Broken

• Chapter 86 •

"Almost home. You okay?"

Silence. I clench my jaw, this boy is not ignoring me while I'm fucking driving him home. I turn towards him to yell, only to shut my mouth when I look at him. He's asleep. Let's hope he didn't actually drink himself into a coma.

I pull into his driveway and sigh in relief when I see that Ashton's father's car is no longer here. The walk to his room involves a lot of tumbling and stumbling. But he doesn't complain or talk at all, which is a great thing.

"I—"

"Shh! Your siblings are asleep!" I hiss as I close his bedroom door. His eyes pop, and he brings a finger to his lips. "Right... Shh..." he whispers.

I burst into laughter. What the fuck? Ashton is actually adorable when he's drunk. I bite my tongue to stop any more laughter from coming out, he seems confused. I sigh, he's so going to regret drinking this much tomorrow.

"Come on. Let's get you to bed."

I drag him by his arm and prop him onto his bed gently, he looks like he's about to fall over. "Woah," I grab his shoulders to steady him.

He rests his head on my stomach, and butterflies erupt in it. I grow rigid, well shit. He can probably hear my stomach growling right now. Did he pass out? I clear my throat and try to dissipate the extreme blush growing on my cheeks.

"Hey... I'm gonna get you some water, okay?"

He lifts his head and meets my eyes. Oh. He's not passed out. For once in his goddamn life, his eyes are full of vulnerability. Something tugs at my heartstrings.

"Are you gonna come back?" he surprises me with this question.

My eyebrows furrow. "Yeah... Of course. I'm just getting you water. Unless you want a massive hangover?" I stammer a laugh.

He keeps staring at me, and I realize my hand is stroking his hair. It's soft, like a baby's. I give him a reassuring smile and awkwardly drop my hand. He drunkenly studies me for a long time, trying to decide whether or not I'm lying. He finally sighs and nods his head.

I pull away and catch a breath I didn't know I was holding in. My heart thuds rapidly as I shuffle to his kitchen. What is up with his mood swings? Thirty minutes ago he was the Ashton I'm so familiar with. The angry, dismissive, emotionless, asshole Ashton.

I shake my head as my heart is squeezed in my chest. He wasn't like that the day we snuck into the amusement park. He's not like that now. Then again, he's drunk and vulnerable. I snap out of my thoughts and fill up a glass of water. I rummage through his drawers, trying to find some aspirin. I locate some and prepare to go back to Ashton's room, only to stop by a picture.

A beautiful woman is standing next to a twelve-year-old Ashton, his father is in the photograph too. She must be his mother. My heart sinks a bit when I look at her, she's pregnant with the twins. She has their big brown eyes, and Ashton's blonde locks. She looks healthy, radiant. She's glowing. I wonder what happened to her.

I suddenly feel guilty for snooping and rush back to Ashton's room, not wanting him to cry because I've abandoned him.

"Hey—"

My eyes pop and I turn around with blazing cheeks. "WHY ARE YOU NAKED?" I look at him through the spaces between my fingers. He seems confused by the entire situation.

"This iss how I sleep! I'm not even naked I have my boxers on, duuuh."

I face-palm, "Just... Cover up, alright?"