Unnatural blue II A. KNIGHT

025

░▒▓█▓▒░ Skylar arrives not long after Awsten called, her eyes bloodshot from crying. She doesn't even look at Awsten when he lets her in, rushing over to Ryan. "You can't do that! You can't just leave," she tells her, her voice shaking as she pulls him into a hug. "You...I thought...you can't do that, Ryan!" "I'm sorry, mommy," he mumbles, holding onto her tightly. "I jus' wanted to fix things and make us all happy." "I know, honey, I know," Skylar mumbles before pulling back. "I gotta talk to Awsten, okay? Just wait right here and then we'll go home." Ryan nods, staying quiet and avoiding looking at Awsten as Skylar walks with him to his room. Awsten closes the door when he and Skylar go in, waiting for her to speak rather than saying anything yet. "Thank you," she says after a moment of silence, "but you didn't need to make him hate you. He'd have understood the truth once I got to explain it to him." "I didn't know what to do," Awsten admits, trying to shrug it off as nothing despite how much all of this hurts. "Just went with the first thing that came to mind...um...Ryan said you were crying. Are you okay?" "Not really," she responds quietly, "you?" "No," he replies, hating the way he feels. There's another bit of silence before they're both moving towards each other at once and their lips are locked again. Awsten's arms go around Skylar's waist, pulling her against him. Her arms are looped up around to the back of his neck. Both of them are well aware that this is a bad idea. Holding on like this will just make letting go harder but they can't seem to move away from each other. They're drawn together like magnets, held against each other as if together is where they've always been meant to be. Pulling apart seems to be a crime but holding on is a death sentence. They pull away slowly, their breathing being the only sound in the room until Awsten finally speaks. "I love you, Sky," he mumbles, keeping her held close to him. They're clinging to each other as if it's the last time they'll have the chance to. Maybe it will be. "I'm so fucking in love with you." "I love you too, Aws," she says, "so much." "Tell me you're gonna be okay when you go," he requests, "please. I can't...I need you to be okay, I can't keep worrying about you—" "I'll be okay," she lies, "and will you be?" "Yeah," he lies right back, "of course." ░▒▓█▓▒░