august 2014
houston tx
"Hey, Mom?" Awsten calls, heading down the hall, before spotting her in the living room.
"Yes, honey?" Ginny turns around from the couch.
"I think Ash is coming over," he tells her, reading a text from his phone.
"I thought she had her driving test?" His mother questions.
"Yeah, I asked her how it went and she just asked if she could come over," Awsten informs, his eyebrows dipping together in concern.
"Oh, that doesn't sound good," Ginny murmurs, just before there's a knock at the door.
"Gracie's right," Awsten sighs. "We should get her a house key," he adds, earning a small laugh from his mother, as he heads for the door.
Awsten frowns when he opens the door, noticing that something is wrong straight away.
"What happened?" He asks, the concern evident in his tone, as he steps aside to let Ashley in.
She stands silently in the hall for a moment, while Awsten closes the door behind her.
"Do you need a hug?" He raises his eyebrows, finally causing her to look up at him.
Ashley nods, and walks into Awsten's arms, burying her pouted face in his chest.
"They failed you, huh?" He observes, wrapping his arms around her, resting a hand gently on the back of her head.
She nods again in confirmation, showing no sign of removing her arms from around his waist just yet.
"There's always next time," Awsten encourages, soothingly, his voice muffled against her hair.
Ashley just listens to the sound of his voice, with her eyes closed, as she takes slow, deep breaths, inhaling his comforting scent.
A few minutes go by before she realises that she can't just cling to him in the hallway forever, so she gradually detaches, giving him a sad look when she meets his eyes.
"Thank you," Ashley lets out a breath, "I think I needed that."
"No problem," Awsten offers her a sympathetic smile, swinging a comforting arm around her shoulders as they walk down the hall and through to the kitchen.
Mrs Knight overhears the two of them entering and goes to join them, treading carefully as she vies for Ashley's attention.
"How'd it go, honey?" Ginny asks, although she feels like she already knows the answer.
"I failed," Ashley offers her a sad smile, sliding onto a seat at the kitchen island, as Ginny's expression softens, sympathetically.
"Lots of people fail on their first try," she hugs Ashley's shoulders, planting a kiss on top of her head. "I'm sure you'll pass next time," Ginny rubs her arm comfortingly, before releasing her from a tight squeeze.
"So, what did they actually fail you for?" Awsten furrows his brows, leaning against the counter, opposite Ashley.
"He said I wasn't comfortable enough behind the wheel," she rolls her eyes. "But, then he said that I made a stupid mistake," Ashley adds, as Awsten and Ginny listen to her carefully. "Apparently I left my hand on the gear stick for too long, before returning it to the wheel," she continues.
