Stay With Me (by V.A.R)

CHAPTEE NINETEEN

       ​It has passed a week since Kara found out that Austin was alive and she has been locked-up in her room ever since.
       'On the beginning of summer I was in my room, alone, not wanting to be with anyone, thinking about Austin... and now the summer is ending and I'm right where I was three months ago. The only difference is that I'm not only thinking about Austin... I'm thinking about Adam too.
       I called Adam and explain everything to him, leaving the part of my mom out... That's something I need to tell him face-to-face and besides I don't want him to leave now, I need him. He wanted to come and see me, but I told him right now I didn't want to be with anyone. He wasn't so convince with my answer but he respected it anyway. We text every day and all nights he calls me to see how I'm doing. I feel bad not telling him about my mother, but I cannot lose Adam now.
       I haven't talked or seen Austin since last week. I've called him and text him, but he didn't answer them. He wants to be alone and think about this whole situation, but I want to see him.
       I know how I feel about Adam and maybe Jenna is right and I need to take a risk, but even if I stay with Adam, I'll like for Austin and me to be friends. Because our relationship was always based more on our friendship that anything else and I care about him. I don't know if he'll be alright with me being with someone else and I hate the idea of losing him again, I can't handle it again.
       This week I've thought a lot on what I will do. And I've decided that what Austin and I was nice, but it was based more on friendship than in the attraction we had on each other. With Adam it is different. Because there's an attraction between us and I connection I don't have with anyone... so yeah I'm keeping Adam, because I want to take a risk, because I think is a risk worth taking, because I like him... because maybe I don't only like him anymore... maybe I love him... and it's crazy because we've known each other for a month or so and I already think I love him, but I don't see it crazy. I see it right. With Adam everything seems right. It's something I never had with anyone else. It's something I want to keep. I like feeling that everything I do with him is right. I kinda like all the butterflies I've in my stomach every time I see him or how he brings out the best of me. And how easily it's talking with him... since the beginning it has been so easy for me to open-up to him with Austin's stuff and my family's stuff. I like feeling so comfortable around him. Like I can be myself and I know he will not judge me.
       But before I want Austin to know that I will be with Adam, he deserves to know first... he has always been jealous when I was around other guys. Even before we were together and back then I thought it was because he was like my second big brother and he cared about me and later I found out it was because he loved me more than a friend... so yeah, I'm telling him I will be with another guy... it will be hard. But I will do it because I want to be with Adam. I wish that Austin will still want to be my friend because his friendship means the world to me. And I lost it once, and I thought I would never get it back, but now I've I don't want to lose it again.
       So I'm waiting for him to answer my calls or respond any of my million texts. I'll go to where he's, but the problem is that I don't know where that is because Anna sold their house when 'he died' because she would not come back. My mother doesn't know in what hotel she had stayed while she was here and going to every hotel looking for Austin seems a bit extreme for me. So I'm waiting. I know he's still here. Anna left on Friday but she told my mom that Austin was staying here because he didn't wanted to be in Spain with her... that's understandable. What isn't it's that he is shutting me out. I don't get why me? The both of us where lied by her mother, we both were miserable, we both missed each other... so why?
       I needed space too, but that ended five days ago. I've been locked-up in my room because I don't want to go out, I don't know if Lucas or Jorge know that Austin is alive and it doesn't feel like I should be the one to explain them, so I fear that if I go out with them I will tell them or they will notice that something is wrong because I'm horrible at lying. And I don't want to see Adam until I've talked to Austin. So being in room feels like the safest choice.
I so need to talk to Austin because not seeing Adam is painful. If I barely could handle two days... this week feels more like a month. It's horrible not being able to see him and every day I secretly wait for his night-call. It's my favorite part of the day... when I can hear his voice. It's like somehow I've him closer. It's stupid but I miss him. And I'm trying to be a good friend by telling Austin first but he's making it harder. Today I've called him like twenty times and I've left him a message every time it sends me to the voice-mail. I've sent him like thirty texts telling him to answer me, but he didn't answer them'
​       Kara's phone rings, and she jumps off her bed and looks for her phone in the table. She wishes is from Austin agreeing to meet her.
       ​But it wasn't.
       ​It's Adrianna, and she text "Kara I NEED to see u."
       ​That 'need' is in capital letter isn't comforting "Can't kinda busy. Something wrong?"
       ​"I think we should see." she texts back insisting.
       ​"U r scaring me. What happened?"
       ​"Can u come? I saw someone and u r not going to believe who."
       Kara gapes and freaks-out 'WAIT WHAT! She saw someone and I will not believe who? That's not a good sign' she calls her and the first thing she says is "WHO?"
       ​"Austin... I swear to God it was him. Not kidding. Think I'm crazy?"
       Kara curses under her breath, she cannot form words right now.
       'She saw Austin. It's both good and bad. Bad because anyone was suppose to know but good because now someone knows where he's' "Where did you see him?"
       ​"You don't think I'm crazy?" she asks surprise that Kara believed her so easily.
