♛ 𝑳𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑻𝒐 𝒀𝒐𝒖 ♛ // POST MALONE //

× THREE ×

Two hundred eighty.

Less than forty-eight hours until Austin's release from prison, and Killian was struggling to work through her thoughts. Tuesday's weren't busy nights really, but she could hardly focus.

Thursday.

That word was so loud in her mind, louder than the music playing over the bar's stereo system a few feet away. Part of her was annoyed by it and wanted it to just go away until her shift ended. But the other part of her knew that she would just have to suffer through it.

One of her regulars, an older man named Matthew, raised his hand towards his favorite bartender as he took a seat. Killian almost didn't notice, but she replied with a kind smile.

Quickly, she fetched him a Michelob Ultra in a bottle, his favorite, and slid it across the counter. Kill watched him take his first sip, knowing it was needed after a long day at work. "You doin' alright today, Matt?"

Matthew shrugged, setting it down. "I suppose. Just tired is all. What about you?" He asked, raising a grey eyebrow.

Kill vigorously cleaned the inside of a glass with a rag, then glanced in his direction, "Less than two days."

"Ahh, gotcha." Matt smiled a little bit, nodding. He knew about Austin, quite a lot actually. "You excited?"

The blonde paused to set the glass back in its stack, then took a breath as her eyes met the ceiling. Excited was definitely one of many words she could use in that moment. "Excited? Yes. Nervous? Even more so."

The old man wrinkled his nose in another grin, "Oh don't you worry, girly. It's gonna' work out."

The reassurance immediately seemed to put her at ease for a moment. She and Matthew had been good friends ever since her first night here at the Pourhouse. His kind nature drew her to him, seeing that he fit the father figure role a bit better than her own flesh and blood.

Matthew was a widower. His wife had passed from an illness and his son was killed overseas. His kind soul worked at the Boston Port, and almost every night he would appear at the same seat in the same bar.

Killian liked him. Occasionally she'd come over to eat dinner with him and go shop for his groceries. She'd do anything to make his life easier, including being the missing piece that was once his son's.

Kill looked to her friend, then leaned against the bar. "I sure hope it works out, Matt. If not, it's two hundred days I've wasted on a hopeless situation."

"I understand," he paused to take another sip. "But you've got this. This Austin boy seems like a nice person, despite him being behind bars."

"He's more than nice," she sighed happily, almost lovestruck. "He's funny, sweet, creative. I really like him, Matt. I just hope he likes me."

Matthew rolled his eyes playfully, "Are you kidding me? How could he not? You are a beautiful young lady. Artistic, smart, a true pistol of a woman. He'd be crazy not to like you."

Kill made a face that expressed her thanks as she tucked a blonde strand behind her ear. "You're sweet. But you know he's never seen me--"

"Pfft." Matthew took a long sip, then pointed a finger right at her. "Doesn't matter. You two are saying 'love' right? Right?"

She nodded.

"Alright then. He's never seen your face and he's willing to say love? That's your answer right there. He likes you for who you are, girly."

She could only hope that he was right. Before now, Killian could swear that Austin really did like her for who she was, despite the fact that they'd never met in any way except through a pen and paper. Did that make their 'love' statements mean something more than the average, she wondered? Maybe.

Right now she was strictly anxious. The feeling in the pit of her stomach was strong, and she couldn't seem to shake it. This man meant a lot to her, that she knew. She wanted this to go better than anything.

Her 'something different' was within her reach.

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a/n ; a short chapter! <33 I am desperately ready for these two to meet. And to the few readers that have stumbled upon my work, welcome! :) I hope you like it!

((Comments/feedback are always appreciated! ))

Much love! - A.