Chapter 144

" Have fun on your date, " Austin told me as I got off the bike, his words were accompanied by a very unmanly eye roll. And I watched as he narrowed his gaze and looked around our surrounding. I knew he was just trying to spot Reign so he could do something unpredictable. I would have asked him not to start with the jealousy but I just didn't have time for that. Reign had texted to say he was waiting for me at the coffee shop we had gone to the other day. I didn't want to keep him waiting. 

" I'll call you when I'm done, " I told Austin, and when he tried to act all gloomy I just playfully flicked his forehead and messed up his hair. 

" You won't even kiss me goodbye?" I joked, smiling because I knew it would just get on his nerves even more. It was just him being childish and insecure, and I had a feeling that that part of himself would never be able to change. So it was either I get mad everytime he acted out or I just learnt to get used to it and not pay much attention to him and his silly cries. 

" You should have brought him flowers, if you want I can go get you a bouquet, " he offered and I decided to let him be. I knew Austin like the back of both of my hands, he was tryin to get a reaction out of me, he knew that if I got mad and we argued I might decide to cancel the "date", then he'd give me time to relax before he came and pretended to be sorry. I stole a quick kiss, then I asked him to drive safely and just wait for my call. Immediately after meeting up with Reign, Austin and I were going to study. I had warned him against making other plans just to get out of it, so when I called he had to come and get me. 

I turned around and started heading to the coffee shop, hoping that Austin wouldn't do something as crazy as following me and showing up where Reign and I were meeting up. I was sure he had entertained such thoughts. 

" I love you, " I heard him say as I was walking away. There was still stubbornness and disappointment in his tone, but he was still ensuring I knew that despite his actions, his feelings were the same. I told him I loved him as well, then I watched as he rode off in the direction we had come. I missed him the second he left. Lately it was just like that, whenever I wasn't with him, I'd think about him endlessly. There would be no one else on my mind and I'd have to concentrate really hard inorder to stay in the present, and I hoped it wasn't going to be that way when I was with Reign because he would definitely notice. And I didn't want him to feel like I was intentionally ignoring him.

He was seated at the same table we had occupied the last time. Dressed casually in a pair of beige cargo pants and an oversized black hoodie that he has used to cover his hair and shield his face from view. The first thing I noted was that he had once again dyed his hair a dark brown, and the color suit him, but it still felt a little strange because I was so used to him being blonde. It was actually the first time I had seen him as anything but. 

He stood up when he saw me, and I went ahead and gave him a hug. 

From my personal perspective, he was like the elder brother I had never had. I could rely on him for things such as advise and I knew he wouldn't judge me no matter what. And my trust in him was mostly due to the fact that he had entrusted me with such a huge secret concerning himself. 

" I didn't think I'd get to see you again before I left, " he admitted, looking delighted and happy. 

" How could I let you leave without saying a proper goodbye?" 

He gestured to my chair and I sat, he did the same. For the first five or so minutes, we just causally got comfortable with each other through small talk. He asked me how I was coping since my mum moved out, because I had told him about that as well. Actually, apart from the very private matters, there wasn't much he didn't know. He ordered a chocolate milkshake for me as he waited for my reply. 

" I'm doing good, Not much has changed. "

My mum had called me yesterday, and I swear I had wanted to pick up, but then I started to overthink. I wondered what I'd say to her and how I would be able to even handle a minute long conversation with her. It would be awkward and uncomfortable. Plus I was sure she had just called because it was going to help her feel like a better person. I wasn't interested in feeding her false hope, so I had just watched as the phone rang until she gave up and stopped calling me. But I still felt a little like the bad guy because I had been the one to ask her to call in the first place. 

I knew she was alive, and as selfish and rude as that made me sound, it was really all I cared about. As long as she was okay wherever she was then I didn't feel like I had a reason to worry or to pretend that we had the perfect relationship. 

" You like it? " Reign asked in reference to his hair. He must have caught me staring at it again. And when I assured him that he looked really nice, he was openly grateful and told me CJ, his band member, had dyed it for him. He had thought it was just the normal blonde shade he was used to but afterwards he had been shocked to realized what CJ had done. But he didn't hate it so he had let it slide. 

" Do you know exactly when you'll be leaving? "

" On Wednesday, our manager booked the flight already. "

" I see. I wish you the best, but I'm sure you. guys will do good no matter where you go. "

" You and your flattery. "

" It's the truth, you aren't my favorite artists for nothing. "

He chuckled and looked away, seeming openly flustered but trying his best not to show it. He took a sip of his own coffee and then set it back down and turned to me. 

" How's the boyfriend doing?" The tone used was plain and flat. I had been hoping we wouldn't have to talk about Austin,but I had known that he would be brought up sooner or later. Last time we had met, we had mainly spoken about my relationship with Austin and everything that was hard about it. But that had been in the past, him and I were okay andi was going to do everything in my power to make sure things stayed as they were. 

" He's okay. "

" You managed to solve everything that was wrong?" 

" Yeah, I guess you could say that. "

" I see. And has he changed or is he still the same way he had been? "

I didn't want to be talking about Austin, not when he wasn't around. And I knew that he'd be enraged if he ever found out that I talked to Reign about him. He would want to know exactly what was said and would get pretty worked up about it. He had his ego, the kind that was impossible to tame. 

" I've learnt to accept and love him as he is. It's pretty clear ye has no intentions of changing. "

" Just remember what I told you, you're too good to end up with anyone that's short of being perfect. "

" Nah, I'm not that great. You and your flattery, "

He chuckled, then he leaned back against his seat and crossed his arms. I had asked him whether he has ever wanted to be anything other than an artist, and he had told me that if he wasn't a singer, he would have probably been a science teacher. The reply had been unexpected, but he had been completely serious about it. And it wasn't completely unimaginable. He was really smart, and we had even spent an entire thirty minutes talking about Physics one day. 

" You know, that I like being honest.." he suddenly said. Those words freaked me out a bit, I assumed he was about to confess his feelings or something of the sort, and I dreaded the idea because if he did, then everything about our friendship would change. I wouldn't be able to talk to him as freely as I currently did. 

" ..I'm sure you know that I don't really like your boyfriend, no offense but I still believe that you could do a lot better. "

By better I wondered whether he was referring to himself. It wouldn't be shocking if he was. I started thinking if how I could stop that conversation before I got angry. My possessiveness over Austin was great as well.

And I was literally seconds away from politely asking Reign to quit talking about Austin when he took out his phone and after going through it for a second, he passed it over to me. Then he continued casually drinking his coffee. I frowned , reaching out for the phone and studying it intently. And when I finally got hint of what it was, I buried my head in my hand.