Page 48
Ash (12:08 a.m.): Why are you still up, though? Doesn’t your mom have an early appointment tomorrow?
Cass (12:08 a.m.): Yeah, but actually, my dad managed to get the morning off, so he’s going to take her
Ash (12:09 a.m.): So you thought you’d stay up to make sure I got my project done? I’m honored
Cass (12:09 a.m.): xD Actually, I was reading
Ash (12:10 a.m.): Oh? Reading for fun? Something that existed way back in the ancient times of my youth
Cass (12:10 a.m.): lol I’m lucky I get this gap year before it’ll be textbooks and coursework for me all the time too
Ash (12:11 a.m.): What book?
Cass (12:11 a.m.): Ah, it’s nothing you’d recognize, I’m sure
Ash grinned and shook his head as he typed a response.
Ash (12:12 a.m.): So what you’re trying to say is that it’s either some steamy romance novel or, more likely, some totally nerdy nonfiction book about art or something. Am I right?
Cass didn’t respond immediately, and Ash closed his eyes, shifted onto his back again, and set the phone on his chest. He almost immediately felt sleep tugging at him, and when the phone buzzed however long later, he jumped a little. Shaking himself, he lifted the phone.
Cass (12:24 a.m.): sorry, mom woke up not feeling well and dad needed my help
Cass (12:24 a.m.): The latter is the unfortunate truth =P
Cass (12:25 a.m.): The book is called The Monuments Men, and it’s about a group of American and British individuals who did what they could to prevent the Nazis from destroying a bunch of very important art and cultural works during WWII
Cass (12:25 a.m.): Apparently they made a movie about it, though I haven’t watched it
Ash blinked the sleep from his eyes and then texted back.
Ash (12:26 a.m.): Everything okay with your mom?
Ash (12:26 a.m.): Ahhh, right, I remember hearing something about that group, though I don’t recall any of the details. Interesting choice of reading material, though ;)
Ash (12:27 a.m.): *cough* nerd *cough*
Cass texted him back a tongue-out emoji, and then there was a few-minute pause before Cass’s next message came through. Ash hadn’t almost fallen asleep this time, though he still also hadn’t convinced himself to get up and clean the kitchen.
Cass (12:32 a.m.): Everything’s okay with my mom, yeah. Just dealing with something of a reaction to a new dose of one of her medications
Ash vaguely remembered a mention of some change in her medications in one of their texts from a couple of weeks ago or so, although what he remembered more was the change in the tone of Cass’s texts whenever his mom was mentioned—a shift to something heavy and sad.
Which Ash understood perfectly well.
A gentle tug in his chest reminded him of the last time they’d spoken on the phone—the only time they’d spoken on the phone, actually—when Cass had called him that night he’d finally convinced himself they should reconnect in mid-January. That conversation, which had been so very one-sided as Cass had let him just talk about his sister, hadn’t fixed anything, not really anyway. But it had shifted something inside him, loosened something that had been wound up much too tightly since Ashlynn’s passing. He could almost think about her now without feeling the very real need to burst into tears. Almost.
He took a slow breath and then texted Cass back.
Ash (12:34 a.m.): Glad to hear she’s okay
He sent the text before typing what he really wanted to: an open-ended invitation to call anytime if Cass needed to talk—about his mom or about anything at all, really. He knew he’d be happy to listen, just as Cass had listened when Ash had needed to talk about his sister. But at the same time, he also knew he was barely holding himself together as it was, and only because he had to for Bri. He was in no shape to be offering to be a shoulder to cry on for someone else. At least, that was the flimsy excuse he told himself.
Maybe if he repeated it enough times, he’d believe it.
He closed his eyes for a beat and then forced himself to his feet.
Ash (12:35 a.m.): So, you’re heading to sleep then? Not going to keep me company while I try to make a dent in the incredibly impressive stacks of dirty dishes in the sink?
