september 2015
houston tx
Awsten skips downstairs eagerly at the familiar sound of Ashley's voice; she's been on his mind all morning, and he's been hoping to get the chance to talk to her alone.
He hears the front door closing, once he reaches the bottom of the stairs, and hopes that it wasn't the sound of Ashley leaving to head out somewhere with Gracie.
Thankfully, he finds his answer when she rushes out of the kitchen, accidentally bumping directly into his chest.
"Hey, there," Awsten chuckles, holding onto her shoulders to keep her steady.
"Shit, sorry— I wasn't looking where I was going, sorry," Ashley covers her face with her hands, but Awsten gently pulls them away to meet her gaze. "Uh, Gracie just left to head to the store, I was coming to get you."
"Oh, yeah?" He raises an eyebrow, looking down at her, earning a small nod. "What's up?"
"Uh, I just think we should talk," she says, softly.
Normally, that phrase would send Awsten into panic-mode, but he was actually thinking the same thing— plus, the small smile on her face as she gazes up at him always seems to keep him calm.
"Yeah, me too," he agrees, easily.
Without another word, Awsten takes her hand and leads her upstairs to his room; even though there's no one else in the house, the extra privacy is nice.
"Okay, so," Ashley breathes out, as Awsten closes the door behind them, "uhm," she hesitates, avoiding his gaze.
"Hey," Awsten frowns, guiding her by her arms to sit on the edge of his bed. "Relax. It's just me," he assures her, calmly, vying for her eye contact.
"Yeah, okay, you're right," Ashley shuffles in her spot, finally able to look up at him, "sorry," she offers him a shy smile.
"That's better," Awsten grins in return at her expression. "So, talk to me."
"I just feel like, we should have a proper conversation about this," Ashley gestures between the two of them. "I don't know if that's what you wanted to talk about, but— I think I'll feel a lot better if we can talk about it, because it'll be off my chest."
"No— yeah, that's exactly what I wanted to talk about, too," he nods. "You first. Say whatever you need to say," Awsten urges, gently.
"So, uhm, you know how I feel about you," she begins, a little embarrassed, but Awsten can't help the small smile that tugs on the corner of his lips. "But, you know, I just... I don't think we can with—"
"Gracie," he finishes her sentence, quietly, with a sympathetic look, clearly reading the guilty expression on her face. "I was thinking the same thing."
"We've just—" Ashley pauses, letting out a sigh. "There's been a few close calls. And sometimes she just gives me this weird look and I feel like she knows something," she rambles, evidently nervous about the possibility of Gracie knowing about the few moments that her and Awsten have shared recently.
"I think she'd freak out if she knew," Awsten concurs.
"Right? Like, she'd flip, wouldn't she?" Ashley raises her eyebrows, earning a nod in agreement. "Because, you're her brother."
