Ashton

She stepped even closer to me, her blue eyes were holding my sight. Those eyes made me feel nervous for the first time. Lost in the hypnotic gaze, I ran my fingers through my hair and immediately settled myself into the brown leather couch.

"No, let's go outside? She needs to rest. She is on heavy medicines," Jane smiled through her crimson lips.

Uh? Okay," I got up from the couch and kissed my mom's forehead . It was a final goodbye for the day and I still felt depressed.

When I glanced back at Jane, she was still smiling. Her lips were curled up so beautifully that I wanted to stare at them forever. 

Never stop smiling, Hope.

We walked towards the exit together and in that instant, I had a sudden urge to draw her towards me when our shoulders brushed. The slight contact made her flinch, but she smiled at me in a reassuring manner.

I decided not to act on my impulse again because the last time I touched her, she didn't talk to me for two weeks, and with Jane things always repeated. It was like Deja Vu. 

 I was reserved the entire time we were walking.

"So?" I asked while shoving my hands through my hair all over again.

Jesus, I need to chill. Stop with the nervousness, Ashton.

"Just wait a minute. I need to put these back." She walked towards the Medical Record Room and signed on a few files.

It was around 8 P.M and the visiting hours were almost over. The lobby had already been cleared out along with the pharmacy and the gift shops. The hospital's remaining staff members were bidding goodbye to one another while Jane just walked beside me, her eyes were stuck on the ground. It seemed almost as if she was hiding from the people around her and trying not to engage in a conversation. She passed by so many known people but never said a thing.

I looked at her silently and wondered what actually happened to this girl. I did understand the fact that her parents died in an accident, but was it so brutal that she closed all her doors to the world?

"It is going to be alright, I checked with Doctor Arden." Suddenly her voice hit me and brought me back to light from my thoughts.

We were finally outside the hospital and the weather was cool against the heat which had blown all day.

"I hope so," I faked a smile even though my sight was still blurry due to the beating pain on the inside. She returned the smile and I smiled back again. I did feel better with her and it seemed as if we were playing a smiling game. It was silly but cute. 

"You know what?" I glanced at her and got distracted by her obvious collar bones. The light was illuminating from her skin and she looked beautiful. 

She nodded while tucking her hair behind her ear. I noticed every single detail about her as if she was the only girl important to me. I had forgotten about the humiliation I felt when she ignored me for weeks. 

"Last night, I hardly got any sleep. I was missing her so much, my sleep was disturbed," I paused and closed my eyes.

"I wish we were still in North Carolina. You know, she would scold me for partying late, but the next day she would cool down and prepare the best meal for me," I looked at the stars above me and then back at Jane. 

There was no difference between them. 

She was not smiling anymore, but the ice on her face was melting. Her expressions seemed broken. I knew that she was very well aware of the fact that I was giving a part of myself, but I didn't care. I no longer wanted to hide my pain in my words.  

We both went towards the direction of the pond and adjusted ourselves on the bench. There was a lot of distance between us and I became quiet for a few seconds.

"Ashton, I am listening. Please continue," she responded to my silence in a soothing voice. There was hope in that voice.

"Let's go back in time, I was back from a party and it was late at night. My best friend dropped me home and I was in a bad mood because I got in a fight with a friend earlier that day. When I came home, she was on a call with my Uncle. My sixth sense told me on the inside that something was wrong since she had a worried expression on her face when she saw me. She was stuttering too. Then she smiled at me and I automatically figured that everything was alright," I curled my fist in anger.

"How stupid was I?" I yelled in frustration.

"It is okay, Ashton. You need to let it out. Remember what you told me?" She reassured.

"My mom never cried, at least not from sickness. After a few days, she told us that she was going to visit our Uncle in Hawaii because she was missing him too much. Em and I were a bit suspicious since our Uncle left his family when he got married, but after my birth when my grandmother passed away, he came back home and apologized. My mom had nobody left so she forgave him. We ignored mom's sickness. Leave Emily, I ignored her Cancer due to my busy life."

"You did not know about it. It is not your fault, Ashton. I hope you did not blame yourself for all of this?"

I ignored her question and continued because I did blame myself. 

"She started going out a lot and the house started being messy, I was irritated and confused but still too blind to see what was actually happening. She used to go out for her tests, Jane. After she reached Hawaii, she called me. That was the worst phone call of my entire lifetime."

"You are still foggy about it, right? Your pain is still there. Isn't it?"

When she spoke those words, I realized that the distance between us was no longer there. I was still sitting at the corner of the bench, but Jane came closer to me. I was able to breathe in her scent too and when the wind blew, her long hair touched my face. It smelled like mixed fruits.

We were just too close. She was glowing in the street light.

"Yes. Remember I told you that I had my dark days? Well, I laughed and pretended to be happy but it just wasn't working for me," I sighed heavily in a nervous manner.

My palms were sweaty, her closure was enthralling, but it was distracting me from talking.

A few drops fell down my face and when Jane saw me, her eyes bubbled too. My eyes were glued to her while her glossy eyes flashed with a sad intensity. It was still beautiful, though. 

I was hesitant about my next action, but when I gave her my hand to comfort her, she interlocked her fingers immediately in mine and squeezed it tightly as if she was leaving an imprint. 

Her hand was too soft and too cold against my warm palm.

I was shocked.

"Ashton," her voice cracked and tears started falling on our entwined fingers.

"Oh my God, Hope. Why are you crying?" 

"Nothing," she whimpered while wiping away her tears with her other hand. She still didn't lose her grip on me.

I instantly stood up and dragged her in a standing position through our threaded fingers. I pulled her into me and wrapped my arms around her. She hugged me tightly without a word, still sobbing on my shirt. The silence overtook  us all over again and neither of us moved for a few minutes.

I closed my eyes and inhaled the scent which was coming from her hair. My heart was beating faster than ever and the feeling of happiness was lingering around me. 

Jane was my comfort.  She felt like home.

"I am here for you, Ashton," Jane said while cradling her head against my shoulder. Every time she moved in my arms, I felt the feverent strength of my pain becoming lesser. I inhaled her smell even more and rubbed her back to show her my only response to her words. I wanted her to feel what I was feeling because with her, I felt alive.

"I'm sorry for being a bit too harsh with you the other day...I am sorry for ignoring you. It is just, I'm not used to dealing with people, I can't do it,"

"You are doing a pretty good job right now," I immediately pulled away and kissed her forehead. Then I pulled her closer to me all over again.

It wasn't a bad day after all.

***

Note: OMGG! So how do you guys feel about this? I love them. Damn. What is going to happen next? Is she going to be cold again? What is going in her mind?

 Okay, so a few things you guys need to do for me:

1) Suggest me a name for this chapter cause I am so tired right now. It is 5 am rightnow. 😕

2) Vote, Comment and Share. Obvi.!! ❤ (You would know if you watch Scream Queens:p)

3) Should I run for the wattys? :s