Mend Your Broken Heart [Austin Carlile- Of Mice & Men fanfic]

Six: But I'm More Scarred More Scarred Than My Wrist Is

Song: Bullet- Hollywood Undead

-&-

Austin didn't know the half of it. He thought I was just a depressed girl but there was so much more wrong with me.

He came to Starbucks every single day, asking how I was, how I was dealing with Travis, if I had finally moved out. Honestly, it was starting to annoy me.

It annoyed me that I had to keep all these secrets from him. That that bruise on my knuckle was from when I punched the wall, or Travis had apologized and I was giving him one more chance. So many lies.

I just wanted to be able to tell him the truth, but sometimes lying was just the easier answer.

"How are you doing today?" He asked as I sat across from him at his usual table.

"Fine," I answered with a shrug.

"You don't seem fine. Did Travis do something?" He asked, seeming genuinely worried. "Did he cheat again? Did you hurt yourself?"

"Austin, I'm fine, really," I answered, exasperated.

"Don't be afraid to talk to me. I'm your friend, okay? You can trust me, I won't tell a soul."

"Austin, there is nothing wrong. I'll tell you if there is." That was a lie, but I couldn't tell him the truth.

I heard the door open but I didn't acknowledge it. A few seconds later I felt a hand grab my shoulder.

"Violet, who's this?" Travis asked through clenched teeth.

I stood up and faced him. "Travis! This is Austin... he's-"

"An old coworker from the tattoo shop," Austin said with a smile, holding his hand out. "I wasn't expecting to see Violet, but it was good to catch up. You have a wonderful, loyal woman on your arm."

Travis shook his hand. "Right."

"Nice to see you again, Austin," I smiled as Austin left, leaving me alone with Travis, Danielle and another coworker, Rebecca.

"We need to speak in private," Travis murmured.

I nodded and he followed me to the back room. I swallowed a lump in my throat as he closed the door behind him.

"What the fuck was that?" He shot.

"I was just reuniting with an old friend. It wasn't planned, I promise. He just came in because he's on vacation," I explained.

He grabbed my arm. "If I see that guy again, I'll know you're lying."

"You won't."

He pushed me onto the corner of the wooden table in the room and I winced as I fell to the floor.

"Are you on lunch break or what?"

"It ends in five minutes," I choked.

He groaned, kicking my side before leaving the room. I quickly got up, despite the weak feeling in my back.

"Is everything alright?" Danielle asked.

"Yeah, everything is fine," I lied, trying to make it look like my back wasn't in throbbing pain.

"He looked pretty mad. Are you sure?" Danielle was always one to empathize and sympathize. She would always be there for anyone, no matter what. She was always worried and always prepared to take a bullet for her friends.

"Yeah, we were just having one of those annual couple fights. Thank you for asking, let's get back to work."

__

"Austin," I said the next day as Austin walked into the store. I was more stern than regular, signalling that I had something important to tell him.

"Is everything alright?" He asked.

Without replying, I grabbed his wrist and took him to the back room. I took a deep breath, closing the door.

"This is really serious, isn't it? What happened yesterday, Violet?" He asked, a worried expression on his face.

"Austin, we can't see each other here anymore. If Travis sees you again, he'll know something's up," I explained, staring at the floor as I rubbed my arm.

"Why are you so afraid of him? I can't just ditch you. Can we text? Meet somewhere else?" He asked, seeming very persistent.

"It's better if we just forget about each other," I said, finally looking up at him. My eyes were watering, and his expression was hurting me even more.

"You know I can't do that," he said, holding my arms lightly. "You don't know it, but you've helped me through this break up. I feel so close to you, you know everything about me."

"Please don't make this harder than it needs to be," I said, letting a tear roll down my cheek.

Austin's face moved closer to mine, our lips inches apart. He closed his eyes and kissed my cheek, lingering over the damp skin.

My heart was beating a million miles a minute. Austin leaned his forehead against mine. I stared at him in complete surprise.

"I'm not the one to help someone cheat. Just know that when you're ready to leave him, I'm a phone call away," he murmured as he put something in my back pocket. I stayed silent as he left the room.

I took the small piece of paper out of my pocket and examined it. There was a phone number and under it, it simply said 'Austin.'

I put the number back in my pocket and wiped away my tears. Something was telling me that this wasn't the last I was going to see of Austin.

-&-

Sorry this is a bit short, but do you likey? c; Austin is getting quite confident, isn't he? honhonhonhonhon