Every Time You Fall Apart You Can Hide Here In My Arms

"So what are you doing tonight?" Matt stuck his hands into the front pocket of his jeans as he leaned against the side of Austin's car. She stood in front of him, her arms crossed over her chest. It was nearing ten pm and it wasn't cold, but it wasn't extremely warm. They were now standing in the parking lot of the restaurant after everyone else had left. Mica was waiting inside Austin's car.

"Probably go home, read over a few things then head to bed," she smiled up at him, "it's been a long day."

He glanced down at the ground, kicking a small rock underneath her car before looking up at her again, "you should come have a drink with me first."

She laughed softly, "haven't you been drinking all day?"

"Pretty much," he admitted, but he wasn't even near being tipsy, "but this way, Mica can take your car home, and you can drive me. Since, I probably shouldn't be driving anyway."

"No, you probably shouldn't."

"So is that a yes?"

Austin thought it over for a moment. Spending another hour or so with Matt did sound a hell of a lot better than going home to an empty house. "Alright," she caved.

"Good," Matt stood up straight allowing Austin to open the drivers door and peek inside.

"You wanna take my car home?"

A wicked grin crawled across Mica's face, "to my house?"

"Yeah, Austin grabbed her purse off the seat, "then tomorrow, you can pick me up with it, and after work, I'll drive you home."

"You going home with him?"

Austin shook her head and laughed, "no, just going for a drink."

"Sure, sure," Mica crawled out of the car and joined them on the drivers side, snatching the keys from Austin, "play safe kids."

Matt smiled and stepped away from the car along with Austin as Mica jumped in the front seat, started the car then backed away.

"So you driving or me?" Matt dangled his car keys between his fingers.

"I am," Austin grabbed them and followed him to his car.

"So it wasn't to bad with Val tonight hey?" Matt asked her as he climbed into the passenger seat.

"Bad?" Austin questioned as she stuck the keys into the ignition and turned it over, "I never even talked to her."

"Yeah, so it wasn't too bad," Matt laughed.

"No I guess not," she backed out of their parking spot and headed for the parking lot exit, "where to?"

"How about that smaller bar down the street that we use to go to?"

Austin stopped at the stop sign and smiled sheepishly, "it's been a while, you'll have to remind me where to go."

Matt directed her and she made it there relatively easily. She had to park further away but that was alright with them. A little walk never hurt anyone. Once inside they took a couple of the only seats left. Bar stools at the bar.

They ordered drinks and sat silently for a moment, staring down at the old worn, carved wood that made up the curved bar.

Matt finally broke the silence, but he never looked at her, "so ughh...how did you meet James?"

"Hart?" she stopped swirling the blue straw around in her drink and looked over at him, "I did some advertising for their band."

He glanced over his shoulder at her, his lip ring gleaming under the light, "so are you two...like a couple?" he asked hesitantly.

Austin smirked and looked forward at the bottles of alcohol lining the wall behind the bar. "No, I don't even really know the guy. We met, he asked me out, and we ended up at that party."

"So you, always go out with guys you don't know?"

Austin closed her eyes before opening them slowly and looking at him again, "is this conversation going somewhere?"

"Sorry, that was low...I just..."

"You just what?" she asked him seriously. "Want to see who I'm sleeping with, what kind of whore I've turned into?"

His head snapped around to look at her, "that's not, what I was getting at."

"Well then please tell me what you were getting at?"

He looked away from her again, "I was just curious about your dating situation?"

She frowned, "I haven't really dated anyone since you."

"Are you serious? It's been years."

She took a sip of her drink, "yeah well call me corny, but I wanted you to be the first and last person I ever had a real relationship with."

"You mean you haven't slept with anyone else either?"

Good god, what a conversation to be having with your ex.

"Once or twice."

He grinned and turned his attention to the bottle of beer in front of him.

"I'm not even gonna ask about you," Austin laughed softly and sipped on her drink.

