A Coincidence or Not?

"I am going to talk to Ashton. You want to come along?" Irene was not sure if asking Effie to join her was a good idea. Effie's comfort mattered. She was not willing to put her in any stressful or uncomfortable situation when she had already been exhausted with all the recent happenings in her life. Besides, she was pregnant. Irene's knowledge about pregnancy was pretty limited but even she knew the basic thing that Effie must avoid stress.

"I do but this is pointless. He has made up his mind. If he is not listening to me, why would he listen to you?"

Irene gave an assuring smile to Effie. "He will have to listen. He owes me some answers that I never demanded but today, I will. You must get clarity and I will do everything I can to give you that clarity. Because we have to figure things out soon because your pregnancy will show up soon enough. We don't have much time."

Visibly overwhelmed Effie could not restrain the thin layer of tears shining in her eyes. "I can't thank you enough. We haven't been in touch for so long and yet… on my one phone call, you are here, making me feel that this is not just my problem. That I am not alone. Thank you."

"You are definitely not alone. I am always with you."

Effie might never be able to put it in words but at that vulnerable time in her life where the guy she trusted the most left her alone when she was pregnant... having Irene's support meant a lot to her.

<>

Along with Effie, Irene headed to her college, hopeful of finding Ashton there. Still deciding to be on a safer side, she tried to call him.

His phone was switched off which was strange because Ashton was a phone addict. No matter what he was doing, he always needed his phone with him. It didn't matter if he was partying or just randomly talking to someone in person, he would keep his gaze on his phone every now and then. Irene herself had observed that about him.

She recalled Ayden also mentioning Ashton's obsession with his phone.

Why would his phone be switched off that day? Something did not seem right. 'Or perhaps, you are overthinking, Irene.' She commanded her brain to stop considering probable scenarios and wait until they reached college.

Her suspicion grew stronger when they arrived at the college and did not find him anywhere. Irene made sure that they scanned the whole college but Ashton was nowhere to be found.

Irene and Effie were moving back to the entrance when Ayden stumbled upon them in the corridor.

Irene's head was pounding. Her mind was messed up due to Ashton's disappearance which was why her speed left her to almost bump on to Ayden but she halted on her steps just at the right moment and pulled herself back.

Effie's head turned to Irene whose change in expression was indecipherable to her.

Ayden's hands had instinctively reached out to hold her but she had managed her all by herself. He slowly got them down. "Are you okay?"

Irene tugged the strands of her hair behind her ear, glancing a look at Effie before she replied, "Hmm." She intertwined her fingers with Effie's and walked past him.

But when it struck her that she could get some information about Ashton from Ayden, she stopped in her tracks. She found him still standing at the same place when she turned around.

"What is it?" Effie asked, who was keeping quiet all along. She was saving her questions to ask later once they were out of Irene's college.

Irene whispered in Effie's ear, asking her to wait. She walked back to Ayden.

His gaze held surprise but he instantly tried hiding it and started to walk away but her call held him back.

"Ayden, wait."

Those mere two words were enough for him to get back to his previous place.

"Where is Ashton?"

And those mere three words were enough for him to frown at them. "We have talked about this. Why are you behind him? Talk to me whatever it is. You want to blame, accuse, punish… go ahead but with me. Not him."

Irene was starting to get angry at him for jumping to conclusions again but she reminded herself that she needed to keep calm. For Effie.

"Are you going to tell me where is Ashton or not?" she asked, keeping aside her annoyance and frustration.

Ayden did not speak for a while. He wasn't getting why she was after Ashton despite how hard he had tried to convince her that he wasn't to be blamed. Why couldn't she understand?

"He is not in town. He left just a while ago but I don't know where he is." He did not know why he passed that information to her but he did.

Irene's mind debated over if Ashton's disappearance was just a coincidence or if it had got something to do with her. Was the person who was spying over them in the cafe... Ashton?

She went to Effie and got themselves out of the college. As she told Effie about it, Effie became more disturbed.

"Something does not seem right about this whole thing," Irene muttered to herself.

"What?" Effie asked and Irene realized that she wasn't certainly as inaudible as she wanted herself to be.

"I am not sure right now but we will have to find out."

Irene felt that her mind was blocked. She felt so lost. How on the earth did everything decide to mess up at the same time?

What was happening in her life?