I felt like I was living in a dream as Austin drove me back home. Tonight, had turned out so differently than I could have ever expected. The idea that I had spent the last few hours with Austin, let alone the fact that it was a date, had my mind blown.
As he pulled up to the gate at the Landings, Austin reached for my hand, and I wove my fingers through his.
"Hello! I'm going to 5 Huntingwood Retreat," he told the woman as she walked out of the guard shack.
"Give me just a moment, Austin and Chloe?"
"Yes, ma'am. Thats us. Thank you!"
The gate began to rise, and Austin took off down the road. The Landings was a huge, gated community that took up the majority of Skidaway Island. When I say huge, I mean it. It's a 10-minute drive to my house once you get past the gate alone.
I helped Austin get to my house, pointing out the turns he couldn't remember from high school. As we pulled in the driveway, I glanced down at my phone to look at the time.
"It's already eleven? I didn't realize we had been out so long."
Austin put his truck in park and laughed, he glanced over at me and smiled.
"I'm really glad you let me pick you up today. I really did enjoy spending time with you again."
"I'm glad I did too," I squeezed his hand a little and smiled, "Come inside, everyone is probably asleep."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, we should probably have an actual conversation about our pinky promise, like get each other's real feelings about it. We've kinda avoided talking about it all night."
"That would probably be a good idea," he said as he unbuckled and got out of the truck to help me out.
After I was out, he closed the door behind me and pulled my suitcase out of the bed of his truck. We walked up the driveway and climbed the few steps to the front door. I punched in the lock code and quietly stepped into the house; I had no idea if anyone was still up. We climbed the stairs to my room and as I opened my door, Emma flung hers open.
"Ooooo, ya'll were out late huh, and now sneaking him in your room!"
"I wouldn't call it sneaking, I don't think mom and dad would really care."
She smirked and ran down the stairs towards the kitchen. After Austin and I were in my room, I went to the bathroom to change into some pajamas. I grabbed a Post Malone t-shirt and a pair of loose grey shorts and put them on. When I reentered the bedroom, Austin was looking around.
"I really need to update some of this stuff."
"I think it's cute, looks the exact same as it did in high school."
He walked over to my bed and laid down across the end of it. I climbed up and sat criss cross in the middle, facing him.
"So, the pinky promise," he questioned with a smile.
"The pinky promise," I laughed, "you know I can't just marry you because of a silly promise we made as teenagers."
"I wouldn't expect you too, but I really do like you Chlo, as more than just a friend. I felt like a kid again tonight."
I smiled and looked down at my lap.
"Yeah, I think I like you too. So, let's just take this slow for now? Just see where we go from here?"
"If that's what gives me a chance to be with you, then i'll take it."
His words shocked me, had he always felt this way about me? He had definitely never made it seem that way.
"You wanna watch a movie?"
"How about Grey's instead?"
"For sure. Let's just restart from season 1."
I sent Austin downstairs to grab some snacks and drinks while I set up Netflix. I flipped the lights off as he reentered the room; his arms were full, and he was beginning to drop things. We climbed in my bed and snuggled up under the covers. Half a bag of chips and twenty minutes later, I was asleep.
The next morning, I woke up and Austin was gone. I looked around the room for any traces of him and spotted his shoes in front of the dresser. Oh no, he wasn't supposed to stay over. Regardless of the fact that nothing had happened between us, my parents were going to kill me. Well maybe not, I never said last night was a date.
I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. After taking off my makeup from the previous day, I brushed out my hair and threw it up in a messy bun. I slipped on a pair of socks and walked downstairs to find my parents and siblings watching Austin make breakfast.
"Oh, look who's risen from the dead," my dad joked as I pulled out a seat at the bar.
Okay, so far so good, no one seems to be upset. It wasn't that late in the morning, almost ten o'clock.
"I was exhausted, Austin wanted to show me Plant Riverside, so we walked there from Forsyth and all the way back."
Not to mention, the past week had been extremely hectic, between graduation rehearsals, moving out of my dorm, flying home, and spending as much time as I could with friends.
"I'm just teasing you. Austin's making your favorite, French toast, eggs and bacon."
He looked up at me and smirked, I had no idea as to what he had said to them, and he had no idea as to what I had told them about us.
Emma, who had her phone shoved in her face looked up, "I knew they'd always end up together, even before she went to college."
My face turned bright red, and my parents looked back and forth between Austin and me.
"End up together? Since when are they together? You're dating?!," exclaimed my mom, she seemed to be excited.
"Woah, no one said we were together," I defended and threw my hands up in the air.
"Well, what about that pinky promise," Emma smirked, "When's the wedd-"
I slapped my hand across Emma's mouth and gave her a death glare.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Em."
"Well, breakfast is ready," Austin said, drawing everyone's attention away.
Thankfully, we didn't end up back on the conversation of Austin and I and successfully made our way through breakfast. After everyone was done eating, Austin helped my parents get everything cleaned up while I went up to my room to hop in the shower.
I walked back into my room, wrapped in only a towel, to find Austin sitting on my bed.
He looked up as I entered the room and winked at me. I knew I should have changed in the bathroom.
"Look away! Remember, were taking things slow," I exclaimed as I pulled clothes out of my closet.
"Okay, okay," he looked in the other direction and covered his eyes with his hands, "I want the show though."
I could feel my face heating up and swallowed; while Austin was extremely attractive, I couldn't help but to be nervous. With no idea as to what provoked me to do it, I dropped my towel and walked in front of Austin and pulled his hands away.
"I've loved you since middle school, when I made that promise, I intended to keep it. Not just because I wanted a backup, I've always wanted you, Chlo," he looked me up and down as he spoke, "just tell me you want this to work."
Rather than speaking, I wrapped my arms around his neck and began to kiss him. Soon enough, he was laying on the bed and I was on his lap.
So much for taking things slow.