Dog Days

51 ~ one million stars

Ace was watching us from the kitchen door with folded arms.

Austin probably thought that I had no right to request this. "Huh, you're probably thinking how I have the right to ask for this when I slept with him without protection in the first place. Sophie has the right to know her father." Austin said nothing. "I was young, stupid, and angry. I didn't calculate this, Austin. But I don't even know who Lucas is. You know, Sophie doesn't remind me of him — she's mine and mine only. That's selfish, and she's probably going to be mad at me when she's old enough to figure this out. I just want to protect her."

Austin opened his mouth, but he hugged me next. Pressed against his chest, I grabbed the edge of his coat and cried against him. Thank God, Sophie was sleeping, and she wouldn't wake up anytime soon. "I'm sorry," Austin muttered. "I screwed up."

We screwed up big time. Raising my gaze, I looked at him. "We screwed up. Together."

"We can still fix this." I leaned against the door frame as Austin's lips curved. How could he keep his hopes up when we were at the bottom? He was the sunlight, and I was the shadow. Even at our happy moments, I was busy contemplating the end of this relationship — the catastrophe. Austin's hand pulled me away from my thoughts again, inserting sunlight into the cracks of my darkness. "Kara."

"Hmm?"

"I mean the message."

I let out a prolonged sigh. "So, you say we fight fire with fire?"

"I don't want her to win."

Another burst of rage rose within me. It's not a matter of win or lose — Sophie was on the stack. I passed by him wordlessly, heading to the parlor to sit down on the sofa. My legs relaxed, but my hands clenched, trying to contain my stress.

I kept my gaze down when Austin stood tall in front of me. I heard his sigh while he perched on the edge of the coffee table. When his long legs framed mine, I winced at the proximity. The feeling, the situation I was in, was too familiar. When everyone excluded me, made fun of me, when Northampton transformed from home to hell, I slumped down on the sofa at the corner of my narrow bedroom and cried into my hands.

"I'm not afraid of Mila," I whispered, my throat clogged up with tears. "I can face Lucas, too. However, I don't want Sophie to go through trauma because of this, Austin."

Austin enveloped my hands. "Look at me." I did. "I'm so stupid. I didn't think she was capable of this. I didn't listen to you — I wanted to believe in the goodness of my sister. I'm sorry." I remained to look at him, waiting for him to keep up. "Kara, I love you."

No matter how many times I'd heard him say this, these three words made me skip a beat while he looked at me intensely. I love you back, Austin. I've loved you longer than you know. I chuckled at his desperate gaze.

"I can't think of a life without you." His hands moved from my hands to cup my face. "Tell me something — anything." His eyes watered. "I'll do anything."

I opened my mouth but couldn't formulate words. I can't think of a life without you. How could he speak his mind so freely? I fought back tears, but they welled in the end. Why couldn't I speak my mind? Because I was afraid of losing him, too.

Whenever I told someone I loved them, they left me. So, I couldn't just say it. Loving someone wasn't as light as a feather for me — it was like carrying the Earth on my shoulders. It bent me, exhausted me, but I could not stop it.

On the other side, there was Sophie. Did I postpone a fate by running away? What if Lucas learned about her presence? There was a chance that he wouldn't care at all. Was this worth a try?

"Marry me," Austin said. His forehead brushed mine, his breath swept me off my feet. My heart beats drummed on my head like the rain beating against a window. His proposal was the best thing someone had ever asked me, and oddly, it reminded me of our high school prom enthusiasm.

We used to dream about the prom with Mila. I'd say boys would be in line to ask her to prom, and she'd say she would spare me one. I didn't mull over it back then, but the old Kara was satisfied with Mila's crumbs. She didn't seek more; in fact, she didn't believe she deserved more. I'd like to tell her now that she did — she deserved the world, and somehow, the universe gave her Sophie.

"What do you think?" Austin whispered, his voice curious.

I wouldn't tell him that I was thinking of his sister — our adventures. If I didn't accept Austin's proposal because of Mila, I'd still agree to her crumbs. No way, bitch. "Yes," I said, grabbing his hands. "I'll marry you."

When I pulled back, there were a billion stars in his eyes. No, Mila, I thought to myself, you can't burn down the whole sky just with a lighter.

We are close to the end, so buckle up and enjoy the rest of this story with me.

Thank you so much for being so supportive and still being here. I really, really love you. ❤️

Sev xx

PS. If you want to follow me and my writing, you can also follow me on my socials. (Instagram: beautlieswattpad & Twitter: beautpanda) You can find them all on my Wattpad bio!