A/N: You guys, thank you so much for being a part of this story! Every read means the world to me and I thank you all for bothering to read all this! Yes, this is the final installment of Typically Me! But fear not, maybe Ash and Ray will return in a future story...? Who know's! One more massive thank you to TheCookieMonster for being my number one fan on this story, this finale is dedicated to you! Comment please to let me know if you like the ending, I pray I did the story justice...
So much noise surrounded me and my brain pounded in my skull. The house was never quiet, not nowadays, and there was never any way to escape the chaos. Everything was everywhere, nothing had its place. It was enough to drive you insane.
I was stood in the living room, cradling my daughter in my arms and bouncing her up and down as we waited for her mother to come downstairs. Baby Amelie was bawling insanely, apparently ravenous.
“For goodness sake Tanya, would you hurry up!” I yelled upstairs. She yelled back but I rolled my eyes and ignored her.
Tina entered the living room.
“Give her to me. You go hurry Tanya up.” she ordered calmly, and I reluctantly handed my adorable daughter to Ray’s sister.
I ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and knocked briefly on the bedroom door before entering. Tanya was hooking in an earring and I stared at her, dumbfounded.
“You do realise that our daughter is giving me a freaking headache waiting for you to get dressed?” I said, and she rolled her eyes.
“It’s not my fault Tina was hogging the damn shower! I’ll be one more second!” she snapped back, and kicked me out of the bedroom.
There was a knock on the front door downstairs and I ran down to answer it.
“Hey, Ash, sorry I’m late…” my mother said. I kissed her on the cheek and then kissed the forehead of the baby she was carrying; my little brother, Isaac.
“No worries, mum. You’re not later than Tanya, that’s for sure…”
“I heard that!” Tanya said, appearing suddenly halfway down the stairs. I turned around and glared at her and she poked her tongue out at me. She went into the living room and then took Amelie into the kitchen to feed her.
By this time my mum had entered the living room, followed by Bart and Lisa. Not living with them now meant that every time I saw them I noticed how much they had grown. This was the first time both myself and Tanya would be leaving the house at the same time, and there was no-one I would trust my newborn daughter’s life with, except for my mother. Bart and Lisa also adored their little niece and visited her at every opportunity.
Tanya came back into the living room and I took Amelie from her. She looked a little forlorn without the baby but I was a protective ass bitch and loved Amelie too much to be without her. Everyone who had judged me for becoming a dad so young had changed their mind the moment she was born; it was evident to even strangers that she was most evidently the apple of my eye.
“Tanya, if you don’t leave now this dude is gonna think you’ve cancelled on him. Go.” I told her, and even though she raised an eyebrow she smiled at me.
“You know he’s not just a random guy, Ash, you’ve known Aaron for years.” she said and I sighed.
Somehow, though, it wasn’t weird that she and Aaron had gotten together. He had a perfect understanding of our situation and they were so cute together, dammit. She pecked me on the cheek and left. Tina then left for her date and my mum and siblings sat and watched me being cute with my daughter.
Footsteps on the stairs.
I turned to the door just as he entered, the biggest grin on his face. His eyes were tired, but so were all of ours; a decent night’s sleep wasn’t worked into parenthood. I couldn’t help but smile like a maniac whenever I saw him. He was just so gorgeous. And he was just as much Amelie’s father as I was.
His hair had reverted back from its turquoise phase to its natural dark brown and it was slightly longer now than when I’d first met him. I could see the love in his dark brown eyes as he looked at me, and my heart couldn’t help but flutter. He was wearing a plain black shirt, a fashionable black cardigan with a white stripe around the collar, black jeans and Converses. Oh, the hotness…
“Ash, we should leave if we wanna get to the restaurant on time.” he said quietly and I sighed. I turned to my mother as the panic flared up inside me; I had to leave Amelie behind.
“For pity sake, Ashton, you’re the father not the mother. Grow a pair and give me my granddaughter!” mum snapped, holding out her arms.
Ray laughed and my siblings chuckled. I frowned and reluctantly handed her Amelie, kissing my child on the forehead gently. She was nearly asleep now, bless. I went round one by one and said goodbye to my family, as did Ray, and looked back one last time before leaving the room.
“Are you sure you-”
“Shut up!” mum called back.
Ray laughed and held out his hand to me. I took it and we shut the front door behind us. We walked hand in hand to the station and caught a train to the inner city, going to some fancy restaurant. Neither of us would’ve minded a simple McDonald’s, to be honest, but it was nice to finally have some quiet time. I suppose. I was dangerously close to becoming one of those parents who never left their child’s side.
