Note: I haven't edited this chapter and I will do it when I'll get time. Sorry for making you all wait. Please ignore my mistakes for now. <3

ASHTON

The wind was drifting away nonchalantly and I was sitting on the bench, under the shade of the beautiful palm tree, outside my uncle's small cottage, situated on the East coast of the Hanauma Bay.

The heat had calmed down and the weather was becoming bearable in Hawaii. The sun streamed in through the trees as I smiled at my sister.

Emily was a twelve-year-old girl with chocolate brown hair, tan skin and brown eyes. She was running around the sandy shore with our golden retriever named Little Ash.

"Go get that ball, Little Ash," she ordered.

The dog lifted his head and looked at Emily; it's expressions were vigilant as he ran towards the blue ball which was headed in my direction.

Watching Emily happy was a pleasant sight, it made me happy. The pain of missing her was intense and every goodbye of ours ended up with nothing but tears.

When my aunt heard about my mother's cancer, she convinced her husband to move Emily to Hawaii. My uncle who was in his fifties, discussed the matter with my mother; mom had no second thoughts about this decision as she herself felt as if Emily was growing up and needed someone to take care of her. Someone who was not in college. Someone who was free. Mom trusted my Aunt for this.

Emily did not want to leave me, but she had no other choice. I gifted her Little Ash as a promise that her brother would never leave her side regardless of the distance. 

Ash was named after me, it was my dad who used to call me Ash and ever since his accident nobody had ever called me that. When I adopted the puppy for Emily, I instantly thought of naming it Ash just to relive the vague memories I had with my dad.

My dad passed away when I was just ten years old. I was never too attached to him because he spent a great deal of his time in Saudi Arabia for his oil business and paid visits to us once in five years. I had only met him twice in my entire lifetime. I never cried at his death but my mother did. Neither is his face vividly struck in my memories nor do I know much about the oil factory explosion where his death had taken place.

By the next few days, I was still not able to put Jane's reaction out of my mind. All I thought about was her. I remembered her sweet embrace and her hesitant smile, which was a rare sight. And I adored the way she embraced my touch and soaked my shirt with her pretty tears. My stomach knotted when I realized I made her feel uncomfortable.

As I recalled the whole scene, I wondered, how could she have held me one moment as if I was the only comfort she needed and then snapped at me with her frozen blue eyes? Her eyes were too cold. Too dry. Too numb. 

Every time I thought of her, I wondered why the fuck I cared so much. It was the weirdest feeling I had ever witnessed. Maybe it was because she never gave in easily and I wanted to know why. She was too mysterious.

The questions clouded in my mind, confusing the shit out me because a few years back I was different. Before the horrifying news of my mother's illness crossed my mind, I was the kind of guy who would assume from the very first encounter only, a girl had no choice but to fall head over heels for me. I was popular with an excellent academic record besides being the team captain.

I was known as a player which complimented both my nonserious attitude towards a girl and my love for sports. I was the heartthrob of many girls, but also the reason behind their broken pieces. But I am not the same guy anymore. Experiences can bring a lot of changes; my mother's sickness took away those bad habits, they made me look at things in a mature manner.

But I could swear I was never interested in a girl so much until I met Jane. No, I wasn't looking for anything serious. Maybe some casual flirting.

I hated the fact that I was an asshole before, but it seemed as if Jane was challenging my self-assured smile. I didn't know her much but I wanted to prove I was different from the boy who had probably washed away her feelings. I already assumed a jerk had detached her.

The echoing thoughts whirled around my head as I remembered those broken blue eyes again, the place where I felt like my soul found it's solace. Her eyes were way too familiar but I had never known her.

I closed my eyes and smiled at the memory of the girl who was melted between my arms, she made me feel something which I had never felt before. I felt like her protector, someone who wanted to heal her dark scars and search for those broken pieces. I felt like a creepy stalker but it was the last thing I gave a damn about.

Jane was special, she was my Hope.

An hour passed and I finally got ready to visit the hospital. I wore my blue polo shirt and black jeans with a pair of sneakers. As I bent down to tie my laces, I got interrupted by Emily's excited voice.

"Ashton, I am ready. I want to meet mom, look at this pretty little basket and these freshly baked cookies... Mm," she squealed. Her eyes sparked bright with excitement as she showed me those delicious cookies resting over the pink satin cloth.

"Okay Emily, you can tag along with me but promise me you will not break down in front of her?" I questioned, smiling at her.

Emily's expressions changed from being excited to being troubled but she still managed to nod at me and reassured she would not repeat the same mistake again.

"Yes, I promise you."

She smiled and showed me her puppy dog face. I kissed her right cheek and walked her towards my car.

*****

''She wants to dance like Uma Thurman and I can't get you out of my head''

Emily turned down the radio and I snapped at her.

"Hey, why did you turn it off? What a disgrace to the Fall Out Boy. That song is my jam,"

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Emily rolled her eyes and I saw an evil smirk on her face.

"So who is this unlucky girl?" She asked in a smooth, bold tone.

Her question made my jaw drop in disbelief.

"What are you talking about, Em?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the road so she would not notice the truth buried in my eyes.

"Oh, you know exactly what I am talking about," she laughed, raising her eyebrow.

"There is no girl in my life," I chuckled, unable to hide my obvious smile.

"Oh, really? Is that why you seem so nervous today? Your visits to the hospital have always been in those filthy faded jeans or those reckless shorts.'' She paused, grinning at me.

''Aww. Are those your new clothes? And what's up with you smiling so much these days? Gosh.'' Emily's tone was teasing as she winked at me.

"Do you really want me to ignore the fact that you were literally checking your ugly self out in the mirror... oh, and that too five times? C'mon bro, spill it out," she mocked.

When the last few words dropped out of Emily's mouth I knew I had lost the war against the twelve-year-old girl teasing me continuously.

"You got me, Emily," I sighed.

She glanced at me and started laughing uncontrollably.

"Em, I have hardly talked to her and it is just a crush. If you see her at the hospital, just don't make it awkward for me or try to embarrass me," I said, irritated. 

"I won't do anything to humiliate you, big bro. You will end up embarrassing yourself anyway," she started giggling as I slightly nudged her shoulder and threw my head back in amusement.

Within a few minutes, I was walking towards the hospital with Emily's hand in mine. I lost my breath when I saw Jane.

She was dressed up in a blue button down shirt,  white pant, and a ponytail. She walked towards her patient who was sitting in the wheelchair. Her deep blue eyes stuck on the ground. Jane had no makeup on her face and her cheeks flecked with gold. I could witness the Hawaiian sun getting up close to her as she showed off her fragile appearance. When she took out her file, I noticed she was chewing on her lower lip. The lush beauty had the liveliest compassion in her eyes as she smiled at her bald patient. The sight of her was aesthetic and pretty. It was that moment when I decided I would not leave this hospital today, not without asking her to become friends with me, at least. I wanted to get to know her better, but I was nervous.

***

''Ashton? Ashton? Ash-''

''What?''

Emily screamed and I screamed back at her, my voice broke down as I got interposed by Emily's high pitched voice. It took me a few minutes to realize she was standing inside the hospital and I was standing under the sweltering heat, drenched in sweat. I turned around again to have a look at Jane but she was nowhere to be seen. I automatically assumed she must have gone to the foyer with her patient. I rubbed my damp palm and ran my fingers through my hair. I could not believe I had zoned out. A wave of disappointment washed on to me as I realized the mesmerizing sight of Jane was gone like the wind.

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