My phone went off on the nightstand, blaring Introduced Species by Hands Like Houses as my alarm ringtone. I shut off the alarm and sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes. We had stayed out late last night at the restaurant, just sitting around talking and chatting, and didn't end up getting back to the house until after midnight. I went straight to bed when we returned while the guys stayed up late to have a few drinks and play some pool in the game room.

I knew the guys would all still sleeping this early, so I decided last night that I was going to wake up early and take a trip down to the beach and enjoy a nice morning bike ride. The beach was only about a block away from the house, so it was convenient enough to ride down there and relax. I rolled out of bed and threw on a pair of shorts and a tank top. I didn't bother to put on any make up since I was just going for a bike ride, I didn't have anyone to impress. I threw on a beanie and my sunglasses and headed down to the garage to pull out my old bike, making sure to be quiet so I wouldn't wake anyone up.

I took off towards the beach and put in my headphones, starting up my bike ride playlist. It was a beautiful brisk morning. The breeze that was coming off the ocean felt fantastic on my skin. It didn't take me long to get to the beach, and when I got there it was pretty quiet and nearly empty.

I wasn't shocked, since it was towards the middle of November and it was only 7 in the morning, and I was actually pleased with the fact that there wouldn't be anybody there that I would have to ride around. I took off in one direction, soaking in the sun and smelling the salty ocean air. I closed my eyes for a few seconds as I rode my bike across the smooth sidewalk.

The next thing I knew, I was falling off my bike and landing on my back on the concrete, scraping my elbow in the process. My sunglasses flew off my face and my phone went playing across the sidewalk, ripping my headphones out of my ears.

I heard a voice calling out to me, but I ignored it and rolled over onto my stomach and pushed myself up so that I was sitting on my knees. I looked around for what had caused my crash and also for my stuff that went flying everywhere before I noticed that a rather tall man covered in tattoos was running towards me.

"Hey, hey are you okay? That was a pretty nasty spill you took." The man that had been calling out to me said as he crouched down in front of me.

"Ye... Yeah, I'm fine, just scraped up my elbow a bit." I showed him my elbow and noticed that there was blood running completely down my arm.

"Ouch... That looks like it hurts a bit. Here, do you mind if I wipe up the blood?" I shook my head while he took my arm, wiping up the blood with the hem of his shirt. I finally got a good look at his face while he was doing that. My heart stopped when I got a full look at him.

He had soft brown eyes that wrinkled with concentration while he focused on my elbow. He had a nose piercing that fit his face perfectly, and his face was covered in a bit of scruff like he had forgotten to shave for a few days. The most attractive part of him though were his tattoos. His body was nearly covered in them. He had a sleeve on one arm, a few neck tattoos, and from what I could make out from under his Slipknot tank he had a few on his chest, too. I looked away from his body and back to his face, recognizing him right away this time.

"Austin?" I asked quietly, cocking my head to the side. He looked up from my elbow with his eyebrows raised. He searched my face for an answer as to who I was, and his eyes lit up when he found what he was looking for.

"Oh wow! I guess I didn't even recognize you at first. You're... Evelyn, right? You're the girl that's always with the Pierce the Veil guys?" I laughed and nodded my head. "It's been a few years since I've seen you last, when was it?"

"I think it was a couple years ago at Warped. You can call me Eve, by the way, or Evie, whichever suits you." I stood up when he was done wiping away the blood and brushed myself off. I picked up my sunglasses and slid them back on my face, suddenly embarrassed over the fact that I wasn't wearing any make up. He stood up and handed me my phone and headphones that were laying on the ground next to him.

"That's right, it was! You look a lot different now though. I kinda miss that pink hair you were rocking back then." He laughed and picked my bike up off the ground, handing it to me. I took the handles from him and started to walk to a nearby bench.

"Oh god, I totally forgot about that part of my life. I tried my best to get rid of all the evidence of it." We approached the bench and I set my bike up against it and sat down. Austin sat down next to me.

"Why would you do that? I really liked it, it suited you. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure I still have a Polaroid somewhere of you and your pink hair standing next to me." He said.

"Please tell me you're kidding. If you find it, burn it because I would rather nobody ever find out about that." I laughed and buried my face in my hands. I was suddenly aware of how close Austin was sitting next to me. His knee was bumping against mine and his hand was placed on the bench right next to my thigh. I sucked in a breath and straightened up. He must have noticed my slight discomfort because he immediately pulled his hand back to his lap and changed the subject.

"So, what brings you to good old Huntington Beach anyways? Last I knew you were living in San Diego with Jaime, right?" He ran his fingers through his hair and then started to rub his hands along his pants.

"Yeah, we still live there. Pierce the Veil has a show at a venue here tonight and because my parents own a beach house here we thought we'd just stay a few extra nights and enjoy ourselves a mini getaway." I looked over at him and almost lost my breath.

He was looking out into the ocean, and everything about the way he looked was flawless. The sunlight was coming off of his face at just the right angle so that he had to squint one eye to get a good look at the water. He looked back to me and I immediately looked away.

"That sounds pretty sweet. You said the guys are playing tonight?" Austin asked and I hummed in response. "Would you mind letting me know where and when? I would love to stop by and listen to their set, it's been awhile since I've seen or heard anything from any of them and I'd really like to catch up."

"I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem, I think the guys would really like that. I don't know the name of the venue off the top of my head though."

"Here, take my number and shoot me a text when you find out and let me know. I'd love to stop by." Austin took my phone and put his number into it and sent himself a text. When he was done he handed me my phone back and we both stood up. "It was great running into you, Evelyn." He smiled at me and I swear I felt my heart skip a beat.

"It's always nice running into old friends." I smiled back at him shyly.

"Without a doubt. Don't forget to text me about the show. I'll see you tonight!" He waved and gave me another heart stopping smile before walking off. I picked up my bike from against the bench and started heading in the opposite way from him, back towards the beach house.

Notes

This chapter is awful and I'm sorry I feel bad about it, I'll probably end up putting up the next chapter later tonight as an apology. But anyways, I really hope you guys are enjoying this as you read it! Please, please please don't be afraid to leave me feedback, it really helps me out a lot. Let me know what you guys think about it!
Title Credit: Introduced Species- Hands Like Houses