Ava stared at the stunning scenery in front of her from her seat on the wooden deck of Austin's house

The sun was starting to set and the clouds surrounding the sun were a combination of reds, oranges, and purples, reflecting off the surface of the ocean. Ava never really enjoyed being at the beach, she hated getting sand in uncomfortable places and getting a nasty sunburn, but she could definitely make an exception this time. She couldn't even imagine waking up to this every morning and having such an amazing view from a backyard.

She heard footsteps from behind but kept her gaze on the sunset, "Why aren't you inside with everyone else?"

Phil took a seat in the chair next to her and glanced at her expectantly before turning his attention to the beach in front of him.

"I don't know," Ava whispered, "I don't think I really fit with you guys, I feel like I'm intruding or something."

He frowned slightly, "You're not intruding at all, the guys all seem to like you."

"Except Alan," She mumbled, hoping Phil didn't hear the sadness in her voice.

"Don't let Alan get the best of you," Phil said just as quietly, "Austin's been through a lot of shit these past few years and Alan is just looking after him, we just don't want to see Austin get hurt again."

"Again?" Ava grimaced.

Phil nodded, "Like I said, these last few years have been complete shit for him... but at least now he seems happy with you."

She blushed and stayed silent, watching as the sun continued to descend gradually, until it was completely dark. Ava continued to think about Austin and what he could have possibly been through in the past years besides his open heart surgery; he seemed like such a happy go lucky guy and was always positive, no matter the situation. She wondered if someone he loved and cared for died or abandoned him and she hoped that wasn't the case. Ava hated the thought of Austin being in any type of pain, especially if someone had deliberately caused him that pain.

"I think Austin likes you a lot."

Ava glanced at Phil, her cheeks still a deep shade of scarlet.

"What makes you say that?"

He smiled and shrugged, "Just the way he looks at you... I haven't seen him look at any other woman like that in a very long time. He clearly thinks you're special."

"I like him too," Ava smiled softly, "He's a really good guy."

"That he is," Phil agreed.

Ava and Phil sat in a comfortable silence and watched the sky turn darker and darker until Alan interrupted the moment.

"We were going to head home now," The redhead spoke, eyeing Ava suspiciously, "You want a ride, Phil?"

"Sure," He nodded and stood up, "I'll see you later Ava."

She was surprised when he pulled her into a hug but even more surprised at his next words.

"Keep an eye on Austin, yeah?"

"Of course," Ava answered without even hesitating.

Ava caught Alan's harsh stare right as Phil pulled away from her.

****

Austin sighed as he picked up the last of beer bottles on the coffee table and threw them into the recycling bin under the kitchen sink. His friends definitely had taken a toll on his beloved house, showing no mercy on him whatsoever. He frowned as he picked up a half eaten slice of pizza and threw it in the trash bin. He leaned against the marble island in the kitchen and rubbed his face with his large hands, groaning loudly.

It took him a moment to realize he hadn't really heard from Ava in a few hours and he started to worry. He hoped none of his friends, especially Alan, had scared her off; he knew how shy she was and how loud and intimidating his friends were. Austin knew he was probably being too protective over the beautiful woman, but he couldn't help it. He barely knew her and he was already scared of losing her; could he even afford to lose anyone else? Even when Austin was surrounded by hundreds of people, he still felt like he was drowning in his own loneliness. He missed the comfort of coming home to a woman after a long day, he missed being able to talk to his friends about anything and everything, and he definitely missed having a place to rest his head when he was going through a tough time.

Austin didn't even realize he had stopped moving when the thought of his mother entered his mind.

He quickly shook away the sad feelings before they could cripple him.

Austin wandered around the house and frowned when he didn't find her anywhere. He exited the house and exhaled a breath of relief when he spotted the brunette lounging on the deck, her attention fixed on the ocean in front of her. Austin took this moment to observe her features closely in nothing but the moon light; the way the cool breeze blew the long locks of hair out of her face, the very light freckles that had been dusted carelessly along her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, and even how her grey eyes scanned the scenery in front of her with such intensity, as if she was taking a photograph with those light orbs. He noticed how her pink lips seemed pulled into a permanent frown and how sluggish her posture seemed; she just seemed so vulnerable in Austin's eyes. She glanced down at her cell phone in her hands and her frown intensified. There was no doubt in Austin's mind that it was her fiancée that had texted her, probably telling her to come home as soon as possible.

