Then and now

Chapter 21: Ashers POV

I chug some water before leaving, the clock reading 7AM. 

My AirPods are in my ears and I'm trying to be as quiet as possible, knowing that Amira and my whole family are all still asleep. I slept on the couch again last night, but not after convincing Amira that I don't mind. 

She pushed and pushed and pushed, saying that I don't have to and that I need sleep too. 

Despite her words, I could tell that she needed the good sleep more. She even offered to go home in her argument, but I told her that was the last thing that was happening. 

I knew it was her kind heart and sympathetic mindset that was telling her to let me have the bed. I know her well enough to know that she is a people pleaser, and won't put herself first most of the time. 

Which means I have to put her first most of the time. 

I will admit I got almost no sleep last night. 

Going on a run probably won't help my impending tiredness, but I have to. 

I was going on runs at least every day in New York, sometimes twice a day. I've become sloppy since we got back and I know that. 

Though I don't want to play football anymore, it doesn't mean I'll be giving up my athletic career completely. I can't just throw away the lifestyle I've had since I was 13- and I do enjoy some aspects of it. 

I love the feeling I get when running, or when I score a goal, or when I know my dad is proud of me. 

It's just the pressure, the high stakes, the expectations, and the physical strain that gets to me. It's always been assumed that I will always be Asher, the football star. No one in New York seemed to see me for anything different. 

I felt myself slipping away from football in New York, but I just ignored it. Moving here has really opened my eyes and made me realise how unimportant football actually is to me. 

I leave the house, my feet pounding on the concrete in a consistent manner. 

I don't even look when I cross the road, keeping my eyes on my feet and nothing else. 

I get to the huge park near Amira's house and run on the path, passing the occasional dog walker or parent with a stroller. Usual stuff. 

I sit down on a bench, checking my watch and seeing that I have ran for just under an hour. 

Happy with myself I take a deep breath and admire my surroundings. 

The trees are scattered all over the park, with birds flying in and out of them and fruit hanging. 

I see a guy walking over to me in my peripheral vision and think nothing of it. I do think that it is a little strange that someone young is out this early, but that is exactly what I am doing.

It's when this stranger sits down next to me that my guard goes up and alarm bells go off in my head. 

I debate saying something. There are plenty of benches around us, so there has to be a reason why he chose to sat down next to me. 

I look over to him and inspect him, his eyes still trained in front of him. 

The stranger looks older than me, but smaller and shorter. 

He has tattoos all over him and a cigarette in hand. 

Piercings lace his body and face, and he is wearing a black tank top and black cargos. What is a guy like this doing at 8AM, sitting next to me?

I don't want to make assumptions, but there are 4 likely reasons he decided to sit next to me. 

One: He wants trouble.