He grinned and leaned forward, placing his forearms on the bar, "ahhhh come on, you don't wanna hear about my wild escapades?"

She shook her head. "Not really. Though I have to ask about that girl at the ice cream shop."

"Melanie?"

"I guess," Austin laughed.

"She's ugh, well she's the reason I left Val."

Now Austin was interested. "My god, you just can't keep it in your pants can you?"

His grin turned cocky, "what can I say, I'm a wanted man."

"Doesn't it bother you to only be wanted for sex?"

Matt looked like he was seriously thinking about her question, but he shook his head and took another swig of beer. "Not really. This way I never have to worry about maintaining a relationship, and I stay a very happy man."

"That's lame Matt. You're not as young as you may think."

He laughed, "well that's harsh."

"I'm serious," Austin finished her drink, Matt ordered her another. "You should be settling down with someone," she recognized the look on his face and quickly revised her statement. "I don't mean quit the whole music thing, music is your life, I know that. But you should be looking to share it with someone, because you can't do this forever. Not to mention you have Maddison to think about now."

"You're starting to sound like mother Sanders."

She shrugged, "I'm sorry, I just...worry about you."

"Don't worry about me," he finished his beer and was quickly awarded with another one, "thanks," he acknowledged the bartender before turning his attention back to her. "So does your little speech apply to you? I mean, you should be settling down with someone, having kids, hangin out."

She nearly choked on her drink. "Yeah right, me? Kids? I don't think so, not to mention the man who gives them to me."

He looked away from her. He didn't want her to know that her latest statement pleased him immensly. He didn't think he'd have been able to handle her telling him that she was in love with someone, and thinking about kids. Actually, that probably would have killed him.

"So are you guys going to start work on a new album, or you guys planning another tour?"

He was glad for the conversation change. He was starting to imagine Austin with other men, and it was pissing him off. He took her invitation and ran with it, and a couple hours later they found their drunken selves being ushered out of a different bar and into a waiting cab.

"I need to bring my car home," Matt stammered from the backseat as the cab driver pulled away from the curb.

"We'll get it tomorrow when we can both walk," Austin giggled from beside him.

He glanced over at her and it suddenly hit him how beautiful she was, and it wasn't just the booze talking. Unable to control himself he leaned over and kissed her on the top of the head.

She was babbling about something but she suddenly stopped. She looked up at him, but she was too drunk and it was too dark to make out his facial features, all she knew was that she wanted to feel his lips on hers.

"Matt," she reached up, wrapping her hand around the back of his neck and pulling him closer to her, her lips pressing against his before she slowly pulled away, tasting the metal from his lip ring on her lips.

She caught him smile through the darkness and she couldn't help it, she leaned in for one more.

What started as a simple kiss turned into a more passionate one. His tongue caressed hers as he reached over, grabbing her by the hips and pulling her onto his lap so that she was stradling him. Fuck what the cab driver thought.

The minute they reached Matt's apartment complex, he handed the driver some money, he didn't know how much, and he didn't really care. He pulled Austin from the cab, placed his hands on her ass and picked her up. Her legs snaked around his waist and her arms around his neck as he carried her to the door.

"Please tell me you have a key," she giggled as she nibbled on his neck.

He was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate. But he knew he had his keys, he felt them when he reached for his money to pay the driver.

"Just hold on," he mumbled as he basically held her up with one arm while he dug in his front pocket with the other hand. He produced the keys, opened the door carefully and headed down the hallway to his and Johnny's apartment where he fumbled with his keys again.

Once inside he prayed to god that Johnny and Lacey would be in bed because they'd stop them. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't deny how he felt.

They stumbled down the hall to Matt's room and he closed the door behind them. A few moments later they were both on the bed fumbling to get rid of any clothes in the way.

Austin's eyes adjusted to the dark and fear and excitement coursed throughout her body as Matt moved over top of her. Despite the fact that somewhere in her brain she knew this was way wrong, she needed this. She still loved him.