Flames in Our Veins

Present Time

“You know, if you actually had to apply for jobs, hacking security gate keypads would be the only thing you’d be proud enough to add onto your resume.”

Muffled laughs came from the entire group, John included. Once he pushed the gate open, he outstretched his arm out to let the group lead the way. As he watched them crouch down and run quickly up the driveway, he felt Ashley’s presence still behind him.

John turned around and saw Ashley looking forward towards the group, her arms wrapped around herself as she pressed her lips together in a thin line. Casually, he took a step towards her and reached for her hand.

“You didn’t have to come, Ash,” he said softly.

She switched her gaze onto the man she had grown to love and hate and despite what had happened between the two of them, she wanted to be there. She wanted to be there with her friends, but most importantly, she wanted to be there for him.

“ – But I wanted to so here I am, John.” John’s eyes fixated on hers for a moment and their gazes lingered until a sharp hiss from Kennedy caused them to turn their heads towards him in unison.

“Are you guys coming in or what? Garrett found the spare key!”

John gave Kennedy a nod before glancing back at Ashley who had let out a sigh. Without another word, she walked away from the tall man and followed their friends up the driveway leaving John alone.

He knew that Ashley had heard of the rumors, and he knew that she did her best at repressing her emotions about them. He supposed that was the reason for the cold shoulder he received from her at times. Then there were times when she clung to him for what felt like comfort, and considering their rough past, he wasn’t going to turn down Ashley’s comfort no matter the reason. He had missed her. He missed being around her. He missed her, and he missed another her. Reagan.

And that was the exact reason why John was so confused as to why Ashley decided to come along on their little adventure.

Reagan was the cause of the falling out between him and Ashley.

So why the hell did she come, he asked himself.

“Hurry the hell up, John!” With that, he ran onto the premises, trailing behind his friends and awaiting for Garrett to open the door. Despite his tall height, he was at a low enough crouch to not be seen by the neighbors. His eyes trailed from one head to the other to the next head until he ended up watching Garrett stick the key into the keyhole, turning it, and then suddenly, the door was slowly being pushed open.

The friends all turned to look at each other with smirks and questionable facial expressions to excitement and can’t-believe-the-door-fucking-opened wide-eyed gazes.

Garrett, who was crouching down near the door, gave John a look.

“What do we do now?”

John’s eyes widened at his friend and he hissed, “Go inside, idiot! Everyone be quiet and don’t wander around -“

“Yeah, you already went over the ground rules on the drive over here. We know what to do, John.”

He looked over at Ashley who was giving him her signature stern look.

“Ok. Garrett, go.” John said and he watched his friend be the first to enter the home. Following behind Garrett was Sam, Pat, Kennedy, Jared, and then Ashley. He looked down at his feet and was wondering why they weren’t moving, but it wasn’t until he felt a soft hand gently pull him up.

John took Ashley’s hand and followed her up to the door and suddenly, he was brought back to 2009 when the band would spend weekends here just hanging out and having a good time. It was very nostalgic and although there was a tiny part of him that felt guilty for doing such a thing, he needed to know if the rumors were true.

He wondered why in the world would Ashley want to return to this house, and he had wanted to ask her but he knew if he asked, it would ruin their rekindled friendship and their friendship was the only thing keeping him sane.

John slowly shut the door behind him as they entered the foyer. He could hear the faint whisperings of the others in the kitchen while he gazed around the entrance.

“It looks a lot emptier,” Ashley said softly as she poked her head into the living room. John stood behind her and saw there was only one sofa placed directly in the middle and a small coffee table with a few books piled on and nothing else. Five years ago, this house was filled with interesting décor pieces; there were pieces that were imported from Italy, Germany, and China, and now, all that remained in the living room looked like it came straight out of a local furniture store.

“Well her parents did get a divorce and they took their own belongings,” John said as he tucked his hands in his back pockets.

The brunette turned to look up at him with an arched brow. “I still don’t understand why they let Reagan keep this house for herself. It’s a fucking mansion. What the hell is she going to do with four bedrooms and 3 and a half baths?”

“I mean, come on. Look at this mess,” John watched Ashley wander into the living room, her arms outstretched and eyes analyzing every little thing. “Her furniture makes it look like she’s living back at the dorms… And remember when there used to be a piano here?” John walked further into the living room and stood where the old grand piano once called home. Flashbacks to the times he would sit and run his fingers along the keys flooded his mind.

“She’s irresponsible! And hell, someone who owns a house this big should have at least a house alarm system installed. But does Reagan have that? No. I doubt she even thought about getting one put in.”

