Reel or Real

Chapter 29

Mr. Austin is asking for you.

Those words continuously rang in my head the moment it left the maid's mouth. All of us were shocked, and none knew what to say about it.

Moments ago we had tried to talk to him and had failed miserably, but now we are suddenly hearing that Austin is asking for me? It just doesn't seem to add up. We didn't want to let the opportunity pass, though, so the three had urged me to move quickly before Austin changed his mind.

I tried talking them into coming with me, but they have argued that Austin is only asking for me and that they might ruin the chance of Austin talking if they come. I really didn't hear their reasons, though; I was just thinking that they were taking too long with talking that, even before they had finished what they were saying, I was already walking back up the stairs and into Austin's room.

"The door is already open, you can walk right in" I vaguely remembered the maid telling me as I passed her by. I muttered a quick thank you and rushed up.

So, here I am again standing in front of Austin's door, trying to look for courage to grab the doorknob and twist it open.

What if he changes his mind and throws me out as soon as he sees me?

He'll change his mind if you take too long to enter, idiot.

I felt my hands start to sweat from all the thinking that I'm doing; I had to wipe it on my jeans before reaching for the knob.

When I had entered the room, I was engulfed in another silence, but a different and heavier one, it was actually... depressing.

Austin's image on the bed is depressing, too.

He was lying flat on top of his duvet, his eyes glued to the ceiling directly on top of him. I began to analyze each part of his body from head to his feet; trying to see if there's anything missing, broken or bruised.

I couldn't stop the gasp from escaping my lips when I eyes had reach his knuckles.

It was a shade of angry red and surrounded with a large purplish, blue bruise.

I'm pretty sure it's very painful, but Austin doesn't seem like he's in pain. He was just laying there motionless on the bed with a very stoic expression plastered on his face.

"Who let you in" I jumped when he suddenly spoke, partially because I'm still nervous about being here, but mostly because... his voice sounded different.

During all of the times that I had been with Austin before, his voice always sounded sure and confident, and a little bit of playful, and though he had lost it temporarily when he came back with amnesia, he immediately regained it back.

But I have heard different tones from Austin as time passed. I have also heard him speak with a caring tone and a worried one, both I have heard when he would see me distressed. He also has a lazy tone, one he would always use after his soccer training wherein he would lazily utter words.

This tone he is using right now, though, I haven't heard it from him before, which is why it sounds so foreign coming from him.

His tone is bleak, dismal, heartbreaking... depressing. I couldn't think of a word that could properly describe what Austin's tone is right now, but hearing it would immediately make you sad. I know that's what I'm feeling.

"Are you just going to stand there all day?" this time his tone has a mixture of irritation, but it didn't hide the tiredness on his voice.

"The maid said that you were asking for me, I think she was also the one that opened your door" I answered, even though I was feeling confused myself.