The Runaway | Ashton Irwin AU

Part 6

        

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[Charlie's POV]

The air in the taxi cab was crisp and cool. All the windows were sealed shut in hopes of keeping out the heat just on the other side of the glass. My leg bounced up and down nervously as my eyes searched the town I used to call home. It was like nothing had changed. Like once I stepped out of the cab, it would be as if I was back in high school again. I didn't know if anyone I used to be acquaintances with would still be here though. Yet again I was back in the town where everyone knew my name, but no one cared who I was.

The 90 degree, dry heat hit my face like a ton of bricks. I had grown so accustom to the temperatures of California, that I almost thought about getting back into the taxi to escape the heat of the late morning. It was just barely passed 11 o'clock in the morning on a Saturday, which meant most people had been out at the bars last night to celebrate another end of the week and wouldn't come out of hibernation for another few hours. It was nice to know that I'd be able to move freely about the town without having any unwanted attention thrown my way, even though I didn't except anything. I just didn't want to deal with the unwanted, judgmental stares of the locals, which I could no longer call myself.

My father was practically bouncing on his toes as he stood on the porch, while my mother came down the front steps to greet me. I grimaced as her loud but loving voice yapped in my ear about how much they had missed me and how talking on the phone twice a week wasn't enough. My father took my large army green duffle bag from my hands, setting it in the front hall, before he stepped forward to give me a long awaited hug. My father had always been my biggest supporter and even though it had broken his heart to see me go, he just wanted me to follow my dreams. I knew I always had a home to come back to if anything ever went wrong.

My mother had prepared a glorious dinner for my homecoming. Forkful after forkful of chicken cesar salad was shoveled into my mouth as I groaned out another complement towards my mother about how good her homemade dressing was. I really had missed home cooked meals. In California, I was on a very strict diet and now that I was back home and away from all the dietary restrictions, I was going to take full advantage. I'd probably end up going out tonight around 12:30 to drive over to the McDonalds on the other side of town and get a chocolate milkshake. I was that deprived.

"Lets go out for brunch, honey!" My mother took another sip of her morning orange juice. "How does that sound?"

I had just dragged myself out of bed no more than ten minutes ago. My head rested upon my arms as I stretched them out across the table to steal a sip from my father's coffee mug. He swatted my hands away playfully, going back to reading the local paper. I had really missed mornings at home.

"Well?" My mother's voice ripped me from my tired state.

"Huh?" I lifted my head to stare over at her, totally missing what she had said all together.

"Bunch! You and me!" She sounded too excited for me to even think about declining.

It didn't take very long for me to get dressed in a plain t-shirt and shorts before pulled on the closest pair of black slip-ons I could find. Now when your mother tells you that it's going to be just the two of you, you'd expect just that, right? I should have known better.

So instead of what my mother insisted would just be the two of us, soon ended up being her and her two friends chatting away about the latest gossip, which incidentally was that I had arrived back in town. The new rising star as one of my mother's friends had explained it. I just sat back in my chair, stealing small sips of my mother's mimosa when she wasn't looking. Sure I was 21 and could easily buy my own drink, but I didn't think my mother liked seeing me drinking, so I didn't.