Chapter Fifty-Two

I stay at Jacobs for a few more hours going over things, I have to admit for awhile I've been worried that him and his team weren't really doing much. But he sat me down and went over everything they have on Markus, all I can say is that man has got lucky on some of his escapes. We pull up at the apartment complex, where I send him a smile as I take my seatbelt off. I was about to open up the car door to leave, but I turn to look at Jacob once more who was still sat there smiling at me. 'I know I have been asking so many questions, but I just want to know if you have seen Roman since you know, the whole arresting thing?" I ask trying to keep my voice down, if Markus has people waiting outside of a flipping warehouse, I wonder who he could have wating here! 'Going to see him is actually my next stop, I let him know yesterday that I would be telling you what's happening today, he wanted me to let him know how you took it all, you two are really the same person" he smiles which only makes a laugh leave my lips, that does sound like something Roman would do. 'If you want to leave him some sort of message that's fine, but I draw the line at anything too graphic!" he says pointing at me slightly, this once again causing me to laugh at how weird Jacob can sound sometimes. 'Just tell him that I will hold the fought while he's away, he‘ll know what I mean" I smile saying something that only Roman and I will understand, I wanted him to know that even if he and I can't be with each other right now, I'm still thinking of him every singe day. 'I will tell him as soon as I see him, I'll speak to you soon" Jacob smiles before I climb out of the car, I send him one last wave before closing the car door. I watch as he leaves the car park meaning I was alone, I let out a sigh looking around before beginning to climb the stairs. But now I knew Roman didn't do anything, I felt so much better about the situation. Yes, it sucked that he had to stay away in a safe house so Markus can't find or hurt him, but at least I know in Jacobs eyes, they're close to finding him. Before I knew it, I had arrived at the front door of the apartment. I was about to open the door, but when I hear Austin's voice talking to someone on the phone I stopped. I wanted to say to give him some privacy so he could talk, but a huge part of me wanted to hear what was being said. 'I've been telling you the same thing, I don't have any idea why Roman was arrested" he says annoyed to the person on the phone, this telling me alone that I was quite glad that I waited to walk in the house. 'No, Payton doesn't have a clue why either, when he was arrested it really upset her so don't come around and start asking a series of questions" he says bringing me into the conversation, I knew from what he was saying that he was talking to Markus, I guess he's grasping at straws to find Roman. I think I have been listening to their conversation enough now, so with a sigh I open up the door and walk in. As soon as I do, Austin looks over sending me a smile with the phone still against his ear. I send him one back before putting all my things down, I didn't want him to think I was listening into his conversation, even though I definitely was before. Once I was walking into the living, he had finished his conversation the smile still on his face. 'How did the meeting at work go?" He asks placing his hands in his pockets, at first I was a little confused on what he meant but then I soon remember the lie I had to tell him before I left. 'I learnt some new information about some things, but apart from that it was okay" I say with a sigh taking a seat on the sofa, I hated that I had to lie to him but I really didn't have any other choice at this point. He smiles walking into the kitchen, I place my head against the sofa my body telling me it needed sleep. My night of pacing was catching up with me, I knew it would at some point. I was just about to drift to sleep, but the sound of Austin walking back into the main room wakes me up slightly. 'I can see that you're tired, but you have to stay up a little longer to eat dinner" he says which was the thing that made me open my eyes, Austin was stood there with two pizza boxes in his hands smiling. 'You were able to get the pizza?" I ask quite shocked, I didn't think any shops or restaurants would be open today due to what happened! 'The pizza place was definitely busy, but they didn't want to keep their best customers waiting" he smiles walking towards the sofa and sitting beside me, I was still shocked the restaurant would even be open to be busy! He hands me over one of the pizza boxes, as I look down at the pizza in front of me a smile forms on my lips. All of the toppings were ingredients that I love on my pizza, even down to the green peppers. 'You remembered my order" I say looking over at him so shocked, Roman constantly tells me I have to write down what I want because it's much too complicated for him to remember. 