As Ash looked from Joey to the woman he was with, his eyes got really big.
His sister.
"Ashley..." he muttered, suddenly stone-cold sober.
Both Ashley and Joey stopped moving. Guilt was flashing across their faces. Joey spoke but he had trouble finding the right words. "Uh, Ash...look, it's not–"
Ashley cut him short. Suddenly, he pushed Joey backward and punched him in the face, sending him crashing to the floor.
"What the hell do you think you're doing with my sister, huh?" Ash's voice was shaking with anger as he stood over Joey, ready to go at him again.
Joey winced, trying to pull himself up, but Ash was already advancing. Before he could throw another punch, Ashley grabbed his arm, struggling to hold him back.
"Stop it, Ash! Just stop!" she yelled, trying to push him away.
"Oh, hell no, I'm not stopping!" Ash growled, pulling his arm free. "Why the hell are you making out with my friend, Ashley?"
Ashley's face reddened, but she didn't back down. "He's my friend too, Ash! I'm an adult, and I can do whatever the hell I want!"
Ash glared at her, breathing hard, his fists still clenched.
But as he looked at his sister, he could see she wasn't backing down.
Ash's eyes darted from Ashley to Joey, betrayal clouding his face. "Ashley... are you kidding me? Joey?"
Ashley lifted her chin, a flicker of defiance in her eyes. "I'm not a kid, Ash! I can make my own decisions."
Ash let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "Oh, so this is how you make 'em? Sneaking around, making out with Joey like... he's not–?"
Joey raised his hands, backing up a step, "Look, man, it just happened, okay? We didn't plan—"
Ash's fists clenched, and in a flash, he lunged forward, shoving Joey hard. "Shut the fuck up! I'm not talking to you!"
He couldn't be too angry at Ash for the punch, he got it.
In some way, he felt like he deserved it.
While he and Ash hadn't exactly been close, they'd gone out together more than a few times over the past month, bonding over club nights and their mutual friend Damon.
Both were laid-back, never taking things too seriously, always jumping from one girl to the next.
So he understood why Ash wouldn't want him anywhere near his sister.
But this wasn't some casual fling to Joey. He hadn't expected things with Ashley to happen, but they had, and somehow, it felt different, more real.
He glanced at Ashley, who still seemed shaken, and said softly, "I get why he's mad, Ash. If I were him... I might've done the same."
She looked up at him with mixed feelings in her eyes. She wiped a tear off her cheek as she struggled with the emotions Ash's reaction had stirred in her. "I just didn't expect him to react like that... I thought he'd get it, or at least understand that I'm not a kid anymore."
Joey nodded, gently brushing a thumb across her cheek. "He's just being protective. Doesn't mean he's right... but he's still your brother."
As they made their way through the crowd in silence, the flashing lights and music seemed strangely far away.
Joey walked behind Ashley and looked at her every once in a while, but she kept her eyes on the road ahead.
He couldn't quite tell what was going on in her head.
As they finally stepped out into the cool night air, the noise from the club faded behind them.
Nothing but the faraway hum of the city could be heard as they walked.
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One couple found out more about each other, while another faced their first real challenge: getting approval.