A Fire That Burns (4 page)

Hearing the door open she turned around on her seat and watched as Tom
came into the room. His face was sullen, his eyes looked sorry and he didn’t
take notice of the two beer bottles on the countertop that signified someone
else was here.

“You okay?” he asked her and she nodded. “It kicked off so dad sent us
all home. Mom doesn’t want to see us until she’s ready apparently.”

Looking away, Austin felt her heart sink as she felt bad for disrupting
a perfect marriage like that of her parents. It was never her intention, but
she never expected her mother to literally make her some sort of abomination
for coming back home.

“Have you ever thought it’s about time you told them the truth?” Tom
asked Austin, not knowing that Tyler was just coming down the stairs. “I mean,
come on, maybe mom will let you back in then and all this stress and tension
will just go.”

“Yeah and dad will disown me in its place,” Austin shot back in a low
tone, her voice trying to be a whisper, but she couldn’t keep it that way.
 
“What happened is dead and buried, Tom. I
made sure of that.”

“Yeah and it really shows that,” he said and stood up and headed to
kitchen. “Really shows that you’re over
it
by the fact that you’re home
and miserable. Six years hasn’t done you any good, it just worked as a good
distraction for a while. It worked until you decided you were done with running
scared and alone.”

 
“And you wonder why I’m miserable,”
Austin muttered and watched Tyler walk through the door. “Did you want to stay
for something to eat, Tyler?” She asked and she heard her brother turn around
as he now realized they weren’t alone.

Tyler felt angry all of a sudden.
 
One of his closest friends had blatantly lied to him for the best part
of six years. “
Er
, no thanks, Sunny. I think I best
be going now.”

She didn’t have time to react as a few words were thrown between her brother
and Tyler. He left with a simple goodbye and she was more than a little
confused by the emotions coursing through her body.

***

Later that night when the house was quiet, Austin broke down. She broke
down in the way that she had promised herself she wouldn’t do so. She was too
involved that she didn’t even realise the door was opening up and her brother
was fast tracking towards her to comfort her.

“Hey,” he soothed as he rocked her slightly. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay,” Austin admitted, “It’s not going to be okay.” She
pulled back from him momentarily. “I’m even ruining your life by being here.”

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Tom battled back reassuringly.
“Believe me, I know our mom like the back of my hand and I’ll break her down
sooner or later.”

Austin sniffed and wiped the back of her hand down her cheek, “But you
shouldn’t have to do that.”

“I’m a big boy,” Tom fought her woes quickly. “Plus I wouldn’t be the
best big brother if I kicked you out on the street. That’s not my style and now
I have you back I really
ain’t
ready to let you go,
Aus.”

Smiling a little at her brother she couldn’t help herself with
admitting the truth to him, “Why do I have to love him so much?”

Tom smiled sadly at that admittance, “Simple,” he began to tell her and
wiped a tear away. “For the same reason he loves you so much.”

Feeling her lip quiver, she dropped her gaze, “Will you just stay with
me?” she asked her brother,
“
I feel so lonely.”

He knew it wasn’t a jab at him, he knew she loved having him around and
appreciated his support that was evident in her asking him to stay with her.
For that reason, he accepted and got her to lie down and he pulled the sheets
over her before lying down on the bed. Neither said a word to the other, but
Tom pulled his little sister into his arms and allowed her to cry for a little
while.

She needed to get this out and if this was it, then he would wait it
out. He would even do it every night until she climbed out from rock bottom.

Going back to his bedroom almost two hours later once Austin was sleep,
Tom went over to his bedside table and pulled it open. Grabbing an old folded
piece of paper he slumped onto his mattress and opened it. He ran his finger
across it to straighten the creases out and sighed as he read for yet another
time.

This was almost a religious act now. To sit and read the last real
letter that Austin had written. The letter he had kept a secret and which kept
his last promise to his little sister.

Reading again, he knew that before long he would need to use it to
prove to this small minded town what had really happened to make Austin flee.
Tom knew it wouldn’t take too long to make Tyler realise that his precious new
girlfriend was the root of Austin’s demise. It also wouldn’t take long for
Tyler to understand what the final straw was that broke Austin’s back.

