Die for me - Post Malone

7

"Hey, just out of curiosity, do you have a peanut allergy?"

"I do now."

"Oh, ok so just whipped cream and syrup then?"

Austin shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "Go to bed, Miss Knite, it's late," he says. Angel screws her face up at him. "It's like 10 pm and I don't want to," she pouts. "Well I do and you have a very busy schedule tomorrow," he says pushing Charlie away as he creeps closer to Austin who is now leaning on the kitchen counter. "I am a rockstar," she says with no point at all. "Mhmm, So I have heard," Austin says pushing Charlie away again. "He is just trying to make friends with you," Angel says trying to defend her bird. "I don't want to be friends with it," Austin says.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"No."

"What's wrong with you? What happened to make you such an unbearable asshole?"

Austin looks down at the marble tabletop, running his finger along a pattern then looks up at her with pursed lips and hooded eyes. "Go to bed, Miss Knite, ghosts come out to play in the dark," he says, his voice low and then he pushes away from the kitchen counter and walks out of the kitchen. Angel stands frozen on the spot. The way Austin speaks scares her sometimes, she has no idea what his past was like but whatever it was has fucked him up pretty bad.

"Shit! Fuck!"

"Yeah, buddy. Shit and fuck," Angel says picking Charlie up and walking up to her room. She climbs into her bed and settles under the covers, but as soon as she closes her eyes all she can hear are noises. She forces herself to keep her eyes closed and ignore the noises, but then she hears a scratching on her window and she can't take it anymore so she jumps out of bed and grabs Charlie. It's past midnight now so she has tried for long enough. She creeps to Austin's door. The bed he has is huge, she will creep into the corner and he won't know she is even there. She turns the door handle and pushes the door open very slowly, trying to be as quiet as she can but Austin sits up in bed straight away. Dam it.

"What's wrong."

"I can't sleep."

"Go to bed, Miss Knite."

"Can I sleep here?"

"Absolutely not."

"Please. The bed is huge you won't even know I was there. There are too many creepy sounds."

"Go to bed."

"I will sleep on the couch," Angel says moving to the couch in his room. "No," Austin says. "But I can't sleep...please don't make me go out there alone, please," she begs. Austin sighs and climbs out of the bed. "Fine, get in. I will sleep on the couch," he says taking a blanket. He has no shirt on - happy days. Angel puts Charlie on the bed then climbs in and settles down. She can't hear any creepy sounds. "That bird better not shit in my bed," she hears Austin mumble. "He is bed trained, he shits off the side of the bed," she says. "Disgusting," Austin says, Angel giggles into her hand. "I am joking. Macaws are actually very clever birds. They take to training well. If Charlie needs to shit he will fly into the bathroom and shit in the toilet," Angel explains.

"And yet all he says is shit and fuck."

"Yeah...but I understand him."

It goes quiet in the room and Angel's eyes grow heavy. But, she feels bad making Austin sleep on the couch. "Please get into the bed, I am all the way on this side...I will just keep asking if you don't," she says. Austin sighs then she hears him walking over to the bed and the sound of the bed sheets moving. The bed is so big she does not even feel him getting in. She turns around to face him, he is at least two meters away from her. Fucking hell, who bought this mammoth bed? He is lying on his back with his eyes closed, he looks so stiff.

"How old are you?"

"You said no more questions."

"No. I said I would stop asking you to get in the bed."

"Thirty-five."

"Oh...what did you do before working for me?"

"Military. Special ops."

"Oh, that explains a lot."

"Excuse me?"

"That explains why you are a massive asshole."

"That's not why."

"Then why?" Angel asks shifting a little closer. "Move any closer to me, Miss Knite, and you will see your ass back in your bed," he warns with his eyes still closed. Angel flops back down on the bed. "One day, Austin Post, I am going to get under your skin and you are going to spill your heart out...then I am going to eat syrup-drenched waffles off those delicious abs," she says pulling the covers under her chin and snuggling into her pillow. She only hears silence and Austin's soft breathing as Charlie pushes into the small of her back as her eyes grow heavy and she falls asleep.

Angel walks into the kitchen and sees Austin's beautiful defined back as he fiddles with the coffee machine. "Morning," she says. Austin turns and grins at her then pulls her into his arms. "Morning, baby," he says. He is so sweet and tender as he looks down at her with soft blue eyes. Then his eyes widen and his mouth drops open as blood trickles out of it. "He is coming for you. He will never stop, baby," he groans out and slumps down to the floor. Angel hears someone laughing and when she looks up she sees the back of the hooded man as he walks away. She runs after him catching his arm and spinning him around, screaming when she sees his face.

"Wake up," Austin shakes her awake. She blinks her eyes open and then launches herself at Austin, wrapping her arms around his neck as she lets out a sob. He rolls on his back, but takes her with him rubbing her back softly "Hush now, it was just a dream," he whispers. Angel does not think it was a dream, she thinks it was a message. He will never stop, the hooded man will never stop until she is dead and realization dawns on her - Austin is in just as much danger as she is now because he is the only thing between her and the hooded man. "I saw his face and it scared me - but I can't remember it now," she sniffles into his neck. "Hush, it was just a dream. It's your fears that come out to play," he whispers still stroking her back. She lifts her head and looks down at him. "Only my fears are real. Everyone is scared of a monster - mine is watching me...waiting to pounce," she whispers.

Austin's eyes search her face and he wipes her tear with his thumb. "I have nightmares too. That's all they are, just nightmares. They can do you no real harm. Sleep now...I am here," he says softly. Angel can feel her fear and anxiety drain away so she places her face back in the small of his neck and drifts off with the feeling of his fingers dancing over her back.

She had been right about him - he has a kind heart.