BLOOM • awsten knight

60

SEPTEMBER 2018

Awsten can't tell whether he even slept at all.

Getting into bed at almost 2am probably didn't do him any favours, but neither did his own brain.

He needs to talk to Elle.

He's moving to Los Angeles within a few days, and he still hasn't told her; he hasn't even mentioned it, and it's eating him up - as well as everything else that they clearly need to talk about.

Awsten can't help the feeling that there's something else that's going on with her; he's felt it for weeks now, but he doesn't know what, and he doesn't exactly want to push her, after the week she's had.

So, before heading over, he calls Taylor.

"Hello?" She answers, a little confused. "Did you mean to call Elle?"

"No," Awsten shakes his head. "I meant to call you."

"Oh, okay," Taylor sounds surprised. "What's up?"

"Is there something going on with Elle?" He asks, in a straightforward manner.

"I don't know, you tell me," she retorts, and Awsten rolls his eyes.

"This isn't about last night," he sighs, able to tell that she clearly knows about it; he's not mad, they are best friends after all. "That was-"

"It's not my problem, Awsten," Taylor interjects. "What do you mean, though?"

"It's just..in general," he chooses his words carefully.

She pauses, momentarily, to think. "It could be something to do with Georgia," she suggests, sadly.

"Georgia?" Awsten frowns. "As in, y'all's friend, Georgia?"

"Yeah," Taylor nods, slowly. "It's almost been a year since-" she explains, "you know. Did Elle not tell you?"

"No," he shakes his head. "No, she didn't."

Taylor waits for a long pause. "She's struggling, Awsten," she says, with a reasoning tone. "I don't know what you, or I, can do about it, but just-" Taylor sighs. "Just be careful."

"Yeah," he clears his throat. "Careful, got it."

Awsten takes a deep breath when the call disconnects, running a hand through his hair.

He's mad at Elle.

He's never really been mad at her before, and he doesn't know what to do about it.

He doesn't feel like he has a right to be mad, but he didn't expect her to just wander off at that party last night; maybe it's possessive of him, but he was worried.

She seemed far away when he found her, and he wants answers as to why.

Elle thinks that the only reason she really slept was because of how exhausted she was; her mind has been running circles around itself for over two weeks now, and she's running low on the energy to keep burying it all.

But, she woke up earlier than she intended; it's known that she isn't a morning person, so when she was awake and pacing around her apartment by 6am, it was more than unusual.

Hours pass mindlessly, before she recognises Awsten's knock at her door; it's not uncommon for him to be at her door unannounced, but she didn't exactly expect it today - not after last night.

When Elle opens the door, there's a weird mixture of tension and relief, being felt together between the two of them.

"I think we should talk," Awsten suggests, quietly.