For now, he was giving Austin the benefit of the doubt to build her
life back up.

And if that meant making a new -
ignorant of reality
-
connection with Tyler then so be it he would allow it.

For now anyway.

Chapter Six

YOU
go to
San Francisco and the whole world follows,” Austin heard over her shoulder
making her jump.

Turning she saw her brothers, along with Tyler and his sister too. She didn’t
know how to react to this sudden gang standing opposite her. She didn’t know if
she’d
drank
too much or not enough. Her mind and body
were working against her, not allowing her to flee or unleash some sarcastic
wit. She had fled Point Arena only days after her midnight breakdown just so
she could feel like she could breathe properly.

“Just
gonna
sit there, Sunny, or dance?”
Tyler asked as he bypassed the gang and went towards her with his hand out.

When she didn’t respond he took her hand and drug her out to the middle
of the dance floor where he immediately started to dance with her like they
were six years younger and dancing in their bedroom together. It seemed that a
few days of space kept bringing the pair closer each time.

It didn’t take long for everyone else to join them and the party to get
started and as Tyler tried his hardest to keep Austin’s sole attention on him,
he found himself failing. He had no other prior thoughts, Austin was occupying
his mind and when she excused herself all of a sudden he had to follow. He
wasn’t ready to let her vanish from his sight. Not again, not now.

Finally making it to the bar, Austin slid her arms across the mahogany
top to look for the bartender, seeing him serving she pulled up a stool and
plonked down on it.

“Are you stalking me?” she asked Tyler as he joined her. “You know my
weaknesses so your efforts are futile.”

Tyler chuckled and leaned in, “You mean this one?” he asked as he
finished the question off by leaning in further and bringing her head closer to
his as he kissed a spot behind her ear and heard the familiar gasp as he hit
the right area. Satisfied, he sat down and took in her awe filled gaze. “So why
did you come all the way out here?” Tyler questioned her, leaning in again to
snap her out of her trance, “And all alone?”

Austin looked at him and realized the game was up. She hated that Tyler
could do this to her and she willingly let him. She hated that he could read
her so bloody well! “Two reasons,” she began, putting two fingers up at him for
emphasis. “One, I needed to get out, and two, I have friends in San Fran that
asked to meet up before they headed out.”

The bartender came over and smirked at Austin, leaning down he played
with a curl and looked at Tyler who growled, but he didn’t deter, “Hey Pretty
Lady, sorry about the wait.”

“That’s fine, Hot Stuff,” Austin flirted back sweetly and held up her
money, “Two tequila slammers, please,” Austin ordered with a cheeky smirk.

Tyler knew this was natural progression, but pure jealousy raced through
him instantly. “You trying to get me drunk, baby?” Tyler asked her casually as
the bartender disappeared for a moment.

She never said a word until now. Austin looked at him
pointedly,
“Who said they were for you?” she asked him and
downed the first shot, shaking her head in disgust as the venom of the alcohol
hit her taste buds. She slid the next one to him with a smile and winked at him
before turning on her stool to watch him. “Drink up.” she watched as he exacted
her disgust of the taste after swallowing the shot size of alcohol, “So how did
you find me?”

“You’re not the only one who can use a computer,
y’know
?”
he commented back with a sanctimonious smirk and watched her giggle the sweet
laugh he used to always love to hear. “We’re all checked into the same hotel
too.”

“Now you lot just got scary with your finding me,” Austin pointed out
amused. “Another round?” she asked as she wanted to get drunk and complete her
plan –
Mission
forget
everything.

Tyler reached around into his pocket and pulled his wallet out, “This
one is on me.”

“Goody,” Austin sounded as Cassie came and joined them, dragging Tom
with them. “I’d get your orders in, Mr. Armstrong here is ordering.”

Tom smiled at his sister as he realized just how like her old self she
was being. He knew it was temporary; after all she had been drinking for the
most part of her day, but whatever the reason he was going to enjoy seeing her
like this. He liked having the old Austin back. She was more lively, bubbly,
less like a shell of herself.