John watched Ashley look around the rest of the first floor and judge every single thing. Then suddenly it made sense as to why she decided to join him.

Since the incident five years ago, Ashley had cut all ties to Reagan. The party was actually the last time she ever spoke to her.

And of course, John was the reason.

“So are you just going to wander around the fucking house and judge the way Reagan’s living now? So she isn’t living the best life right now. Actually, we don’t even know that. We haven’t seen her in years.”

Ashley raised a brow towards John. “I haven’t seen her in years. Five years to be exact. You, on the other hand, kept in contact with her.”

The tall man ran his tongue along his bottom lips and waited for Ashley to throw more accusations his way.

“Because I mean it could have been five years of not speaking to you! But your friends kept talking about this bullshit rumor that can’t be true so yeah, I had to talk to you. But you and Reagan have kept in contact, right?”

He shook his head furiously. “You don’t know anything, Ash. Yeah, the reason why I wanted to do this was to find out if the rumor is true. And the last time I talked to Reagan was two months after you told me you never wanted to see me again. After that, I lost all contact with her and you, so I had nobody.”

“Well you shouldn’t have slept with her because then you wouldn’t have lost me, especially when I needed you the most.”

John was about to retort when he noticed the way her face had softened towards the end.

“What happened?” He asked softly.

The brunette shook her head and turned away from him. John took a few steps towards her, but she made her way up the stairs. “Ash!” He called out.

“What’s the matter with Ash,” asked a soft voice from the opposite side of the room. John turned to see Sam with a worried look on her face. Giving her a reassuring smile, he waved his hand towards the kitchen. “She’s fine. Her and I just need to talk. You guys try not to make a mess.”

Sam nodded slowly and made her way back into the kitchen to join the rest of the guys while John stood there at the bottom of the staircase thinking about what he needed to do next. He came here for a specific reason and now Ashley was becoming the top priority here.

John slowly made his way upstairs and entered the master bedroom where he found Ashley standing in front of the empty dresser.

“Ashley,” he said softly. He watched the brunette turn slightly, her eyes meetings his for a brief moment before she looked back down at whatever grasped her attention.

“Don’t ask, John,” was all she said.

“You don’t say things like that and expect me to not react. I know you, Ash. I know you so well and yeah, we’ve had a rough couple of years, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you, or that I stopped. I never fucking stopped.”

Ashley let out a muffled laugh before turning around to face him. John’s eyes looked down at her hands that currently held onto a gold watch, her fingers running gently over the clasp.

“You’ve met so many other girls, John. So stop with the cliché lines.”

“That’s the fucking truth.”

The brunette’s lips curled into a smile and John suddenly felt himself walk over towards her until the two stood face to face with just a few inches between their bodies.

The two stared at each other for what felt like eternity. It had been a long time since he was this close to Ashley and the last time they were in extreme close proximity was the day he told her what had happened between him and Reagan.

Ashley’s eyes fell onto the watch she held in her hands. Without saying a word, she took John’s hand and slowly slid the watch around his wrist.

“ – I needed you because my parents told me they were getting a divorce.”

John’s eyes widened as his gaze quickly switched from the watch to Ashley. He felt her tiny hand linger around his wrist and he took that as his cue to grab her other hand with his own in a comforting manner.

Since he was a kid, he often compared Ashley’s parents to his in the way they expressed their affections towards one another. John’s parents were madly in love and he loved that; he also knew Ashley’s parents were the same way. It was impossible for them to ever get in a disagreement and Ashley could vouch since she looked up to them for guidance.

Thinking back to the times his mother wouldn’t return any of his phone calls and the fact his dad hardly replied to his emails made complete sense now. His parents loved Ashley, her brothers, and her parents. Just like John and Ashley, they were best friends.

It made sense.

Except for the fact, they never mentioned it to him directly.

John began nodding slowly as he let his hands fall at his sides. He felt like complete shit now.

“Ash…”

“That was four years ago, John. It’s all in the past now.”

As he swallowed the lump that had formed in the back of his throat, he raised his hands and gently cupped the brunette’s face. While their eyes locked once more, he brushed the highest points of her cheekbones and shook his head like a fool.

“I should have been there for you. Why didn’t you just tell me?” He asked.

Ashley placed her hands over his and removed them from her face.

“You were never in Arizona, you were always gone, and I honestly thought you never wanted to speak to me again after what I told you that day in my bedroom.”

“I thought you really wanted me out of your life.”

John watched as Ashley shut her eyes for a moment, her voice soft and low. “And here I thought you were always one for breaking the rules.”