5

"He got you Hollywood tickets?!" Heather exclaimed.

Ashleigh nodded. "Yup! I'm so excited."

"Damn Ash, that's big. We all know how much you've dreamed of that place and here you have Damien flicking the wand to make it come true," Bethany pointed out as the trio walked out the clothing store.

"He said he wants to make my dreams come true so yeah," Ashleigh told them tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Well how's he doing now?" Bethany enquired.

"Well... we got back on Wednesday, i saw him on Thursday and he seemed stressed, like on the verge of an anxiety attack. He wouldn't tell me what's wrong. Since then he's disappeared. I bombarded him with calls and texts yesterday but I got nothing."

"Hectic," Heather commented. "Maybe go to his place, check in on him."

"I will cause this is weird. He never leaves me in the dark. Ever. So something's up."

"Definitely."

They roamed the mall, entered shops which were on sale and bought clothing they liked. They found picture perfect areas where they had photo-shoots. Being the friends they were, they weren't afraid to look crazy in doing so.

Occasionally you had Ashleigh on the floor with the camera for the best angle, Bethany posing like it would be her last picture and Heather ensuring, in her words, "No ugly people get in the picture." These roles would then be switched among them until they've each had their turn.

Finally they went their seperate ways. Ashleigh was walking out the mall when she bumped into Jonathan.

"Hi Jonathan," she greeted.

"Ash! It's good to see you," he smiled giving her a hug. "Have you seen Damien?"

Ashleigh frowned, "No. I was hoping you could tell me."

Jonathan shook his head. "I've been trying to call him. I went to his place, empty."

"Wasn't Courtney there?"

"Strangely enough, she wasn't. I even went to check his apartment and cabin. He's not there. Do you have any idea where else I can look?"

Ashleigh stood in silence to process what he said. Damien was missing? What happened when they got back? Or... what happened while they were away? Where was he and Courtney? Were they okay? Which other property did he inherit from his parents?

Then it clicked.

"His parents' house!" she gasped.

"He owns another house?" Jonathan enquired in surprise.

"I know where it is!"

"Lets go."

They hopped into Jonathan's car and rode off.

"You'll be going straight for a while so I'll just tell you when you need to make a turn," she told him.

"Shot."

There was silence for a while when Jonathan spoke. "So... how was your trip with him?"

"It was good. Relaxing... romantic..."

"Good good... did he arrange any more gifts? Cause I know how extra the guy can be."

Ashleigh felt herself blush. "Yes... he did. He got us tickets to fly to Hollywood."

"What?! Really?"

"Yeah... we're due to leave in a month for like.... three weeks. He got everything done including the visa and all that fun stuff. All I gotta do is pack and go."

"Wow... man's a pro when comes to treating a woman right... well when it comes to treating you right cause you're his first girlfriend."

"I still sometimes struggle to believe that," Ashleigh sighed.

"Right? Like he seems experienced in all aspects of life although he never had a father figure since his parents passed. I guess Courtney just raised him well," Jonathan stated.

"Yeah... I hear you're getting married soon."

"Next year, 21st September. Seems like a long time but... it's actually right around the corner."

"Excited?"

"Hell yeah! Just a bit nervous though... not that I'm getting cold feet, it just never felt real until we finally picked a date. Like... until the moment we picked that date, I felt like she was just my girlfriend. Now I feel like she's my fiancee and we're preparing for marriage."

"Take a left here," Ashleigh instructed as they approached an intersection.

"But you and Damien... damn... you been together forever and yet he hasn't popped the big question! Like what's going on? Are you not the one?"

"I am!"

"You think?"

"No! I know! I am the one! Damien is actually doing me a favour, I told him I only wanna get engaged when I'm almost done with my studies-"

"Isnt this your third year?"

"Yeah but I'm aiming for master's."

"So what is that? Another three years?"

"Yeah."

"And man's gonna wait?"

"Yeah."

Jonathan scoffed, "Could never be me."

"I'm just lucky," Ashleigh sighed with an angelic smile.

"Yeah."

Finally they arrived at Damien's parents' house. By then the drive was silent. The gate was opened. As they drove up the driveway they say Damien's car. Ashleigh's assumption was proven correct. He was there.

She wondered what was going on and why he had shut everyone out. But whatever it was, she was ready for it. She was ready for anything.

Jonathan parked the car and looked at her. "I have a feeling some shit happened."

"Me too."

They got out the car and walked to the front door.

As worry and desperation began to set it, Ashleigh found herself giving the door a round of banging.

"Damien!" she called. "Damien! Open up!" She gave it another round of banging, "Damien?! It's me! Please open up!"

Jonathan shifted her aside and tried to open the door. He twisted the door knob and tried to push the door forward. To his surprise, it obeyed.

