The Therapist's Son // Ashton Irwin [AU] ✔

7.

Normally, when I'm alone with another person, and no words are being spoken, it is known as an awkward silence. However, when I was with Ashton, it was never an awkward silence. It was a nice silence, a comfortable one. I wasn't sure what it was about him - Hell, I barely knew him - that made me feel so at peace, but I loved it.

"Luckily, the town isn't huge, so you don't have a ton to memorize. I take it you know the basics? School, stores, emergency stations and such?" I nodded. My mother had shown me most of those when we went out exploring Wednesday morning. I gulped at the thought of my mother, but pushed it to the back of my mind. This was not about my mother, this was about Ashton and me.

Ashton and me. Was it bad that I liked the sound of that? I glanced over at him as we walked, the way his eyes were either darting around, looking for something new to point out, or fixed on his feet, which dragged on the pavement in a slow, unrushed manner.

"So, why are you out so late? You can't be much older than I am. Don't you go to school?" I asked.

"Yeah, I, um...Kind of. I graduated high school a few months ago, and I'm waiting until December before I can get into college or something. I just wanted a few months to kick back and not worry about school, you know? Get some things sorted out."

"Yeah," I muttered. "So how are classes at the high school? Anything I should know? Teachers to avoid?"

"Anderson," Ashton answered almost immediately. "He's the junior and senior science teacher - Or was, at least. He might have reitred. Everyone absolutely hated him."

"Good to know." I said quietly in response. We walked for a few more minutes, Ashton pointing out restaurants and such that we didn't have back in America, and definately recommended. I made mental note for when my mother decided to start eating out again.

"Do you mind a detour, or are you getting tired, Miss America?" I rolled my eyes, letting out a small laugh.

"I think I have some time to spare." He nodded, making a sudden right down an alleyway, causing me to stop dead in my tracks, heart pounding.

"Well, are you coming?" He called back.

"That's an alley, Ashton."

"I know that, Miss America."

"Are you some sort of serial killer or rapist or some shit?" I asked, glaring at him. He looked slightly offended, taking his bottom lip between his teeth and biting down on it.

"No, I'm not a serial killer or a rapist," He said a few minutes later. "I asked if you were willing to take a detour, but unless we cut through here it could take like ten minutes longer to get there, because we'd have to walk all the way around the block."

"I just-"

"Natalie, don't you trust me?" He asked. It was the first time he had said my actual name since Thursday morning, and it caused my stomach to twist. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

Despite all the promises that had been made and broken to me in the past, I found myself following Ashton down the alley, and we were back out in four minutes on the other side.

"Outskirts." He mumbled, giving a small smile.

"It looks more like a forest." I said, causing him to shrug.

"Mini one. But look on the bright side. You just learned that one, I am not a rapist or a serial killer, and two, that I don't break my promises. You're still alive, aren't you?" I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever, smartass. What did you want to show me?" I asked.

He walked on a small path into the bunches of trees, and I hesitantely followed close behind. After about ten minutes of being hit in the face by branches, and listening to the sound of leaves and twigs crunching beneath our feet as we walked, we came to a clearing of trees.