𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙚 ⚣ 𝙘𝙩𝙝+𝙖𝙛𝙞 ✔

28

i have no words just look at that

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Mali meant what she said when she told Ashton she was going to beat his ass. He had hurt her brother way too much, way more than anyone deserved, and she intended to do something about it. Hopefully put a stop to it. But the most she could really do was try and talk some sense into him. Of course, she was going to hit him.

She demanded that Ashton let her know when he was back from wherever he'd gone and because he knew she wasn't kidding, he agreed. He didn't know her at all but he didn't need to to know that he was afraid of her. She got the text from him at around eleven o'clock a few nights later.

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ashtonirwin: i'm back. temporarily. still wanna hit me?

malikoa: absolutely.

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He gave her a time and location to meet him, but in the end she decided that he should come over to her house. If she hit him in public and someone saw, that was assault. If she hit him in her home, no one would be the wiser. She gave him the address, and he told her he'd be there soon. She then woke her sleeping boyfriend to tell him what was about to happen, and he found it a little odd, but he loved her and would support her in anything she did.

As long as she didn't kill him, which she couldn't promise. He was over within twenty minutes. She cracked her knuckles before reaching for the doorknob. Her boyfriend first grabbed her hand to stop her. "You can't kill this guy, okay? Tell me you won't."

"He hurt my brother. He fucked with family. You know I can't promise you that."

"How are we supposed to get married and start a family if you're in jail for second degree murder?"

She sighed. "You make a good point."

He pecked her forehead. "I know."

"I love you, and for that reason and that reason only, I will not kill him. I'm just gonna punch him really, really hard."

"Yeah, that's fine. Obviously it isn't, morally speaking, but I'll allow it. And I love you too."

She smiled, then her expression returned to a grimace and she opened the door. She didn't waste even a second listening to Ashton's greeting or whatever half-assed apology the man had written; she grabbed onto him, pulled him inside and threw him against the door.

"Explain yourself, dumbass." She growled.

"Fuck, okay, um, what do you wanna know?"

"Why the fuck did you think that was okay? Leaving him in the middle of the night with nothing but a note? Have you ever had that done to you? Do you know how shitty that feels?"

"Yes!"

"Oh yeah?" She crossed he arms over her chest. "By who?"

"My father. Except I was a lot younger and didn't even get a note."

Her face blanked. "Oh."

"He influenced why I did what I did. He was the only male role model I had in my life and he didn't stick around long enough to teach me much. All I know is that running away when there was a problem seemed to work for him, so I thought it might work for me. Of course, for most of my life, I've told myself that him leaving is my fault. But I-I was just a kid, I don't know what I could've done so wrong..."

He wiped his eyes, though no tears had fallen, and sniffled. "I'm really sorry that I hurt him. I wanna be better. I wanna make it up to him. Whatever I have to do, I'll do it."

Mali looked around. Anywhere but at Ashton, really. "In the text you sent me, you said 'temporarily'. You said you're back temporarily. What do you mean?"

"I...I have other things to do. I can't stay."

Then she punched him right in his stomach. Not as hard as she possibly could, but close. He doubled over and groaned. Her boyfriend pulled her into his chest and kissed her head. Ashton slowly straightened up. "Are you happy?"

"Yes. One hundred percent." She felt anger bubble inside her again. "What you said about you feeling like it's your fault your father left. That's how Calum feels. Now, I know you love him. Do you really want him to feel like that forever?"

"No, of course not."

"So you have to go see him now! Like, right now!"

"I want to, but-"

"No, no buts. Leave. Go see him."

"What am I supposed to tell him?"

"The truth."

"I don't know what that is."

She briefly felt the urge to punch him again. She tried to calm herself down before she spoke again, "You have to figure it out then. But you need to do it soon, because he is moving on much faster this time."

"He...he is?"

"Yes. I was planning on setting him up with a guy I work with."

"You can't do that." Ashton sounded desperate, pathetic even. "He's mine."

"But he isn't."

And Ashton left without another word. He could not stand the idea of Calum with anyone else, and he could not stand the idea of him not being his. He had to go make everything right between them. He needed him. He was his lifeline.

Ashton drove as fast as he possibly could. Then his mind began to wander. What if Calum didn't want to see him? It was late and he'd broken him so many times. No. He had to do this. He had to see him. He had to make things right. Except, as he walked up the stairs to Calum's apartment, he began to doubt himself. And by time he reached the door, he had convinced himself this was a bad idea.

He turned right around and left. Not considering the consequences of his actions. Not considering how this made him seem, or how he'd feel about himself for it later. He was scared. And so he ran.

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idek man. just about mcfucking had it.

hate this almost as much as i hate myself.

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