The Runaway | Ashton Irwin AU

Part 12

        

        

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[Charlie's POV]

Honestly, it was really nice being home these passed couple weeks. I was really going to miss it when I had to go back to LA. I've tried to keep to myself for the most part, but as always, my mother had other plans.

Every time we were out and about, either at the grocery store or at the mall one town over, she would always boast to people about the record deal I had gotten. She was way too excited about the whole thing and I couldn't break it to her that I wasn't happy with the way I had gone about getting it. Really, I just felt like a total fake.

I've literally been attached to my mother's hip since I've been home and even though it's been really nice spending so much time with her, I was very happy this morning when I came downstairs to find my mother grabbing her keys from the kitchen counter.

"Oh! I was just about to write you a note," She seemed to be in a good mood today. "Your father and I are going out and won't be back until later tonight."

I smiled to myself as I poured coffee into a clean mug. Most kids would think that their parent's lovey dovey attitude was repulsive, but to me it was just another reminder of what I hoped to have someday.

"We're taking your father's car," She laughed to herself as she placed her keys back on the counter. "Which means I don't need these!"

I leaned back against the counter and took a small sip from my mug. "Have fun mom, you two deserve it."

"Thank you, honey!" She came toward me and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before she turned and left the room. I heard the sound of the front door as it closed tightly behind her.

My body was tense for moment as I listen to the silence of the empty house before I let out a long breath. Finally I had a day to do whatever I wanted.

Evidently, the first thing, or should I say the first person, that popped into my head was Ashton. It had only been a day since I went into the music store to say hi and met his cute, but loud friend Michael. Those two were definitely a pair. Ashton was much more reserved than Michael, but maybe Michael's overly confidant attitude and Ashton's maturity would balance each other out.

So after I made a quick breakfast and lounged around in front of the tv for a while, I scrounged around the cabinets until I found all the ingredients needed to make chocolate chip cookies. My family has always been the type to make everything from scratch, priding ourselves on the fact that we could cook a dinner without using a microwave. So baking a batch of cookies was somewhat easy for me.

Almost 45 minutes and a slight mishap later, the cookies were done and cooling on a rack as I raced upstairs to put on better looking clothes. 

It's been a little over a week since the thing with Ashton's grandmother and I still wasn't quite sure as to what had happened. I assumed that it was because she was getting old, but really in my eyes, she didn't seem as old as she might have been.

I pulled a plain navy blue t-shirt on, letting the thin fabric drape over the light washed jean shorts I had put on moments before. Slipping into an old pair of checkered vans, I headed out of my room and back downstairs. I let the cookies cool for another moment before I stacked them up on a few flimsy paper plates and covered them with plastic wrap.

Locking the front door behind me, I headed down to my mother's car, cookies and keys in hand. The drive to Ashton's house took longer than expected. I had gotten lost once or twice, since I was going by memory. Plus it had been dark when we had driven here that night.