How To Stay Afloat (BxB)

Chapter 163: Like a little kid

It's the first time I'm invited to Austin's dad's and Claire's apartment. It's saturday morning and Austin picked me up and we drove here together.

"Are you nervous?" Austin asks me as we stand in front of the door and I wipe my palms over my jeans.

"A bit?" I say unsure.

He smiles like he finds my reaction cute and grabs my hands. "They already know and like you."

"It's the first proper- I don't even know- it feels like I gotta show them I'm more than just an addicted mess that makes your life hard." I explain.

"No one thinks that." He assures me and then knocks on the door. He has keys, but I guess it makes sense that we don't just walk in because he doesn't live here after all.

"Morning!" Claire greets us and instantly hugs both of us.

Frank shakes my hand as a greeting. He smiles wide. I definitely prefer the sober version of Austin's dad.

We sit down by the table. It's a bit awkward because apparently Pia is in her rebellious phase of her puberty and says she wants to hang out with her friends instead of having breakfast with us.

I watch Claire and her argue. They mostly communicate using sign language and I honestly feel so awkward because I have absolutely no idea what they're saying at all.

In the end Claire loses their argument because Pia just decides to turn around and leave.

"Let her." Frank says.

Claire lets out a loud sigh. "I don't understand why she can't just stay for half an hour at least."

"You know that arguing more will only make it worse." He says while Claire walks to the kitchen.

Austin raises one eyebrow as he looks at his dad.

"Don't ask." He just says. "You know how she can be."

Austin nods his head, but he seems a tiny bit irritated.

I, on the other hand, feel very irritated. We come here and they instantly start fighting. Pia didn't even greet us. She just came in, rolled her eyes and said she wouldn't join us for breakfast. I might be bitch, too, but I at least have respect.

"Alright. Just the four of us." Claire says as she carries in a tray with stuff she prepared for the breakfast.

My nervousness soon leaves. We talk about random stuff like politics and climate change and not about anything personal.

Frank and Claire seem like a cute couple. They disagree on a lot of things, but they smile at each other while they discuss things.

Austin is also very vocal, voicing his opinion on a lot of political topics, complaining about how capitalism is the root of all evil.

I mostly stay silent and only nod my head when I agree. I didn't even know Austin is interested in politics at all. I'm not. Sure, I know who I wanna vote for and what political party stands for what, but it's not something I need to fight over. Well, unless someone is against gays and stuff like that, I guess.

"Well, I think we can all agree that communism isn't a working concept either. Just look at the soviet union and how that worked out." Frank says.

Austin groans annoyed. "That wasn't communism!"

"Yes it was!" Frank argues.

"It was not. That was a totalitarian dictatorship."

"Then maybe it wasn't because true communism would never work." His dad says.