CHANGE

CHAPTER 8: HOME AGAIN

I dug my face into my hands as soon as the word left my mouth, my legs felt weak but I didn't want him to see how much it really pains me that I felt. I just wanted to fall to the floor again and cry until I couldn't breathe anymore. I felt his hand on my shoulder, and not even a moment after he pulled me in to hug me.

I pulled my hand out from my face and dug my face into his chest and cried. As I cried I just kept on saying over and over again, "I'm so sorry, so so sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

He rubbed my back and rested his head on my head and let out a sigh.

"Don't worry too much about it princess, I know you needed to leave for the better of you."

I haven't heard him call me princess in so long, it made me cry more. And the harder I cried the closer he pulled me to him, and he never stopped rubbing my back. He just told me to breathe and that it was okay.

When I was breathing okay and had calmed down, he was still hugging me and rubbing my back. He loosened from the hug and pulled back. He looked down at me and said, "c'mon the sun is starting to come up, lets go."

I really wanted to go home with him, I did. But it was probably best for me to not and I still had Kie's mom's car and need to return it.

"I should get to Kie's house, I have her moms car."

"I'll bring you back to get it okay, I wanna make sure you sleep well and get somewhere safe. We can come back right when you wake up okay? Please."

I couldn't help myself, he seemed so much like he was when we were together and I would get into problems with Barry. Always so concerned and caring.

"Okay then, but my bags are with Kie."

"It's okay you can use my clothes." He held out his hand and said, "c'mon Ash, lets go."

I looked down and his hand and back up at his eyes and reached out and grabbed his hand. We walked over together and he opened my door to let me in.

The whole ride home was quite, but he held my hand the whole time.

When we finally pulled up to his house he opened my door and grabbed my hand to help me get out of his truck. As we approached the front door he whispered, "make sure to be quite okay, my dad thinks I've been home all night."

I whispered back, "okay."

We both slowly crept up the stairs and into his room hand in hand, when I came I felt nostalgic again. He closed the door behind him, letting go of my hand, and went to turn on his lamp and close the blinds.

When he turned around he said, "you're eyes are really puffy and red." He then started scrambling around looking for something and then handed me eye drops, "here, I know after you cry you're eyes get really dry and it gives you a headache." I took them from him and smiled at the thought of him still remembering small details like that, "thanks," I said back to him with a tired smile.

I went into the bathroom to put the eye drops in and my eyes felt so much better already. When I came out to give them back to him he handed me some clothes to change into.

"Here you go," he said with a slight smile as he held out the ball of clothes.

"Thank you, really I do appreciate it."

He smiled and then pointed at a drawer I used to use in his restroom. I looked up at him confused and opened it, and my hair brush and toothbrush were still there.

He said, "yeah, I never go around to throwing them out. You know I never clean around here so it's just kinda been in there."

I couldn't help but let out an, "awe."

He giggled and said, "what."

I looked up at him with my puffy, heavy eyes and a smile and said, "I don't know, you know um my stuff is still here." I looked back down at my stuff and smiled even harder and said, "I don't know, it's just my old stuff is here."

He came in the bathroom and hugged me, he kissed the top of my head and made eye contact with me in the mirror and said, "of course your stuff is still here princess."

He pulled away and said, "okay now go on ahead and change, I know you're tired and so am I."

"Okay," I said as he walked out and closed the bathroom door.

After we both changed and got ready to go to sleep I checked my phone and saw that it was now 6:30 a.m. He came out of the bathroom and asked me, "do you want me to sleep on the floor?"

I looked up from my phone confused, "what? No."

"I just wanted to make sure."

"No it's okay Rafe, don't worry about it."

I looked back down at my phone as he sat down on the bed next to me, he leaned his head on my shoulder and looked at my screen as I briefly read through a few of my emails.

"You're new album is coming out soon?," Rafe said.

"Oh um yea, I don't when though because I have some meetings I need to go to with a bunch of people."

I put my phone down on the bed side table and looked over at him, he was falling asleep. I slightly moved my shoulder so he'd move and lay down.

He moved down on his side and opened his arms for me to lay down with him, jeeze I swear every time he does that he looks like a little kid who just wants attention. I laid down and he pulled me in and I hugged him back. He flipped over so I was laying down on top of his chest and I just relaxed myself. I was really glad he closed the blinds because I knew the sun was coming up, and within seconds I fell asleep.

I felt so safe and at home in his arms again, and I knew that when I leave again it's gonna hurt even more than the first time.

Authors Note:

While writing this I got even more ideas for later on in the story and I'm so excited to write them now. Hope you guys enjoyed this long waited affection between Ash and Rafe, it was so fun and comforting to write. The next few chapters I think I wanna build off with Kiara a bit more and Sarah too, maybe try and look for her... idk yet though. Anyway see you guys soon :)