Congratulations

"Are they really fucking playing 'House Party' by Meek?"

It was a bad idea to come here, it was apparent by the way my nerves were biting at my heels to turn around. It was apparent in the way Taryn hugged me, her eyes wide when she saw me. It was apparent in the way everyone turned their head to whisper in their friends ear when they saw me. I looked back towards Carter who shrugged his shoulders, non nonchalantly grabbing a random beer from the table in the hallway that lead to the kitchen.

My heart was racing, and bad. My petty ass already had a plan, but of course my panic attack had to make it hard to do. Okay, Domi. Breathe.


1) Walk in cute as fuck. Done.
2) Grab a beer. Look cute as fuck. I walked towards the kitchen, head held high as I walked towards Austins fridge and grabbed a Bud light.
3) Find Austin. Pretend you don't see him. Laugh and talk loud enough so he sees you.
4) Walk away.
5) Make him come to you.
6) Make him totally confess his love for you in front of everyone.

Okay, so I only had four more steps. How hard could it be, right? I'm sure word of my arrival has already reach Austin. He was sweating this just as much as I was.

I walked towards the den, making sure my hair was straight in the small mirror that was hung on the walls. You look aight, Domi...You good. You're a queen, baby. Austin is gonna be crazy when he sees you.

I slowly peeked my head over, my forehead the only thing that would be visible towards the people in the den. Jeff was there, adjacent to Austin as per usual. Mark and Liza, Taryn even crawled her way in there to be in between Austin's roommate. I giggled, making her look over to me. She smiled, moving her head towards the empty seat next to Austin. It was like as if he knew I was coming.

"Aight, this one's Lonely. You know who it's about," Austin grinned, leaning over to his laptop to press the next track.
"Bitch!" Jeff laughed obnoxiously, spilling Bud Light on himself.
Well, now's as much of a time to enter the room than any. Breathe. Breathe. "Oh Jeff, why you so sour, boo?"
Taryn laughed but my eyes weren't on my best female friend. They were on him. His messy man bun, his Dallas Cowboys jersey. His perfect ass grin now falling to an open 'O' shape.
No words were spoken as I took my rightful place next to Austin, my leg dangerously close to his as he started the track. "Domi.."
I shook my head, keeping eye contact with him. We didn't need to speak. We just needed to sit next to each other and make up for lost time of looking at each other's dumb asses.

The rest of the mix tape listening was like that; the only time we would break eye contact with each other was for Austin to change the song or for me to open a new beer. And we looked like fucking idiots, too. That much was apparent by the way people awkwardly left the room after telling Austin how fucking dope his mix tape was.
We were alone. We were alone and starring at each other because for a month we had no contact. We had so much to say. We had so much unsaid.
Austin took out two cigarettes, lighting them both and giving one to me. He made the first move and put his hand on my knee. I let him. "Dominika."
"Austin Richard." So badly I wanted to be strong and keep up that I didn't need him, but we both knew that was a damned lie.
But Ash. What he did with Ash was completely inexcusable. Was it true? It had to be. The part that fucks my head the most is he brought me to her job. "Why that fucking diner, Austin?"
"It wasn't like that," He explained quickly, pushing my glasses up from falling off my nose. "I just..at first I was tryna be romantic cause you like them shits. They remind you of Jersey. But then when I remembered Ash worked there, I kinda got hyped too, cause I wanted to show you off."
I rolled my eyes. "Austin, come on."
"I'm serious." And he looked it, too. But I owed it to my self not to fall into his shit so quickly. "I went to Ash's house the night you got arrested, I did." And there goes my fucking heart. "But I dropped the rest of the shit that was in this fucking house of hers off. We didn't smoke together, Domi. I smoked a blunt and handed her shit over. I owed it to you to get everything of hers out of this house. I owed it to you to dead that bitch."
"Why didn't you stop me?" My voice cracked. "I ran like a fucking idiot."
He pulled me into him, the familiar smell of stale beer and cigarettes greeting me. "I got lost when you turned left onto Sycamore. You ran into someone's backyard, you know."

We laughed, and it was a good hearty ass laugh. It was the first time I laughed in a fucking month and I couldn't stop. This is where I was supposed to be. In Austin Richard Post's dumb ass arms. This was the reason Texas brought me into it's warmth. This is why every other rehab in the fucking country seemed to be out of beds, because I was supposed to be here.
I took a pull of my cigarette, a smile on my lips. "So, you love me?"
He grinned, his spaced out teeth showing. "I knew that's the first thing your dumb ass would say."
And we kissed and it was fucking perfect. This is what I missed in 31 days, and I promised myself I never would again.
"Don't leave me, alright?" He pulled my face to his, forehead resting on forehead.
"Promise."