“Don’t even think about phoning home to check in on them. Your mother has raised you and Bart and Lisa, she’s now raising Isaac and she loves Amelie just the same. I want you to myself for the whole night.” Ray said with a wink as we were seated at our table.
We glanced over the menu but didn’t really care to spend too much time deliberating. I held his hand over the deep red table cloth, and he looked ridiculously beautiful in the dim candlelight.
“D’you remember when we sat in the coffee shop and we talked about living together when we were older?” I asked him. His smile got even bigger, if that were possible.
“Yeah, I remember. I thought it would be a couple of years later on than this, though.” he chuckled.
“Me too. Never thought it would be like this, did we?”
We’d thought we’d just be a normal couple, be in love, live together, see where life took us. Instead we had been thrown together, stuck together by choice, we were living with my ex-girlfriend, who was the mother of my child, and Ray’s half-sister also.
Not exactly the quiet life we’d planned.
I leant forward across the table and kissed him softly on the lips.
“I love you, Ray.” I said quietly.
“I love you too, Ash.” he replied.
Five years later…
Sunlight bathed my hand with warmth as I placed my front door keys on the kitchen counter. The window was open slightly and for once it was a proper summer’s day. A light breeze was rustling the tree outside and everything was peaceful…
This, of course, was ruined when a small boy ran into the kitchen and the door crashed against the wall. He headbutted me in the groin before running back out of the room, laughing manically all the way. I doubled over and tried to not throw up.
The medium sized kitchen was filled with light as it flooded through the fair-sized window and peace returned to the house once more. I stood again once the pain in my abdomen had passed and looked around my kitchen. I walked over to the fridge and grinned as I looked at each little drawing individually. Pictures done by Amelie and Isaac were held up with colourful magnets.
I kicked off my shoes and placed them by the back door, laughing quietly at my shoes next to Ray’s, next to Amelie’s, all in size order.
Footsteps on the stairs.
I turned to face the doorway just as he entered the room. Ray had not aged a day in the past five years, he looked exactly the same as the seventeen year old boy I had fallen in love with. His dark hair was dishevelled and it looked like he had been running his hands through it a lot.
“I thought I heard you come home.” he said, kissing me on the cheek. “How was work?”
“Good, actually. Oh, the joys of sharing my guitar skills with sullen teenagers…” I said and he chuckled.
“Amelie and Isaac are watching some godforsaken kiddie’s show in the living room- if I hear one more squeal of high pitched laughter from one of those stupid characters, I’m going to make them watch The Woman In Black instead. That’ll help them grow up…” Ray said, and I rolled my eyes at him. The problem was the he was being serious.
“What have you been up to today?” I asked him.
“Just working on a new painting…” he said, and he started telling me about his latest piece of work. He had found a gallery which appreciated his random style and they bought most of his work. “…Tanya called earlier, by the way. She said something about… oh, I can’t remember. Phone her later, will you?”
I nodded and flicked on the kettle, making us both a cup of coffee. He sat up on the counter and pulled me by the shirt towards him, wrapping his arms around my neck as he bent his head to kiss me. I put my hands on his hips and it was just like being a love struck teenager again.
“Daddy’s home!” Amelie shouted from the living room, and I leapt apart from Ray just before she entered the room.
My little girl looked so much older now. She could walk, she could talk, and she didn’t have to depend on her mother for food anymore- which was good considering Tanya didn’t live with us now. She and Aaron were married with a baby on the way. Isaac was here because my mum and the twins were going to some concert, I don’t know. I turned my attention back to Amelie who was clinging to me like a koala bear, her light blonde curls shining as the sunlight came in through the window. She was just as beautiful as her mother.
“Did you have a good day, sweetie?” I asked, kissing her cheek.
“Yes daddy! Papa let me have ice-cream after dinner!” she giggled.
“You weren’t supposed to tell him that!” Ray gasped, and I let her take her from me so they could have a tickle fight. I laughed as I watched them, so happy together.
It was a miracle everything had turned out happily, after all that drama.
Amelie gave one last squeal before she escaped from the room, leaving Ray shaking with silent laughter.
“Tell Isaac I said thanks for the headbutt!” I called after her.
Ray chuckled and I snaked my arms around his waist. He stopped laughing but continued to grin, wrapping his arms around my neck.
“Apart from the hair, she looks just like you, y’know.” he told me.
“Don’t be ridiculous. She’s Tanya in every way.” I snorted.
“Still never thought it would be like this, did we?” he asked. I laughed, remembering the conversation we had had in the restaurant back when Amelie had still been a tiny baby.
“No. I created this crazy household- typically me.” I said, and he chuckled.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
I kissed him and he bit my lip gently as we pulled apart.
“I love you, Ash.” he whispered.
“I love you too, Ray.”
~The End~