Maybe

Chapter Nine

I wake up to Daniel and Patrick giggling and shrieking. I turn to look at them but quickly realize I can't due to Ashtyn. I'm laying on my stomach, as is she, but her head is on my shoulder and her arms are wrapped around me, most of her body on top of me. The blanket's on my feet and nothing else. Ashtyn's leg is still between mine, which makes this kind of awkward and a lot more difficult.

I try to slide out from under her without waking her up. It takes a few minutes, but I finally succeed. When I do, I turn to see an old couple standing behind Patrick and Daniel. I blush when I realize I'm in boxers and my cuts are showing. They all leave, pretending not to notice, and I take a quick shower, getting my body wash and shampoo out of my bag. When I'm done, I wrap the towel around me and walk out to grab clean clothes. I see Ashtyn sitting on the bed. She smiles at me when I walk in. I smile back and grab my bag. I take it to the bed and start looking for some nice clothes. I catch Ashtyn staring at my chest, which makes me blush.

I eventually find a dark grey button up and some black skinny jeans. I also grab a black underwear set and my comb. I walk back to the bathroom and get ready. When I come back out, I check the time on my phone. It's only three in the afternoon.

I grab my chains out of my bag and put them on before walking downstairs. I make sure my sleeves are pulled down all the way before walking into the kitchen. Daniel's mom is making coffee and humming Fireflies by Owl City. I walk over to her.

"Where is everybody?" She jumps in surprise.

"Well, Daniel and Patrick took Ashtyn and the kids to the park. I can take you over there if you like."

"Are you sure?" She nods. She grabs her keys off the counter and walks outside. I follow her to a red suburban. I get in on the passenger side and buckle up. She drives me to a large park. I thank her and get out, looking for Ashtyn. She's watching Patrick and Daniel play with the kids. There are maybe seven little kids, and they all have Daniel's eyes.

I sit next to Ashtyn. She smiles when she sees me. I smile back before looking at the kids again. The youngest one, maybe 4 or 5 runs up to Ashtyn, who picks up the little girl. I play with the cigarette pack in my pocket, wishing I could smoke. Ashtyn sees there's something wrong and tells the little girl to go play.

"Dominick, what's going on?" I shrug.

"Nothing. I wanna smoke." She smirks.

"You're a dumbass." She frowns again and walks off. I sigh and walk to the other side of the large field. It's a cloudy day, so it's not super easy to tell what someone's doing at this distance. I grab my cigarettes and get one out. I light it, taking a long, slow drag. I blow it out my nose slowly before I get on my phone. Every so often, I take another drag. When I'm done, I get a message from Ashtyn.

A: I'm sorry about what I said. I just really hate things like that. Honestly, you can do whatever you want, as long as it's not too extreme. No more drinking and no hard drugs. Other than that, I don't really care.

D: Why do you care so much anyways?

A: The last time I had that conversation, I got cheated on. I'd rather not have a conversation about it ever again because something bad always happens.

D: That's totally your choice, but I promise I won't ever do anything like that.

"I know." I look up to see Ashtyn standing in front of me. I smile softly and put my cigarette out on my shoe. She sits in front of me, playing with the grass between us. After a while, she starts talking. "You smell like cigarette smoke." I laugh, nodding.

"Yeah, I know. Does it bother you?" She shakes her head.

"Not really. I actually kind of like it."