After a twenty minute drive, I get to my parents house and walk into the front door. When I step in, I smell the meal my parents are cooking in the kitchen. My favorite meal from home, steak and potatoes. Though I wouldn't order this at a restaurant, or a night out, it just feels so homey and I love when my parents make it for me.
I hear my parent's laughs coming from the kitchen so I yell out, "Hey! I'm here!"
My mom and dad come out of the kitchen to embrace me before telling me that dinner is almost done. Once it's done, we all sit down at the dining room table and my mom starts off the conversation by asking, "How was your date, Isla?" She turns to my dad, "She went on a date this morning with the Elvis guy."
"Ooh, what's his name again?" he questions, while shoving a bite of steak into his mouth.
Somewhat annoyed by their comments I respond, "His name is Austin Butler, and the date went very well."
"So tell us what happened!" My mom has always been so excited to hear my stories of dates. I'm glad after two years I finally have something to tell her again.
"Okay. So, we met for coffee at Jane's and we talked, but then he came back to my apartment and-"
My dad butts in, "Isla, I don't want to hear about that!" He jokes.
I continue, "No, it wasn't like that. I played him some music, we talked, and then he left to go do some press for 'Elvis.'"
"Is there new music that we don't know about?" My mom asks, with a fake offended sound in her voice.
"Mayyyyybe." Then my phone starts ringing and I see the incoming facetime from butler <3. "One second, I have to take this." I say while standing up from the table. Before I leave the dining room, I see my parents smiling at each other.
"Hi Austin, didn't I tell you I was busy?" I say in a teasing voice with a grin on my face.
"Hi, and yes, you did but I have something important to ask you." He smiles back.
"Geez, Butler, this soon? I've barely met you," I continue to joke around with him.
"Don't worry, Dempsey. This isn't a proposal." He laughs. "I have the Cannes Film Festival coming up and they told me that I could bring a plus one. My agent is arranging everything right now and I know we've only seen each other the one time, but I thought you'd like to come?" The confidence disappears from his face like he's scared to ask me, and he sounds shy like the first time we spoke on the phone.
"When is it?" I ask, slightly shocked by the invitation.
My interest in it seems to comfort him a little. "It's a week long from the 17th to the 28th. I only have to be there on the 25th for Elvis. And it's in France. So I totally understand if you don't want to come."
"Of course I want to come, Austin. I might have to move some things around, but I'll definitely be there." His face lights up before I add, "And just to be clear, is it a date?"
"A week-long date? I don't know. I might get tired of you," he jokes.
"You could never," I joke back before we end the call and I return to my family dinner.
"Who was that?" Dad questions.
"It was Austin," I say, smile still adorning my face.
"Hmm... about what?" says my Mom.
"Oh, nothing too big. He just invited me to the Cannes Film Festival with him." I say in a joking manner.
"Nothing too big? That's huge, Isla!" my mom exclaims, but then she warns me. "The two of you seem to be doing everything at 100 miles per hour and I just want to make sure you don't get hurt."
"Really, Mom?"
"Yes really, your father and I do not want another Christopher situation. So just take things easy for a while. Until you're sure."
"I understand Mom, but I can assure you that from the couple of hours I spent with Austin today, he is at least twice the man Chris was."
After more conversation about my music and work that my parents are doing, it's around 9 pm and I decide to head back home. On my drive back I'm humming the song I was working on earlier today because I think I've finally found a melody I like. I send a voice memo to my producer and he tells me that he loves it. He asks me to come in tomorrow to record what I can. We want the album done by the end of May.
There's only one problem. It's currently the last few hours of May 3 and in two weeks I'm leaving for France with Austin. And I still need to think of a chorus for my "happy song."
I take a long, warm shower and while in there, I came up with a melody for the so called "happy song" that fits with the lyrics I already have for the verses. I just can't think of lyrics for the pre-chrous or the chorus.
Instead of worrying about it, I call Austin like I said I would. We talk and talk about the most unimportant things, and about fitting me for a dress for the Cannes Festival. Austin set something up for tomorrow after I'm done at the studio. Eventually the two of us fall asleep. In the morning, I wake up to a breathing noise and see that Austin and I are still facetiming, and he's sleeping peacefully on the other line. It feels wrong to hang up on a sleeping person, but it's almost 10 and I should really get going.
I hang up the facetime, after taking a screenshot, and send him a text.
me
good morning, sleepyhead
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