Broken || Ashton Irwin

Chapter 16.1

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"I want to tell you to come back to mine but my Mum's at home and I don't think she would be totally cool with me bringing a girl she's never met back for the night." Ashton sighed, squeezing my hand gently as we cuddled together on the bench.

"It's fine," I smiled, although I really didn't want to leave Ashton tonight, he made me feel safe and weirdly, loved. I could tell he cared about me even if he didn't always show it and that's all I really needed.

"I'm not letting to you go home though," he stated. "I'm not." He reinforced, getting almost angry. I had told him everything that had happened, about my Dad hitting my Mum and the way my Mum had left in the middle of the night and not even told me where she was going or if she was coming back. About the countless arguements my parents had been having and how me and Jackson always got the blame for things, and how my Mum didn't really eat anymore and that she was so frail I was scared of breaking her, even just when I hugged her goodnight.

"I have to Ashton, I can't go anywhere else." I said softly, tears forming in my eyes at the thought of my cold house, with the blood stain on the carpet from my Mum's slashed face, and the smashed vase the pieces spread over the floor.

"I've got an idea," he suddenly grinned, standing up and pulling me up off the bench with him. All of a sudden he had got really excited, and I had never really seen him like this before.

"What is it?" I asked, anticipating his answer.

"We can camp!" He said, letting go of my hand and putting his arms out at the sides, as if it was the most obvious idea in the world. Although right now I thought it was the best idea in the world, I told myself it was because I didn't have to go home but I couldn't lie to myself.

I knew really it was because I got to spend the night with Ashton.

I smiled at him, nodding my head.

"Come on then," he grinned, turning around and bending down, telling me to jump. I wrapped my legs around his body and he lifted me up onto his back. I hugged my arms around and his neck, and he set of walking to the car park that was next to the playground.

The atmosphere was kind of sombre passing the empty playground, it looked sad in the dark, and being on Ashton's back almost made me feel like a child again, it reminded me of my Dad and as much as I disliked what he did to Mum, I could never hate him. I had to rest my head on Ashton's shoulder and cuddle my face into his jacket to stop streaks of water from falling down my face.

"Charlotte, jump down a second," Ashton instructed stopping and lowering me down off his back.

He took off his jacket and walked towards me slightly, wrapping his jacket around my back and arm by arm, fitting me into the sleeves.

"You're incredible, you know." I smiled, zipping it up and looking down admiring how it looked, it hung off me like a blanket but I loved it, I stood appreciating how it felt to me wearing something that belonged to Ashton.

"I know," he winked. "Hop back on?" He giggled, pulling me gently back onto his back and twisting his arms around my legs, pulling my tighter onto his body.

We walked a little further past the empty playground until we reached Ashton's car which was parked just the side of the big fountain.

"Have you got a coin?" He asked, nodding his head towards the fountain.

"I have two," I giggled, reaching into my purse and handing him down a coin.

I jumped down off his back, and he grasped my hand back in his.