A DIFFERENT STANCE

"I know you don't like me interfering in your personal matters, but there is definitely something wrong with Lyza! Will you please come out of your 'love bubble' for once and think straight??"

Jerry busted out at Ashton who was lying on his hospital bed staring at the shapeless ceiling. He was still in pain, but the guilt of stamping Lyza as 'psychologically distressed' for avoiding him being treated as one felt stronger.

"Don't you think that the things are getting out of hand?"

Jerry raised his voice a little more seeing Ashton still lost in thought.

"Wait what? Which hand?" Ashton mumbled in shock and shook his head as he struggled to calm down the unsettling emotions that swayed through his mind.

'Eh...My hand over your face' Jerry thought as he stared angrily at Ashton in disbelief and clenched on his teeth to avoid swearing on his usually alert boss.

"I was saying that Lyza is acting a little weird! No wait, a lot weird!! Aren't you going to�����" Jerry spoke and stopped abruptly as Ashton cut him off in the mid-sentence.

"How can you be so sure that you are not weird?" Ashton spoke while he gave a stern glare.

"All are weird when we think about it. Just because she is not embarrassed to show her true self doesn't make us any little weirder."

Ashton continued.

"See Jerry… You are not fond of Lyza. And I won't force you to even try because I know it is impossible for every person to like everybody. But I do expect you to understand the same. Please let me enjoy what I have now. I don't care even if I regret it later, but I want… no..."

Ashton took a short pause and continued, "…Each single cell in my body wants to own this feeling…this wonderful feeling which I am going through right now. And it doesn't matter whether I will be hurt in the long run. I will be at peace with a broken heart which is way more beautiful than one which has not known love."

Ashton looked down at the plain white blanket on his legs in an attempt to hide his mist filled eyes as he sat leaning on the head board of the hospital cot.

Ashton wanted to tell Jerry the situation. But only difference it would make is in the number of lunatics in his finger count and Ashton already knew it.

'This was not my intention', Jerry thought as he stretched his hand and patted on Ashton's shoulder.

He has never seen him at his vulnerable and felt uneasy.

Ashton felt his disguise of being 'the strong one' slowly melt away only to reveal a different persona which was entirely new to Jerry.

'Let's see how things will get undone! Anyway what much can I do if he is way more crazy than her! Love surely makes people go crazy! ' Jerry thought as he reminisced the soft touch of Jess's lips on his pale ones.

Ashton held on to Jerry's arm innocently as he felt the delicate act of consolation which was entirely out of the blue. Jerry was totally flustered and was tied up in a dilemma whether to let Ashton hold on to his arms or be the 'pinned down man' of the society and tell Ashton to shut up.

.....

[The same day evening]

Ashton was exhausted from all the drama which had happened in the morning. He gave out a deep yawn while he opened the iron gates to his house as he held on to his freshly plastered hand.

"Take care and I will think about what you said from the hospital!" Jerry yelled out from behind as Ashton pushed the gates open with his other hand.

"Never mind!" Ashton scorned as he turned his head and gave a witty smile as he walked closer to the wooden door of his house.

'Hope Lyza is alright...I miss her!' He thought as he wandered his eyes through the entire house searching for her.

Ashton moved to his room calling out for Lyza each time heeding to hear a positive response from the other side. He felt powerless every time his voice faded into nothingness.

'Is she not here?' The thought itself was petrifying for Ashton and he didn't want to linger around it.

He called her name louder and louder; each time grabbing on to hope much tighter and firmer.

'In a second...' Lyza shouted out from outside. Ashton felt saved from something miserable and followed her sound and found her in the garden. He was ecstatic.

Ashton in a hurry wiped the condensation off the window panes using his sleeves and saw Lyza standing facing the pretty pink jasmine flowers which had grown over the fencing.

He didn't want to openly express the turmoil of emotions passing through him. He was shy.

"Hey… what are you doing there in this cold evening?? Come inside! Ashton asked from inside after slightly opening the window just enough to let his voice pass through.

Lyza turned to Ashton, smiling and told, "You have reached! I was worried about you!"

Lyza immediately got ready to rush inside the house while someone from the other side of the fencing whispered, "Hope you remember what you came for Laelynn! Don't let some puny human sabotage what's meant to happen"