Austin's heart sank as she dropped her head and wiped her glossy eyes with the back of her hand. He wished he could absorb all of her pain and protect her from everyone that even thought about harming her.

"The guys seemed to like you, especially Phil. I'm kind of surprised actually, he's usually really quiet around new people."

She jumped and looked in Austin's direction before shrugging her thin shoulders, "Yeah, he was really nice to me, most of them were actually."

Most.

"I'm sorry Alan is being a total dickhead to you," He apologized, "I don't know what's up with him."

Ava smiled softly, "Don't worry about it, he's probably just looking after you. I doubt he wants any girl drama in the band or whatever."

He snorted, "I guess you're right, but I don't think a woman like you is capable of starting any drama. You're way too quiet and nice for any of that bullshit."

Ava merely smiled at him before turning her attention to the twinkling stars in the sky. She remembered being a little girl and wishing she lived in the middle of nowhere away from civilization just so she could see the night sky in its entirety; Southern California definitely isn't the best place for stargazing unless you're in the desert. Austin noticed the way her lips quirked up into a tiny smile as she gazed up at the full moon.

"You know you can stay, right?"

Ava glanced at Austin and kept her mouth shut; she didn't know what to say.

"We can get you new clothes and whatever else you want," He continued, "Ava, you can't go back to him, he's just going to keep hurting you."

Ava stared at the large diamond on her ring finger, "What if I end up hurting you too?"

He let out a laugh that almost sounded bitter, "You won't hurt me... you can't hurt me."

"How do you know?" Her eyes watered, "I've hurt people before, Austin. I've done things I'm not proud of and I don't think I could ever forgive myself if I hurt you too."

"I can handle it," He whispered.

"I won't put you through that!" She nearly screamed, instantly regretting it, "I can't put you through that."

Even in the darkness, Ava could see his pained expression, "You've been hurt so much, haven't you?"

His eyebrows furrowed and Ava thought for sure he was going to start crying. He didn't say anything or even nod his head. Instead, he avoided all eye contact with Ava and remained silent as she stood up from her seat. She crouched down in front of the chair he was sitting in and grabbed his tattooed hands in hers; he gazed down at her and Ava saw the sadness in his dark eyes. His lithe fingers wrapped around her much smaller ones and he effortlessly pulled her into his lap. Ava wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her forehead against his; he kept his eyes closed in hopes that she wouldn't see the vulnerability that was starting to consume him.

"You won't lose me, I promise," Ava whispered and he nodded, "But I can't stay here with you, I won't use you like that. Zack is my fiancée and I have a lot of things to figure out before I can even talk about breaking it off with him. I just... there's some things I need to do alone and I won't subject you to all of my emotional baggage."

"You're not just emotional baggage to me."

"Yes I am," She whispered, "You say that I'm not now, but what happens a few months from now when the nightmares only get worse? Or Zack starts threatening you and I? When everything starts going to shit and you realize that you can't fix me? I can't put you through that."

He didn't know what to say.

"Ava," His voice was deeper and raspier, "Just, don't let things get to the point where you can't handle it, okay? Don't let it get to the point where you think about ending your life again, don't let him make you feel worthless. Don't let him tell you that you're not capable of being loved and that no one is ever going to love you like he does."

"I won't," She promised.

Austin stared at her dull eyes before frowning, "He's going to suck all of the life out of you, he's going to keep hurting you to the point where you're not even going to be yourself anymore; you won't be living anymore, just existing."

"He already has, Austin," She shook her head, "He sucked the life out of me a long time ago."

Austin looked away from her, knowing she was right.

"Hey," She murmured and lightly touched his stubbly cheek. Austin nearly shuddered at the sensation of her cold fingers on his warm cheek; he enjoyed her comforting touch.

"Hm?"

She offered him a tiny smile, "Let's go for a walk on the beach, yeah?"

He nodded and returned a smile of his own, though it didn't reach his eyes. Ava knew when people weren't genuinely happy, but it was extremely obvious with Austin. He avoided eye contact as he peeled off his shoes and socks and followed Ava off the deck. Austin held her hand tightly as he led her to the shore, flinching when his bare feet came in contact with the wet sand.

"I'm going to save you someday, Ava," Austin promised.

"You already have."

Notes

Chapter title is from Of Mice & Men's song, O.G. Loko :)