Without Me

Grow Up

Present time

Marshall carried Ashley's suitcase back to the car; she walked slowly behind him, her phone in hand trying to reply to one of Jamie's numerous texts. However, she couldn't because at the precise second she was about to hit send, the screen went black, it had gone dead. Sighing she shoved it back inside her coat pocket and ran a little to catch up with Marshall.

''Can I use your phone to call Jamie?'' She asked coming up beside him, they'd now made it to the car, which she immediately noticed as her own, ''ok I'm not asking I'm just gonna take your phone now.''

''What?'' Marshall asked as he shoved her suitcase in the back of her car, ''you don't drive, what's the problem?''

''You don't know how to use a phone, what's the problem?'' She countered, offering out her flat palm waiting for the phone to appear in her hand. A few seconds later the cool metal hit her palm, and the man who had put it there huffed, before moving to get into the drivers seat.

Without another word, she slid into the passenger seat. Once sat down she went to unlock the phone to realise that he'd put a password on it. She frowned, he'd never put a passcode on his phone before, she was almost sure he hadn't.

''Jamie showed me how to do it the other day,'' Marshall answered the question she never asked. At the same time, he leaned over and pressed the correct keys to allow her access to it. She nodded, before then going into his contacts and texting Jamie that she was ok and hadn't meant to scare or worry him.

''Thanks,'' Ashley had  finished the message, locked the phone and placed it in the holder between the two seats, ''Marshall what...'' but he'd spoken over her, the words lost as he asked his own question.

''Since when has Sarah had a dog?'' He'd pulled out of the street, having asked the question as they'd passed by Sarah's house.

''It's not her's,'' Ash replied shrugging her shoulders, dismissing the fact she had wanted to ask an entirely different question.

''Whose is it?'' He then asked, a lot of time had passed since that morning, it was now starting to get dark, and Marshall was trying to not be blinded by the other car lights coming towards him on the other side of the road.

''It will be Jamie's,'' Ashley felt her body jolt forward as Marshall broke heavily at the set of traffic lights.

''You bought Jamie a dog!'' He exclaimed, ''Why?''

''For his Birthday next week. Plus he's been pestering for me, and I've only just eventually given in. But he doesn't know yet,'' she explained, pointing a finger at him as if to tell him to keep his mouth shut.

Marshall opened his mouth to reply, however, the shrill sound of his mobile ringtone filled the car instead. Ashley reached out to look who was calling, immediately answering when she saw Jamie's name pop up.

''Jamie what's up?'' Marshall answered as the call filtered through the Bluetooth system.

''Um can you hear the shouting in the background,'' Ashley and Marshall frowned straining their ears to listen intently. Then after a couple of seconds, the dull hum of female voices could just about be heard in the background.

''Whose shouting at who?'' Ash asked.

''Kim and Talia something about bridesmaids, I don't know, but it's annoying and Whit doesn't like it,'' Jamie explained and Marshall's expression morphed into that of complete anger, his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. Ashley stared at him for a few seconds, taking in the veins popping out of his neck, she'd needn't ask why'd he'd taken the left turn instead of the right.