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KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU
PAUL'S ENERGY WAS PRACTICALLY BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS THAT AFTERNOON.
Here Augustine was, seated crisscross at the head of his bed while he sat at the foot of it, her eyes observing all the details of his room with the faintest of smiles. It wasn't a large bed by any means, evident from how Paul's hand could easily rest of her calf as they talked.
Not only that, but his dad seemed to like her enough to hug the vampire. As much as he wanted to revel in it, he couldn't wait for his dad to have another slip up while talking to her.
Lovebirds? The word was ringing in his ear. Was that his definition of being subtle?
Though she didn't outwardly admit it, Paul could tell that she liked his room, and his chest swelled with pride. He liked having her in his space, despite it being something that once would've made him keel over last year.
But as he sat, listening to the girl next to him bash a band poster that was behind his door, Paul was happy.
"The Eagles? Really?"
Paul huffed a noise of disdain. "They have a lot of good songs," he said defensively.
Augustine's eyes narrowed. "Is Hotel California your favourite song?" she questioned suspiciously, leaning back against the headboard as she looked at him with owlish eyes.
"And what if it was?" he retorted back, shaking his head. "Just because it's not ABBA doesn't mean it's not good."
The ravenette's knowing smirk switched into a frown. "That's where your logic is flawed," she responded, chin turned up in defiance. "You clearly haven't heard Andante, Andante."
Paul only shook his head. "I've never heard a song by them, actually."
This was evidently the wrong thing to say to the vampire beside him, given that the girl let out a mix between a groan and a snarl. "Never?!"
"Not a single one."
"You're fucking with me," she concluded, face looking absolutely aghast at this new and startling information. Instantly, he wished he just lied and said he had, just to wipe that look off her face. "Tell me you're fucking with me, Lahote."
"I haven't," he confessed, and found himself dodging a stray pillow that the girl hurled his way. He raised his hands for a moment when she gripped another, it faltering slightly due to her holding it in her non dominant hand. He instantly saw the pained look in her eye when she realized, sinking back against the headboard silently— dejectedly.
He knew just the way of turning her spirits around. "But maybe I haven't been introduced to the right songs yet," he added, tapping his finger against his chin in faux thought. "If only I had an ABBA superfan who could guide me in the right direction..."
Augustine preened at that, smiling with her teeth as she met his gaze once again. "Get a pen, it's gonna be a long list."
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They had been lounging in his room for what felt like forever, when Augustine picked up a picture frame from his bedside table and ran her fingers over it before she asked him a question. "This lady in the picture, is that your mom?"
Paul didn't have to look at it to know what picture she was holding. It was one that was taken just a year before his parents divorce sent he and his father back to the reservation. He had been a child back then, though the memory was always fresh in his mind, lingering.
"Yeah," he responded, gaze resting on her face as opposed to the picture.
"She's pretty," Augustine noted, her own eyes flickering up to his with an inquisitive grin. "How come you never talk about her?"
The dreaded question. "She and my dad split when I was eight," he answered with a shrug, his fingers mindlessly drawing shapes on her calf. "She still lives in Tacoma."
Augustine's eyes widened. "A Washington boy through and through," she laughed, turning slightly to place the frame back where she found it. Her foot gently nudged his thigh. "Have you ever left Washington, at all?"
"Nope," he told her simply. "My whole life's been here, haven't ever had the need to go anywhere else."
She nodded thoughtfully. "I get what you mean," she responded, her foot nudging his thigh when she shuffled a little. "I never left Alaska until the Cullens took me in. It was all I ever knew."
Paul observed the faraway look that passed over her eyes briefly. "You never talk about your family," he said, although it came out as more of a whisper, "aside from your brother."
Augustine's lip was pulled between her teeth. "You really don't want to know about my family," was her weak response, "it's, a lot."
A pool of dread settled in his stomach at the smallness of her voice, the way her eyes were suddenly downcast despite the heat behind her second statement. He tapped her calf twice, garnering her attention. "How bad could it be?" he asked in a lighthearted manner, trying to diffuse her anxiousness and not expecting an answer.
Though, he got one anyways. "Really bad, Paul."
He frowned, not liking the way her shoulders were raised tensely. Paul could instantly tell she was trying to hold something in, that she didn't want to unveil any information about her own family.
"You don't have to tell me anything, but I—"
"Trust me, you don't want to—"
"I do," he cut her off, leaning closer to the girl, "if it's a part of you who are, I do."
A wave of silence crashed over them before the ravenette spoke up once more. "You have to promise me you won't pity me," she demanded, a new fire behind her eyes as she looked at him, pleading, almost. "Cause I don't want it... I'm not weak."
"Pinky promise."
He watched her as her shoulders heaved once, locking their pinkies together.
"It really started when my dad died."
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[ wyn's note ]
bit of a shorter one because the next chapter is basically a part two of this one—
the next one is the one i've been most excited about; it's the chapter on august's past life and her unfortunate demise (the theme of which i teased early on)! beware, it's so angsty for our girl, and this is major news that she's even gonna spill the beans to paul.
it should be up by the time you see this too! all love xx