saved me | awsten knight

Chapter Seventeen ; Yin Yang

Waking up felt new. I don't mean like every day is a new day, I mean today has new experiences. Aside from the fact that we're keeping it secret from the four guys, I can't wait to show affection to Awsten. It'll hurt so bad to hide it from everyone but him, though it's worth it.

Awsten was gone when I woke up, guess he went into the lounge to have breakfast. My heart was hurting just thinking about him. This is an entirely new feeling to me. I've had boyfriends before, but never felt this way towards them.

Hopping out of the very small bunk, I tumbled to the lounge. By now, we were in Manchester, ready for the next show. It was overwhelming at the start, being in an entirely different country. Now it feels like I belong here.

In the front of the bus, everyone was awake and eating breakfast. Most ate cereal, but Awsten sat on the couch eating a container full of blueberries.

Our discussion last night about not being able to tell anyone is probably going to be the most challenging part of this relationship. Obviously, it won't be a secret forever, but for now, he doesn't want to tell his friends. The only time we can act like a couple will be when we're alone, which I hate with my undivided being.

Sitting next to Awsten, I attempted to get as close as I could to him, and that can be seen as just friendly things. Awsten agreed with me, as he didn't push me away when I got close. We ate breakfast together, as I stole blueberries.

When all of us finished up eating, we got on our clothes. I'm tired of wearing the same clothes day in and day out, I miss my full closet. Putting on a tight fitting black shirt and a skirt with buttons keeping it up, I left the small washroom that I only use to get dressed in the morning.

Lucas had called up an Uber to take us into a mall to take a look around. By the time we all had our clothes for today on, the Uber pulled into the parking for the venue. Awsten got in first, pulling me in along with him. The driver had a van, so we had just enough room for all of us.

Lucas, being the most mature of all of us (but not by much), took the front seat. Otto and Geoff in the middle, leaving Jawn with us at the back.

Arriving at the mall was only a ten-minute drive. Leaping out, I thanked the driver and waited for everyone to get out. The mall was large, but not the largest I've seen. Hopefully, they would have some cool stores there.

Racing Geoff and Otto to the entrance, Otto won and was constantly tormenting us about it. Turning back to the rest of the group, Awsten was giving me a sweet smile, which could be mistaken as one for all of us. My heart left my body at how cute he was.

"Where are we heading?" Awsten asked, catching up to us. It was a stupid question, I must admit. We weren't even in the mall yet, how should we know what's in there?

Entering the building finally, we looked at the map before we got anywhere. That was no help, as they just wanted to walk around. "I wanted to go to Forever 21," I complained, pouting.

The single person to listen to me was Awsten, luckily. "I'll go with you there. We don't have to stay with them." He's right. He'd probably want to stay with them if it wasn't for me, though.

Peeking at the map one last time, we tried our best to navigate to the store. There was a lot of stores in the picture, although I was told we can go to the other places later.

Not being caught up with the guys, Awsten and I can certainly treat each other like we did last night without getting comments. We can be in our lives as more than friends, not faking to be single for the sole purpose of receiving snarky remarks.

Forever 21 had so many delightful outfits I would love to buy, though I couldn't spend anything due to me not working right now. We were now on our way to the Disney store, it was Awsten's idea.

Like anyone would know, the Disney store is filled with kids clothing and plushies. The whole time we were in there, Awsten and I would show each other small dresses and ask if we looked good in it.

Besides the Disney store was Hot Topic. No question, I knew Awsten wanted to go in. When we went in, Panic! At the Disco was playing on the speakers. This felt like home for him, as weird as it sounds.

In the back were band shirts, and that's where he dragged me. Excitedly, like a child, he pointed up to the very top. Lifting my head up, it was a blue shirt with the word "Waterparks" on it.

"What, are you going to buy it?" I giggled at his reaction to seeing his band's shirt in a store. Just as I thought, he picked up a medium-sized shirt, gripping it in his hand.

I rolled my eyes playfully and went to look at the jewellery. There was a lot of band merchandise here, but the only Waterparks merch was the shirt, sadly. The very few things that passed my eye was the best friend necklaces.

Calling Awsten over, I showed him the cute necklaces. Examining them with me, he continued to hold the shirt in his hand. One stood out to me, and it was a Ying Yang necklace, cut in half so one is Ying and the other is Yang.

Awsten caught on, snatching it from its place and holding it along with his shirt. I can afford a tiny necklace, but I'm not going to argue with him.

Cashing out, the worker there took one too many looks at Awsten. "From Waterparks? Awsten?" She asked. It was clear she didn't listen religiously, or regularly, but seeing people recognize him in public feels like an out of body experience.

He laughed and confirmed it was him. She got all giddy putting the items in the bad, and handed it to us. Leaving the store, Awsten had a smile that couldn't get wiped off no matter what happened to him. Getting recognized must mean the world to this kid.

"You know what we can do?" He whispered, that same smile on his face.

I shook my head no, as there is nothing I can think of. What can we possibly do that he thought of? Anything coming out of Awsten's mind is either terrible or dangerous.

Bringing me back to life, something touched my hand. Awsten snaked his hand into mine, feeling proud. It took a few seconds for me to catch up with what happened, my hand frozen and open. My fingers loosened up, wrapping around his.

There was nothing more to look at in here, so we walked to the food court. The food court had a variety of fast foods lined up next to each other. Collectively, we decided on ordering from McDonald's. I say we as Awsten saying he wanted McDonalds and me saying I'd follow him.

It hasn't been that long since breakfast, so I'm not hungry as of yet. Or maybe I'm lying to myself and just feeling very conscious of my money. I could be home now, working at the coffee place and getting paid a fair amount every other week.

While zoning out, Awsten held his platter of burger and fries, trying to get my attention. "Scar!" He exclaimed, a small bit worried.

Shaking my head, I looked at him, apologizing for being out of it. Finding a table to sit at, Awsten sat across from me.

Halfway into his meal, Awsten's eyes lit up. Racing into the Hot Topic bag, he swiped the necklaces out. Separating the chains from the cardboard, he gave me the Yang one.

"How come I get the Yang one?" I asked rhetorically. Reaching behind my neck, I locked it together, letting it dangle around my front.

Awsten did the same, making sure it looked fine. Directing looking into my eyes, he spoke, "Because you bring out the good in me."