as he continued to blink back his own.

"You can't say that, you don't even know what happened."

"Then tell me."

She pushed herself up from his chest, meeting his eyes for a moment. "What if it changes how you see me?" Her voice low as she sighed in defeat. "No one's ever seen me like you do, no one's looked at me or treated me like this before, like I'm worth something just for being me."

"Delilah you are everything just by being you. I see you Del, and I see what you're not allowing anyone else to see. There is nothing that could be written in any book that could change the way I see you."

She fell into the safety of his arms again, her head resting against his chest, as he held her tightly against him.

***

He woke up to the vibrations of a phone against wood. She was gone from his arms but he could hear the shower going. He went to grab her phone but decided to let it ring out when he saw Gia's name. He felt like he had been sleep all night but it was still dark out.