fading memories || Ashton Irwin

The Runaway

"Katarina, there's someone at the door for you," my cousins bimbo of a girlfriend called out from my door way. That's something I should've mentioned before I started writing this, my name is Katarina; Kat for short.

I looked up from the book I was reading and let out an exhausted sigh. "this really cute boy with hazel eyes and an adorable smile."

"you're 10 years older than him please stop," I pushed past her and had to restrain myself from running, I knew it was Ashton.

"A little eager there Kat," he stood at the door wearing grey sweatpants and the same worn jumper i've seen him in a thousand times before; the same dorky smile as well, "do you mind if I come in?"

We lay on my bed in complete silence, the gentle mummer of some indie song filling our ears. I will never forget how it felt to be in his arms, to hear his heart beat steadily in his chest. That was what I missed about him the most.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are," he smirked, pushing a strand of hair away from my neck and replacing it with his lips.

"You have," I turned my head so our faces were inches apart.

"And I will continue saying it until the day I die," he leaned in, closing the gap that separated us.

"Or until we break up," I added.

Ashton placed a kiss on my lips but pulled away  before it was anything more than a peck, "you're such a buzzkill Kat," he smiled.

We stayed that way until our eyes no longer had the strength to hold themselves up.

"Kat, are you still awake," he whispered

"No,"

"I was thinking,"

god that was never a good sign.

"thinking about what Ashton"

"I was thinking about running away,"

"What?!" I sat up, "where, why, Ashton what are you talking about".

"I'm just sick of this place," he shrugged, "of course I wouldn't do it alone, you'd come with me" he rested his head on my lap.

It took me a while to comprehend what he had just said, I was used to his spontaneous requests, pizza at 2am or camping at the beach in the middle im of winter. Those things were normal but something like this.

"Ashton I can't you know that"

He sighed, sat up and held my face in his hand.

"One day, promise?"

"I promise."

There's something about that night that will remain forever imprinted in my memory. We had only been officially dating for 6 months. Talking about running away became almost an annual tradition, what do you expect a pair of teenagers in love to dream about. To one day get out of this never ending, repetitive life and leave it all behind, with nothing but our love keeping us together. Some days I think maybe if we did run away it wouldn't have ended the way it did, maybe if we ran away he wouldn't have found a different way to escape.