Eyes on You // Awsten Knight

eleven

The first time I felt my heart flutter the way it was feeling at that moment was when I first met Spencer. It had never happened since, but here it was again, pouring into my ears. It was another off-day on the tour, and Awsten was outside my window, this time unaccompanied by the band.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered, unable to contain a smile. Week three was half way done, but it was an incredibly busy one. I didn't have a lot of free time, and I didn't get to see Awsten that much, but here he was. His green Converse stood out in the dark, and I was totally unprepared for his arrival.

"Come out here! I want to show you something."

I shook my head, glancing back inside the bus. I heard Spencer grunt in his sleep, but he did not wake up.

"Awsten, I can't."

He sighed, his hands on his hips.

"Please? I promise it won't take long." He pleaded, and I couldn't resist. This was now the second time I climbed through my window, and it was definitely more routine than last time. He grabbed my waist, bringing me down to the ground with ease. I didn't even give myself the time to change, and he couldn't help but laugh at me when he saw me in my black pajama shorts and over-sized plain white t-shirt.

"Shut up." I scolded, slapping his arm.

"This is taking casual to a whole new level." He chuckled. I crossed my arms.

"Who do I have to impress."

"Fair enough." He nodded before leading me out of the bus lot. It was late at night, but the Florida sky still managed to hold a brighter hue. I could hear the sound of waves on the beach, but I couldn't quite see it. We seemed to be walking away from it. Eventually the lines of buses disappeared as we found ourselves in an industrial area. I had absolutely no idea where we were, but Awsten seemed confident. I felt strange walking in this part of the city with nothing but my pajamas, so I stayed very close to Awsten. Occasionally I would hear somebody's voice or a dog bark, and there were quite a few cars that passed by until we turned off into an empty alley.

"Is this where you're gonna murder me?" I joked as he lead me down the alley in between two buildings.

"Nah, that's a different back alley." He answered, causing me to roll my eyes.

"It's not that far now." He reassured me, and he was right. It only took another minute to get to the place he wanted to show me.

The brick wall seemed old. I could see the age reflect on how much the white paint had chipped and faded. Someone had painted a mural, and it was beautiful. Three massive sunflowers seemed to grow from the concrete, spiraling up above me. The vibrant yellow color stood out against the doleful wall.

"How did you find this?" I gasped.

"I was just sort of wandering around after my set, and I thought you might like it."

He was right, it was stunning. I saw lots of murals back in L.A, but they all seemed much more modern or graphic. This one felt ancient, like something out of an old painting. As I was admiring the mural, I saw Awsten looking at me from the corner of my eye, but I pretended not to notice. We both seemed content with ourselves, so I let that be.

My phone started to ring.

Awsten and I both broke out of our daze as it went off, and I immediately stiffened up. Nobody should be calling me at this time of night. I reached for my phone, only to see Spencer's display name on the screen. My stomach felt like it left its body as I answered the call.

"Hello?" I asked, as if I didn't know who it was.

"Where are you?"

His voice sounded tired, but demanding. I took a few deep breaths, forcing myself to sound cheerful and high-pitched.