[AustinCarlile] Burning Brighter Than The Fire [Sequel|LiveForever]

Eight.

Austin Carlile’s Point of View

I don’t know why she would be in a place like this, I mean, I can see her in a place like this, in a bar, if it was a club then I would be worried, but I didn’t expect her to actually go to a bar, she hates drunk people and she hates everything that’s questionable in filth. Not that this is a filthy place, it looks clean, there aren’t really any guys who are drunk there, I'm sure there will be some later tonight, early into the morning, I just didn’t expect her to come to a bar, she doesn’t get drunk, she hates being drunk.

Bailey said that she was with some guy named Matt, and she thought that I wouldn’t hear her mutter that he’s her ex-boyfriend under her breath, but I did, and I don’t know what to think. I did this to myself, I made her feel like shit, I shouldn’t have spent so much time with those girls, I'm not single, they’re not the most innocent girls out there, she has all the right in the world to hate me, I know that, I would hate me, too, yet I can’t figure out why she would be with him, him of all people, an ex-boyfriend. It hurts, knowing that she hates me, knowing that the girl my mom told me about is no longer mine, I don’t really know what to do, it feels so weird without her here, without knowing she’s mine, I can’t, it hurts.

Maybe it was stupid of me to fly all the way out here, I don’t know what I'm doing here, I mean, I do, I'm here to get her back, to try to show her that I love her, her and only her, that I need her. Closing the door behind me, I shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans, not even knowing where to look, I'm so confused, this place is huge, it’s not a regular bar, I don’t know what I've gotten myself into. “Are you Austin?” A voice breaks me from my thoughts, I stop scanning my surroundings, not really in the mood to deal with a fan, now isn't the time, they’re part of the reason my relationship doesn’t exist anymore, they're, I ignored her, for girls and for fans. “I'm Matt.”

He extends his hand, like I really want to shake it, like I really don’t know who he is, and I raise an eyebrow, looking down at it as I nod my head, only to lift my head and look at him. Sighing, he runs a hand through his black hair, it has to have been dyed, she dated a guy who dyed his hair, really, she did, that’s, I didn’t expect that from her. “I'm guessing Bailey and Anthony told you who I am. But, right now, that doesn’t matter, because some girl named Crissy sat down on the stool next to Devon at the bar. It seems like she’s trying to start a fight and Devon is pretty much looking for a way to destroy someone.”

“Fuck,” I whisper, walking past him, seeing the bar at the back of the room, watching as Devon turns to look at Crissy, and she’s not happy, she’s not friendly, she hates Crissy, almost as much as I do, probably more at this point. While I try to let the things that people say go in one ear and out the other, Devon tends to hold grudges, and the things that she’s heard and seen Crissy say about me, about her, about our relationship, she’s not a fan of Crissy, and she’s the only ex-girlfriend of mine she’s ever had contact with.

Devon slides off of the stool she’s sitting on, as does Crissy, and I don’t know what’s going on, I'm only a few feet away, but I don’t, I don’t even know what they’re saying to each other. “Say it again, bitch. That’s my boyfriend you’re talking shit about.” I don’t know what she’s talking about, we’re not together, she doesn’t have to defend me, especially to someone like Crissy, someone who is simply bitter that things didn’t end the way she wanted them to, that they ended, and I hate that she does this, puts herself in these situations.

I don’t even know what happened, I can barely process it, I'm so confused, all of a sudden Devon’s fist connects with Crissy’s jaw and my arms are around her waist, pulling her back as she kicks her legs out in front of her. “I'm going to fucking kill you, you piece of shit.” She says, the words slipping through her teeth, her body is growing hot, and I know that she knows I'm the one holding her back, I never really saw myself in this position, not like this, holding her back from hitting someone, especially from someone who said something about me.

“Stop,” I nuzzle my nose in the crook of her neck, remembering all the times she would shiver involuntarily and forget what she was doing when I did so, whispering into her ear, pressing my lips against her collarbone. Struggling, wiggling, trying so desperately to get me off of her, she reaches to the side, grabbing a glass filled with alcohol, ready to throw it all over Crissy, and as much as I hate the girl, I'm not going to watch Devon destroy her reputation and her fist. “Devon, put the fucking glass down now.” Keeping my right arm wrapped securely around her waist, I grab the glass from her with my left hand, placing it carefully on the counter next to me. “Come on.”

Pulling her back, causing her to stumble over her feet, I spin her around, glancing at Crissy from the corner of my eye, noticing her smile, her sick smirk, like she wanted to provoke Devon, I don’t even know what she said, I’ve never seen Devon this angry. “Go the fuck home, you filthy skank.”

&/

Running her hands through her hair, she leans against the wall, sliding down it until it looks as if she’s squatting, her elbows resting on her thighs, she drops her head into her hands. “Shit,” the tears are streaming down her cheeks, I barely her hear utter the word, she’s beating herself up about it, I don’t know why, I'm proud of her, I shouldn’t be, but I am, she stood up for herself, maybe not in the best way, but she did it. “Fuck, Austin, what are you doing here?”

Holding my hand out for her, watching as she glances at it, swallowing a lump in her throat, only to place her small hand in mine, allowing me to pull her up, and I wrap my arms around her shoulders, feeling her body tense, she hates me. “Thank you, for sticking up for me.”

“Shut the fuck up, Austin. What are you doing here?”