Perfect Puzzle Pieces || A. K.

Twenty-Two

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Awsten's POV
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Getting more than ten seconds to myself seems like a lost cause by this point. Just as I start to think Courtney will let me go take a breather, he pipes up and asks me to review a certain part of a track or rerecord some vocals or ask me what order I want the songs in. To be fair, I shouldn't be complaining; I mean, I did sign up for this. Then again, it's kinda tough to concentrate when your childhood best friend-turned-girlfriend was basically threatened yesterday. Lord knows how scared she could be right now.

"Awsten," Geoff's voice gently calls as he snaps his fingers in front of my face. When I turn my head towards him, he gives a concerned look and asks, "You okay there, man?"

"Oh, y-yeah, just," I reply quietly, "got a lot on my mind right now."

"And by 'a lot'," Otto teases from his spot on the nearby couch, "he means Elyssa."

Geoff turns around to face Otto, donning his signature Disappointed Dad face. "Otto, leave him alone." Turning back to me, he says, "Whatever's on your mind, whether it is Elyssa or not, is clearly troubling you. So, tell ya what; you head out into the hall to compose yourself or whatever you need to do, and if Courtney comes back from the bathroom before you're ready, I'll tell him what's goin' on, alright?"

Nodding hesitantly, Geoff shoots me a reassuring grin before walking away. I leave the room then before I can even really think about it and lean against the wall beside the door, pulling my phone from my pocket and unlocking it. For a moment, I'm shocked that I don't have any messages from Elyssa, but then I remind myself that I had told her I was going to be busy all day. Finding her contact on Skype, I tap the call button and wait; in a matter of seconds, her face appears on the screen, making me smile.

"Courtney gave you a second to breathe, I see," she jokes with a giggle.

"Well," I reply, "it was actually Geoff who told me to come out here. He noticed something was bothering me so he said I should take a minute to myself. Don't worry, though, he promised me he'd tell Courtney that something was up if he came back before I did."

"Something bothering you?" Elyssa echoes, tilting her head in confusion. "Like what?"

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "Ever since I woke up this morning," I explain, "I've been worried that Britanny's tried to attack you or gathered more people to attack you for her."

"I get it," Lys reassures me, "I really do. But oddball, if anything like that had happened, you know I wouldn't have hesitated to get a hold of you, no matter if you were busy or not."

"Yeah, but I'm still worried..."

"And you have every right to be. If I'm gonna be honest, I'm scared outta my fucking mind right now, but I'm not gonna lose hope that we'll make it through this. I know that if I want to be with you, this kind of situation is just something I'll have to get used to."

"Much as I hate to say it," I reply, brushing my hair out of my eyes, "you're right. And I guess it's better you're aware of it now rather than later."

Elyssa laughs for a moment, then seems to notice something. With a smile, she says, "Don't look now, but I think we're being watched...!"