The door was unlocked.

They slowly walked in.

"Damien?" Ashleigh called.

No answer.

The house was dark but ironically didn't smell dusty. It actually smelt like it was just give a hot bath.

"You go check upstairs," Jonathan instructed.

Ashleigh nodded and went to the stairs. She slowly climbed up looking around. She looked to her left, then to her right. The master bedroom's door was opened. She slowly walked in.

The large bed was neatly done but on one side lay a few empty bottles of medication. Then she took notice of the ginger hair.

She walked in further and on the floor on the other side of the bed sat Damien staring blankly at the curtains a few feet in front of him. On his left, pills, neatly grouped beside a glass of water. And on his right, a blade, accompanied by a bottle of alcohol and bandages. Both his sleeves were already rolled up.

Ashleigh sat on her knees in front of him. He didn't even take notice of her presence. This told him he wasn't there. He was trapped in a memory. She leaned in so their foreheads touched and closed her eyes. She let out a sigh and caressed his cheek.

"Damien... please... come back. Come back to me. I don't know what happened, but I promise we can get through it together. Come back to me. Please..."

Worry began to clothe her as she got no response.

"Damien... please... talk to me... do something. Anything. Please..."

She then felt a warm liquid come in contact with her fingers. She opened her eyes and pulled away for a moment to get a better view of him.

He was crying but finally looking at her.

"What happened Damien?"

He didnt say anything but he cried more. Silently. She didn't even think he was breathing. It was as if he was trying to hold his breath to hold in his tears.

"Oh you found- what the fuck?" Jonathan gasped in shock.

Ashleigh looked at Jonathan, "Please, make all this disappear?"

"Sure."

Ashleigh watched Damien stare at the floor as Jonathan got rid of the pills and the blade and all of their companions. When Jonathan left to put away the stuff she spoke.

"Damien... look at me."

He did nothing.

"Damien..."

No response.

She lifted his chin so he was facing her. Tears streamed gently down his face.

"What happened?" she enquired.

She watched him closely.

She saw how he grit his teeth making his jaw pop. She noticed how his skin turned red and how his bottom lip shivered slightly once every few seconds. What she didn't see or rather hear was his breathing.

He wasn't breathing.

Ashleigh shifted so she was beside him. "You're not breathing Damien... I know you're hurt but you can't hold your breath forever," she told him pulling him close to her.

She made him rest his head against her chest. She placed her right hand on his warm forehead and her left on his chest.

"Breathe... I know it hurts and you don't wanna burst but I swear you'll feel better when you breathe. Please breathe Damien," she soothed stroking his hair back.

Damien let out a deep sigh. More tears suddenly flooded his face.

"Thats it... breathe."

He took another deep breath. And another. Till he found himself full on crying. Struggling to breathe in the process but he didn't utter a word. Ashleigh was suspecting he had gone mute again. What she couldn't put her finger on was what happened.

After a long half hour of silent sobbing and gentle whispers of comfort, Damien had fallen asleep.

"Ash?"

Ashleigh looked up to see Jonathan. He helped her get Damien on the bed then led her downstairs.

"I know what happened," he stated showing Ashleigh Damien's phone.

She took the device from him and read the conversation he had with his butler. Finally realisation hit.

"Courtney's... she-she just... less than a week ago-"

Jonathan nodded. "Courtney's gone."

Ashleigh sat on the couch to process her shock. "He's losing his parents all over again. This is bad. Really bad. He's gone mute now and only God knows how long till he decides to speak again."

"I guess... the best thing we can do for him right now is just... be there when he's ready."

They sat together in silence till evening.

"Dont you need to go home?" Jonathan enquired.

"Yeah but... I'm worried. I don't wanna leave him."

"But you have exams soon. You have to prepare. I'll be here. I'll keep you updated. If you wanna check on him, call me."

"Sure?"

"Yeah."

They then noticed Damien's presence. Ashleigh got up and walked up to him, "Hey..." she greeted, "How are you feeling?"

Damien shrugged.

"Look... I need to get home but I promise I'll be back first thing tomorrow. Ok?" She gave him a peck on the cheek, "I love you."

•••Late that night•••

Ashleigh got home and closed the door behind her. She could hear her mother speaking to her boyfriend in the kitchen. She wasn't in the mood to argue so she simply began making her way upstairs.

"Ash? Is that you?" she heard her mother call.

She ignored it and went to her room. She sat on her bed with a sigh and allowed hearself to shed a few tears.

She had known Courtney for as long as she had known Damien and made a few good memories with her. She had given her the best advice and was just a very loveable person. She was gentle and caring. Something Damien said she and Courtney had common was their cooking skills.

She knew how hurt Damien was by her passing. He would always explain how she raised him. How she cared for him from day one. He only ever began to realise this after his parent's passing. Courtney became his mom and dad. But more importantly, she made him the man he was today.

