Ashes // l.h.

34. crash

The xx- Stars

34. crash

Charise is a woman who looks much younger than Willow. She lives in a medium sized home on the bank of a lake and is a yoga instructor and masseuse who mostly works out of her own home. Her last name is Reyes and she drives a silver ford focus that is parked in her driveway.

I know all of this from parking my car at the corner of the street she lives on, and thought to Google yoga classes in the area once I saw her opening her door to three young women with yoga mats of their own. Her name immediately popped up on a Craigslist ad which said: Charise Reyes, yoga instructor and licensed masseuse.

That's definitely not something you should advertise on something like Craigslist.

"Why are we here? Are you spying on that lady?" Ashton asks, but I tell him to shut up. He groans in disapproval. "I'm so hungry. I'd kill for a hot dog right about now."

"Ashton," I say his name slowly, my impatience growing and growing. "I do not give two shits about your hunger."

"Oh, but when we were together and you were hungry, I'd need to stop all that I was doing to go get you food."

"Yes, and you still cheated on me."

He sits up. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It doesn't, but I just felt like putting that fact out there to remind you that I don't owe you anything. Not even hot dogs."

He huffs, laying back down in the seat he's inclined back. "I can't believe you kidnapped me and now refuse to feed me."

"I can't believe you cheated on me and still refuse to admit that you did."

"A kiss on the cheek!" He raises his voice.

"Right," My voice is laced with sarcasm.

"Well you kissed Luke twice and almost fucked him."

I whip around to face Ashton. "Compare that to how many times you cheated on me."

That shuts him right up, as he sighs and sinks back down into his seat. As silence falls between us, the front door of Charise's house opens and a tall, lanky guy steps out. His hair is dark, almost black and his skin is tanned, his face full of freckles. One of his arms is in a cast and resting on a sling, and I wonder what the cause of the injury was. I assume his phone begins to ring because he then reaches into his pocket with his left hand and takes it out, pressing it against his ear. Whoever is on the line must have said something funny because he begins to laugh, his braces showing.

I assume this is Will. He looks no older than fifteen and no younger. He resembles Charise, and the only signs of him ever being Tom's son is the nose and lips; nose is straight and narrow with a slight curve at the tip and the lips are full, just like Tom's.

Something in my chest feels as if it has been broken, but it's not my heart. It's a pain like almost realizing that this is a guy who can be a brother of mine, a guy I have never met before or spoken to and I have lost so much time not having ever done so. It's a pain, but it's such a fucking beautiful pain I can endure.

My breath catches in my throat, watching him as he walks down the street. "Oh my God." I say then suddenly realize I have to follow him.