Rescue // Ashton Irwin

twenty.

Adley.

"Are you okay?" I asked Ashton.

As soon as the phone rang, his face went completely pale, like he'd seen a ghost.

"Uh, yeah," he replied, but anyone could tell it wasn't the truth.

"Who's number is that?" I questioned, figuring his behavior had something to do with the phone number flashing across the screen.

He ignored my question, cautiously picking up the phone and swiping across the screen.

"Hello?" he answered, pressing the phone to his ear.

I leaned in closer, eager to hear the conversation.

"Noah?" a female voice spoke from the other end.

I didn't think it was possible, but Ashton's face paled even more.

Before I even had the chance to question him again, he had hung up.

"Ash? Baby what's going on?" I asked in a soft voice, hoping it would get through to him.

He simply shook his head, standing up and walking off.

I heard a door slam, followed by the unmistakable sound of Ashton's sobs.

My heart broke for him, but I knew he wanted space.

So, I stayed put and waited for him to come to me.

It didn't happen that way, though, and after almost two hours I knew that I needed to intervene.

"Babe?" I called from the other side of the bedroom door.

No response.

"Ash," I tried.

Silence, still.

"I'm coming in," I finally said, turning the knob and thrusting open the door.

Ashton was laying still on the bed, a pile of blankets over top of him.

I pulled the covers off of his face, only to reveal his red eyes.

"Leave me alone," he muttered.

It felt like a stab in the heart.

He was always there for me in my hardest times, and I was always there in his.

But now, he was trying to push me away.

"No," I replied, determined not to let it happen.

"Adley," he warned, but I wasn't having it.

"No, Ash, don't do this. Don't push me away."

"I'm not pushing you away, I'm just not in the mood to talk about it. Can you just go now?"

"Well then," I started, peeling back the covers and climbing under, "We don't have to talk."

He didn't say anything, simply laying his head on my shoulder and letting out a deep sigh.

My fingers tangled in his curls, running my fingers through them in an attempt to soothe him.

We stayed like that for a long time, so long that I was almost sure Ashton had fallen asleep.