I Will Never Find Another You (Austin Carlile Love Story)

Chapter Three

"Lily, wanna play?"

I look up to see Austin looking at me with hope in his eyes. He looks a little scared, as if preparing for rejection, which seems odd to me. I mean, he's only asking to play. 

"Sure! What do you wanna do?"

Austin's face lights up and he put his hand up to his face, stroking his chin, realizing he didn't think I would say yes. 

"I didn't really think about it, I guess... How about you pick?" He asks with that giant smile back on his face. His smile could light up the room. It took up his whole face, and everything about him radiated happiness when he smiled. 

"Well, I usually play dolls, but I don't think you'd wanna play that!" I say with a small laugh.

"Lily, if that's what you want to play, then that's what we're gonna play."

"Oh wow, okay!" I say, very taken aback by what Austin has just said.

For the next two hours Austin and I played dolls, and we ended up playing family with them. He had a Ken doll, and I had a Barbie, and there was a little baby doll that both of us would take turns pretending to be.

“Honeyyyy, I’m home!” Austin sang out in a low pitched voice, pretending to be an older man.

“Oh, hi! How was work?” I say back playing along with the situation he is putting our dolls into.

“It was fantastic! I got to perform in front of a huge crowd, and I got to meet my biggest fan in the world. She said that I saved her life. Isn’t that cool?”

Austin’s eyes lit up the brightest I’ve ever seen them when he said that, even more than when he opened his track suit on Christmas.

I couldn’t help but smile at him when he said that. He looked so absolutely happy; I couldn’t believe how much excitement and happiness could have been stored up in his tall, skinny body.

“Wait a second, Austin. You want to be a performer?” I ask.

“Yeah! It’s been my dream since I was really little. I want to write music and sing for people and make them happy.”

“Austin… That is so cool. I know you can do it.” I give him a small smile to reassure him that I’m supportive.

 

&&

As time went on, Austin and I became closer. We would always find ourselves sitting by each other, and playing together, and talking all day long – about anything and everything. He would blab on and on about his mom and dad and all of the different places he’s been, and with every new topic, his eyes would light up more. I loved hearing him talk about his mom the most though. It made me think of what it would be like to have a good mom, let alone a mom at all. I liked to imagine all the fun stories that Austin would tell about his family were actually about my family, and it would sometimes make my situation a little more livable. The more I listened to Austin telling stories, and the more time I spent around him, the more I realized that I had a huge crush on him. His tall frame was perfect for my shorter stature, and his longer hair made him look super cute. And can we talk about the time he was singing my favorite song? He is perfect for me. But overall, his smile was my major weakness. Every time he smiled at me, I melted and I wanted to be near him at all times. Except for one day, when he asked about my mom.

“Lily? Remember a few months back when you asked about my mom?”

“Yeah… Why?” I asked with confusion in my voice.

“Could you tell me about yours?” Austin asked innocently.

I turned away from him and hid my eyes as they teared up instantly at the thought of my mom.

“Uhh… Austin, can we talk about that a different day? I don’t really like talking about my mom.”

“C’mon Lily, I told you about mine!” He says, very frustrated with me.

I stand up and yell in his face, “I don’t like talking about her, okay?”

Austin becomes quiet, looks down and then says quietly, “Whenever you’re ready, you can talk to me about her. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Promise?” He asks, still looking down, but a tiny bit louder than last time.

“Pinky swear.”

But I never got the chance.

&&

 

Austin got taken away from the orphanage three days later. I had full intentions of telling him about my mom, I really did. The timing was just wrong and I didn’t feel comfortable enough to let him in on the secret that I was planning on taking to my grave. He had told me everything about his life and I hadn’t told him anything. I felt awful… And I don’t know if I would ever see him again.

&&

Hey guys! I'm sorry it took so long to update, my jobs kind of took over and I couldn't find time to write. I should be having a little bit more free time coming up here soon, so I will try my hardest to update more often! I love you guys, and I hope you enjoyed this shorter filler chapter. Big things are coming next chapter ;)