Ohne Dich (Sequel to Stirb Nicht Vor Mir)

Chapter 27

November 26, 1999

"A house or apartment?" I asked him as we sat down and tried to list everything we wanted. 

I was going to move in with him. I never officially moved in with anyone. 

"Whichever is cheaper," He shrugged his shoulders. 

"I need to find a job."

"You don't need to."

"I'm not going to have you pay all of the rent."

"I will pay the rent until you find a job. I'm able to."

"Just because you're able to do something doesn't mean that you should do it."

"Can we not do this right now?"

"Do what?"

"Try to map out what we need."

"Then when are we going to do it?"

"When we need to. You could just move into my house. If you can't pay the rent, that's alright. I pay it by myself anyways."

"But part of moving in together is doing things together. Wait."

"What?"

"When are you going to be going on tour?"

"Not until next year."

"You'll be gone for a while, won't you?"

"Just a little."

"I don't want you to be gone."

"That's alright. I'll always be back."

"Not for a while, though. Right?"

"Let's not talk about it."

Just then, my phone vibrated and I saw that someone was calling. 

I answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Richard."

"Oh, hi."

"Ready to hang out?"

"Sure."

"Do you have Ashton or no?"

"No, I don't. But we can always pick him up."

"Okay. Where are you?"

I told him my apartment name and he drove to it shortly after we hung up. 

"I'm going to go hang out with Richard today," I kissed Ville. "Bye."

"You're leaving now?"

"Yeah."'

"Okay."

"Bye."

"Bye."

"I love you!"

"I love you, too!"

I ran out of the apartment and into the parking lot. I was about to run back in and give Ville my key, but then I remembered that I gave him one. 

I saw Richard's car pull up, so I walked over and got in. 

"Do you want me to drive to Neil's house?" I asked him. 

"Sure."

I got back out into the driver's seat and drove to Neil's house. I pulled into his driveway and knocked on the door after I got out. 

"Hello?" His mom answered. 

"Hi," I smiled. "I'm here to pick up Ashton."

"U-Uh-Uh-W-W-W-W-Why?"

"Because I want his grandfather to see him."

"Till saw him-"

"Till's not his grandfather, Richard is. Listen, Richard's my biological dad."

"Holy cow!"

"Richard's in town for a little while and I want Ashton to see him."

"Let me go see if he can."

"No, he will see Richard."

"NEIL!" She shrieked making me jump. "Would you like to come inside?"

"Only for a quick second," I stepped inside and tapped my foot. 

Neil came rushing down the stairs with a girl followed behind him. She had long, blond hair, short shorts, and a crop top on. 

"Adette?" He asked. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Neil's dad approached us as he held Ashton's hand. 

"MWOMMY!" Ashton ran to me and hugged me. 

I picked him up and just shook my head at Neil. "You're not even fucking watching him and you're getting mad because I want him back?! No! Fuck you! Richard is going to fucking hang out with his fucking grandson!" 

I stormed out of their house and put Ashton in the car seat Richard had in his back seat. I got into the passenger seat and Richard drove away as I explained to him what happened. 

"Holy shit!" He lightly chuckled. "Sorry, language."

We drove to the zoo and Ashton was mesmerized as soon as we got there. 

"I can pay for our tickets," I told Richard. 

"No," He paid for all of our tickets right there. 

I was amazed at how he was acting. He acted so much older than he was. 

As we were looking at the zebras, a woman approached us and started talking to Ashton. 

"Excuse me," I protectively held him. 

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She chuckled. "My name is Amelia."

She had short brown hair and was wearing a shirt with the movie Neil was in and jeans. 

"Hi," I still kept a straight face. 

"I'm Neil's friend. We're going to be in the next movie together."

"Have you met Ashton before?"

"Yes! I've been coming over the past couple of weeks to rehearse my lines with Neil."

"Oh, you have?"

"Yes."

"I'm Adette," I shook her hand. 

"I'm here with my little brother," She turned around to look for him, but faced us once again. "I don't know where he went."

I chuckled. "Well, it was nice meeting you."

"Nice meeting you too," She smiled. "Have a great rest of your day!"

As she walked away, I sighed and put Ashton down. 

"Relax," Richard told me. 

"What?"

"You're so tense and angry. Enjoy yourself! You're at the zoo with your son."

"I'm at the zoo with my son," I repeated. 

We stayed there for a little while and ended up leaving with a bag of cotton candy. 

"Should I drop him off at your house or Neil's?" Richard asked me as soon as we got into the car. 

"Neil's."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll get him tomorrow."

"Alright."

"Thanks for taking us today."

"It's my pleasure."

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too. The last time I saw you, you wouldn't stop crying."

"It was your wedding!" I chuckled. 

"You shouldn't be crying at a wedding!" He smiled. 

I smiled back at him and watched the road.