Downtown (auston matthews x oc)

-thirteen-

𝓝𝓸𝓻𝓪

For several long minutes, Nora and Auston just stood there in silence, both still staring in the direction of Lex's room, even long after her door was closed. When she heard Auston let out a sigh, Nora finally turned to look at him again.

He was much bigger than she was, broad-shouldered and straight-jawed. Admittedly, Nora felt a little intimidated under his gaze. She crossed her arms over her chest, covering the Bruins logo on her t-shirt.

It caught Auston's attention. He asked in an even tone, "Why are you wearing that?"

Nora followed his gaze down to her chest, where she hesitated. "I come from a family of Bruins fans," she muttered. Not that it's any of your business.

Auston hummed in disapproval. "Gross," he remarked, which made Nora roll her eyes.

"Are we done here?" she demanded. "Because if we are, then I'm going to bed."

Auston glanced at his watch before replying, "It's only eight o'clock."

"And I work outrageous hours," Nora reminded him. He raised a brow at her, and it made Nora shiver. It was a lot harder to hate Auston Matthews when he was right there in front of her-when she could smelly the woody, masculine scent of his cologne and observe the rise and fall of his chest beneath his white t-shirt. She could just barely see his tattoos that peeked out at his collar.

Fuck. Nora was a sucker for tattoos.

Auston was either oblivious to her staring, or he didn't care enough to call her out on it, because he just announced, "I'm texting Henley right now."

Awkwardly, Nora cleared her throat and headed for the couch, throwing an absent, "Whatever," over her shoulder as she went.

A moment passed as Auston typed hurriedly on his phone, and then he returned the phone to his coat pocket. Nora glanced away in the hopes he wouldn't notice the way her eyes tracked his every movement.

Get it together, she scolded herself.

And then Auston was standing over her, waiting for something.

"What?" she asked, voice a little weaker than she would have liked it to be.

He lowered himself down to a crouch so that his gaze was level with hers. "You don't actually hate me, do you?" he inquired.

Nora chewed nervously on the inside of her cheek. "Yes I do," she murmured, but the words came out soft and disjointed.

It made Auston smirk, which pretty much set Nora's body on fire. She kept her eyes low, fixated on the silver chain that hung around Auston's neck.

"Really?" Auston countered, still grinning.

Nora managed a nod, though she still refused to meet his glower

"Then are you gonna stop me if I try to kiss you?" he urged.

Nora's breath got caught in her throat as Auston's hands came down on her thighs, nearly spanning the width of Nora's lap. She hated herself for it, but suddenly all she could think about then was having his fingers inside of her, the stubble on his cheeks scratching at the insides of her legs.

But she also knew better-knew that this was the Auston Matthews. It wasn't the same as sleeping with Trick, who was the only person Nora had been with in two years. Everyone knew who, and what, Auston Matthews was. There was no world in which any of this would end well for Nora.

"Nor," Auston prompted, which drew her eyes upwards. He brushed a gentle knuckle against her cheek. "Where'd you go just now?" he asked.

He scanned her expression, and the softness of his gaze alleviated some of the anxiety rising in her chest. "Sorry," she whispered.

Auston shook his head. "Why are you sorry?" he murmured gently. He didn't rush her, let her draw a long, shaky breath through her nose. His brows furrowed, and he looked suddenly guilty. "I'm sorry," he hurried, rising to his feet. "I'm acting like an asshole."

Nora scrambled off the couch. "No, no," she assured him. He paused there, just a foot away from her, and waited for her to speak again. She stammered, "I just-I don't think you want to."

"Want to what?" he replied.

"Like-kiss me," she managed, "or do anything with me." When Nora looked up, Auston's expression was one of confusion. "I'm just-" she hesitated, her cheeks warm with embarrassment "-I don't think I'm what you really want."

"Nor," he started, but she cut him off.

"And I don't want to get hurt," she added.

She saw Auston's jaw tense and then settle again as he gnawed on his lower lip. "Why," he whispered, "do you think you're not what I really want?"

A little ashamed, Nora shrugged. "I'm not the super chill cool girl," she admitted with a little laugh, "even if I try to act like it all the time."

He cracked a smile and let one hand fall onto Nora's waist. "Is that supposed to scare me away?" he asked.

Again, Nora shrugged, and Auston tightened his grip on her ever so slightly-enough that Nora drew a little closer and lifted her chin to look at him. "Do you want to stay a little longer?" she murmured, before she could think to stop herself.

Auston's smile widened a little, which made Nora weak in the knees. He had the sweetest smile in the world, and she was already addicted to the way he looked at her. He replied, "I'd love that."