Without fail, Awsten was banging at our flat's door around four o'clock.
I was dressed in my usual black jeans and a checkered tank top since it stayed warm until around nine. Houston weather sucked in the summer. Especially if it was humid.
Hope was in her room singing along to loud music that I knew our neighbors would complain about, but I chose not to say anything and instead grabbed my bag.
"COMING!" I yelled, hoping that Awsten would stop relentlessly knocking on the front door. I ran to open it and my eyes immediately went to his freshly dyed hair and smiled. I had been wondering when he would dye it next and I had been bothering him about it ever since we met.
I immediately grabbed his hair and ran my fingers through it, giving a look of approval as I did so. I couldn't help it, it looked so soft don't judge.
I grinned and closed the door behind me, letting out a deep breath as I stood in the hallway, looking up at him. "Where are we going?" I wondered, adjusting my bag on my shoulder. "To my homeland. You'll see," he told me, beckoning me to follow him to the elevator.
When we got to his car, I was already panting from the humid air and heat. Despite living in Houston my entire 22 years on this Earth, I had never gotten used to the weather. I attempted to put my hair into a ponytail as Awsten began to drive, but swore as I felt the hair band snap against my skin. I groaned and threw the broken band in my bag, leaning my elbow against the door frame.
"Your friend Hope is cool," Awsten said out of the blue, keeping his eyes on the road. "Thanks. She thinks you're funny," I mumbled, shifting my body in the passenger seat.
The moon was bright and there was a little light, aside from the street lamps that kept things illuminated. Awsten mumbled strange things to himself as he parked, probably making fun of the people walking to their cars in the parking lot. He seemed like the kind of person who did that.
"Okay, prepare yourself," he warned me, leading me to the supermarket with a sign above it that read "HEB".
I scoffed, wondering what could be so important about a random grocery store in the outskirts of Houston. I had never heard of it, or even seen it before.
"What's so special about this place?" I wondered as we entered through the automatic doors. i gazed around and it looked like any other grocery store in Texas and I was confused when he gave me a look of judgement.
"Only the best place ever. They sell my favorite orange juice here. It's so damn good," he groaned, rushing over to the aisle that I'm assuming had what he was looking for. "Hold these. I'm gonna get a cart," he demanded, handing me two pints of orange juice. I rolled my eyes at him as he ran to the front of the store like a child. Why was I even phased by it?
Awsten was wearing a tan knit sweater like always, and I wondered how he wasn't dead yet from having a heat stroke.
"So why else do you like to come here?" I wondered, putting the bottles of juice in the cart once he returned. He shrugged. "Honestly, I have a lot of good memories here with my friends. And I used to come here with Grace several times a week and I just had so much fun being here. I don't really take people here much unless I've known them a while," he admitted, looking around at the display in front of us.
I smiled a little weakly at him before turning away. "Thank you for bringing me here," I mumbled, playing with a price tag on the display. "Sure. Let's go get some dino nuggets!" he exclaimed, returning to his formal self.
"Wait, hold up-" I said, stopping the cart. "What?" he groaned, giving me a joking annoyed look. "Lemme get in the cart," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. He grinned at me and picked me up, placing me gently in the cart. I placed the juice in my lap and faced forward as he began to push me around all the aisles as we made our way to the frozen section.
I heard his phone camera make a noise and I turned around to face him accusingly, narrowing my eyes. "You fucking bitch!" I chuckled, whacking his chest. He laughed his adorable laugh and I blushed, making sure to turn around before he could notice.
I leaned over the edge of the cart and pulled open the freezer door, grabbing a box of dino nuggets. "These ones?" I pondered, showing him the box. "Nah, those ones are fake. Get the purple box," he said, shaking his head. I put the box away and grabbed the other one, putting it down beside me.
"Now let's go see the Halloween decorations," Awsten decided, turning the cart around. "Awsten....it's July..." I reminded him, a confused look on my face. "So? A guy can dream. And they always have their holiday stuff out early anyway," he argued, pushing me along, humming to himself.
"So when are you going to let me come to one of your concerts?" I asked him, leaning back on the plastic cart, my legs hanging out the sides. "When we play one nearby. After we finish our new EP," he replied, checking his phone. I nodded.
And as much as I hated to admit it, I loved being around Awsten and experiencing his personality.
"I want ice cream," I told him, looking at him hopefully. "Fiiiiiine," he agreed, moving past the decorations to the dessert aisle. "Which one?"
"Mmmm cookie dough," I replied, watching as he opened the freezer door, taking out a pint. "Thank youu!"
I cringed at my child like attitude, realizing that I probably embarrassed myself. Way to go, Charlotte. Way to go.
I felt my face heating up and I pressed my hands against my cheeks, hoping the cold contact from the ice cream would help them cool down. I knew if Awsten saw me blushing he would never leave me alone about it.
