Augustine *continued*

Chapter sixteen

Augustine had found herself sitting upon the dock that displayed a view of the lake; Harper was sat nearby, her back against a wooden pole with a small smile on her face. "So. . . Home. You think about it?" 

The brunette glanced at Harper with a snort escaping before she shook her head. "It's an obvious choice, Harp. What wouldn't be the obvious choice?" Harper sighed quietly before stretching her legs out in front of her.

"How do you feel about Holden? I can't try and not question you about it." 

Augustine paused her words before they even came out and stared at Harper with a slight glare. Her body had found itself standing up, her arms crossing with a grunt escaping her mouth. 

"What do you mean how do I feel about Holden? He's a great friend and he's not that bad."

Harper stood up as well but not nearly coming to reach the same height as Augustine. "Auggy. You know you can't keep holding every emotion and eventually you'll have to tell people how you feel because it isn't good for you !" Harper raised her voice above normal tone which caused her to flinch away. 

Augustine tilted her head, leaning close to Harper with a faint grin on her face. "You really want to know what I'm feeling, Harper? I'm upset, I'm angry and god I'm just waiting for something good to happen but I'm scared. We can't always get what we want. Right?" Her tone instantly perked up and her legs lead her away from Harper who stood there gripping the blanket around her shoulders tightly. 

'what is going through your brain, Augustine Claire?' 

Augustine had found herself standing in her bedroom that she currently was staying in, a mirror displayed on the wall. Her lower lip was pouted out faintly and her head was tilted. Her chest rising and falling in gentle overlays while yet her thoughts ran wild in the woods.

John's footsteps had appeared within the room and the father stood at his daughter with an expression that was rough to point out. "Father."

He found himself settling down on her bed, watching her through the mirror she was staring at herself in. "Augustine. . . If you were ever upset with me, you would tell me correctly?" His voice was small and it was childlike but Augustine had turned to face her father with a soft smile on her face.

"Dad, I will always tell you if I'm upset with you because lies will solve nothing and the truth, even if it hurts, is always going to be the better option. Right?"

"That's right, Augustine." His aging eyes had crinkled at the end with the bit of laughter that escaped his mouth. He stood up; standing a couple of inches than his daughter; his arms wrapping tightly around her. "And give Holden a chance. That boy is sure better than the blonde. Who would choose the blonde?"

"Well Everybody tends to choose him." Holden's voice perked up from behind the blood relatives and they had both turned their heads to look at him. Holden had walked into the bedroom slowly with his hands folded in front of him. The moment Augustine and him met eyes, she felt the breath get knocked out of her.

"I wouldn't choose him because blondes may be fun but brunettes are funnier." Augustine slid her hands into her jeans, staring up at him once he stopped in the middle of the room. John deciding to give the two a quiet moment that they seemed to have every now and then.

Holden had stared at her deeply while Augustine bit her lip gently. "I'll ignore the fact that it was cringe but I would just like to let you know that if we do have romantic feelings for each other. I'd like to go slow and steady; I don't like going straight into things and going fast."

"was that meant to be dirty or romantic?"

The two had laughed quietly before staring at the carpeted floor. The silence was oddly comforting and that brought Augustine to sit at the bottom of the bed. "I'm coming home. I've decided that since I haven't really been doing photography and the whole letter I got from them; Maybe being home would be best. Surround myself by the ones I love and the things I love."

"you don't talk much about your photography. If you ever need a model. . . or motivation. You can come to visit me at any time, Auggy." The nickname fell from his lips and it sounded like pure heaven even when she felt like absolute hell.

"I'll always come to you, Holden. Even if it's at a slow pace."

Harper was sat with Joshua. The two having hot coffees within the palms of their hands, a gentle breeze blowing against their faces.

"Josh, I hope you realize that just because Augustine choose Holden; doesn't mean that it's the end. People fall for Augustine, and they often get hurt without her realizing it. Sometimes we can't help it. Females like us, but men are the same. You guys are often blinded by others that you don't see what's directly in front of you." Her words fell softly from her lips and his eyes were staring at the horizon while her tone reached his ears. She felt wrong for outting Augustine like that but let her head drop a bit.

"People sometimes often get hurt without realizing it a lot, Harper."