It Started With A Follow.(Ashton Irwin)

@The Guest

“Who else is here?” Toni asked pointing at the unknown car in our driveway.

“I have no idea. Maybe its a friend of mom and dads.” I say, racking my brain for who’s car it is. “That’s Niams car, but I have no idea who that is.” Ashton parks, runs around and opens my door, and we head to the house. “Mom?” I call in.

“In here.” She calls  from the living room. As soon as we walk in I see a familiar, sandy blond haired guy on the chair.

“Chris?” My jaw drops as he stands, “Oh. My. Gosh. No.” I run and jump in his arms. Leaving Ashton and Calum with confused looks, and Toni looking shocked.

“What? Do I not get a hug shorty?” He asks holding a arm out for Toni.  By this time I’m crying.

“Oh, shit. Um,” I whip my eyes, “Ashton, Calum, this is Chris. My brother. Chris, this is Ashton my boyfriend, and Calum, Tonis boyfriend.”

He reaches a hand out and shakes the boys hands, “I take it they never mentioned me?”  the boys shake their heads. “ I don’t blame them.” He let out a light chuckle.

The boys still looked a little confused. “I'll be back.” I say pulling Toni and the boys out on the deck. “So, Chris is my brother, and the moment he turned 18 he left, it was about, what, three years ago?” I ask Toni as she nods. “He didn’t even say goodbye, he just left a note on the counter saying he was ‘Going exploring’. Mom and dad went sorta crazy, thats part of the reason they work all the time. He only sent a few letters every couple of months, but its been about seven months since we have heard from him.” I let out a shaky sigh, “We were like best friends, he always took Toni and I to concerts and other things, when he left things around the house changed a bit, but eventually went back to normal.” a tear slipped down my cheek.

“Oh, babe.” Ashton said, whipping the tear. “Lets go back in.” He turned us to the door.

--

“I was everywhere.” Chris says as as we all sit in the living room while mom and dad make dinner, “I spent about a month or two in every place I could. London, Glasgow, Hong Hong, you name it, I was probably there.”

“What made you come home?” I ask, my voice cracking. I was sitting on Ashtons lap in the corner of the couch, Toni and Calum across from us.

Chris let out a sigh. “I missed you guys. I had been aways from home for so long, that I forgot what home was like.”

“So much has changed though.” I say through gritted teeth trying not to cry. I’ll admit, I was mad when he left, I felt as if he would never come back, and eventually it seemed that way. But here he is, acting as if 3 years hadn’t gone by.

“I can see that, hell I could feel it as soon as I walked in.” He says softly, looking at his feet.

“You chose the worst time to come back though.” I let out a nervous chuckle.

“And whys that?”

“Cause I’m moving in less than two weeks. To London.” I could tell that everyone else in the room was feeling kind of awkward, Jackie and Niam left to go help mom and dad, soon followed by Toni and Calum.

“Then I have two weeks to catch up with you. But also, I still have a house in London, that I will probably end up permanently living in. So it won’t all be for nothing.” He says looking me dead in the eyes.

“I hope not.” I say softly as Ashton lightly rubs my back.

“Kids, dinners ready.” Mom calls, more cheery than normal. Dinner goes by surprisingly fast,  and the little tension that was between Chris and I quickly disappeared. He was staying at a hotel in Lexington, but moving into one in town this weekend. After he left mom and dad quickly gathered their things and left on their business for the rest of the week.