Dustin isn't particularly pleased when his mother's freshly divorced best friend, Cathy, decides to temporarily move in with them. It means a whole lot of late-night gossiping, chick flicks, and mood swings. But things get interesting when Cathy tur...
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Austen gave me a smile. "I was thinking we could go out for something to eat, what do you say?"
"I say let's do it, I'm absolutely starving."
"Ash." There was a rise in Dust's tone. His fingers twitched by his side like he wanted to grab hold of my wrist. He must have noticed it too because he curled his hand into a fist and his jaw tightened. "Are you sure you want to go? I can go to training late, I don't mind dropping you home first."
"She's in safe hands, man," Austen called from his car.
Dust's eyes glazed past me and towards my boyfriend. They narrowed a fraction behind the frames of his glasses before his attention was drawn back to me.
"Ash?" he prompted.
"I'll be fine," I insisted. "I know my mother puts a lot of responsibility on you to take care of me, but Austen and I have been together for ages. She trusts him, if that's what you're worried about. Besides, I don't want you to disappoint the little ones."
I nodded at the field behind the student carpark where a group of kids had already gathered. Dust turned and looked at them too, sighing heavily. While he was distracted, I headed towards the car, dropping my bag into the backseat.
"Ash," he said, just as I was about to get inside.
I looked up at him.
He swallowed, raking a hand through his hair before he gave me a forced smile. "Have a good time. I'll see you tonight?"
"Yeah, of course. We kind of live together now," I said, laughing.
Dust looked like he wanted to say more, but I was already in the vehicle. As soon as my seatbelt was on, Austen pressed his foot against the pedal and we were off.
It was good to be in the familiar presence of his car. The worn seat covers were soft against my skin, the overall interior warm to accomodate my preferences. The cheap air freshener dangled from his rear-view mirror, emitting the faint, tangy scent of citrus.
"So, that's Maura's son," Austen said.
"It is."
"He seems...tense."
"Yeah, that was a little weird wasn't it?"
Dust had been relatively calm and friendly since I had turned up at his doorstep, so seeing him get so angsty at the appearance of Austen was strange to say the least.
"Guess the guy doesn't really like me, hey?"
"He doesn't even know you," I said.
Austen reached over and took my hand in his. His threaded our fingers together, his palm warm against mine. He kept his eyes on the road, one hand on the wheel. But as he drove, he lifted our hands to his lips and kissed my frozen fingers.
