Always - Sequel to Stay Together For The Kids

Date.

"Ashton Fletcher Irwin!" I call out as I push open the front door to our house. There is silence through out it, and I wonder whether he is ignoring me. Probably.

I stumble into the living room, and see Ashton sitting on the couch. He is in dead silence, the t.v is off, and he is on his phone, in a little ball on the couch. He almost looks like me during my teenage years.

"Ruby still at Luke's?" I ask him. I had dropped Ruby off the Luke's earlier, weary of taking her to Cal's with me. And by the looks of the men who had shown up, I'm glad I made that decision.

Ash doesn't even look up from his phone, he just nods his head.

"That's actually perfect."

"Weird thing to get excited over, but ok." Ash says, still playing on his phone.

I feel like ripping it out of his hands just so he's forced to look at me.

"It gives us a chance to talk." I say, more confident then I feel.

Ashtons eyes sharply turn to me. "About what?" He says.

I sigh loudly, feeling like Ashton is trying to block a reconciliation every step of the way.

"About us, Ash." I breathe, falling down onto the couch next to him.

"I get it." He says, shaking his head as I curl my knees to my chest, just like he is sitting. "I understand that I went over the line."

To much of the startlement of Ash, I lightly punch him in the shoulder.

"Could you please stop feeling sorry for yourself?" I say loudly.

"But I-" He goes to start.

"Nope." I say, over him. I see the dimples pushing through his cheeks and I know he's trying not to laugh at me.

Eventually, he looks away from me, shaking his head. Putting his phone down, he rests his chin on his knees, looking blankly in front of him.

"What are you thinking?" I say softly to him.

"I'm thinking." Ash starts, "I'm thinking we should go get drunk."

One hurried coat and a pair of vans later, I find myself walking in the crisp darkness down our street.

"Shouldn't we take a car?" I ask, pulling my coat tighter over me.

"Don't need a car where were going, Lil." He half smiles.

Ashton turns the corner, and I frown at him. The bar was the other way.

"Where are we going?" I call out to him as he strides in front of me, my little legs no longer keeping up.

"Where do you think?" He turns back to look at me, and I see a big grin on his face. He walks backwards, watching me instead of watching where he is going. His dimples get bigger as my eyes meet his, my own smile reaching my face before I can realise I am.

"I think we're here." I nod softly, walking up to Ashton, who was still walking backwards.

Ashton spins, looking back to where I had nodded. It is a bottle shop. An old, old bottle shop. The windows are a green tint, and the bricks have crumbled. I had wondered in the past few years why they would even keep a place like this going. Nothing but raging alcoholics and underage teenagers came here.

I start to walk up the steps, but Ashton darts in front of me.

"M'lady." He smiles, pulling the door open for me.

"You're a dickhead." I breathe, just so he can hear, as I walk past him.

I hear Ashton's chuckle behind me. "You're welcome."