Paint You Wings // Ashton Irwin [au]

Thirty-one

Ashton's POV

The distance from our communications class to the College of Business where my dad's office is located isn't that far away. It's still a good ten minute walk, but at least it's not on the other side of campus. I'm not anticipating seeing him at all. Whatever he wants to talk about shouldn't be that important, and I'm not really interested in what he has to say. I shouldn't even bother to see him, but since he went to Calum and told him that he wants to talk to me, there must be some significance to his request.

"Why don't you like your dad?" Emmie asks, her breath creating a misty cloud from the frigid weather as she speaks. "I remember you mentioning that he up and left your family, but you never said anything else. Whenever he's brought up, you get angry and I want to know why."

In an attempt to avoid the question, I look down to our feet moving in sync as we walk along the sidewalk. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. I've never noticed how small Emmie's feet are. From the way they look next to mine, it's almost like I'm Bigfoot. All I need is to grow my hair out and never shave my beard again, and I can fit the part. Emmie calls my name sternly and shakes our entwined hands, bringing me back to reality after picturing myself as a mythical creature.

In the few times that the topic of my father has come up in conversation, I have learned to repress my anger towards him for the sake of others and myself. He isn't someone who I particularly care to talk or even think about, but it's only fair that I let her know.

"Part of it is because he did leave my family," I tell her. "I was still a kid when he left, so I didn't get the chance to really get to know him. He took a good amount of money from my mum and left her to care for me and my two siblings—both of which were toddlers at the time. I had to basically fill my dad's shoes and be the father-figure that my brother and sister needed. My mum worked several jobs and that helped get us by, but sometimes money was tight. We struggled financially for so long and I did my best to help out by getting different part-time jobs during high school and used my paychecks to help with the bills and groceries. It wasn't until my senior year of high school that my mum told me that my dad got into contact with her several years ago without my knowing, telling her why he left and whatnot."

Emmie looks up at me, her nose and cheeks prominently red from the cold exposure. "Why did he leave?"

I inhale deeply, mustering up the strength to keep my anger at bay as I exhale slowly. "He was cheating on my mum with his secretary at the investment firm he used to work at, which is why he left Australia to come here after getting his teaching degree. I lost all respect for him at that moment."

Emmie stares at me with sympathetic eyes. "I don't blame you. I would have too," she says. "Well, I don't really have respect for him already since he's an insolent ass." Her face scrunches up and her head tilts back and without warning, she lets out the most pathetic (almost fake sounding), yet adorable sneeze that is so forceful it makes her take two steps back.

I stop us in our tracks and ask, "Are you getting sick?"

She shakes her head and rubs her nose with her free hand. "No, the weather change is just messing with my sinuses. So anyway, how did your mom take the news of his affair?" She pulls me to resume our walk to the building.

"She didn't necessarily forgive him, but she accepted it. She had many years to grieve and get over the fact that he left so she wasn't broken up about his confession." She's a strong woman, my mum. It's one of the many traits of hers that remind me of Emilia.

Emilia nods and stares straight ahead of herself, not looking at anything in particular, but rather keeping herself focused on her thoughts. "You said that his leaving is part of the reason as to why you dislike him. What's the other part?"