Life behind a photograph

Chapter 33 | Part II

Abigail

"Can we go home and then talk?" she asks, refusing to meet my eyes and shifting on her feet.

I nod only because I knew she was going to say something that I won't take nicely and I was still drunk.

The drive back home was... quiet. I had a thousand possibilities in mind of what Ash might have to say to me but none of them was in my favor, so I stopped thinking.

Now I'm sitting in the kitchen island. Coats removed and shoes strewn about. 

I went through a whole bottle of water as I waited for Ash to speak but she just kept walking to and from the living room to the kitchen. And I watch each move.

"Ash if you don't have anything to say-"

"I think we should take a break." 

I freeze at her words. 

Minutes pass.

Her eyes finally find my face, searching my eyes as if looking for an answer.

My grip on the second bottle of water tightens each second during the silent pause. 

"What?" I let out shakily.

"We need a brea- I need a break."

"From me?" I get off the stool and I could almost hear the sound of my heart breaking in to a thousand pieces.

Maybe Ash could too, because she's looking at me in sympathy. And I hate it. 

"From everything." she says and runs her hands through her hair.

"Why? Did I do something?" I tried hiding the massive shock I was feeling but I'm unable to stop it as a tear rolls down my face.

She watches it, horrified.

"No." she immediately says. 

"I'm not... We're not breaking up..." she says taking three steps towards me. "I just need some space while I... I... While I figure some things out..." 

"What things Ash?" I ask. "Are they about me? I just..." I step further away from her. "I don't see why...? We were doing great weren't we?" I ask, utterly confused and still unable to fathom the situation.

"You were doing great Abigail, Not me." she says, her tone louder as she spoke the last two words.

"What? That's not fair... You looked happy and... Except for the last two weeks... Why..." my heart was physically hurting to the point where I was positive I'm having an attack. Dear god that would be better than this... Surely.

"Abigail it's not a big deal okay? I just need a few weeks and I swear we-"

"I'm not going to just leave and come whenever you feel like it," I say with the last bit of pride left in me.

She sighs.

"I'm just tired okay."

"Is this because what happened? The guy who grabbed me and Tiffany's dad and..."

"It's not." she says firmly.

I can feel anger rising in me amidst all the shock and sadness and my fingernails painfully dig in to the skin on my palms as I blink away the tears.

"I'm sorry he... died but he's in the past and you should grow the fuck up." I regret the words as soon as they leave my lips and seeing Ash's horror and pain filled face makes me want to cut my tongue off.

She walks towards me in fury and for a second there I think she might hit me. But she stops just a few steps in front and mutters two words just as bad.

"Fuck you."

-

An hour passes after Ash had left. My phone reads 2 am and I'm still in the same spot I was in when Ash left. Sitting with my back to the marble counter of the kitchen island.

I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing. 

Like obviously we're done. But it hadn't sunk in yet maybe. 

I was numb. And still very confused. But I knew for a fact that I didn't want to be here once she's back. So I go upstairs and start packing.

It's crazy how I'm done packing everything in to my massive suitcase, I realize that nothing had changed. Everything looked the exact same. 

As if I wasn't even here all this time.

very short chapter folks. vote for a faster update though maybe :0