Downtown (auston matthews x oc)

-thirty-one-

𝓝𝓸𝓻𝓪

When Nora was certain she was out of tears, she told Auston he was okay to leave. He hesitated—searched Nora's expression for something that he apparently didn't find, and then nodded his understanding.

He'd only been gone for a minute or two before Lex appeared in the doorway. "Hey," she sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Through a yawn, Nora greeted, "Hey." She glanced over at her nightstand, where the digital alarm clock informed her that it was nearly five a.m. The hours spent there in her bed, Auston's arms tight around her, had somehow passed without regard, without patience—as if the world did not understand how much hurt it was leaving behind.

"I called Trick after Auston got here and told him what happened," Lex began. "He wanted you to text him whenever Auston left."

Nora sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Okay," she replied, "I'll text him. Sorry for keeping you up all night."

"No, no," Lex snapped, pointing a finger at her. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It's those fuckheads that should be sorry to you. Calling you in the middle of the night? It's sick."

"Yeah," Nora agreed. She retrieved her phone from the bedside table before adding, "I guess I'll try to get some sleep."

Lex nodded her understanding. "Can I do anything else for you?" she inquired, eyes soft.

Nora shook her head. "No—I'm okay, Lexi. But thank you. For everything."

"Of course," she replied, and then she was gone from the room, the door shut gently behind her.

------

Messages

Conversation with Trick Gainsley

Nora
hey, auston left
i'm okay i promise

Trick
i'm so sorry this happened nor
seriously been sick thinking about it
can i come over?

Nora
you want to come now? are you
sure?

Trick
of course.

Nora
okay, ill make sure the door is
unlocked for you. will you just lock
it behind you when you come in

Trick
yes. i'll be there soon

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Sure enough, it only took ten minutes for Nora's bedroom door to creak open and for Trick to appear in the doorway. He pulled off his dark hoodie as he approached the bed, passing the sweatshirt to Nora.

"Here," he prompted.

Nora took it from his hands and slipped it over her tank top, which had done little to fend off the chill of the apartment. "Thank you," she whispered, refusing to meet Trick's gaze. It had been hard enough letting Lex and Auston see her grief—she didn't want anyone else to witness her weaknesses.

Trick, though, saw through her, as he always somehow did. He sat down on the edge of the bed and nudged Nora's chin upwards. "Talk to me," he pleaded, voice soft. "Tell me how I can help." When Nora faced her lap again, Trick tried, "What happened with Matthews?"

Nora shrugged. "Nothing really," she mumbled. "I asked if we could go back to being friends."

Nodding, Trick asked, "Was he okay with that?"

"Yeah," Nora replied. At least he said he was. Deep down, Nora knew it probably wasn't what Auston wanted to hear. Hell, he'd been trying everything—anything—in the weeks they had been fake-dating to stave off Nora's cold shoulder.

Trick exhaled and ran a hand over his jaw. "I still don't trust him," he muttered. His voice was rough and gravelly when he said it, but when he turned to face Nora and spoke again, he softened for her. "You know I'll always look out for you, right?"

Nora managed a nod. She knew it was true. Auston was right all those weeks ago when he said that Trick would burn down a city for her. It didn't matter why or when—Trick would do it. Weakly, Nora sunk a little into the collar of his hoodie, finally feeling some sense of warmth since Auston's departure.

"Can we go to sleep?" she squeaked after a moment.

Trick's brows shot up, clearly taken aback. "Sleep?" he repeated.

No sleepovers—that had always been Nora's rule when it came to Trick. But this was different: she craved comfort and softness. She met Trick's gaze and offered a nod of reassurance. It's already five-thirty, she told herself. It was just a couple hours, and the last thing Nora wanted was to be alone.

"Here?" Trick pressed, motioning towards the bed. Again, Nora nodded. "Yeah—yeah, okay," Trick stammered. He kicked off his sneakers and swung his legs onto the bed. When his eyes fell onto Nora, her breath hitched a little in her throat.

"Will you come closer?" she asked. Tentatively, Trick shifted a couple inches towards Nora's side of the bed. "You can come closer than that," she prompted. At this, she saw Trick swallow hard and grit his teeth. It was enough to give Nora pause. "What is it?" she whispered.

Trick rubbed his cheeks, eyes careful not to linger too long on Nora. "I just—" he stopped and shook his head. "I'm worried if I get closer, I'm just—"

"Gonna want to touch me?" Nora interrupted. Trick's mouth fell open a little as he weighed her words, but Nora gave him no chance to gather a response. "I'm asking you to touch me," she told him. "Please touch me."

While Nora could tell he wasn't entirely convinced, Trick lifted a hand and brushed it gently over Nora's cheek. His touch prompted a sigh, breathy and warm, to escape Nora's throat. And then she was reaching for him, tugging his body closer to hers until she felt him everywhere.

Trick, evidently, needed no other convincing: he slipped a hand behind Nora's neck and brought her lips to his. Heat spread through Nora's core, desperation winding its way through her ribs. If this was a mistake, she didn't want to admit it then.