Landmine - Post Malone

12

Dillon clears her files away while Austin dishes up their dinner then they sit down at the table, cold beers in front of them and Becky's food warming her chest. "How did you meet Louis?" Dillon asks. Austin shrugs and does not answer her, taking a bite of his food.

Dillon glares at him. Why is he making this so hard? It's a simple question. Her glare is obviously burning his skin so he wipes his mouth and sits back in his chair, staring back at her as he takes a sip of his beer. "I am not asking for one of your hidden secrets. I was just making conversation," she snips. He is infuriating sometimes.

"I ain't good at conversation, darlin'."

"You think?" Dillon says raising her eyebrows at him and widening her eyes. He is like a dam brick wall, most information she has managed to get out of him so far was by force. "You make my head spin, Austin and not in a good way. You are violently honest, but so guarded and silent at the same time. You make me want to stab myself in the eye," she snips and then shoves a fork full of food in her mouth and chews angrily. He said he feels something toward her, something strong but he won't share a dam thing with her. "I would like to learn a little about you. Is that so bad? I get that it's hard for you, but..." she adds, just about to talk about his confession but stops herself; she doesn't want to use his vulnerability as leverage, and Austin is a proud man, so she doesn't think he will take kindly to that anyway. So she shoves more food in her mouth and shuts the hell up. Silence is something she will have to get used to when it comes to Austin.

He takes another sip of his beer then clears his throat and sits forward, resting his elbows on the table. "My friendship with Louis started when we were young boys. Seven, maybe eight years old."

"Oh... that's a long friendship. You guys are close."

"Yes."

"Um...how did you two land up at the rodeo?"

He sighs and takes another sip of his beer as he sits back in his chair. If she didn't know him she would think he is rude and does not want to have a conversation with her, but he could have just kept quiet or walked off. He is trying, she can see that.

"His home was...unstable, and at sixteen we ran off and joined a rodeo."

"You just ran off with him?"

"He needed me."

Dillon frowns at him, shock making her body freeze. She is starting to get why so many people have Austin's back. She knows it's because they respect him. They respect him for what he has done for each of them. They are only giving back what he gave first. Louis followed Austin back here because Austin followed him first.

"Unstable? Did he grow up here? His family is still here? How has that worked out for him?"

"His mother died when he was an infant. His father was a violent drunk."

"Was? He is no longer?"

"He is dead."

Dillon's breath gets stuck in her throat and she is afraid to ask how Louis' father died. The way Austin has said it implies he got what he deserved. It would be easy to get away with murder out here. But, Louis and Austin don't make decisions lightly or thoughtlessly, so if they took the law into their own hands, she believes it would be for a valid reason. She shocks herself at how easily accepting she is. But, then again, Austin had not confessed to anything. "You grew up with Becky too then?" she asks.

"No."

"Oh, you met her at the rodeo?"

"Yes."

Austin is the worst person to have a conversation with. But she only finds herself wanting a conversation with him, so she does not give up. "You said she was a rodeo clown. You set me up," she says flashing him a smile. He chuckles and leans forward again.