Take My Hand - Lashton

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

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It was eleven on a Wednesday morning, and Ashton had a spare hour before he met his fiance for lunch. A weekly tradition they had been fulfilling for over a year. Both busy with their jobs, it was a nice way to see each other in a context that wasn't inside their house. It refreshed their relationship.

After seeing two couples today, Ashton relaxed back into his chair and stared at the ceiling. Letting his mind go empty. He had the afternoon off and knew he had paperwork to work through at home, but he felt a sudden sense of freedom overcome him. He had realised adulthood had come with a sacrifice of time and a social life. It was the price he paid for such a highly demanding job. He didn't mind. He just couldn't imagine adding a child to this life too. The thought suffocated him,

He felt his still and empty mind shifting to just over a month ago when he felt a sudden high. When he had helped publish a book. He wished his life could always be as thrilling as that. The couples or, a single partner who had undergone the abuse, were often daunting. It was not an easy job and the result for slow and sometimes tiring. But he never gave up. He held hope, as much as he despised the idea of one human being hurting another.

He found physical torment to be easier than emotional, although they were often tangled in one another. It was a messy business. And sometimes a disturbing one. He had contributed his thoughts as a therapist to the book, in hopes to animate the character in a way that wasn't cliche,

He hadn't read any reviews on the novel, but he felt a sudden urge to see what people were saying. Opening up his laptop, the screen illuminating his anxious face, Ashton typed in the novel title and the author's name in case other books with the same title existed in the public realm.

After scrolling past a couple of links where you could purchase the book, he fell upon an article that had been published a week ago by one of the bigger journalism platforms. He opened it up to be greeted by a bold title that neither screamed praise or hate. It was ambiguous. Ashton laughed. The headline had succeeded with its function. It wanted the reader to read more.

Scrolling down a little further, the author of the piece appear accompanied by a picture that had been squashed into a tiny circle. The photo was not distorted, however. It was a professional headshot that had been taken specifically for these types of circles.

Ashton opened the photo in a new tab and stared at the image in awe. His body was abused with a sudden sense of excitement, of mischief. He had felt he had stumbled upon something forbidden. But it had been punished on the internet. It was the first thing anyone could read about the book.

Staring at the picture for a little longer, Ashton saw an unfamiliar glint in the man's blue eyes. His eyes glowed his happiness, excitement, confidence. He stood where ever he was standing with confidence. Staring straight at the camera, ready for his photo to be made global.

Leaving the tab open, Ashton switched back to the previous tab that contained the article and ran the cursor over the name: Luke Hemmings. Ashton smiled to himself, sitting up straight in his chair and staring out of his office window. He was on the first floor. Thousands of people would be passing below him right now. He wondered if one of them were Luke. He looked up at his clock. He had fifteen minutes but he had to leave to meet his fiance.

His let his eyes focus on the texts as he began to study the words. He wasn't looking to see what the article said about the book. He didn't care about that any longer. He was looking to see what he could find out about the blonde man. The man who had become such a mystery to Ashton. And Ashton hoped more than anything that Luke had left some little Easter Eggs in the article for him about how his life was, in relation to the book.