Teacher | Ashton Irwin

Twenty Eight

It was a large hall filled with people seated at circular tables. Ashton noticed my nervous expression and wrapped his arm around my waist. We walked over to his mom and da who were stood at the door.

Ann-Marie smiled, "Rachel, how lovely to see you!" She turned to Ashton, "You couldn't have worn a normal suit, could you?" She laughed, "It's lovely to see you Ashton."

He kissed his mom on the cheek and smiled, "You both look great. Mom, looking stunning. Happy anniversary."

His dad said, "Stand beside this wall. We have to get a photo of you two."

"Dad," Ashton whined, "Do we really have to?"

His mom used hand gestures to shoo us over to the wall. She held up her camera and sighed, "Ashy, instead of looking like a door, could you please put your arm back around her and smile."

He wrapped his arm around me and mumbled, "I hate photos."

"Smile Ashton, please?" His mom begged.

I leaned up and whispered, "Picture me... Naked."

He smiled a smug grin. I turned in towards him slightly and smiled for the photo. Ann-Marie held the camera out in front of her and examined the photo. "Lovely."

I took my phone out of my purse and handed it to her, "Could you take a photo of us on my phone please?"

"Of course sweetie," she smiled, holding my phone up, "Say cheese."

Ashton smiled awkwardly. My hand crept around his back and tickled his side. He began laughing. That beautiful smile came out. That goofy grin that I loved that showed his teeth. The smile that could light up the world.

His mom snapped a picture of us and handed me my phone back, "Thank you," I smiled. Ashton wrapped both his arms around me from behind and looked over my shoulder at the photo.

It was the best and cutest photo I had ever seen. We were both giggling and looked extremely happy together. Ashton turned to his dad, "Where are we sitting?"

His dad pointed to the main table in the middle of the room, "There's name plates on the table."

Ashton laced his fingers in mine and led me to the table. Luckily, we were beside each other. Then again, I don't think they would separate us. I took my seat beside Ashton and said, "There's a lot of people in here."

"I know, they have a pretty popular family. Like I don't have a problem with it but it's not that nice," he shrugged.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He smiled down at his hands which were clasped together on the table. He stayed looking at his hands as he got lost in his thoughts. He softly spoke, "If it was my thirtieth wedding anniversary, I wouldn't hold a huge gathering. I would take her to the place where we had our first date or the place where I proposed to her," his eyes met mine. The green in his loving eyes twinkled under the lights, "I would hold her hands and tell her how much I loved her. I would then take you to our favourite place that we had grown to love over our years together. I would then take you back to our house and we would have our kids over because when we're married for thirty years, they would be grown up. I don't know what I'd do after that. Oh, and I'd buy you a diamond ring or necklace or something. I don't know, I would make the day really special."

I was completely taken back. At first he said how he would take 'her' out but halfway through, he started saying things that he would do for 'you'... As in me!

"I um..." I panicked and quickly scrambled away from the subject of us growing old together, "When's dinner?"

He looked down sadly and quickly hid his emotions by smiling up at me. It didn't take a genius to hear the hurt in his voice, "Soon. I don't really know anymore."

"Anymore?" I raised my eyebrows.

He shrugged, "Apparently I don't know what to do, say or whatever situations I'm in anymore."

"We aren't talking about food anymore, are we Ashton," he shook his head. I sighed, "I'm sorry. I completely shut you off when you said the nicest thing. You shared your visions with me and I cut you off. Was I the girl that you were talking about?"

"Let's just say, she was faceless before I met you," he smiled.

I took his hand in mine and rested my head on his shoulder. I whispered, "If I can't finish my speech tomorrow, will you read it for me?"

"Of course I will," he reassured me. He placed a sweet kiss on the top of my head before resting his head on mine. "I'll be beside you."