mint; （ a. knight ）

epilogue;

third person

Target was not the place Elsie Koehler expected her past to catch up to her again. She had gone to Target for a bookshelf and refused to go back to Ikea just to get lost in the store and just end up buying food without buying a damn bookshelf.

But a familiar voice caught her ear and she left the furniture section and headed for the entertainment section. On the flat screens along the back wall, there he was. Awsten Knight. Waterparks.

He had exchanged his lavender for bright, striking green. Green. That was her color, he'd said all those months ago. Mint green, but still green. He looked good, healthy even. His face looked fuller and his shoulders looked more broad, like he'd been working out.

Curiously, Ellie walked to the CD section and found the Waterparks section easily, as their newest CD filled up almost the entire section. It was a bright green and orange case, loud like Awsten's hair. She bought the CD and left the store without buying her bookshelf.

She waited until she got home to listen to the CD, though. She remembered Awsten telling her once that the first listen was important because you could never get it back. So she popped the CD into her laptop, stuck in her headphones, and listened.

The music was good. Of course it was. Awsten was an insanely talented musician, and she loved the way he created such imagery in her head with his lyrics. He was so good at expressing his emotions, even if he barely said anything or left the words vague.

She did not choke up until High Definition and it was clear that this was about her. The other songs about love didn't feel like her, and it was clear that Awsten was just working through his breakup and finally able to tell his side of the story after Ciara had gone so long controlling the narrative online and making herself the victim.

High Definition was a hard song. It was filled with very specific words from very specific times in their relationship. Ellie allowed herself to cry when the song was over, pressing pause on the CD before continuing so she could collect herself. She lifted her phone and stared for too long at Awsten's contact, the amount of thoughts in her head making her dizzy. She was sad and angry and hurt and confused. She wanted to talk to him, and it was clear at some point he'd wanted to talk to her, too. Maybe he still wanted to?

No, she told herself. If I still want to talk to him when the album is over, I will.

She pressed play again and let the album run to completion, as the ticking at the end looped back to the beginning. With a sigh, she removed her headphones and picked up the CD case again, fishing out the lyric booklet. Inside are photos that Jawn had taken of the band. Awsten still looked good, healthy. Happy. She was glad for that.

At the end of the booklet was the typical thank you's. However, at the end of Awsten's, it read: To E, thank you for seeing in me what I couldn't. For what it's worth, I think you saved my life.

All it took was twenty-one words to make Ellie see red. In a fit, she ripped the lyric booklet to shreds, cracked the CD case in half, and, though she hesitated, snapped the CD in half as well. How dare he. How dare he smash her heart into a million pieces and then thank her. She wanted to scream.

Instead, her anger took her to the Waterparks website where they were advertising their tour. They would be in Los Angeles in a week's time. Before she could talk herself out of it, she purchased a ticket and then threw her phone.

*   *   *

Awsten is exhausted. A good exhausted, but exhausted nonetheless. He was proud of this tour, of these shows. They were free, and it felt good. No more Equal Vision Records. Hopeless was actually incredibly kind and had left Awsten take a much-needed break before they'd gone back to the studio to record the album they were now touring on.