Milly knew something had changed the second she saw Austin.

His hair was completely shaved off—no curls, no earrings, no chain. The whole 'fuck boy' image he clung to had been stripped away.

It was jarring, seeing her little brother suddenly look... serious. Like he was trying to shed his skin and become someone else.

Someone worth wanting to be.

And it left her with an uncomfortable thought:
Why is he changing, and I'm not?

He walked toward the counter casually, brushing his new waves with a handheld brush. The way his fingers gripped the brush, it said so much. And the smile he wore didn't reach his eyes, nor did his shoulders hold the confidence it usually did. It was slightly hunched.

Sage glanced between them and quickly slipped into the back room with a mumbled, "Gotta grab a box to restock the chips."

Almost on cue, Bryan's phone rang. "Tom," he said as his eyes narrowed, flashing the screen before heading to the back as well. His jaw was set a little too tight.

Milly and Austin were alone.

"What happened to you?" she asked, eyeing his waves and lack of his gold earrings.

His signature looks.

He stopped the brushing. "I think I deserved a change. And I started working here today," he said simply. His voice was light—but not quite playful. He looked down at the brush, rotating it slowly in his hand.

Milly stilled, a frown tugging at her mouth.
He's working here?

Out of all the places he could've picked—why this one? Why her one place of peace?

"Sorry if it's imploding your peace or whatever," Austin added with a shrug. "I wanted a job and didn't want to work with Dad. So... I begged him to get me something here. Thought it'd be easier."

Of course you did, she bitterly thought and gritted her teeth.

Before she could say anything, Sage and Bryan reemerged. There was no denying they'd both been listening in.

"You know Tom's a pain sometimes," Bryan said, forcing a smile. His hand rubbed the back of his neck. "You're supposed to help Sage stock and handle the heavy lifting."

Austin turned to Sage and held out his hand, one dimple flashing. "Austin."

"Sage, I'll show you the ropes," she replied, her smile bright as she shook his hand.

She could see the way the both of them took in each other.

Milly watched, her expression unreadable, her fingers flexing against her arms.

It had been over three weeks since Austin started working there. Thankfully, he only had two shifts a week—Friday and Saturday evenings. That was the only thing keeping her from losing it.

But still...

Every time he showed up, the atmosphere shifted. Not because he was obnoxious—he wasn't. He was... cool lately. Helpful. Even kind of funny. But that almost made it worse.

Milly didn't want to share this part of her life with him.

This was her safe place—the only one untouched by everything else. And now, even that felt like it was being taken.

Milly needed a moment to steady her thoughts so she escaped to the small work bathroom and breathed in the silence.

"I hate that I'm being self centered," she whispered. "But out of all places, your uncle had to choose, it had to be mine."

A soft stretch pressed against her palm. Then, a firm kick.

Milly smiled faintly. "So you agree with me?"

Another double-kick.

She laughed under her breath. "Of course you do. It's so like him to follow me. But... he's not being annoying. He's actually kind of different now."

She exhaled and stepped back out onto the floor, with her hands in her pocket pinching her thighs.

Austin was helping Sage stock shelves, juggling snack bags like an idiot to make her laugh—and it worked. Sage was giggling, shaking her head at his antics, hand covering her mouth.

But Milly's eyes weren't on them.

They were on Bryan.

He stood behind the register, fiddling with receipts, but his eyes kept drifting back to Sage and Austin. His lips formed a smile—but it was hollow.

Thin.

And his eyes held something, but it wasn't happiness.

He's not okay.

Milly walked over, her footsteps quiet. He tapped a pen absently against the counter. His soft groan gave him away before she even spoke.

"You alright?" she asked, her voice low.

Bryan blinked like he hadn't noticed her. A wide grin pulled at his lips.  But it wobbled. "Yeah. Why?" He scratched back of his neck, looking at the screen on the register.

She tilted her head. "Well... I mean, Austin's here. And you've been staring daggers at him. I get it—he can be a piece of shit sometimes, but he hasn't done anything yet."

She hesitated, then added, "Or is it because Sage was fawning interest in him? And now he's here. And it looks like they're close?"

Bryan shrugged. The smile he tried to flash wobbled. "It's okay. Like I said before—Sage and I are just friends. It's nothing."

Then he turned and walked to the back without another word. His steps were quick, almost stiff.

Milly stood there, unsure what to make of it.

Across the store, Sage's eyes lingered on the door as Bryan slipped away. For a split second, her expression dipped—but when she noticed Milly watching, she recovered fast and winked.

Right then, Austin dropped the snacks he'd been juggling.

Milly smirked, shaking her head faintly.

Of course.
Exactly what she expected.

But Milly decided it was too much for her to worry about—especially given it had finally started.

The looks.

