From Far Away

Louie shows up at ten to pick up Alex. As Ashley opens the door for him, he takes in her rumpled hair, her sleepy eyes, the men’s tee. His dark eyes narrow; his lips scrunch up, like he’s tasted something bad. What? She wants to ask him. Is this not allowed? Is there no one I can have a relationship with other than you? But blessedly, he chooses to say nothing, except, “I guess it’s gotten serious.”

“Yes, it has,” she answers deliberately, looking him dead in the eyes. Don’t do it, Louis. Not today. He nods, smiles at Alex, who’s got his bag packed and is now hugging his sister goodbye. “You let me know if you need anything, okay? Though I know Uncle Louie has you covered.” She kisses his head. “Have fun.”

“Bye, Ashley.” He bounds through the door, and Louie kisses her cheek gently before departing. He tries to smile, but the warmth skips over those scrutinizing eyes of his. “Be careful,” he says over his shoulder, and she knows he doesn’t mean be careful stepping out of the house or running errands.

Whatever. Louie’s sweet, but he’s got an abrasive quality that has shooed plenty of women away- herself included. The day she listens to him about anything regarding relationships will be the day her heart stops beating.

Bobby is still sleeping, a light smile on his lips. She stands there for a moment, replaying last night in her head until she can remember everything, call it at will. She remembers the feel of his tongue on the inside of her thigh, the slight gasp she made when he pushed into her for the first time, the way his eyelids squeezed shut as he came. She can remember every kiss, every breath, and every touch like fire between them, almost painful but too hot, too mesmerizing, to let go.

She slides into bed next to him, making him stir. “Sorry,” she whispers.

“Mmm,” he grumbles. “I was in the middle of a good dream.” He opens his eyes, smiles at her. “But reality is even better.”

She grins and slips into his arms. For a while she lies there, entranced by his heartbeat, strong and sure. Bobby Ryan. Someone very different from the boy he once was, so he’s said. She doesn’t care; she knows the man he is, and that man is funny, engaging, charming. Quirky, a little bit sarcastic, but she feels that he cares for her more deeply than she could ever have imagined. He rubs her back, sleepily mumbling, and she smiles into his chest. Yes, she could very well feel this for him, too.

Or it could just be the feeling she gets when she’s close to anyone, anyone at all. She loves being paid attention to; that much she can admit. And Bobby gives her attention. It doesn’t mean she’s in love or anything… right?

And then he murmurs her name, ever so quietly. “Ashley.” Not a question or even a call, but a simple affirmation. And she can feel everything around her evaporate, her doubt melting into a pool of nothing at his touch. She reaches up, places her lips on his softly. All the while, she’s thinking, You need to stop getting so close to me.

“So, how was it?”

Ashley hugs Alex, handing him a bag of cotton candy she’d picked up on the way. It’s the start of another week, two days since she’d opened the door to her friend and watched his eyes darken with jealousy. She had thought it would have been enough time for him to stop acting childish.

“You know. Bobby. Your boyfriend. Last night?”

He’s trying to egg her on. She knows it, and yet her hands are still balling into fists, trying to hide themselves behind her back. Alex looks between them warily, trying to understand what’s going on.

“How long have you known him again? A week? Two, maybe?”

She puts her bag on the ledge opening out to the dining area, smiling and rolling her eyes at Alex. “That’s strawberry, by the way, I know you like that one.”

“I thought it was cute that you opened the door wearing his clothes, though,” Louie went on, closing the front door. “Nice touch.”

“How was school, Alex?” she says.

“It was good, Mr. Thompson taught us about frogs-“

“What, nothing to say?” Louie cuts in.

“How about shut the fuck up?” she finally snaps through a grin, glancing at her little brother. Louie grins back, and she knows he’s not going to let go of the argument.

“Ah, she speaks. For a moment there I thought he’d finally made you speechless.”

“God, you just love saying shit, don’t you?”

“Only when it comes to you lying to me.”

“What did I lie about?” she asks. “And why is it that I can’t even walk into the house without you starting your crap with me?”

“Why can’t you go anywhere without acting like-“

“Like what?”

Her eyes are on his, daring him to speak. This is how it’s going to be for a while- this is how it’s always been between them. Ashley knows Louie’s liked her ever since they first talked to one another; the unfortunate fact that he thinks he’s everyone’s father turns her off. Not to mention she’s never felt a thing for him, not in eight years.

“Hey, uh… Louie, I thought you liked Bobby.” Alex looks up at him innocently, breaking the spell of silence. “I mean, I do. He got me a remote car and I didn’t even ask him for anything. He’s good to my sister, too.”

Louie squats down to Alex’s level. “Hey, bud, why don’t you start on that homework , okay? Let Ash and me handle this.”

Reluctantly, the little boy starts walking away, only to turn around again. “I’m right, though. I see how happy she is now. She smiles all the time.” With that, he goes to the couch and opens his backpack. And Ashley looks pointedly back at her friend.

“Well, that makes two of us against one, then,” she says quietly.

“Oh, like that means anything. He’s a fucking kid.”

“And you’re a grown man, but he’s acting much more maturely right now.” Disgusted, she snatches her bag back up and turns to leave. “What is that saying?”

“Ashley.”

“Louis?”

He pauses for a moment, and then sighs. “Okay. I probably shouldn’t have popped off at you like that. But shit, I can’t believe you’d invite him into your place and do that with him with Alex right there-“

“Alex was asleep, you ass. We weren’t in front of him. And for your information, who and what I do is none of your business, so don’t get pissed off just because it wasn’t with you.” She opens the door. “I’m done. Tell your story to someone who fucking cares.”

Before she closes the door, she hears him say it. That nasty, four-letter condemnation, the word she hates more than anything else just because of how many times she’s heard Marco say it to her mother.

“Slut.”

Without a word, she pushes the door back open, steps back into the house and punches him. Hard. Not hard enough to knock him backward, like she wants to do, but enough to make him flinch and close his eyes, staggering a bit. She can feel the skin on her knuckle split as she makes contact with his teeth. And then, nothing.

Alex jumps up from the couch, eyes wide. She stares at him, at Louie holding his jaw, at her hand throbbing with pain. “Sorry, Alex,” she whispers, and then leaves as quickly as she had returned.