Great Escape - Luke Hemmings AU (IN PROGRESS)

2- Ashton

I decided to place the keyboard underneath the small window in the living room, feeling that the broken skyscape would serve as at least some sort of inspiration in the coming months. The apartment was cosy, my things making it feel a little more like a home than the boxy carcass I had walked into just a few hours ago. I thought about how my mum was doing, debating whether or not to call her this soon and tell her I was settled in, but decided against it as she would only think I was lonely for calling already. I was lonely.

It was too early to go to bed, too late to eat dinner. I didn't have a television and I had read all my books a hundred times before.

My thoughts were interrupted by a gentle tap at the door. Once, then twice. Biting my lip, I wondered whether I should pretend I wasn't in. The chances were whoever it was had seen me arrive and I wouldn't be able to pretend forever, maybe a night or two, but I was delaying the inevitable. I walked cautiously towards the door and opened it, greeted by a tall man with curly brown hair and rounded glasses which made him look like an oversized schoolboy.

"Hi, I take it you're my new neighbour?" he extended a hand towards me, smiling warmly.

"You would be correct, I'm Daisy," I attempted to recreate his smile, although I was cautious of the fact that I probably looked like a maniac. I reached out and shook his hand, which was large enough to dwarf my own in comparison.

"I'm Ashton, just Ash is fine. If you need anything, you can always knock. I'm 61," he gestured back towards a slightly beaten up wooden door across the hall from us, the numbers mostly faded.

"Thank you, would you like to come in?,"

He nodded in agreement and I moved from the doorway to let him step inside. As he walked past me I noticed just how tall he was. In truth, I didn't really want to let him in. I was becoming increasingly aware of how humble my little apartment with a few belongings looked, and how attractive this Ashton was.

"I'm sorry, it's kind of empty right now," I laughed nervously, hoping that it would come across as though I didn't intend for the apartment to stay so empty.

"No, no. It's fine," he looked towards the keyboard. "Do you play?"

"A little. I'm not the best, but I'm hoping to improve in the next few months,"

"I'd love to hear you sometime," he smiled again, warmly. I hoped I wasn't blushing.

"Of course, I would play you something now but I'm afraid it wouldn't be very good," we both laughed at that.

It felt strange to be in a new apartment with a man I'd just met, talking and laughing like we could be friends. In some ways the guilt kept creeping back, making me feel like I was cheating somehow. But I couldn't deny that it felt good to pretend everything was normal for a while with someone who didn't know me.

"Would you like a cup of tea?," I hoped he would say yes so that we could carry this on a little longer.

"That sounds lovely,"

He sat down on the sofa and continued to look around while I prepared the tea. When I brought it over I was suddenly unsure whether it would be strange to sit on the sofa next to him. It was my sofa after all, but it was small at best and I didn't want him to think I was too familiar already or that I was as desperate for company as I felt. I decided that I should just sit down at the risk of making him feel awkward by standing. We sipped our tea in silence for a few moments and I began to worry that I'd crossed a line already and lost my chance at making a new friend so early on.

He broke the silence "So what brings you to Sydney?" the question I'd been dreading but knew was coming.

I sipped my tea slowly while trying to gather an answer together, but of course it wasn't all that simple.

"It's a long story and I don't know if you'd want to hear it so soon after meeting me," I didn't quite meet his eyes but tried not to sound cold.

"What? Are you going to tell me you're on the run from the law or something?" he laughed.

"No, nothing like that," I smiled down into my tea mug.

"So what is it? You're a lost poet? An actress? An artist looking for inspiration?" He chuckled in spite of himself, gaining in enthusiasm with each guess.

"I wish I could say that you're right. But no, no I'm taking a year out of university to find myself again after a rough couple of months and my mum wanted me to come back to Sydney so she could be around if I needed her. I don't by the way, but she wouldn't take no for an answer," I was fairly satisfied with this response, feeling that it gave Ashton enough information without delving into a sob story so soon after meeting each other.

"Are you close to your mum?,"

It was becoming clear that I needn't had worried so much about crossing boundaries, Ashton clearly wasn't the type of person to pay attention to that kind of thing.

"I used to be, she's kind of a worrier. Not that I'm not grateful, but it's a little exhausting, you know? To feel like a child all the time,"

This time it was Ashton's turn to sip his tea slowly, mulling over what to say.

"I was raised by a single mother, we're really close, but I kind of ended up acting as a father figure to my younger siblings. I wish sometimes I could have felt like a child a little more often,"

I felt like an asshole now, feeling the heat rush to my cheeks as I looked down at the carpet.

"I'm sorry,"

"Nah, you don't need to be sorry. Everyone's got their shit, right?," he nudged me with his elbow and grinned again.

If only he knew.

"I guess so," I allowed myself to laugh a little at the irony, hoping that Ashton would think I was just being warm.

We finished our tea and I took our mugs into the kitchen, placing them into the sink and then turning back to Ashton, who was stood at the window with his hands in his pockets. I wondered what he was thinking about, staring into the mottled sky as the sun began to set. He had a strange way of making me feel nervous whilst also acting like we had known each other a lot longer than an evening.

"Can we do this again?" he turned back around to face me as I broke the silence. I didn't want to sound desperate, but in reality I was crying out for some company.

"I'd love to, tomorrow evening?,"

"Of course," I walked him towards the door and he engulfed me in a firm hug.

"Well, goodnight Daisy, it was nice to meet you," he turned to face me from the hall one last time before going back inside his apartment.

"Goodnight, Ashton,".

I shut my door and walked into the bedroom. Ashton's comment about his mum was replaying in my head and I suddenly felt a pang of guilt, picking up my phone and deciding to call my own mum before I had the chance to think better of it.

She answered after one ring.

"Are you okay, sweetie?," I could practically hear her frayed nerves standing on edge.

"Of course mum, I just wanted to say thank you for looking after me. I didn't mean to come across cold earlier, it really does mean a lot. And I'm sorry I've been such hard work lately," I chewed my lip, fiddling with the hem of my top.

"Daisy, I know all of that. You don't have to apologise for anything, you've been through a lot lately,"

"Thanks for understanding,"

"Get some rest, okay?"

"Sure. Goodnight Mum, I love you,"

"I love you too. Sleep well,"

I hung up and laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling as I tried to ignore the tears in my eyes. I thought back to my evening with Ashton and how he'd made me smile for the first time in weeks, his curly hair and schoolboy glasses, the way he held his mug in his large hands; letting myself drift off.