"You finding everything okay?" a familiar voice wondered, causing me to whip around.
My eyes widened with horror as they landed on my roommate, Hope. What the fuck was she doing there?
She grinned at me and laughed at her own joke, which Awsten soon joined into. Oh no. He did NOT. That blue haired prick did NOT invite my roommate to hang out with him while I was there.
But he totally fucking did.
"I hope you don't mind, but I invited Hope to join us. I thought you might like her around," Awsten told me, seeming to read my mind. Except that he was so fucking wrong and I absolutely did not want her there.
Wait.
Why did I even CARE?
I responded with a nervous fake laugh and adjusted my position in the shopping cart, incredibly uncomfortable. Which was funny considering Hope was my best friend and we lived together and she knew everything about me and I knew everything about her.
Whelp.
And despite the fact that something about her being there pissed me off, I vividly remembered Awsten telling me that he didn't really bring anyone to his favorite market unless he knew them for a while or trusted them enough.
What a funny coincidence, don't ya think?
"You mind helping me out of this damn cart?" I said, an irritated tone creeping into my voice. "Yeah," Awsten said, grabbing my hands and pulling me out. I brushed off my jeans and stood up straight, looking over at Hope who was leaning against the handle of the cart, right next to Awsten.
"Aw, did Charlotte make you get cookie dough ice cream?" she laughed, pointing to the cart. My face heated up and I stared down at the floor, furious. Why was she doing this to me? I had never felt so out of place and I needed to get out of there.
Awsten and Hope began walking along, engrossed in conversation as I trailed behind, trying to plan my escape. I hated that rotten feeling I had whenever I looked at the two of them. I hated them both so much in that moment. And I hated the fact that it even bothered me.
As they turned a corner, I slowed down and turned around, making a break for the doors. I quickened my pace until I was finally out of the air conditioned building, letting out a deep breath, then realizing that my throat was tight and I had the sudden urge to cry. Fuck both of them. Fuck Hope. Fuck Awsten. I should never have said yes to hanging out with him.
I then remembered that I had no car and no ride home. I let out a frustrated groan and shuffled along, walking down the street, trying to remember how to get to my favorite book store. It was only 5:15, and I tried to forget about the fact that I had to go home at some point that evening.
After arguing with Google Maps for about twenty minutes, I finally approached the book store, taking in a deep breath. Books always calmed me down. And I needed something new to read anyway.
I opened the glass door and walked inside, scanning the shelves. I bit my tongue and walked quickly behind an empty aisle, sitting down on a stool. I couldn't help but bury my face in my hands, letting out a quiet sob.
I could never understand why it upset me so much. It upset me knowing that Awsten would pay attention to someone else and completely forget about me, treat me like I didn't even exist. But it was probably my own fault. I liked him. A lot.
"Hey, are you okay?"
I looked up and saw a young man with short blond hair that was brushed to the right. Both sides were shaved and he had a silver nose ring and a white short sleeved shirt on.
I laughed weakly and shrugged, sniffing. "People suck. It sounds stupid but I thought someone cared about me and I guess I was wrong and now I'm just blaming myself for not seeing it sooner and now I hate my best friend because she's the one who took that special feeling away from me and is the one experiencing it now and I know I sound selfish but I can't help myself and I liked feeling special because I've never felt that way before."
I was out of breath by the time I had finished. Then I wondered why I ever even opened my stupid big mouth.
He sat down on the floor beside me, his back leaning against the glass window. His gentle eyes scanned me before he opened his mouth to speak. "I'm sorry you feel that way. Is there anything I can do?" he wondered.
More tears escaped my eyes and I smiled down at him. "No, not really. Thank you for caring."
"I'm Maxx."
"Charlotte," I sniffled, standing up. I watched as he joined me. "Do you need a hug? Nothing creepy, I promise," he chuckled, opening his arms. I hugged him tightly and he rubbed my back gently, letting go after a few moments.
"Thanks."
"No problem. Have you ever read Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman?" he wondered, leaning forward and grabbing a copy of it off the shelf. I shook my head no and he smiled. "You should then. C'mon."
I followed him to the front of the store, watching as he placed money on the counter for the book. "Thanks, Adam," he said, giving the cashier a nod. I bit the inside of my cheek nervously, looking away. I hated it when people spent money on me and now a person that I didn't even know was doing just that.
"Here," Maxx said, handing me the book. "You didn't have to--"
"It's okay. I wanted to."
I walked out of the store and he followed, gazing up at the clear sky. "Thank you. For the book. And sorry about my blubbery mess," I apologized, walking to the curb. "Of course. It was nice to meet you. Enjoy the book," he told me before turning away, making his way down the street.
I watched him walk away before opening the book, revealing a receipt with a message at the bottom.
In case you're ever in need of more books
(xxx)-xxx-xxxx
Maxx