They weren't loud or obvious—but they were there. Lingering glances when people thought she wasn't watching. A woman whispered something behind her palm to a friend. One man took an extra-long moment at the counter, gaze dipping to her stomach, then narrowing like it offended him.

She had a feeling this was expected. But for some reason, it still stung. As she felt tightness in her chest, her hand rubbed her belly.

It's nothing to be upset about you're going to get something good out of this.

I think.

And she didn't want to share her pain with anyone about this. When, for the most part...

Austin was there—laughing, dancing, and charming Sage. Who held a cunning smirk on her lips at him. And it seemed they were happy, and she didn't want to down their mood.

But Milly felt like she was the only one still wearing her sufferings. Still facing the consequences from her actions, would it ever stopped?

But why should it?
She was the one to fuck up her life.
Not her daughter.
Her.

And if she has to face this, she would.
It was what she deserved.

And there's no one to fix her problem. And a good friend won't put this on someone. Bryan already looked uncomfortable, so it would be unfair to unload this on him.

Bryan had avoided eye contact for most of the shift with everyone.

She told herself it didn't matter. That she didn't care. But her hands trembled when ringing up the last customer, and she had to pretend it was just exhaustion. She clenched them behind the counter as they shook.

And Milly released a breath when the shift was finally over, putting on her jacket. Her shoulders sagged with relief.

Bryan handed Austin a small envelope.

"Your first paycheck," he said simply, and walked out.

Austin held it with a soft smile, and you could see the pride in his eyes. His thumb ran across the envelope's edge slowly. And his thank you came out, although it was to deaf ears—given Bryan had already left.

Sage called out to him. "Bryan! Wait up!" she chirped brightly, waving at Milly and Austin before jogging toward Bryan.

Bryan paused, phone already out like he hadn't heard her—but Milly saw the way he slowed. His posture eased.

Of course he did.

Milly observed Austin waving bye at Sage as they watched her ran to him.

When Sage caught up, Bryan slung an arm around her, and she leaned in, both of them walking off toward the music rising from the next block. A house party, no doubt.

Milly turned and started walking.

Austin fell into step beside her, hands tucked into his hoodie pocket. For the most part every shift they worked he walked her home. Regardless if she wanted it. He did it.

But today he was being more chatty.

"Sage is really fine. Do you know if she got a boyfriend?" Austin casually asked Milly.

Milly only looked at him. She knew Sage was single, but she wondered if it would be good to let Austin get involved in whatever drama is going on between Sage and Bryan. But Sage does look like she's okay with Austin.

"Yeah, she's single. But Austin, why didn't you work with Dad?" she finally decided to ask.

"I just can't, Milly. It's not like I enjoy those heavy lifting and getting too dirty. And honestly, I just want to work..." he started, but stopped. He scratched his arm and looked at the sidewalk.

When they reached her apartment, he took his cheque out. "This is for you. I already signed the back," Austin declared, handing her the cheque.

"What are you doing?" she asked, taken aback. That was his hard-earned money.

"Helping my sister. We may not be close, but that doesn't equal you being abandoned. And truthfully, I may not be the strongest person—given I got my ass handed by that jerk. But it doesn't mean I don't want to offer you some support," he replied. His voice was steady, eyes sincere.

"Austin, thank you, but I can't. It's not fair to you." Milly reasoned with him.

She wasn't going to take that from him. She saw how much sweat came from him daily. And the thought of cashing in on that made her chest tighten.

Austin frown. "How am I supposed to help out for my niece or nephew?" he asked.

"It's a niece," Milly expressed, taking in her brother. Her voice softened as she realized how much he's grown.

This wasn't the Austin she grew up with. This was a much nicer and mature version of her brother.

She might regret this later. Letting Austin in—opening that door again. But right now, it felt right.

Not just for her.
For her daughter.

Because no matter how messy things were, her baby deserved to know she wasn't coming into this world alone. She deserved a family. Even if it was broken, bruised, or still trying to heal.

Milly's hand rested on her belly. No kick. No flutter. Maybe the baby was sleeping—or maybe she was listening.

"I'm trying," Milly whispered, more to herself than anyone.

Then she looked at Austin—at his hands in his pockets, his face quieter than she remembered it ever being.

"Do you want to come upstairs?" she asked. The first time since he started walking her home three weeks ago.

He looked at her.

And for a heartbeat, everything held still.

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So I wanted to share my first sketches of how I picture Austin.The white shirt is Austin at the beginning: cocky, messy, doing the most.The blue shirt is him now: calmer, growing, trying to do better.Does this match how you imagined him? Let me know what you think of the drawing too!

This artwork is my original creation. Please don't repost or use without permission. © @ajroker, 2025.

What do you think is really going on with Bryan in this chapter? Do you believe him when he says it's nothing?

How do you feel about Austin now? Are you ready to forgive him, or are you still unsure?

Do you think Milly is starting to grow, even if she hasn't noticed it herself yet?