New Beginnings {ACM}

Chapter 28

Song of the chapter: Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding

Emily's POV

After we cleaned up and loaded the dishwasher, I turned to my boyfriend. "Can you help me in the bath?"

He grinned. "Duh."

"Don't be sick," I said as I gave him a shove.

"Who said I'm being sick?"

"Your tone insinuated it."

He rolled his eyes and carried me up the stairs to the bathroom. He set me down and I stood putting pressure on one foot while I pulled my top off.

"Damn, I forgot a bag for your cast. I'll be right back." He left me to finish undressing and I wrapped myself in a towel before turning the water on. I sat on the edge with my good leg in the filling tub and waited for him to return.

He came back and I stuck my other leg out so he could wrap my cast in the plastic to prevent it from getting wet.

"There." Austin stood up and yawned.

I looked at him. "I can manage this myself, you should go rest. You look exhausted."

He scoffed. "And leave you alone in here so you can slip and break something else? Yeah, I don't think so. Come on, get in."

I rolled my eyes and slowly sat down in the warm water. "You're too paranoid. I won't slip, I'm sitting down."

"Naked, might I add," Austin smirked.

I reached over and punched the now laughing brown haired boy. "Grow up!"

"You might slip, Ems. I just want to make sure you're safe, and being in a slippery tub in a bathroom alone with a broken ankle is not my definition of safe. It's not anybody's definition of safe."

"Okay, okay, fine. You win." I held my hands over my eyes. "Can you pour water on my head?"

Austin grabbed a bucket and filled it with water before dumping it on me, causing me to shriek.

I grabbed my long drenched hair and moved it out of my eyes so I could glare at my boyfriend. "You could have done that a bit gentler."

"Awe, you're okay," Austin said.

I sighed. "Will you just pass me the shampoo?"

"Why don't I just shampoo your hair like last time?"

"Because you got it in my eyes last time!"

"Hey, that was an accident. You moved your head."

"Yeah, because you were about to drip shampoo down my forehead!"

Austin grabbed the shampoo and handed it to me. "Here."

"Thank you," I said as I took it and squirted some in my palm and started lathering it, Austin helping me. "Quit staring at me."

"Can't help it. You are way too attractive. Especially naked."

"You've seen it all before," I smirked.

"Doesn't mean I don't like it any less," Austin replied.

I rolled my eyes."Okay, go."

He dumped water on my head again a couple times to wash out the shampoo before I repeated the cycle with conditoner.

When I finished, Austin helped me out before handing me a towel.

"You can go downstairs and get the movie ready while I change," I told him as I scrunched my hair.

"But I need to carry you downstairs."

"No, you don't. I'll slide down, Austin, it's fine."

"But-"

"Austin!"

He sighed and turned to go out the door, grumbling as he went. He threw out a "Be damn careful, Emily!" before I heard him walk downstairs.

I hopped to the bedroom and grabbed black sleep shorts and one of Austin's t-shirts before slipping them on and brushing out my hair.

It took me a minute to get down the staircase considering how big it was, it being grand and all, and the fact that I was sliding down on my butt, but I managed to get to the bottom without injuring myself. Again.

Austin left my wheelchair at the bottom for me so I sat down in it and wheeled myself to the living room. He was most likely in the kitchen making popcorn, so I just sat on the couch and wrapped myself in a blanket while I waited for him.

Sure enough, he came back with a big bowl of buttery popcorn, just the way we liked it.

"You saint," I said as he sat down beside me. I reached over and grabbed a handful before lying against his side in my blanket. He slid an arm around me. I was quite cozy.

"You can't watch a movie without popcorn," Austin smiled. "How's the ankle?"

"Broken."

"No, really?" He said. "I meant, how does it feel?"

I laughed. "I'm just teasing you. It feels fine, actually."

"Positive?"

"Yes, Austin, I'm positive."

"Just making sure you're not in pain or anything," he told me as he pressed play for the movie. "It was bad enough seeing you in it when we were at the hospital."

I leaned my forehead against his bicep. "I know. Thank you for looking after me, and everything else."

He kissed my head. "You know I'd do anything for you, Ems."

Pancakes trailed in a few minutes into the movie and lied down at our feet. I reached over and scratched her behind the ears. "Hey girl."

"Shh!" Austin whispered.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

Him and his movies. Sheesh.