Across The Stars

Chapter 16.

Austin stays silent during the ride to his apartment.

He lived on the Upper East Side, closer to the studio than I did. His apartment was a studio like mine. However, the furniture was much more modern with a darker color scheme. He also had several guitars placed around the room, each a different model and color.

Austin opens the door for me before slamming it shut behind him, causing me to jump.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Why're you acting strange?" He demands to know.

I raise an eyebrow at him. "I'm not. You're acting strange."

"I walk in and see you crying over a gift. Was it the thing your mom told you not to open in front of me? Did they do something to hurt you?"

I shake my head, his dozens of questions catching me off guard. I liked that he meant well, but he was blowing this out of proportion. "Austin... no. It was nothing, really."

I wish I had simply said yes, because it only leads to a dozen more questions.

"Who gave you that gift? Why did it make you so upset?"

"God Austin! I told you, it's nothing! Besides, even if it was something, I don't owe you an explanation. It's not like you're my boyfriend." I instantly regret the words after they leave my mouth, as I watch Austin's hurt expression.

"It was from him, wasn't it?" He asks after a few minutes.

"No." I quickly say.

"It's fine Anna." He shrugs. "I just thought... you know, we had something."

"We do. I didn't mean it like that." I gush.

"Well what did you mean?" Austin asks defensively.

"I don't know." I admit. "You were just pissing me off, so I said the first thing that came to my mind."

Austin nods for a moment before brushing past me. "I'm going to sleep."

"So that's it?" I say with a laugh.

"I don't know what more you want from me." He simply says before pulling his sweater over his head.

I don't know what more I wanted either. Did I expect us to kiss and make up like Toby and I used to? Did I expect more arguing, for him to throw me out, or for us to have sex?

Austin and I haven't had sex yet, and I was times like these when I'm glad we haven't.

"Where do you want me to sleep?" I ask quietly.

"Wherever I guess." He says as he takes his trousers off.

"Are you really going to be like this?" I huff.

"I just don't see why you can't tell me what made you so upset. I didn't like seeing you that way." He tells me.

"I'm fine now."

"Okay, then so am I."

I roll my eyes before kicking off my heels, not bothering to take off my dress before laying down on the couch.

Happy birthday to me.

***

Early the next morning, I wake to my phone vibrating on the floor next to me. I rub the sleep out of my eyes before picking the phone up off of the ground. I answer it without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hey Anna, sorry to bother you." I hear Frances say.

I sit up and blink a few times, trying to wake myself up. "It's okay."