genesis ♡ irwin [3]

22 > REAL

odette felt the regret consume her body immediately after she hit send. she watched as the delivered turned to read and then there were three little dots in the corner. they taunted her as they appeared and went away over. and over. and over. she was about to send another message to apologize, when an incoming facetime call interrupted her worrying.

she screamed as she read ash in large letters, in front of the picture she had set for his contact. her finger shook when she pressed the green button, hurrying to do so before the call ended on its own. her phone went silent for a second before ashton irwin's face was on her screen.

"hi," he smiled at her, and her heart was beating so fast she was sure he could hear it through the device.

"hi," odette echoed, her lips tugging upward on their own. "i'm odette."

"your name is odette?" ashton gasped dramatically, "this whole time i thought it was fred."

she rolled her eyes as she laughed, "you're a literal dork. good to know."

"gonna sell that to buzzfeed?"

"yup," odette played along, "i think it's worth millions."

"oh no," he groaned, covering his face with his free hand. "i can see it now. 'ashton irwin: confirmed dork.' please, spare me that pain."

the brunette pretended to consider it, "hmmm. i guess. if you're nice."

ashton laughed and odette couldn't hold back her smile. (he had a really nice laugh.) he continued to say, "it's really weird hearing your voice for the first time."

"i guess that would be weird," she nodded, "i mean, i've heard yours before."

"i never thought about that," he furrowed his eyebrows as he considered it. "you've also heard me sing. i should get to hear you sing."

"no way!" odette shook her head frantically. "i have no talent whatsoever. not a drop. i get that from my mom."

"and your dad?"

ashton knew he overstepped when odette's smile dropped and she looked down at her lap. he cursed himself in his head and tried to come up with a decent apology. "ode, i'm so sorry. i shouldn't have asked something like that. shit–"

"it's okay, ash," she assured him softly, and he decided that he liked the nickname even better when it came from her. "um, my dad left my mom before she had me. told her she wouldn't be a good mom and to get an abortion or he'd leave. so she showed him the door and to prove him wrong, kept me and has continued to be the best mom since."

"you love her a lot, don't you?" he asked, recognizing the expression on her face as one of love and admiration.

"more than anything," she smiled at him.

"uh, my dad left when i was younger, too," ashton shared, eyes flickering to land anywhere but on the camera. "so i guess i know how that feels."

"cheers to having single parents," odette raised her hand as if holding a glass.

"that is the weirdest toast i've ever heard anyone make."

"yeah but it lightened the mood, didn't it?"

ashton grinned at the girl through the screen. "you're incredible, you know that?"

odette turned red, covering her wide smile with her hand in embarrassment. the man on the call chuckled at her reaction, and she managed to squeak out, "you are too."

"i've told you things in the last month that only the boys and my family know," he said with furrowed eyebrows. "i don't know what it is about you that makes it so easy to talk to you."

"it's my charming personality," odette joked, winking at him.

"it must be," ashton agreed.