       ​"No, he's here. Long story, but answer my question."
       ​"He is sitting in the lake. He is alone... how is it possible?"
       ​"I would love to say it but it's not my place. Please don't say anything to anyone." she begs her. The last thing Austin needs is people finding out.
       ​"I won't, but I need an explanation."
       ​"You'll get one. I swear. Are you still seeing him?" she asks already changing her PJs for the first pair of shorts she grabbed and the blouse that's on her chair.
       ​"Yep."
       ​"Stay there. I'm coming. If he goes anywhere call me."
       ​"Okay." she hangs-up and puts a pair of converse and goes down the stairs jumping two stairs at the time.
       ​She gets down and before she opened the door she hears Jenna shouting "Where're you going with such a hurry?"
       ​"I know where Austin is. I need to talk to him." she shouts back and then she sees Jenna coming and she grins at Kara and says "Good luck, I guess."
       ​"Thanks." she opens the door and goes out of her house.
       ​She thinks about Jenna when she's driving.
       'I appreciated that she stayed, because she's good with relationship advices, but it makes me feel guilty. She told me she will go when Mike goes back to college... if this whole problem is solved by then. I wish it will be because I don't want Jenna staying here just because of me, it makes me feel selfish. That's why I need to talk to Austin now. He needs to know that I will be with Adam so I can tell Adam and then everything gets back to normal... or well as normal as it can be'
       ​She drives for another fifteen minutes until she gets to the lake and she sees Adrianna's car park and Adrianna sitting there watching Austin.
       ​Kara gets closer to the car and knocks on the window and Adrianna realizes that Kara is standing there so she lowers the window and Kara says "Thanks for telling me."
       ​"Not a problem... but how is he...?" she asks sounding shock, but that's normal because seeing someone she thought was dead isn't something so easy to digest.
       ​"It's a long story, and a complicated one. I will explain everything to you later but right now I need to talk to him."
       ​"I get that. I'll go. If you need anything please tell me."
       ​"Will do." and with that Adrianna drives away.
​       Kara takes a deep breath and approaches to Austin. He seems concentrated in the lake. He doesn't even seem to know that Kara is there.
She sits beside him and touches his shoulder and says "Hello stranger."
       ​He turns his head and their gazes met and he's surprise to see her "K, what are you-?" he starts to ask but before he could finish his question she answers "You've been avoiding me."
       ​He nods embarrass and says "Yeah, I've."
       ​"I get that the situation is weird and that you probably don't want to talk to your mother in a near feature, but you don't have to shout me out of this too-."
       ​"I'm leaving." He says before she could keep talking.
       ​She gapes not believing it. Not wanting to believe it "What? To Spain?" he nods reassuring her he's leaving for real "Yeah, I obviously must stay in my aunt's house with my mother for a while, but I will look for a job and as soon as I've the money I'm getting my own place."
       ​"But why don't you stay here?" she asks hurt that he has decided to leave again.
       ​"Everyone here thinks I'm dead... and just showing-up out of nowhere and having to explain everything, it will be frustrating, and then they will gossip and you know that I don't deal well with gossips, so the most convenient idea is to leave and let everyone still think I'm dead."
       ​"I-I... whoa." Kara says speechless. She hadn't thought about that. She didn't go so far in the future. She was just planning on telling him she will be with Adam, she didn't even thought that being here will be uncomfortable for him and now she feels selfish.
       ​"I didn't want to tell you because I lost you... or I thought I did and leaving again seems like I'm letting you go, but this time I'm not doing that." he says determine and Kara knows that she has to clear something out first "Austin, I'm with-." he cuts her off before she could say something else and says "Adam, I know. But I'm not talking about losing you as a girlfriend. I'm talking about losing you as a friend. We've been friends since forever and your friendship is something I don't want to lose."
       ​"I don't want to lose your friendship either." she says happy that they both want the same thing.
       ​"I'm so relieve that you said that." he confesses and they exchange smiles.
       ​After a short moment of silence she asks "When are you leaving?"
       ​"At nine."
       ​"Today?" she asks shock, and he nods and says "I was going to go to your house later, but I wanted to come here one last time."
       ​"I will miss you so much." she says hugging him hard, and he tells her in the ear "Me too, but we'll talk every day."
       ​She pulls off to look at his face and asks "Promise?"
       ​"Promise." he reassures her.
       ​"C'mon." she says standing up "Let's do whatever you want. It's your last day here."

...

       ​And they did everything that didn't involve places where people frequent a lot. They had a good time and they talk like the always used to talk and it wasn't awkward. Adam's theme never came up and Kara was relieved about that because talking to your ex about your boyfriend is weird.
       ​Kara left Austin at the airport, but this time neither of them cried because they knew that they'll still talk to each other.
       ​She got to her house tired and explained what happened to Jenna and Mike.
       When she went to her room to sleep she realizes that Adam hasn't called her yet. It's almost ten, and he always called around nine-thirty.
       ​This is actually the first time he hasn't called her, but she is too tired to over-think anything. She will see him tomorrow and tell him that Austin left and that she wants to be with him and for that to happen she needs energy so she decides to sleep and not wait-up for his call.