'Of course I did, as you know pizza is very important to me, any little details that involve pizza I will always remember" he tells me taking his first slice and taking a huge bite out of it, I just send him a smile thinking his sweet it was of him to remember. But his comment does make me laugh as I look down at the pizza, I know this doesn't seem like a big deal but it is. No one ever gets my order right, but Austin took the time to remember it and that's so sweet. Austin reaches over and takes one of my slices in his hand, before I could question him he lifts it up to my mouth so I could take a bite. I laugh again but do take my first bite, I've been craving this pizza recently I have to admit. 'Phew, I didn't want to force feed you" he says letting me take the slice from his hand, I smile beginning to eat myself as we sat there in silence. 'Thank you" I smile looking over at him, he looks at me smiling shrugging his shoulders. 'It's okay, it's just pizza" he says taking another bite of his pizza, but I shake my head that wasn't what I was thanking him for. 'I'm not just thanking you for the pizza, you have been the only constant and normal person in life over this time, which we both know is something I desperately needed" I tell him having to elaborate what I meant further, I really don't know what I would have done without him. 'You don't need to thank me Payton, I'm just doing what you have done for me throughout the years" he smiles taking a bite out of his fourth slice, this man can eat quickly! 'You keep saying how I've helped you over the years, but to my memory I don't remember ever helping you like you've helped me" I say really not knowing what he means when he says that, for the longest time I thought Austin hated me. He looks over at me for a second before placing his pizza on the coffee table, he reaches over and takes mine putting his on the table too. Before I could question him, he takes my hand in his and pulls me to stand up. 'We can finish them after I show you something" he says pulling me out of the living room and towards his bedroom, I just follow along really confused. 'What's going on?" I ask as he opens his bedroom door, he doesn't answer my question and only pulls me down to sit on his bed while he turned around. I sit there still confused on what was happening, he starts to open his chest a drawers digging through it for a couple of minutes. But he soon turns around holding a little box in his hands, which only makes me that much more confused. 'Do you remember when we met in school when we were both 15?" He asks which was quite a broad question, i nod my head confirming that I remembered. 'Around a month after we met, my grandmother passed away and I was devastated" he explains taking a seat beside me on the bed, I send him a little smile at how awful that must have been for him. 'I was heartbroken that she died, she was the one that had to raise me as my parents had to work all hours under the sun to make ends meet. When I went back to school after it happened, you were the first person to catch on to how I was feeling" he explains while I try to remember what he was telling me, I think I was remembering it all. 'You asked me if I was okay and I told you what happened, you told me how sorry you were that I was going through all of this" he says before taking a look down at the little box again, I had no idea what could be sat in that box. 'You had a little blue bracelet around your wrist, you took it off and placed it around mine. You told me you can see how strong of a person I was, you said my grandmother wouldn't want me feeling the way that I was. But the bracelet has helped you through the years so you knew it would be able to help me, whenever I look at it I know I was strong enough to get through it" he explains whilst opening up the box and pulling out the same blue bracelet I have given him years before, my eyes go wide as I look over at it in his hands. 'You kept it?" I ask in complete shock, I forgot all about the bracelet and the times I would see it in photos, I always assumed I had lost it somehow! 'Of course, this is one of my most prized possessions" he says sounding like he was joking, but in his tone of voice I knew he wasn't. 'To others, this may seem like a cheap piece of jewellery but to me, it's means everything. It seems like you need this more than me right now" he says holding up the bracelet, but I shake my head with a little smile, I take his hand and put the bracelet back in the box. 'No, I gave it to you all those years ago" I smile looking away from the box and to his face, where we soon lock eyes. His eyes hold mine before they move from to my lips, before slowly going to meet my eyes again. I just continue to stare at him, while he slowly leans in closer to my face. Our lips were inches from touching, but before anything could happen, I get up from the bed. 'We can't" is all I say as I walk out of the bedroom door, but I didn't get very far before my hand is taken and I'm pulled backwards. Before I knew it, I was pulled with my back hitting the wall behind me. Austin stares at me once again before leaning in, this time our lips connect and he begins to kiss me. At first, I was frozen not knowing that to do. But after a few seconds, my arms wrap around his neck and I kiss him back.