Ashleigh understood why it was so hard for him. What she really needed to know though, was that he was going to be ok, and he was going to move on with time. And to know this, she needed him to speak.

Just then there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"What is it?" she groaned wiping her tears.

She looked up to see Richard walk in.

"Ashleigh... Do you have a moment?"

She looked the other way and didn't answer his question.

"Please can we talk?"

She gave him silence in return.

"Ashleigh please... I just want to understand why. That's it. I wanna understand why and work on myself so you don't have to hate me anymore."

Ashleigh looked at him in confusion. "Hate?" she repeated.

"You hate me. You don't talk to me, much less greet me. And if you do, you yell and say some harsh things. Sure I'm a man but it hurts cause... I love your mother and if what we have is going to work out, you gotta be on board but you aren't. So you hate me," Richard explained.

Ashleigh thought about it for a moment. She didn't think her actions were that bad. She didn't mean to show him hatred. She was just trying to show them her disapproval. She didn't hate Richard, it was a strong word. Maybe she disliked or mistrust him but not hate.

She then felt bad. She gave the poor guy the perception that she hated him when that in actual fact wasn't the case. She realised at that moment that Damien was right. Maybe he did want something serious with her mother. No matter how many times she pushed him away he always came back and tried again.

He was not like Dave, he was different. He was genuine.

"Richard," she began, "I don't hate you. I was just... afraid."

Richard sat beside her on her bed. "Your mother told me about her ex, Dave, is that why you don't trust me at all."

She nodded. "He brought so much destruction, so much hurt and... I'm traumatized because of him. And you just showed up, like he did and I don't wanna go through that again."

"Well, I'm here to tell you, I'm not Dave. I love your mother very much and it would mean the world to me if i could get to know you better. Not just for your mother but for you as well. Because by being apart of your mother's life I become a part of your life as well."

Ashleigh nodded.

"Maybe you and I should get some one on one time, you can ask me whatever you want without your mother there to scold you if it's an inappropriate question."

"I can ask anything?"

"Anything at-"

"Have you slept with her?" Ashleigh enquired interrupting him.

The look on Richard's face told her he was surprised by her question. But he still answered it. "No."

"Do you intend on marrying her one day?"

"If that's where life takes us then yes."

"Oh."

"How about I take you out on Sunday? We'll have some bonding time."

"Ok."

Richard smiled. "Well... I'll leave you alone now."

He was heading for the door when Ashleigh called him. "Richard?" He looked at her, "I'm sorry for how I treated you before."

"Dont be sorry for protecting your heart. I should've stepped up earlier."

Richard left the room, leaving Ashleigh alone.

She didn't know if she made the right choice in letting him in. She didn't know if it would end well. In actual fact, she didn't care. She just wanted Damien to be ok.

•••Two days later•••

Ashleigh walked out of the master bedroom with a sigh, letting Damien have his nap after bawling his eyes out for a good half hour straight. But he did so, silently.

Considering how she found him two days ago, this was an improvement but she needed him to speak. But more importantly, she needed him to eat. She could see he hadn't eaten in days. He had lost so much weight he looked like a young teenage boy.

That was concerning considering that he normally had quite a built figure. Since she and Jonathan found him, his collar bone popped out of his skin which was something Ashleigh wasn't used to seeing. It worried her.

She wandered the house and took the chance to educate herself about the past Damien never talked about. She had only been in this property with him thrice before to accompany him as he got things like documents. He never gave her much of a tour, he'd just asked her to wait downstairs each time.

Ashleigh walked down the hall and walked into a bedroom. It looked like a typical boy's bedroom. Blue paint coating the walls, posters of cartoons and hockey celebs covered the paint, a green chest of toys and beside it an extra large box of Lego.

In the centre of the room, a single bed, small in size, covered in Ben 10 sheets. She smiled to herself. "No wonder why he never lets me up here," she told herself.

She went to the wardrobe and opened its doors. Inside were old clothing and at the bottom a box. She pulled out the box and sat on the floor beside it. She opened the box and saw a DVD cover.

She pulled it out and read the title.

'Together'

On the cover, an image of a familiar looking man along with a boy who also looked awfully familiar. She couldn't really put her finger on who it was. She looked at the back of the cover and read the information.

"Benjamin Frost?" she whispered to herself in shock. She thought she heard a door open. So she put away the DVD cover and placed the box back in its place.

She walked out the room to see the master bedroom door being closed. She walked into the room and found Damien sitting on the bed. She sat beside him and held his hand.

"Aunt Courtney's gone."

Ashleigh looked at him.

