Diagnosed with a terminal ailment, Ashley Grayson divorces his husband Jonathan in hopes he will be able to move on. But plans go south when Ash ends up falling in love first, with the last person he expected...
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(AJ POV)
"No,"
Just stumbles out of my lips as my father stands before me with a tired look in his eyes.
"AJ...I'm telling you, you don't have a choice." He says as he nervously runs his hands through his hair.
"I don't care. I'm not moving back to Bridgeport. That might be your home but it's not mine. I have my friends here, my team, my girlfriend. You can't just pick us all up and move because you feel like it!" I yell out of frustration and anger.
How could he just spring this up on me like it's nothing?
"AJ, I'm sorry buddy but we don't have a choice." He says and sighs as he sits down on my desk chair so I can meet his tired gaze at eye level.
"What do you mean we don't have a choice? I'll move in with mom then!" I threaten and instantly regret it when a small flicker of hurt appears in his eyes.
"Your mother is also moving to back to Bridgeport for you three." He says and I run my hands through my hair. Trying to think of a way out.
"It might not look like it because he's so good at hiding it, but your papa is terminally sick. Your uncle Peter thinks that he can help him but we have to move back to Bridgeport to be closer to him." Dad explains.
I felt like I had been socked in the gut.
"Papa...Is d-dying?" I stutter and dad nods in confirmation a sickening feeling washes over me and I hang my head.
"AJ, I'm sorry but we have to move. Maybe we'll come back but for now...I'm sorry." he says and I could tell he didn't want to do this to me.
"But Bella..." She was the only thing I could think about.
She was the only person who mattered to me since I was eleven years old. She's my everything. How could I just leave her?
"We're leaving tomorrow," Dad adds and I quickly get up, knowing what I have to do.
*********
The New York City rain matched my aching soul as I face the door to Isabella's apartment completely drenched with my hair in my eyes.
After everything we've been through I was going to be the person who hurt her the most.
I'm moving to a fucking Island in the middle of nowhere instead of NYC where everything is happening all at once and no one gives a shit.
I raise my hand to knock on the door but for some reason I can't bring myself to knock.
I debate just disappearing from her life and into the night where she would quickly move on and forget about me.
My hand just rest against the door to her studio apartment in the Bronx and I let out a long sigh, scaring the shit out of me when I hear the deadbolt clink and Bella peeks her head out the door before dragging me inside.
"AJ! What are you doing! It's freezing outside! You're going to get sick if you keep walking into the rain like this!" She bustles about me as she rips off my coat, tossing it on the floor, and yanks a towel off her bed to towel dry my messy blonde hair.
The towel smelled like her with dried roses and a hint of lemon from her shampoo. Often times when I went home after staying the night, I smelled like roses and Papa would give me a look.
"Baby? Are you alright? What's wrong you look so miserable?" She asks as he looks into my eyes after the intense towel dry.
"I...Bella..." I just stutter her name and look down at the floor where the little ears of her cute bunny slippers flopped around when she stood on her toes and gently kissed my forehead.
"AJ?"
She stops drying my hair, Resting the towel on my shoulders and as she does I wrap my arms around her robed waist. Pulling Isabella as close as I could to just hug her small tiny frame, resting my head on her shoulder as I'm enveloped by the smell of her wet hair.
"Bella, I'm moving,"
*AIL Season 4 Crossover Reference Point*
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Don't worry about this ^ If you're not an AIL Stan
