Chapter 70 They Know

Chapter 70 They Know
"Ugh, I can’t believe you guys are leaving already,” Samuel groans, leaning against the side of the car with his arms crossed. “Can’t you stay a little while longer?”
I throw a bag into the trunk and slam it shut as Ashleigh walks over to hug both Anna and Melissa.
Then she moves to Fareed next.
“School’s resuming pretty soon," I reply, zipping up Ashleigh's handbag and throwing it in the passenger seat. “We can always come visit some other time.”

Samuel lets out a breath. “Fine.” He says, walking over. “Thanks for showing up, man. Means a lot.” He pumps my hand in a firm handshake.
“Anytime,” I reply.
Melissa comes between us, throwing her arms around me and pulling me into a tight hug. “I’ll miss you, hunk,” she says with a dramatic sigh.
I scoff, patting her back once. “Same here, Mel.”
The goodbye feels strangely heavy.

Ash and I initially came here for a break, for a chance to breathe away from the mess back home.
And we did resolve our issues, only for something else to arise.
Yet somehow, standing here in the bright Malibu sun with the calming sound of waves in the background, it feels like we’re leaving without any problems at all.
Hm. Must be something in the air.
Melissa finally disconnects from me, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek before going back to stand with the rest.

I give Samuel one last respectful nod. “Thanks for having us. And congrats again on the win.”
He nods, grinning. “Drive safe. And text when you get home.”
“Sure.” I look at Ashleigh, tipping my head towards the car. “Come on, Ash.”
After bidding them all one last goodbye, we get into the car.
I take the driver’s seat this time, since she's the one that drove us here.

The engine roars to life, and we pull out of the long driveway. The beach house grows smaller behind us through the rearview mirror.
Fareed is waving.
Melissa is already turning back toward the house.
Samuel stands with his hands in his pockets, watching us go.
It’s Ashleigh’s soft sigh that distracts me. I glance over and see her adjusting her seat into a reclining position, staring out the window with a despondent look.

“What?” I ask.
“Nothing. Just worried about Ryan.”
“He’ll get over it,” I say, reaching over to rest my free hand on her thigh.
“It’s not something that’s that easy to get over, if we’re being real, Zayn,” she replies softly.
I shrug, making a smooth turn onto the main road. “Yes. But what else can we do? He’s not a kid we can threaten or something. He has to make his own decision.”
“And then what?”
“And then we’ll live with the consequences of it.”

Ashleigh groans quietly, leaning her head back against the seat. “I’m to blame. God, I hate myself,” she mutters. “Ryan didn’t deserve to be caught in the middle of whatever we had going on.”
“He was going to find out one way or the other,” I say, trying to sound encouraging.
She grows silent for a moment before letting out another exhausted breath.
“By the way, there are a few things I want to pick up from home before we head over to your apartment.”
I nod. “Okay. We’ll stop over.”

For the rest of the drive, we try not to talk about Ryan anymore.
Ashleigh falls asleep soon after, leaving me alone with the quiet melody of Olivia Rodrigo’s Driver's License coming from the radio and my own thoughts.
I steal glances at her occasionally. The peaceful expression on her face is something I want to remain there forever, but I have a feeling we won't be experiencing peace for some time.

Eventually, we arrive back in LA, and I pull into the driveway of our family home.
Mum’s car is parked nearby. I wonder if she left work early to pick up something or work wasn't all that stressful today.
“Ash,” I call softly, reaching over to wake her. “We’re here. Let’s go get your stuff.”
She sits up groggily and stretches for a few seconds before getting out of the car.

“Oh look, Mum’s home,” she says, on noticing the Mustang, her mood lighting up a little.
“Yeah,” I say, locking the car.
We walk into the house together, but the moment we step through the front door, every hair on my skin rises.
Something is wrong.
I can sense it.
Then we hear soft, broken sniffles coming from the living room.
It's Mum’s voice, meaning she’s crying.

Ashleigh and I share one panicked look before we move faster towards the living room, only to stop dead in our tracks.
Mum's face is buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking with tears.
And sitting right beside her is Ryan.

Dad is standing by the window with his back to us, his shoulders tense.
From the crisp shirt and trousers, it looks like he was called straight from work.
Shit.
They fucking know.
When our presence is noticed, Mum looks up first, her eyes red and swollen with tears.
Dad turns slowly.

The look on his face is a mixture of shock, fury, and deep, aching hurt.
“Oh… look who decided to show up,” he says, his hands crossed behind him as he takes a step toward us. “Just the two people we were talking about.”
Dark, angry eyes move between Ashleigh and me.
Ashleigh has grown very quiet… very still. And her face is a deathly shade of pale.
I can feel her trembling.
“We were thinking about calling you to come over,” Dad continues, his tone growing angrier with every word. “But it looks like you saved us the trouble.”

He stops a few feet away, staring straight at us. “Now, can either of you explain to me what the fuck Ryan means when he says you two have been intimate with each other?”
The fear and disbelief in his voice are so strong I feel almost guilty about it.
“Because I’m praying to God he’s wrong," he continues. “I’m standing here hoping one of you will tell me he’s mistaken.”
I'm too busy glaring at Ryan to respond.
He stares back at me, but not with anger.
It's with something closer to guilt.

Dad draws closer, staring at Ashleigh, then me.
“Because I’d really like to hear it from my own children.” He folds his arms across his chest, his face marred in anger. “How long has this… this sickness been going on behind our backs?”
The word “sickness” stings hard.
Ashleigh bursts into spontaneous tears, confirming everything, and Dad’s face flushes with rage and pain.
Mum starts crying even harder.

“One of you needs to open your mouth and tell me what the fuck is going on!” Dad yells, his voice booming through the living room like thunder.
I haven't heard him yell in such a long time.
A deadly silence follows, but I break it after a brief moment.
“I’m sorry, but it’s true,” I say, the words coming out flat and unapologetic. “I fell in love with Ashleigh some years back. And she feels the same way.”

I glance at Ryan, who's staring at me with wide, horrified eyes.
He’s heard me admit this before, but hearing it again, out loud and in front of our parents, must hit different.
His face has gone completely pale.
“We’ve been in love for years,” I continue. “And nothing… I repeat… nothing is ever going to make me stop loving her."
The next thing I see is Dad, in a fit of pure rage, reaching for something and hurling it at me.