Read Online A Fire That Burns by Kirsty-Anne Still - Free Book Online
Authors: Kirsty-Anne Still
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grief years ago and here
she was again, releasing a new bout of grief from her soul.
Tom took her words to heart and went to stand, but his sister moved her
hand and pulled him back down, silently telling him not to leave her. As he sat
back down he noticed Austin was crying. The tears wrecking her cheeks by
stealing her mascara and running tracks down the contours of her face.
“It never went away,” Austin finally spoke to him and shook her head
trying to halt more tears from falling. She knew her life was spiraling out of control and she needed it to die down now,
before it consumed her. “I left because I thought it would help me get over it,
but every single day I sit and think about it.”
“That’s because that was your downfall,” Tom told Austin back.
Austin snorted, “You can’t blame a baby for that. Mine and Tyler’s
downfall was beginning long before I even found out I was pregnant.” She
breathed out as she finally spoke about the one thing that had driven her from
town all those years before. “You did so good with
keeping my secret, Tom.” She swallowed hard and looked at him, “Six years and
counting.”
“If it were up to me, I would have told Tyler just what that doting
fiancée had done though,” he ground out as he remembered the way Austin had
vowed him to secrecy. “Tyler deserved to know what happened that night, Aus. He
needed to know, he still needs to know.”
“It’s my burden now, Tom. He deserves to have what makes him happy,”
Austin stated firmly. “Even if the rest of the world tells him it’s no good,
it’s his life.”
Tom sat up, that irked him, he was angered at his sister’s selflessness,
“And what about you in all of this, Austin? For fuck sake, you’re at your
happiest when you’re with him. You’re the old you, the one that everyone loves
and remembers. When he isn’t around you’re a stranger and I know that when you
look in the mirror that’s all you see.”
“All a part of growing up,” Austin shrugged off nonchalantly. “This is
life, Tom. Deal with it like I have had to.”
“Bullshit, Austin!” he shouted and stood up as his anger riveted through
him. “I get that you were scared and that you were in pain, but Austin, we love
you, we would have been there, whatever. Tyler would have been there for you.”
“Really, between what, nights out at the bar and work meetings?” Austin
asked her brother as she stood and began to make her way up the rocks. She then
turned around and felt pleased that she wasn’t crying any longer, “Hell, he had
Natasha all along to make sure he was never lonely. So where in that mix would
he have been there for me?” Austin shouted and breathed in slow and deeply to
cool her nerves, “Every day since I’ve been back all I have done is cry and cry
and cry. Tom, I’m tired of crying. I am sick and tired of feeling so miserable
and down.”
“Maybe if you just told everyone the truth the-” Tom began, but was
immediately cut off.
“No one is ever going to know! I mean that Tom, no one will ever know!”
Austin bellowed at him, anger beseeching her tone, “I made you promise back
before I left and I want you to promise me again that you will never tell a
soul.”
He knew he had to respect her wishes and hope that one day she would
just cave and admit everything. “I won’t tell,” Tom vowed to her again. “Just
look at it from my angle as I look in at this whole situation.”
“I do and she’s got it all,” Austin admitted and looked to Tom as she
sniffed. Uncharacteristically she used her sleeve to wipe her nose to try and
stop her tears, “Got the guy, got the life, got the baby .”
She threw her arms up in the air in defeat, “So you know what? There is no
reason to have this conversation anymore, or to look into this situation. We’re
done having this conversation for good.”
“So what are you going to do with the rest of your life?” Tom asked her,
“Be a lonely
she was again, releasing a new bout of grief from her soul.
Tom took her words to heart and went to stand, but his sister moved her
hand and pulled him back down, silently telling him not to leave her. As he sat
back down he noticed Austin was crying. The tears wrecking her cheeks by
stealing her mascara and running tracks down the contours of her face.
“It never went away,” Austin finally spoke to him and shook her head
trying to halt more tears from falling. She knew her life was spiraling out of control and she needed it to die down now,
before it consumed her. “I left because I thought it would help me get over it,
but every single day I sit and think about it.”
“That’s because that was your downfall,” Tom told Austin back.
Austin snorted, “You can’t blame a baby for that. Mine and Tyler’s
downfall was beginning long before I even found out I was pregnant.” She
breathed out as she finally spoke about the one thing that had driven her from
town all those years before. “You did so good with
keeping my secret, Tom.” She swallowed hard and looked at him, “Six years and
counting.”
“If it were up to me, I would have told Tyler just what that doting
fiancée had done though,” he ground out as he remembered the way Austin had
vowed him to secrecy. “Tyler deserved to know what happened that night, Aus. He
needed to know, he still needs to know.”
“It’s my burden now, Tom. He deserves to have what makes him happy,”
Austin stated firmly. “Even if the rest of the world tells him it’s no good,
it’s his life.”
Tom sat up, that irked him, he was angered at his sister’s selflessness,
“And what about you in all of this, Austin? For fuck sake, you’re at your
happiest when you’re with him. You’re the old you, the one that everyone loves
and remembers. When he isn’t around you’re a stranger and I know that when you
look in the mirror that’s all you see.”
“All a part of growing up,” Austin shrugged off nonchalantly. “This is
life, Tom. Deal with it like I have had to.”
“Bullshit, Austin!” he shouted and stood up as his anger riveted through
him. “I get that you were scared and that you were in pain, but Austin, we love
you, we would have been there, whatever. Tyler would have been there for you.”
“Really, between what, nights out at the bar and work meetings?” Austin
asked her brother as she stood and began to make her way up the rocks. She then
turned around and felt pleased that she wasn’t crying any longer, “Hell, he had
Natasha all along to make sure he was never lonely. So where in that mix would
he have been there for me?” Austin shouted and breathed in slow and deeply to
cool her nerves, “Every day since I’ve been back all I have done is cry and cry
and cry. Tom, I’m tired of crying. I am sick and tired of feeling so miserable
and down.”
“Maybe if you just told everyone the truth the-” Tom began, but was
immediately cut off.
“No one is ever going to know! I mean that Tom, no one will ever know!”
Austin bellowed at him, anger beseeching her tone, “I made you promise back
before I left and I want you to promise me again that you will never tell a
soul.”
He knew he had to respect her wishes and hope that one day she would
just cave and admit everything. “I won’t tell,” Tom vowed to her again. “Just
look at it from my angle as I look in at this whole situation.”
“I do and she’s got it all,” Austin admitted and looked to Tom as she
sniffed. Uncharacteristically she used her sleeve to wipe her nose to try and
stop her tears, “Got the guy, got the life, got the baby .”
She threw her arms up in the air in defeat, “So you know what? There is no
reason to have this conversation anymore, or to look into this situation. We’re
done having this conversation for good.”
“So what are you going to do with the rest of your life?” Tom asked her,
“Be a lonely
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