He was staring at the floor and tears were streaming down his cheeks. She didn't know if she was imaging him speaking or if he actually spoke. She didn't want to seem like she wasn't paying attention but she didn't want it to seem like she was hearing things. But she had to say something.

So she did.

"Are you ready to talk about it?" she asked him.

"Yeah," her boyfriend squeaked. He let out a heavy sigh before he began his story. "After I dropped you off at home, I went home and Courtney was coughing up a storm. She was struggling to breathe and looked severely sick.

"I took care of her till the next day. When she took a nap, I was cleaning and I found out what was wrong. She had pneumonia..." Damien took a deep breath before he went on. "I went upstairs to find her coughing out blood into a cloth. I asked her about it.

"She couldn't speak. She could barely breathe. When I saw that... it scared me... I wanted to call a doctor, an ambulance, someone to help. She called me over, to-told me to sit down and listen carefully. She said she wanted me to promise her something before she goes..."

Damien let out a sigh and wiped his tears. Ashleigh could feel tears building up in her eyes too. "She said I should promise to move on and continue being a good man... promise to live life to the fullest and not let anything stop me from doing so... be it sickness, be it poverty, be it loss, I should take it all as it comes.

"I promised her I would then she... sh-she closed her eyes a-a-and that was it. She just... died... right there, and I couldn't handle it... so I disappeared and I didn't tell anyone... and I'm sorry Ash, I just-"

"Shhh.... it's ok." Ashleigh pulled him into a hug letting out tears of her own. "Its ok."

They sat crying into each other's arms for a long while. Ashleigh used that time to mourn with him. Courtney had done a lot for them as a couple and for her as an individual. She felt a heavy pain within that made it hard for her to breathe.

But she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. Damien was finally speaking again. It was a vital step. Although he wasnt eating yet, she knew he was going to be ok.

She left him to go take a shower and went on exploring her boyfriend's past.

She went back to his bedroom and pulled out the box again. She took out the DVD cover again and analysed the man and the boy on the cover. They didn't look similar at all cause it was just a movie after all but there was something about it.

She looked at the back and read the description again. Benjamin Frost. She knew the actor. She had watched tons of his movies including the one she was holding. There was something about looking at the boy today that gave her mixed feelings.

She pulled out her phone and searched for the movie. Lead actors were Benjamin Frost and to her surprise, his son, Benjamin Frost Junior. She scrolled up and saw a news report of a plane crash. She clicked on it and read through.

As she did, she realised it was similar to the story Damien once told of how he lost his parents. The article described how the great Benjamin Frost died with his wife, but his son survived. As she reached the end, the last few lines caused her utter confusion.

_After the burial of the actor and his wife, his son was never seen again. Close relatives of the actor seem to have no clue as to where the boy is, who has been caring caring for him or if he is alive. It was as if the boy had been wiped off the face of the earth._

So she decided to search the boy's name. The first line she read caused her to drop her phone.

_Benjamin Frost Junior, born Damien Benjamin Frost Junior..._

She looked for her phone in the box to read more but then she came across something else. She didnt know if it was what she though it was. She gulped and with shaky hands, she reached into the box. She touched the cold metal feeling unworthy of it.

She pulled the weighty object out of the box slowly and gasped. It was what she thought it was. A trophy. But not any trophy. An Oscar.

_Best Actor Benjamin Frost Junior 'Together'_

"Ash?"

Ashleigh almost dropped the trophy as she got the fright of her life. She looked over her shoulder to see Damien dressed in fresh clothing with his wet hair covering half his face. She let out a sigh.

"Hi," she breathed out.

She saw him staring at the trophy she was holding. He had a blank look on his face.

"Is this yours?" she asked.

Damien looked at her, then back at the trophy. He sighed, "Yeah." He saw as Ashleigh's eyes widened. He walked up to her and took the trophy from her. He looked at it and sighed, "My real name is Damien Benjamin Frost Junior. It's the past I don't enjoy remembering."

"How? You were famous!"

"Fame is not everything. In fact, it's absolutely nothing," he stated simply.

"Well... why didn't you at least tell me?"

Damien looked at his girlfriend then at the trophy. "I didn't want to be a rich kid, or a celebrity, I just wanted to be Damien Frost. And I need you to swear the world won't know about this."

Ashleigh nodded although she didn't understand. She didn't get why he didn't tell her or why he didn't tell the world. She would love to be famous. Have people taking pictures with her all the time, have special treatment just because she's out there.

She thought fame was the life. Sure it had its inconveniences but it couldn't be that bad. It's fame. With fame comes money. Who wouldn't want to be the centre of attention with all the money you could dream of?

But Damien knew the dark secrets of fame. He knew it wasn't Disney. It was actually quite the opposite. And he knew he never wanted to be put in a position where he had to be in front of lights and cameras. Society thought he was dead and he wanted it to stay that way.