When shit hits the fan, even your sworn enemy suddenly looks like prince charming, and that is as unnerving as anything else...
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NOT A BOY x BOY STORY! Don't expect that because of the cover!!!
Rated M for content related to mental health, abus...
Meg sighs as she leans back against the seat of the Uber, relaxed for the first time since telling everyone about her assault. Michael had become a leach. Stuck to her side, texting her constantly, always had to know where she was, who she was with, and where she was going.
She'd left today while he was in the shower, and Crystal already off at a work meeting. She just needed a minute to be herself. Logically she knows Michael is trying to have her best interest at heart, and he isn't trying to smother her, but even after their fight a couple days ago in the car after work, he hadn't let up at all on her.
It may be rude, and she may pay for it with his anger later, but today she just wants a couple hours where he doesn't know exactly where she is.
The drive takes a good fifteen minutes, but eventually the car pulls to a stop along the curb outside Ashton's place and Meg smiles. Paying the driver quickly before exiting the car for what she hopes is a fun day with her best friend.
Waiting on the pouch until the door is swung open, she greets Matt with a smile before he allows her past him into the house, wandering back to the kitchen where she finds Ashton on the phone.
"Wait!" Ashton's eyes look concerned and then relieved as he sees her. "She just showed up here. She's safe Mike. You can calm down." Ashton continues to talk into the phone for a minute.
Meg takes a seat at the counter, holding back the eye roll she wants to send both Ashton and Michael's way. Of course he started calling around, because she's a damn three year old who can't take care of herself enough to visit friends.
"What the fuck were you thinking?" Ashton sounds pissed as he drops the phone from his ear, face turned to her.
"I came to see my best friend. I needed out from under Michael's thumb for a minute, the guy is suffocating me. But I guess you agree with him that I'm a broken baby and need to be escorted ever damn place I go now." She rolls her eyes at him.
"He is worried because he cares about you, Megan. I care about you too. I don't want you to get hurt again. It's easier to make sure that happens if we know where you are." Ashton scolds.
"I am twenty-three years old today, Ashton. I can take a fucking Uber across town to visit you without having to check in with my cousin." She spits. "It's my fucking birthday and the only one of you people who seems to have remembered was Luke! And his was still followed up by a million questions about how I am doing. Michael didn't even wish me a happy birthday, just had to interrogate me about how I was feeling. I show up here hoping my best friend wants to go get coffee with me as a little celebration and instead I get yelled at for showing up! I feel like a damn three year old! I am a grown ass adult, I can handle myself. What happened to me was bad, it sucks, I wish it hadn't but I fucking need to be able to breathe on my own still and none of you seem to understand that!"
"We want to protect you, Meg, to make sure nothing like that ever happens again." Ashton frowns.
"Protecting me and coddling me are two very different things, Ashton. I can't live my life with an escort of overprotective friends standing around me. I'll never make my dreams come true if I do that. I'll never get to make my dreams a reality if everyone is crushing me with their overprotective love. I know you all want to make sure I'm okay. But I'm not ever going to be okay again if you are all hovering so much. Let me breathe!"
"I'm sorry, Meg, you're like a sister to me. I feel like I failed you when I found out this happened."
"You have all got to stop thinking you failed me somehow over this. You had no idea where I was, what I was doing, and neither did Michael. No one knew, and even those with me, they knew I was there somewhere. It was a big club, I got separated for a minute. It wasn't anyone's fault that I ended up being that bastards target. Not anyone's but his. Stop thinking you all could have saved me. He targeted me because there was no one there to save me."
"I still feel like I could have done something. like I could have helped somehow." Ashton sighs.
"You couldn't. And I don't want any of you beating yourselves up over that."
"I can't promise anything, Meg. I'm going to be protective. I love you too much not to be protective, Meg. But you're right, it is your birthday and I think a coffee date with little miss little sis is the right way to celebrate. Come on."
"Are you going to at least apologize for yelling at me when I showed up?" She scoffs turning to follow his movements around the room.
"I'm sorry I yelled, but you had us all panicked. I am not apologizing for caring so much."
Sighing Meg climbs off her stool, no longer in the mood to hang out with Ashton. Someone she has been close to for so long, but is making her feel just as Michael did, microscopic and juvenile. The exact feelings she was trying to get away from with coming to visit him today.
"happy fucking birthday to me." She mumbles dryly as she follows Ashton towards the car.
"You say something, Meg?" Ashton turns quickly.
"What? Oh, my birthday so coffee's on you right?" She grins suddenly.
"Pretty sure it's always been on me. I don't know if you've ever bought me coffee." Ashton laughs.
"I resent that. I bought the coffee that gave us dating rumors in 2014!" She laughs, "It was for your twentieth birthday."
"Oh, I'm sorry. You've bought the coffee once in our nearly ten years of friendship." He rolls his eyes at her, motioning for her to get into the car.
"Thank you for giving me the credit I deserve." She nods sharply.
"Pain in my ass." He chuckles under his breathe.
"You love me."
***
MeganC
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Liked by michaelclifford, dadadaphnie, and 12,583 others. MeganC: Only one person can rival my love for coffee. Thanks for the birthday treat @Ashtonirwin love you long time.
AshtonIrwin: Coffee trips with little miss little sis are my favorite.
CliffordFam: Happy Birthday Megan! I hope the boys have spoiled you!
----------------------- Meg is feeling very very trapped.
