Afterlife || irwin

[ 18 ] 2014

[ 18 ] 2014

-

"I know this is going to sound really crazy, but I need you to trust me and do everything I ask you to. Hurry back to Anne-Sophie's place and call the police. You have to hurry."

-

Ashton could no longer enjoy his meal after his friends left, though Claire seemed overjoyed to have seen Hayley being dragged out of the restaurant by Bobby. Harley sat there, two seats from Ashton, looking down at her hands. She didn't know what to do or say, the whole situation felt awkward to her now. But if she were to leave at that moment, she knew Ashton's life would be in danger. She had to stay and stall him for as long as possible. So she got back on her feet and went around to sit on the chair immediately next to Claire. In that lifetime, she and Ashton didn't know each other. They surely were not friends and did not talk to each other. She also knew that he recognized her from the previous day, and was choosing not to say anything.

The waitress slid his plate of food in front of him and he merely looked down at it, suddenly losing his appetite. It had started out so well, a group of friends going out for bowling and then some food, and Claire had to make her comments. He looked up at the waitress, who asked if he needed anything else before she could move onto the next person. 

"Can I get this to go please?" He asked her. She nodded and took the three plates with her back in the kitchen to place in to go boxes.

"To go?" Claire eyed him, blue eyes judgmental at his decision. "We came here to eat and have a nice night."

"I'm not having such a great night anymore, kitten." Ashton admitted to her with a sigh. As he looked up, He found that Harley was already looking at him too and they locked eyes. She quickly looked away shyly. The last thing he wanted was to start an argument with Claire, but he also didn't want her to think that the things she was doing were okay. Taking in a breath to steel himself, he began. "I don't like the way you treat my friends, and I'm going to have to ask you to treat them better next time."

Claire gasped at his words. Never in their whole relationship  had he said something like that to her. He was always letting her do whatever she wanted. "Are you trying to tell me you care more about your friends than me?"

He gave a shake of his head. "That's not it. They don't mistreat you, so why do you find it okay to mistreat them?"

"Because I don't like them." She responded simply.

"Okay." He sighed, starting to feel exasperated. "I understand that you can't always like and get along with everyone. But there is a way to treat people, and I'm thinking maybe your parents didn't teach you those ways."

As Harley sat there awkwardly, with Claire turned in her seat, her back to Harley, she could not help but break out into a small smile. She really tried to hide it, but it was forcing its way onto her lips. Ashton seemed like he was always letting Claire do what she wanted and always doing what she asked of him. For him to be standing up to her like that was something major. Harley was internally cheering for him. But for the sake of saving his life, she kept quiet. She wanted to stay on Claire's good side. She wanted her young grandmother to like her for now.

"Watch the way you speak to me. I'm your wife." She warned him. At that, Harley was taken by surprise. In the time she had known Ashton, he never mentioned to her that he had been actually married to her. But she figured it had been a hasty wedding so that she could get his money upon his death. Still, Harley Quinn was genuinely surprised.

"I'm starting to think we may have rushed into this marriage, Claire." Ashton said sadly. He was in love with Claire, but he was coming to realize there were some things about her that he did not like. He thought she could change and learn to accept his friends, or at least treat them right. But he had been wrong.