Page 79 of Forgotten Prejudice

“Come on, Ashy, at least taste it.” His nickname slipped from between my dumb mouth before I could think about it and caught Ash’s attention, as he just glanced back at me with raised brows and tired eyes.

“Ehh… sorry, I didn’t mean to call you that,” I mumbled, moving a hand through my hair.

Once again, he looked away and stared into space like he was in a completely different place. I knew it had nothing to do with me but with the inner struggle he was currently facing, but it still hurt. Could I really blame him for being so sad? Sure, I’d been through breakups in my life, but none were heartbreaking. I’d never been in love with anyone I’d dated, anyone but—

“I’m tired. I’m going back to sleep,” he said, placed his untouched cocoa on the table, and stood.

He was out of the room before I could even finish my thought, leaving me aching and worried.

The sound of a chair dragging jolted me awake, and I perked up on the bed while looking around my dark bedroom. With eyes heavy with sleep, I reached for my phone and checked the time. Seeing as how it was 2:00 a.m., I planned on going back to sleep when I heard another sound coming from downstairs. With a grunt, I dragged my ass out of bed and went down to check the source of those noises.

“Ash?” I asked, surprised and worried at the sight of him standing by the front door.

“O-Oh, sorry for waking you up. I was just taking the dogs for a walk.”

Only now, I noticed the leashes in his hands and the two dogs by his side.

“Oh… Okay,” I said, already turning on the stairs to go back to my room when something occurred to me. Half turning around, I frowned at him. “You’re taking the dogs for a walk at two in the morning?”

He shrugged. “I guess.”

I was tired as fuck and had to get up in a couple of hours to shop at the farmers market, but fuck it. Going down the rest of the stairs, I jolted the front door open. “Let’s go.” I got out first, with the two dogs right behind me. Ain’t no way I was about to let him walk around the beach alone so late at night.

Surprisingly, Ash joined me outside with no protest. He might not have said a word, but he came to walk beside me, and it was more than enough.

The moon brightened the clear sky as the sound of the ocean mixed with the night. We continued to walk while watching the dogs running ahead, enjoying playing with each other. Suddenly, I remembered the last time we’d walked like this on the shore. It ended with Ash slapping me, which, looking back, was kind of hilarious.

“What’s funny?” Ash asked, his question invading my memories.

“I just remembered that time you slapped me,” I said, shoving my hands into my sweats pockets.

“Oh.” He stopped walking and turned to look at the pitch-black ocean. “I almost forgot about it.”

“That’s okay. It was two years ago,” I tried joking while stopping beside him.

He turned quiet, the waves filling in for his words until he spoke.

“What did you do in those last two years?” While he asked me the question, he kept his eyes pinned on the dark horizon.

His sudden interest was somehow exciting—an opportunity to have a conversation with him. To try and reach what was clearly broken.

“Nothing special, really.” I crossed my arms over my chest while kicking some sand. “I’m working at a new restaurant where I’m the head chef… I love it there. Having people do what I say is real fucking nice,” I joked, and he looked at me for a short second. His piercing gaze warmed my heart, as usual, and once he looked away, I felt cold and stupid. “Well, other than that, I’m still trying to be a dad, which turns out to be harder as the kid gets older. Especially with mine—you should see his attitude.” I snorted, remembering Paris’s cute little frown when he didn’t get what he wanted. “But that’s pretty much it. Work, family, some sport. Living life, you know?” I nudged his shoulder. “What about you? What were you up to in the last two years?”

“Nothing,” he answered flatly, and I noticed the glint in his eye of an unshed tear.

Ash took a deep breath, then wrapped his arms around himself. “I did nothing because I am nothing.”

“That’s not true,” I protested, unable to accept what he’d just said.

“But it is, Kai. I’m twenty-five, and other than being his, I have done nothing with my life.”

Other than being his.

Before I could dive deeper into the meaning of this startling statement, Ash went on. Only now, he could no longer hold back from crying, and each word he spat was choked with pain and sorrow.

“I loved it, him. I loved my life, so I went on with it. I allowed him to push me to whatever lengths, thinking—” His cry worsened, and he had to pause to take a breath. “Thinking we’d last forever… But then he ended it.” His voice completely broke, and he covered his face with his hands before crouching down.

Scared something had happened, I quickly moved beside him.