Angels Drown

Chapter 5

He heard footsteps coming up the pull down latter, as he stirred on the floor.  He knew he should sit up.  Hide the polaroid before Elijah could see.

"Did you sleep here all night?" He heard Elijah say.

"Mhh yeah.  Lost track of time." Ashton said as he opened  his eyes.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, he tucked the polaroid quickly underneath his thigh.  Elijah stood over him and crossed his arms. 

"What happened with Fletcher?"

"What do you mean?" Ashton asked. 

"Something must have happened.  I woke up to you not in our bed and then curled up sleeping in our attic that we never go in."

"I must be sleepwalking again."

"To the attic?" Elijah seemed very unconvinced with his answer.

"I should go for my morning run." 

Ashton said and jumped up dropping the polaroid in the box.  Elijah gave him a strange glance before climbing down the ladder.  Ashton sighed and climbed down after him.  

He showered and changed into his workout clothes.  He didn't feel like running right now but it's better then staying in the house feeling guilty while looking at Elijah.

He knew that he'd have to face Fletcher at some point.  She knew something was happening, she wasn't stupid.

He started running, and the adrenaline started pumping throughout his veins.  Ashton felt confused and upset.

Why did he have to come back?

He sounded like a stubborn child, this was Lucas's home just as much as it was his.  It wasn't fair to hope that Lucas would never come back.

Sure, for some years he wondered if he had ever come back for holidays to see his mom, but he never ran into him.

Ashton tried his best never to think of Lucas, it was a time in his life where he was miserable.  Even though he loved Lucas at one point he hated what he did to himself.

He hated why he had to leave him.

"Slow down, Ashton." He heard Fletcher call out as she ran up next to him.

"Sorry," he panted. 

He didn't realize how fast he was running until he slowed down.  His legs were burning and he was having trouble controlling a good breathing pattern.

He slowed down to a stop and Fletcher followed his lead.  

"Are you okay?" Fletcher asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"You were giving my editor some really odd looks yesterday.  Do you know him at all?"

"No, of course not."

Ashton tried to say it as convincing as possible.  When he first went to rehab and met Fletcher, he told her about a boy he had to leave behind to get better.  He never named him though.

She couldn't find out.  It would make everything more awkward and Ashton knew how important this was to her.

"I don't believe you."

"That's fine." He answered.  She looked flustered and confused.

His past was something he tried to keep buried.  Only a few people knew what happened in his teen years.  His mother, Lucas, a few friends, and that's about it.

Even Elijah didn't know all the details.  He knew more on an outlined version of the actual story.  That's what Ashton needed him to believe.

He remembered when he ran into Lucas's mom about a year ago at the park.  They used to have a nice relationship with each other, when he couldn't talk to his own mom, he talked to Lucas's mom.