Begin Again - A.I

thirty seven.

"Holy hell, are all weddings that boring?" Ashton asks me as we leave the church once the ceremony is finished. People gather in clumps around us discussing how amazing the service was and Ashton and I try and make our way through. 

"I thought it was sweet," I reply, finally coming to a stop once I've found a clearing. 

"That's because you're a girl." He sits down on the curb and I join him. 

"Because I'm a girl I have a heart?"

"Pretty much. Although, when it comes to you I'm not quite sure."

I shove him and he laughs, shaking his head.

"Hey, I'm kidding! Kind of."

"Where are our mums?" I look around.

"They won't leave that church until they've spoken to literally every single guest," Ashton replies. 

I groan. 

"Ashton!"

Ashton and I both look up at his name being called and a scrawny guy about our age rocks up to us. He holds out his hand for Ashton to shake. 

"Christian, what's up, man?" Ashton shakes his hand. "Long time."

"Yeah I reckon. What's been happening with you? Who's this?"

"This is Eleanor." Ashton gestures towards me. "This is my cousin, Christian."

"Eleanor!" Christian cries, making me jump. "I remember you!"

"Uh, hi," I say. I didn't remember this little stick at all. 

"You and Ashton were really good friends," he elaborates. "He always had a crush on you."

Ashton coughs then. "So, Christian, what's been happening?"

Taking that as an invitation to sit down beside us, Christian begins to dish out what's been happening in his life pretty much from the last time Ashton saw him, which seems to be a while ago. And he certainly doesn't leave one single detail out.

"So then she left me. I saw it coming, I mean, there were signs. I didn't trust this 'friend' of hers that she kept hanging out with. But turns out that guy was just a friend and she's actually a lesbian. So actually, I didn't see that coming at all." He cackles.

Ashton and I just stare at him.

"So then I became depressed," Christian continues. "Mild alcohol addiction, never leaving the house. That sort of thing. But that's all over now. I bought a cat. It died though." He stares into the distance. "That was pretty sad."

"Jesus, Christian," Ashton says.

"Yeah." He just nods. "Was a good cat."

"Are you, like, okay?" I ask.

"Me? Oh, I couldn't be better. That's a lie, I could be a lot better really. I could still be with Katie and still have my cat. But, you know, you win some and you lose some." The guy honestly looks like he's about to break the fuck down. 

Ashton and I look at each other and I shrug. 

"I'm, uh, sorry man." Ashton puts an awkward hand on Christian's shoulder and watching him do it makes me literally shudder. It's the worst thing I think I've ever witnessed. Like the cold hard hand of death patting you on the shoulder. He looks so awkward doing it that I just want to tell him to stop, for the good of mankind.

But it seems as though Christian is equally as uncomfortable and he subtly shrugs Ashton off. "I better go, grandma starts to scream when she gets left with Aunt Linda for too long." Christian stands. "It was good seeing you, Ash. And you too, Eleanor. I'm glad you two are still friends. Well, I'm off. I can hear grandma screaming. Adiós."