A/N: Short chapter. I hope you still enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Make It or Break It.
Furiously marching down the steps, Payson goes into the kitchen where she knows her mother is because she could hear her voice from upstairs since there is only two other people in the house at the moment. When she takes a seat at the kitchen table, she huffs and puffs until she gets Kim's attention. She desperately needs someone to comfort and rant with her. At first Kim tries to ignore it, but realizing Payson isn't going to stop she asks, "Is everything alright?"
"No! Can you believe that Austin and Becca went out together again without me? This is completely absurd. I mean, what can they possibly be doing, mom?"
"Pay, I wouldn't overthink it and make a big deal about this if I were you."
Payson crosses her arms over her chest. "Wow. I can't believe my own mother is defending this. How would you feel if Dad and Aunt Vicky had been gallivanting around without you?"
Kim sighs as she takes a seat next to her daughter at the kitchen table. "You love Austin, don't you?"
Her eldest daughter looks at her with a softer expression on her face than from a few seconds ago, "More than you can ever imagine." It's really the only reason why she keeps freaking out like this.
"Well then, honey, listen to me." When Payson crosses her legs and looks off to the side, her mother says," Payson…"
"Mom…," Payson replies, turning her head to look at her.
"Becca is your little sister who you grew up with and Austin is your boyfriend, who you just said you love more than I could ever imagine. If you love them both, you should be able to trust them both, especially Becca, sweetie, you know that she wouldn't do anything to hurt you."
"I know. I just hate feeling that I'm not in control of a situation or that I'm out of the loop. They're hiding something from me, Mom. It's so unlike Austin to hide things from me."
"I'm sure that they have a perfectly good and harmless explanation as to why they are being secretive about what they are doing," Kim replies.
"But if what they're doing is so 'good and harmless' then why do they feel the need not to tell me."
Kim worries her lower lip and takes into consideration Payson's point. She's trying to feed Payson all that she would want to hear. But in reality, just like the first time Becca and Austin went out together alone, she can't really give Payson a clear explanation because in all actuality, she was confused herself. "Some things are hard to understand, Payson, but sometimes things between certain people are supposed to be left between them. Really, you should be ecstatic that it's your sister and Austin. It's if he starts leaving alone by himself—now, that's when you should start to worry." When she starts to see her daughter surrender and let her guard down a little bit, Kim continues, "And I don't expect you to completely understand this because you've really only lived twenty five years, but honey there are going to be a lot of things that bother you in life and if you don't learn how to carefully pick the kind of issues to seriously get mad over, you are going to lose a lot of important people in your life."
Shaking her head intensely, Payson blurts out with tears in her eyes, "I can't lose him, Mom. I know Becca will always be in my life because she's family. But Austin isn't family and if one thing goes wrong, I can lose him forever and, Mom, to tell you the truth, this is the first time since we've been dating when I actually felt like it's possible that I could lose him."
Kim embraces Payson into a hug and tells her, "You have every right to feel the way you do, but Payson, things are going to go wrong in yours and Austin's relationship but that doesn't mean you're going to lose him. It only means that your relationship is real and that you aren't living in a fairytale."
Payson smiles as she says, "Thanks, Mom." No matter how old or how mature Payson becomes she will always be her mother's daughter and needs to have talks like this every once in a while.
"By the way, your grandmother is taking the first flight back to Minnesota tomorrow. She's switching Sunday dinner to Wednesday dinner since you and Austin are going to be back in Boulder by then."
"Flight back? Where did she go?" Payson asks.
"Where do you think she went?"
"You're joking. Vegas again?" Kim nods in response before Payson shakes her head and laughs, saying, "Grandma and her end-of-life crisis. Well, I mean, that's really nice that she wants to see me before I leave badly enough to leave her beloved Las Vegas."
"Oh, it's not for you. In her words exactly, she 'wants to see Payson's future husband.'"
"Oh goodness… here we go…"
"Guess who's going to be at dinner tomorrow?"
The two names that pop into Payson's head makes her almost cringe at the thought. "Oh no, please don't tell me that Hayden and Nikki are going to be there."
Kim nods her head as she notes, "You know, you three used to be really close. When you three got together, you guys were inseparable."
Payson agrees with her mother but also points out that, "Yeah, until Nikki turned into a freaking psychopath and Hayden forget how to keep her legs closed."
"Payson…don't you think you're exaggerating and being just a little bit harsh?"
"Exaggerating? Mom, you know how Nikki can get when she's angry and let's not forget how many boyfriends of family members we never heard from again very soon after we would find Hayden mysteriously coming out of grandma's upstairs bathroom with one of them on holidays. Sometimes even two of them."
"Payson, just be nice…they are still your cousins and I'm sure that somewhere, deep down inside, you love them. Besides, you know how much the two of them love seeing Becca."
"Everyone always loves seeing the younger ones," Payson comments. While on the subject of Becca, this is the perfect opportunity to Payson to bring up Becca's odd behavior. "By the way, is everything alright with Becca?"
Kim's heart slightly pounds even just at the question. The thought of something being wrong with either of her girls makes her body weak. And from the way Payson asks the question, it doesn't seem good. "From what I know of, yes. Why do you ask? What's going on?"
"I don't really know. Monday night she freaked out at me and today she was totally fine. Not just that, but she's been acting really unusual and just not herself. I'm just worried about her."
