Tethered ? Awsten Knight

(Continuted)

God dammit Fran.

"How did you meet Francesca?" Awsten asked me, leaning against the bar with a water bottle in his hand.

"College actually." I answered, my hands interlocked and held in front of me. "She was my roommate freshman year and we just kinda clicked and she's been stuck with me ever since."

"Oh yeah? You dance though, right?"

"Yeah, I'm a dancer. I'm a songwriter too but I totally identify as a dancer." I laughed a little, now also leaning on the bar. "Francesca did the whole managing thing for me back in college before we split off into our own little sub genres."

"That's so cool. I'm a terrible dancer. It's tragic actually." He sighed playfully. "People make sure they tell me all the time - including Francesca...You want to go outside and get some fresh air? It's getting loud in here."

"Yeah, sure." I nodded, following him over to the door that led outside.

He got it, smiling at me as he let me out first.

I felt it. That pit in my stomach that told me I was about to be royally fucked.

No way Francesca was right. Absolutely not.

Awsten's eyes were so beautiful, and that smile.

It was exactly how I remembered it - minus the hair of course.

"Fran also told me that you're from Houston?" I asked him as we found some patio furniture and sat down.

Oh no - should I have mentioned that? He'll know Fran and I have talked about him.

"Yeah, I sure am. Where are you from? New York I guess?"

"Nope," I shook my head, popping the p. "Born and raised in Houston, Texas."

"Are you fucking with me right now?" He looked at me with one of his eyebrows arched.

"No, I'm not." I laughed and shook my head. "I went to Northside High."

"Wow, that's crazy. I went to Cypress Ridge."

"Yeah, what a small world. I don't think I've ever met anymore here in LA also from Houston."

"Me neither actually, at least not that close." He shook his head, putting his arm up over the lounge chairs with his legs crossed, his right foot rested on his left knee. "That's wild. That's only like a 25 minute drive maybe? How long have you been in LA?"

"Just about two years now? I moved here in the summer in 2019. I stayed in New York for just a little bit after graduating with Fran. I came a little after her once she got settled. What about you? When did you move to LA?"

"2018. I just kept flying here all the time from Houston...it was like every couple of months. So I've been here about three years. Definitely has its ups and downs but I had to get out of Houston."

"Do your band mates also live here in LA?"

"Nah, it's just me. Geoff and Otto still live in Houston."

We kept talking as the party went on around us. I could feel the heat from his arm draped against the patio furniture. Somehow we managed to scoot closer to each other.

"What kind of music do you like to dance to? Like if it didn't matter to you and you could pick anything at all that you wanted." Awsten asked, leaning into the conversation.

"Oh man," I laughed a little, mainly from nerves and him being so close to me. "Well I honestly really love dancing to pop music, but if I could dance to anything and it was accepted as cool in my world, alternative. I love so many different kinds of music. The Maine is one of my absolute favorite bands. I also love dance music though - I don't know I'm a bit all over the place. I just need it to be different and not so formulaic with the sound."