Falling Like Stars

Chapter Eleven

After that night, Alex understood Ashley's embarrassment and that's why he didn't really try to meet her. He knew Ashley and also knew about her anger, he knew that after some days she would forgive him. He really wanted to meet her but he had no guts. He was quiet confident that if Samantha and Richard could forgive him then Ashley had to. So for nearly a week he didn't try meet her. He had her number but he didn't try to call or text her. He was so eager to have his best friend back but he also knew that Ashley needed some time. He knew that he needed Ashley's friendship more than her love. So he was waiting for the right time and he spent most of the week spending time with music and reading.

After nearly a week one day he just felt like going to the Grinders cafe because it was a long time he hadn't been there. So in the afternoon he got out of his home and took a quiet walk. After reaching Grinders he felt many emotions at once. Then he saw the seat where Ashley and he used to sit empty, so he sat there and ordered a hot chocolate, it was his favorite.

He was sitting there and cherishing his memories in there, with Ashley. Those memories of laugh and cry, and that Daily Report 2.0, was making him feel like crying. He really wanted that thing back.

He was looking at his hot chocolate and thinking this to that, he didn't know what to do. He was not looking at his surroundings. Suddenly he felt someone coming towards him and then turning back. He raised his eyes suddenly and it left open, for minutes. He saw Ashley goings towards another table and suddenly everything was clear to him.

He saw Ashley ordering a hot chocolate and he looked at the time, it was the exact time when they used to sit there, two years ago, the same table. He felt bad about Ashley dodging him like that. So he completed drinking his hot chocolate as soon as he could and then paid the bill and walked towards her.

Ashley's face was aslo facing the cup and she didn't look at him but she was obviously known about Alex's presence, but she acted like it didn't bother her.

Alex sat on the other chair of the table and for sometimes he sat still, silent, reading Ashley's every expression. Then he finally managed to say,
"Are you gonna stop doing this?"
Ashley felt little surprised by his question.
"Doing what?", she answered quite normally.
"You are ignoring me like hell! Stop doing this. At least talk to me, tale your time to forgive me, but don't do this to me! Please! I'm begging you.", his voice cracked as he said that.
"You're getting what you deserve. Don't act like you're innocent.", she was rude and decided to be rude.
"Don't act like you're the only one I hurt.", he tried to sound angry but all he felt was sorrow.
"No, I'm not. After you left, I went to your house very often, and saw your parents. I saw their misery, I saw what you did to them! What you did to us Alex! Stop acting like a innocent baby. I can't forget it, their faces, their tears.", Ashley's face was red, her eyes were too, and it looked like she was gonna burst like grenade. Alex knew about Ashley's anger. But he wasn't able to stop his tongue. He knew what he did and knowing about his effects to his parents was making him sick and angry. So he spit it out,
"I know what I did, and I'm sorry for it. But my parents forgave me the moment they saw my face after two years! And you are not able to forgive me after a week?"
Suddenly Ashley's anger was gone and her face was full of hatred towards Alex. So after some moments she said,
"Well maybe because your parents knew that you were a born coward. Unfortunately I didn't know so it's not that easy for me to forgive you."

And then Ashley suddenly heard a sound of cracking. Alex's face was red, like his face was burning and he was holding a glass in his hand. And as those harsh and rude words left Ashley's mouth, the glass cracked in his hands. There was two or three cracks on the glass and when Alex realized it after his anger he uttered a hissing voice and released his hand from the cracked glass so fasr. He got up from the chair and got out of the cafe, walking fast and heavy, shaking his hand. Ashley looked at the glass and saw it full of blood. She felt less bad about what she said and more bad about Alex's hand.

As Alex started walking home he didn't feel anything about the bloodshed from his hand, some drops of blood was falling in the streets but he didn't care. All he felt was anger, and the hurt Ashley made him thought her words. It was too much for him to take in. Anger was spoiling his every part of patience.

As soon as he got home he washed his hands and didn't take any chances of Samantha seeing it. As soon as he got up in his room, he decided that he would never again try to talk to Ashley. It was too much insult for him to take in so his eyes became wet and he covered his face with a pillow. He felt a heart ache and he wasn't able to take that anymore. So he decided to take a evening nap to go away from the misery.