mint; （ a. knight ）

14. celadon;

"Shit. I wasn't prepared for Chloe to go into labor now," Awsten said, still pacing after he got off the phone with Geoff.

He'd made a phone call to the airport and had switched our tickets for late tomorrow morning which was good. He'd also called Otto and Jawn to make sure they knew about the change of plans but neither of them were able to secure a fight sooner than their original booking so it would just be Awsten and I flying out. Part of me thought that might be better because nobody really wanted to crowd the new family and I knew that both Chloe and Geoff's families were there with them now. We had plenty of time to meet her but I knew Awsten wouldn't hear of it and I certainly wasn't going to stand in the way.

"You don't really prepare for someone to go into labor," I reminded him gently.

He gave me a goofy look. "Everything is screwed up now, though. Like. What's the plan? It's late here and you and I are going together. So do I leave now and we drive separately? Should I come pick you up in the morning? Fuck. Fuck!"

It was bizarre seeing him so unraveled like this. Awsten was the person you leaned on when you needed a level head in the situation. Seeing him like this was very strange.

I watched him pace some more. "Why don't you just stay here tonight and we can go to the airport together in the morning?"

He stopped abruptly and I watched as about a hundred different emotions crossed his face in the space of three seconds. "I can't do that."

"Why not?" I asked, surprised.

"Because!" Awsten turned to face me, eyebrows raised. "I'm trying to be a gentleman."

I smiled at him, admiring his seemingly always constant desire to exceed any and all expectations that I had ever had of him as a person and as a boyfriend. He'd told me before that all the Southern manners that had been beaten into him from a very early age always came back to haunt him at the wildest times. I guess he was right.

"You can still be a gentleman and sleep on my couch," I told him. "That way, you aren't running back to your house right now or early tomorrow morning. We still have to battle Houston traffic. So just stay here tonight."

"And that's okay with you?" Awsten looked a little shy suddenly and it was very charming.

"Of course!" I shook my head. "I wouldn't send you home now anyway. It's super late and we have to be up early."

He abandoned his pacing in order to take up residence at my side again. "I really appreciate that. I didn't really want to leave right now anyway."

I grinned at him. "Awh, you must love hanging out with me, huh!" I teased him.

"Definitely." A smile curled his mouth and then he leaned across the space between us to kiss me, hard. "Thanks for letting me stay, Ellie."

"Stop thanking me, silly!" I teased but he wasn't smiling anymore

Awsten looked sad, his head miles away from me all of a sudden, eyes unfocused. My fingers brushed his face and it was like the touch snapped him back into his body.

"Sorry," he whispered, almost hanging his head.

"Where did you go just now?" I asked softly.

He moved his hand to cover mine, holding it against his face, my thumb stroking his cheek. Moving his head, he pressed his lips against my palm.

"Lauren says I'm in emotional freefall," he said quietly. "That's what she calls it. Emotional freefall. Means I'm a fucking basket case, I guess. I feel like one sometimes."