This One's For You (An Austin Carlile Love Story)

Chapter Fifteen: Where Were You?

The flight was short, then again we were only traveling from L.A. to Seattle. The landing couldn't have been any more bumpier, making me jump in my seat as we got the strip. It was still night, about nine or ten, but I wouldn't be sure of that until I turned my phone back on. At this moment I just wanted to get to the hotel, go to sleep and get these interviews since and over with.

And what happened between Austin and I yesterday would need to remain a secret for a while longer. I don't think either of us were ready to go "hey world we're together" quite yet. But I'm sure things would go smoother now. And Austin holds no fault to what happened to is before; that was all me. I knew it too, but I refuse to let myself year what we have apart again. Besides, being together seems inevitable anyways.

As for Marshall? Well I couldn't tell you where that would lead us. There were many paths we could choose, but I knew that in the end it would never be the easiest path or decision. To be honest, I'm not even sure what he would say to me now since I didn't say goodbye to him. I'm sure that conversation wouldn't go over very well either.

Marshall was a nice guy, and that's what I loved about him. But when he became mad, he was utterly furious. I hated getting him that way, even on accident. I would never hear the end of it from him, and he'd scream at the top of his lungs for what seemed like forever. Then he'd say he was sorry and I wasn't the problem and things happened at work and blah, blah, blah. To be honest, I think he is just sexually frustrated with me, knowing that I'm there but not giving him anything makes him angry.

But no one knew about it, so it didn't really matter. Which is why I pushed all my thoughts to the back of my head and exited the plane, turning on my phone as I did so. I walked absent mindedly to the baggage claim, searching through my drafts for the text. And just as I thought; deleted and gone without a trace. I let out a frustrated sigh and waited for my bag. Eventually a bright red suitcase appeared on the conveyor belt, passing by at a slow pace for me to take hold of it and hoist it off. I walked out to the front door, waiting for Mallory and her bags.

Since she was my photographer, I made her take claim of the camera and it's accessories. And because it was covered under Alternative Press, she didn't have to pay extra for the bags. I waited, playing on my phone and deliberating on texting or calling Austin before falling asleep. Just as I opened his contact Mallory appeared, lugging two large bags and her own personal suitcase behind her. I chuckled and walked over to her, taking hold of one of the duffel bags.

"Jesus these things are heavy." She groaned, tugging the bag behind her still. "What do they put in these, bricks?" Her words were breathy since she was more concentrated on keeping hold on the heavy bag than keeping conversation.

"We like to use the high end equipment for our shoots." I shrugged, a bit breathless since the bag I held was a bit overweight. The doors opened, revealing our cab driver with his trunk already opened. I heard Mallory blow a sigh of relief, knowing we wouldn't have to carry these for much longer.

We loaded our bags in the back, then climbed into the back seat. I wanted to pass out again and our hotel was a good forty minutes away. I knew if I kept snoozing I would never get to sleep when I got to the hotel. I had to force my eyes open and convince myself that I could make it to the hotel. I would have talked with Mallory but my throat hurt and she was already passed out. The first day of Warped has gotten to us, but by the end of tour it'll be a walk in the park.

Forty minutes ticked by slowly and it seemed like we were no longer moving. I just wanted the ride to be over and for the cab driver to go "we're at the hotel". But my mind played tricks on my eyes as I told myself to be patient. It was kind of cool looking at the cities lights as I was half sleep. Many colors swirled into one, buildings passed by in blurs, even the cars were some type of futuristic design. My mind went completely crazy, seeing weird things. I knew when that started to happen it's time for sleep.