I've Found What I'm Looking For

Chapter 5

"Sorry..." He said back quickly to the tall lion and drank another sip of his beer, "Alcohol makes loose tongues."

"It's... okay," Calloway finally said back, giving a half-amused smile to all the different types of characters around him. Ash definitely had an interesting family.

Ash's whole life was just so interesting... fascinating.

Soon Calloway was introduced to the rest of the family and quickly learned of each individual's personality fast.

The was Ash's younger sister, Emily. Her two cousins, George and Brian. Ash's aunts and uncles and last of all, her father and mother named Joe and Mary formally.

As he sat at the table, he could feel the joy and life in the house, and how so very different it was to his own, and how he spent Christmas every year.

Food was soon put before him, along with some wine, and he sipped it sparingly, eating the meal and only remaining silent as he listened to the family chat away.

"So Jessica is finally finishing college this year-"

"Oh! Past the cranberry sauce! PWEEEASE!?"

"Ash's show has been going wonderful, every night sold out, yeah, Ash?"

"Um..." The teenage porcupine replied, getting the slightest of blushes on her cheeks and nodding her head weakly, "Yeah..."

"I remember when I was young," Granny said, interjecting into the conversation, "I had the men at my heels," The old porcupine then glanced Calloway's way as she added on quickly, "The same with you, Clay?"

"Calloway." Ash corrected her quickly and her elderly granny only waved her off, saying.

"Let the adults talk, Ash."

"But I'm an adult-"

"Yes, yes, whatever girl," Her granny replied and Ash gripped her fists tightly, holding them on the table to stop herself from going off anymore at her old grandma.

Calloway could see the annoyed expression on Ash's face and finally butted in as he said, "Ash is probably wiser than what you'll ever be. And she is technically an adult now."

The whole table went quiet for a moment when the big lion had stated his argument before someone leaned back over to get a fizzy drink to down, and that action caused the table to erupt again with chatter and motion.

Ash's granny only glared over at Calloway, her yellow old teeth grinding together hard and Calloway could sense this.

He looked back over to Ash who gave him a thankful smile for having her back, and he nodded back in return, getting up and just going outside on the porch to get some fresh air.

He gave a deep sigh out, resting his heavy arms at the fence, wiping off the snow that had gathered on it, before looking out to the dark starry night.

And seeing the moon, oh, seeing it just shine its cold white light down on him, on the world.

"You like her, don't you?"

Calloway quickly froze up when he heard that old voice at his side. It definitely wasn't his conscious, it sounded too crackly to be so.

No. At his side was Granny.

"Like who-?" He asked back weakly, feeling the slightest of guilty sweat forming on his forehead.

"Who? WHO?" Granny replied back in a snap, jabbing him at his gut cos' she couldn't reach his chest, "My granddaughter, ASH!"

"Well, she is my friend."

"HA HA!" The elderly porcupine laughed and shook her head vigorously, "She only brought you here cos she felt sorry for you."

"Excuse me?" Calloway spat out, shocked to hear these words, "I know Ash, inside out. She's a good friend, maybe even my best friend."

"YOU, my friend." Granny went on harshly and got her cane now, reaching it up and jabbing Calloway hard at his chest, "Are a cradle-snatcher, you are."

He felt like he suddenly went cold at those harsh scary words.

He... he couldn't be that... he wasn't like that.

But he knew... his feelings for Ash ran deeper than just friendship.

He was terrible for feeling this way towards the very young porcupine... but he couldn't stop his heart with logic.

Was he truly a creepy old man to Ash...? Wanting something she'd never give back?

"Go home." Granny suddenly said, and put her cane's edge to his cheek, directing his sight to the snowy road and adding on harshly, "And let the wee girl be."

But... but...

He didn't want to be alone anymore...

But the old granny was right.

"What will I tell her?" Calloway asked the old porcupine quickly, "What can I say?"

"That you DON'T belong here." Ash's granny told him with such harshness... Clay Calloway nearly felt saddened tears come to his eyes.

But his self-esteem was so low to even fight back against that claim.

He whispered in pain.

"I'll just go."

He got his mobile out of his pocket and rang for a cab. He didn't think he'd get any at this time of night... but he was wrong.

In a few minutes, a taxi pulled up.

Ash had noticed at last that Calloway wasn't anywhere to be seen and she quickly asked around for him.

No one knew where he was and when Ash saw her granny come back in with a wicked smile on her face, Ash knew instantly that she had done something sinister.

"Where is Clay?" She asked. SHE DEMANDED.

"Off back to his mansion of a place, I suppose." Was all her granny answered back to her.

"You..." Ash said to her furiously as she shoved by her and out to the cold snowy suburb, "You wicked old lady!"

"Don't be a gold digger, Ash!" Her granny only yelled back at her with a sardonic grin, "Don't be one of those!"

Ash grew more and more into a rage as she saw Calloway just opening the door of the cab.

"CLAY!" She yelled for him and he only gazed back at her, "PLEASE. DON'T. GO!"

"This isn't my family, Ash." Clay said back quietly, his voice so weak and his throat so cold from the snow, "And I don't belong here."

"But you do!" Ash begged him, and finally let the words slip, "YOU belong with ME!"

He froze up even more once those words were said, looking at her quietly... and seeing what he could not deny.

Barely an adult... so foolish to the ways of the world... a child compared to him.

"No... I don't..." He said back to her, lying to himself as well, "I hope you have a Merry Christmas..."

As he began to get into the cab, the lights of the car flickered on and he looked ahead of him to see the driver was a mole.

"Where to?"

He told him the location and the mole said with a disbelieving reply, "That far huh? That'd cost nearly a grand!"

"I'll give you two if we leave now."

"Okay! Let's go!"

The car began to pull away from the curb when suddenly something hard hit the window, and the mole gasped as before them, on the other side of the glass front window... was Ash.

"Ash...?" Calloway whispered in disbelief.

"...Ow." was all Ash replied with.

Ow.