Affection // irwin

Chapter 1

“Are these seats taken?”

I look up to see a guy with his hand on the chair in front of me. He’s got black hair with some green dye in it. He’s smiling and I have to admit it, he looks kind of cute.

“Yes, I mean no. I mean…you can have them.” I’m talking fast.

His smile widens.

“Do you mind if my two friends and I join you?” He points at two guys standing by the bar ordering drinks.

“No. Go ahead.” I smile back.

Fuck, what have I done? I just invited three random guys to sit with me. Okay. Take a deep breath. You’ll do fine.

The next time I look up the three empty chairs are filled. The guy with the black/green hair introduces himself as Michael. The guy to the right of him tells me his name is Gavin. He’s shorter than the other two, even when sitting down, and his glasses has thin frames. His eyes are the same brown color as his short snagged hair. I have a bad habit of judging people and this guy looks like he’s good with computers. The third guy is too busy looking into his phone, typing something. I only see his light brown curly hair. Rude. He could at least say hi? I mean I just gave away the seats for them.

They look odd together. Computer nerd, punk rock wannabe and some random guy whose face I can’t see. I wonder how they are all friends.

“That’s Ashton. He thinks he’s too cool to socialize.” Gavin says, attempting a joke, but the guy named Ashton doesn’t even move.

“You’re not from here right?” Michael asks, taking a sip from his red smoothie.

I shake my head. How could he know? The accent?

“And no it’s not the accent.”

Wait did he just read my mind?

“It’s the way you dress. You’re wearing jeans and the boots look really hot. I mean hot as in warm…I mean they look good though. Just maybe not for this weather.”

I blush at Gavin’s comment.

“No, I’m from Toronto.”

“What’s your name, by the way?”

“Joselyn.”

“Sorry we didn’t ask earlier. Okay so what are you doing here? Spending the holidays?”

“Partly. My dad got a job offer, so he’s signing some papers and we have things to fix before we move here.”

“It’s pretty far though. Moving here. Aren’t you going to miss your friends?” Michael looks at me.

I swallow hard.

“Yeah, a bit,” my voice cracks.

Ashton looks up, for the first time since he sat down, and stares at me. His eyes are light. But I can’t tell if the color. Hazel maybe? Could he tell that I was lying? I am definitely not going to tell them that story. I have just met them and throughout the years, I have learned that nothing I say is very interesting.

“A bit? I would miss my friends so much! I could never just move away like that.” Gavin says.

I feel my stomach turn. If only he knew.

“This is my home, where I grew up. All my friends and family live here. This is…,” Gavin continues, but I’m not hearing straight. All I can think about is the way Ashton looks at me. His face is soft, but at the same time it looks tough. And sunburnt. His eyes haven’t left mine since he first looked up. They are beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such beautiful eyes. They look honest too, not that I would know. Could he see the tears trying to escape? Did he know how it made me feel, people assuming I have friends? I think he could. So I look away.

“How long are you staying?” Ashton asks. His voice is lighter than the others but the Australian accent just as thick.

Gavin goes quiet and all eyes turn back on me. I’m glad Ashton shuts him up, not that I was listening anymore, but because I couldn’t handle the situation. I had already started thinking of what Gavin had said. I wouldn’t miss Toronto, maybe only my grandparents and cousins, but nothing else. I focus my eyes on Ashton and am just about to answer him when a tall, slim blonde crashes onto his lap and puts her lips to his.

I look over at Michael who rolls his eyes.

“Hi baby,” her voice is squeaky.

Ashton puts his hand on her back and pulls her closer.

“Did you miss me?” He asks, rubbing his other hand on her tanned thigh.

He is smiling and I see dimples appear on his face. I have always had a weak spot for dimples. Fuck.

My phone buzzes and I see my dad’s name appear on the screen. He’s on his way. I grab my bag and stand up. I look over at Michael and Gavin.

“Uhm, I’ve got to go,” I say, trying to avoid the stare from Ashton and the blonde.

“Oh, so soon?”

I nod. “Dad’s finished”

“Okay, I hope we didn’t scare you off or anything. Hope you enjoy Sydney!” Michael smiles at me. He is really sweet.

I start making my way through the crowded café but I’m not fast enough to miss hearing what the blonde girl says next.

“Who the hell was that? What a loser."

I feel my cheeks heat up. She’s right. I am a loser. Everyone knows it. And that is why I got so happy when I found out that we were moving to Sydney, to Australia, another continent, on the other side of the world. I could start over. But her words hit me. It will all be the same. 

ASHTON POV

“What a loser.”

I look over at the girl whose name was Joselyn, pushing her way through the crowd. I know she heard Amy’s mean words about her. And I know she wouldn’t just shrug them off. She was different, much more different than Amy. The way her voice cracked when Michael asked if she would miss her friends, that was when I first noticed her. She had been through something, I could tell by her eyes.

“What the fuck, Amy?” I yell at her. I am mad. Why am I mad?

She looks at me with her big blue eyes. Confused.

“That was mean. And besides, you just met her,” I say calmer, not sure where the rage came from earlier.

“What? She was a total loser. Did you see…”

“Ashton is right. You can’t just walk around and call people losers,” Michael says and gives me a half smile. I appreciate it.

“Since when are you on his side?” Amy crosses her arms and pouts with her lips.

“Since the day we became neighbors and he helped me build a fucking race car when we were 5.”

That shut her up. Michael and I had become best friends when we were just little kids and had always been there for each other. We weren’t neighbors anymore, though.

“You don’t even know her. You could have left her alone,” I say.

“So YOU know her then?” Amy spits.

I shake my head.

“No I don’t,” I reply.

But I want to.