It's the Alcohol Talking

Chapter 1

"I can't deal with this anymore...I think we need a break Ashley!" Daniel stated, letting out an exasperated sigh. He furiously raked his hands through his blonde, messy locks. This was their fourth fight this week and probably hundredth that month. It had been like that for a while now; they quarrelled over the tiniest of things. The root cause of these arguments was trampled beneath these irrelevant disputes they kept having. Both refused to acknowledge the fact that this was toxic, for the both of them. They had to either talk about their main differences or just leave, which apparently Daniel had chosen to do instead. 

Ashley looked into his bright blue eyes, the ones she loved because they reminded her of the ocean and fathomed the seriousness they proclaimed. Her eyes shut as she began to process what he had just told her. It had been a long time coming, one of them had to end it. She knew she wouldn't have ever done it, because a part of her knew, rather hoped that they could make this work.

She nodded slightly and walked around his apartment as fast as she could with her face taut. Gathering her belongings, she shoved them into a small, black backpack, and slipped on her boots. She walked out the place that was her escape, her getaway from all her problems for the past two years.

She winced, as the door slam loudly behind her. She walked as swiftly as she could, making her way to the bus stop. She took out her phone and checked the timetable. She groaned putting away her phone; the bus was always late.

She was waiting there for quite a while before she heard the familiar sound of the honk of the bus. She usually never travelled that late; it was about forty five minutes to midnight. She boarded the bus, noticing the few half- asleep occupants and welcomed the calm. She walked to the back and lowered herself onto a red, tattered vinyl seat. The bus was not air- conditioned, but the weather in Laguna had always been good. 

As the bus moved, a slight breeze blew into the bus, making her sigh with satisfaction. She took her hair out from her tight ponytail and let the salty, warm air flow through her hair. Ashley loved the ocean. The freshness of the air calmed her erratic breaths and she was soon breathing normal, her heartbeat returning back to its normal rate. She shut her eyes, trying to get those blue eyes out of her head. The bus screeched to a halt about two blocks from her apartment complex. She stepped down and started walking towards her home.

As soon as she opened her apartment door, she broke down, tears streaming down her beautiful face. Her demeanour changed and she let her guard down because she knew no one was watching her. She liked being in control of her emotions, and never expressed her truest opinions about anything, so she felt even more miserable because she was a mess. 

She set her bag down and put her keys on the coffee table. She sank into her midnight-blue velvet couch and laid there motionless, staring at the captivating light fixtures on the ceiling. Looking at that took her back o simpler times, when Dan and her had spent the entire day painting the apartment and that had led to multiple paint fights and paint covered kisses. She sadly smiled to herself at the memory and felt her eyes sting with tears again.She felt a gnawing pain in her chest that didn't't seem to go away. 

Just then she heard her phone ting multiple notifications and the vibration of the phone in the depths of her bag. She however ignored it and let instead let memories consume her thoughts as she slowly drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the ocean.