Thinking of the best, Kim says, "It's probably just her time of the month, Payson. You know we all get moody around that time. And don't forget her breakup with Matt, as well. And with her finishing her junior year of college… She must be stressed out, honey."
Payson nods, trying her best to believe that is the only reason. Becca is just fine. At least that is what she has to keep telling herself. "Speaking of college, she still doesn't know about… you know, that thing, right?"
"Of course not, and let's keep it that way," Kim warns.
"Good. I don't want her finding out. So, promise not to let it slip. Ever," Payson smiles, "Thanks for this talk, Mom. I really needed it."
Kim moves over to give Payson another hug. "Don't be afraid to come talk to me whenever. I don't care how old you are. Even when you're married with three kids, I'm still your mother."
…
She's quiet because he's quiet, which is very rare. Payson knows it's probably because he thinks she's furious at him and doesn't even want to speak to him. Maybe it'll be a good idea if she let him relax.
After removing his shirt, Austin sits down on the foot of the bed to take off his shoes and to his surprise, Payson joins him on the bed, kneeling down behind him to massage his shoulders.
Not that Austin doesn't relish Payson's touch on his bare skin, but he's a little caught off guard at this sudden affection since the last time he checked, she was absolutely furious with him. He is about to say something until he feels his beautiful girlfriend's lips on his neck and that's when he realizes that he'll need to stop her before he speaks or he won't be able to speak at all. "Am I missing something?"
"What's the matter?" Payson asks.
Austin turns around to face her as he asks, "Not that I don't enjoy this. In fact, I hate myself for stopping you, but what is with the sudden change in attitude. Earlier on, you didn't even want to look at me and when Becca and I got back you barely spoke. You're not mad? Or are you buttering me up in preparation to kill me?"
Payson giggles, replying, "I was just thinking and realized I've been overreacting over this whole you and Becca thing. You're my boyfriend and Becca's my sister and I trust both of you. I'm sorry for being rude to you earlier on."
"You mean it?"
"Of course. I love you and I don't want to lose you over something as silly and petty as this."
Austin grins, but a part of him is sad as well and feels bad. He hasn't spent as much time with Payson as he would like and knows he should but he also knows he can't stop now. While this is the end of him and Becca going out together, this isn't the end of him going out by himself. He appreciates this moment that they have in good terms because he knows they will be going around the same circle again. Even though he has the power to end this emotion cycle they have been on for the last couple of days, Austin really has no choice but to take this risk. "Well, even though I would never let us lose each other, I agree. I love you too much to lose you either."
"Good," Payson says, wrapping her arms around him from behind. "Just try and spend more time with me during this visit from now on, okay?" Austin gives her a slight smile and nods lightly. He hates letting her down. "So, when did you get this tattoo here? You never told me," she says referring to the random fainted bulldog permanently stuck to his arm, which Payson finds ironic since Austin isn't really much of a dog person and is allergic to dogs.
"I think I got it during the peak of my egotistical, 'Bad Boy of Gymnastics' days. I think I was about sixteen."
"Damn, you must have had quite a big egotistical-bad boy peak, Tucker. Because when we met you in France, you were still a bad boy and when you came to the Rock you were still a bad boy, which is when I finally realized what the tattoo was. Why a bulldog?"
Austin smirks. "You were staring at my arm, "he says tauntingly in this weird low voice between asking a question and saying a statement.
"What?" Payson asks with a slight blush on her face.
"My tattoo isn't extremely dark and bold. You wouldn't be able to see it from far away. So, I guess all the times when you were supposed to be focusing on what to do with your gymnastics, you were focusing on what to do with me."
Hitting him, she bellows, "Austin, stop it! You're so disgusting. And no, I paid no attention to you. You know that."
"No, what I do know is that I don't blame you for your interest in my arms. I mean, I figured, if every other girl in the gym were glued to my bulging muscles, why not Payson Keeler? I knew you couldn't keep your eyes off me."
"You enjoy being so egotistical, don't you? Honey, I don't even think that little peak you were talking about ever even ended," Payson challenges.
"It ended," Austin says.
"Oh, did it?"
"It's just an act."
"Oh, is it?"
"Yes, and the reason I got that bull dog by the way is because it represents courage… bravery…" he says before adding, "and the ability to kick people's ass and be a tough guy."
"Oh my God. Goodnight, Austin," she says, slipping under the covers.
"What? Every bad boy needs his own symbol. Mine was a bulldog."
"Who are you? My boyfriend or in the mafia?"
"All of the above."
"By the way, tough guy, that little tiny dog that you're afraid of is no longer harmful to you. My mom picked up allergy medicine for you."
"Don't try to make me seem like a softie, Pay," he says, making Payson laugh, "This is a medical condition. I'm not actually afraid of dogs. Hello? I have one tattooed to my arm."
"Mhm. I bet that's why you got a tattoo of a dog in the first place. So that you can use that excuse when people claim you're afraid of dogs. What a bad boy you are Austin!"
"That's not true," he claims, playfully shoving her when he gets into the bed.
After she shoves him back and they go back and forth with it, Payson gently places a kiss to his lips, further displaying how their relationship is truly a mix of play and romance, and it only confirms to the both of them that, yep, they were back to normal already.
Author's Note: So, I apologize for that long dialogue in the beginning but it was necessary. Next chapter is going to be a big one! Thanks for reading. Reviews are welcome!