As the drinks began to flow though, he could see how dangerously Tyler
and Austin were playing with fire. Here they were all over one another,
flirting to the nines, nicknaming one another, touching and feeling whenever
the opportunity arose. He worried that his sister was being set up for the
greatest fall ever.

“Aw
Stud
, you know you should never take on a Goddess like me!”
she told him sarcastically as she dramatically flung her arms around in her
drunken state. She hiccupped as she noticed they were alone once more,
“Especially when it comes to drinking
you
under the table.”

“You know you’re on!” Tyler accepted the challenge and grabbed the
bartender for more alcohol.

After another three shots the pair sat looking at one another,
conversation drying up, emotions pouring out, and alcohol lining their system
fully. Feeling the chemistry building, she felt their bodies being drawn
together, the lust exploding in short shots around them and she knew there was
a kiss somewhere in this evening.

However, Austin didn’t know that she wouldn’t be on the receiving end
of it.

Tyler knew he shouldn’t be doing this, but six years was too long to
wait and it was too long to allow things to build up without just relinquishing
their old flame – even just once before his reality snapped back.

For Tyler that was sooner rather than later.

“Baby!”
Natasha’s voice
broke the moment and the pair literally flew away from one another. “Sorry I’m
late, Ty.” The moment she got close she put a ringed left hand to Tyler’s face as
she kissed Tyler. She didn’t even acknowledge Austin.

Austin’s arch nemesis had won. Just like she had told Austin she always
would. She felt like she had been sucker punched and hard – right in the heart.
The alcohol she had just consumed was burnt straight out of her veins. There
was the kiss of the evening and the shot of realisation penetrated her harshly.
She might have left her heart in Tyler’s hands, but that was now under
Natasha’s foot.

Suppressing the anger that ripped through her she painted a smile on
her face and looked at the happy couple. “I’m going dancing,” she declared
cheerfully and left them be, getting lost immediately in the crowd. She wasn’t
going to stand around for hellos, or welcome backs; she was just getting out of
there. It wasn’t just the sight of Tyler with Natasha wrapped around his waist,
it was more the look of pure glee on Natasha’s face that struck daggers into
her chest.

Watching, Tyler ignored Natasha until she moved to be in front of him.
He looked down at her and saw the fury in her face, her eyes darkened and
heated, her brow furrowed as her chest began to heave with aggression and
momentary envy.

“Honey, I came here straight from work like you asked of me and then
you don’t talk a lot,” She tried to win him over with exchanging the cold,
angry exterior with sweet talk and puppy dog eyes. “What gives?”

“A long commute,” he muttered back, his eyes wandering across the club.
They stopped when he saw Austin with an unknown male.

“She’s fine you know?” Natasha mentioned in utter putrid hatred and
looked at Austin before turning back. “She’s over you –
officially
.”

Ignoring his girlfriend for a moment he let out an overprotective growl
as he witnessed what was rolling out. “Excuse me a minute,” he said and headed
across the club and to where Austin was literally being groped on the dance
floor and he knew if he left it any longer then he would be witnessing a lot
more than just hardcore groping.

She hadn’t even been dancing for more than five minutes and already she
had a man all over her. Not that Tyler was surprised; he remembered just how
much sex appeal that woman held and how she loved to use it to weaken him. He
shouldn’t have been so surprised that she was gaining all of the attention of
the men in the bar. Why would it be any different when she was a sexy
twenty-five year old?

The moment he was near, Tyler pulled her away from the man’s groping
hands. He was enraged. He turned him around and went to hit the stranger, but
Austin stood in the way and he dropped his clenched fist. With that notion
diminished he dragged her towards the door.

“Tyler!” Austin said as she pulled her arm free of his angered grasp,
“You do not get to do that!”

“He was all over you!” Tyler defended pointing in the direction to the
man in the middle of crowd as he stood still confused.

“
And
?!” she shouted back in frustration, “I’m a single
twenty-five year old woman; I can handle a man wanting me! It wasn’t illegal
the last time I checked!” She took in his aura and sighed heatedly, “And you do
not get to do that to me when you’re with
her
and forgot to drop
that
into conversation.”

With that said she left the club and headed
back to the hotel.