The Expansion of the Universe

Forty-Nine | "Toast."

Austin was extremely kind. As much as he and Elijah argued and shot playful insults back and forth, Liza could see why they loved each other; they both had similar, goofy exteriors, but naturally compassionate hearts.

When he brought her back to her condo, Austin led her up to her front porch but didn't go any closer to the front door, and she was grateful that he seemed to recognize the sanctity of her home. Instead of moving closer, Austin passed her a smile and a slip of paper with his phone number on it.

"Call me if you need somethin', Tiny, a'ight?"

"Okay, Austin. Thanks. Are you going back to the hospital?"

He nodded once. "Sure will. Gotta make sure Eli and his Dad don't start nothin'. Ay, don't worry too much, Tiny; our boy's on his way to bein' just as annoyin' as ever."

Liza quirked a grin. "Yeah, I think you're right." To see Elijah, up and talking and joking around like always, had done wonders in soothing her concern over his health.

"'Course I am," Austin scoffed. "I was a sharp study in school, ya know."

"Elijah mentioned that," she agreed, thinking back to how Elijah had painted his best friend as a nerd.

Austin groaned, throwing his head back and staring up at the sky with exasperation. "He probably told you I was a borin' geek, huh? Little shithead."

She laughed before clucking her tongue at him chidingly. "He was nothing but respectful," she assured him, bending the truth just a tad.

Austin chuckled heartily. "I'll pretend you ain't just bein' sweet, Tiny. You be good, now." And then he hopped back down the steps, but stopped at the base and watched her expectantly. When she raised a curious eyebrow, he tilted his head towards her front door. "Makin' sure you get in safe, Liza, that's all."

Liza smiled, touched. "Thanks, Austin, that's nice of you. Have a good night, and drive safe." The words were heavy on her tongue, even though Elijah would recover fully. Once Austin nodded solemnly, Liza tugged once on Milo's leash, and the pair slipped inside, where she was quick to close and lock the door behind them.

Once back in the safety of her condo—the central point of her universe—Liza felt the weight of the past couple of days slam into her like a physical force, and she stumbled sideways suddenly, barely catching herself on the wall.

"Shit," she choked out, dropping Milo's leash and bringing up a single hand to touch her face, where she could have sworn—she paused when she touched something wet.

Was she . . . crying?

Why was she crying? What . . .? What?

She swayed, cursed, and stumbled to the couch, where she collapsed on the cushions. Milo was on her in the next instant, his damp nose nudging at her neck insistently.

"I know," she told him, her voice wobbly with the emotion that was rapidly overtaking her rational thought, "I know. I don't . . ." she swallowed something like a sob. "I don't know why, either. I don't know what's wrong."

Except . . . maybe she did.

Driven by the desire to see Elijah, coupled by the focus she'd had on ensuring that he was doing well, had distracted her from all that had occurred.

She'd left her condo. She'd left her entire damn neighborhood, in a vehicle, with a man she didn't know all that well, even though Austin had been nothing but kind. And then she'd been inside a damn hospital¸ where a stranger had scared her so badly she'd run off into the woods, where she'd clung onto a tree, freezing and scared out of her mind for about half the night—