As Ash looked from Joey to the woman he was with, his eyes got really big.
"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!"
Joey stumbled back, hands up in a defensive stance. "Ash, I'm serious! I'd never hurt her. I… I care about her."
Ashley stepped in, trying to pull Ash back. "Ash, stop! You can't just punch people because you don't like who they are to me!"
Ash whipped around to face her, his eyes blazing. "I'm supposed to just stand here while you hook up with my friend behind my back?"
Ashley's face softened, but her voice was unwavering. "I'm your sister, Ash, not your property. I get to choose who I want to be with."
The words hit Ash like a punch to the gut. He looked between the two of them, anger and disbelief tangled in his expression. "So this is what it is now? You and Joey?"
Joey's voice was low, "Ash, I respect you, but this, this isn't about you."
Ash laughed harshly and shook his head no. "Yeah? Well, good luck with that." He turned around and stormed off through the crowd, leaving Joey and Ashley to look at each other and decide what to do next.
Ashley kept looking at the spot where Ash had gone, and her chest tightened with anger and sadness.
She'd always been close to her twin, and now it felt like a piece of her had just walked away, leaving a raw gap in its place.
Joey rubbed his cheek, giving her a small smile, trying to lighten the moment. "Honestly, if that's the price to be with you, I'll take a hundred punches from Ash."
She let out a weak laugh, glancing back at him. "I just… I didn't expect it to blow up like that. He looked at me like I betrayed him."
Joey wrapped an arm around her shoulder gently, his voice soft. "Ash will come around. He's just shocked, maybe feels like he's losing his sister and his friend at once."
Ashley sighed, her gaze distant. "I know, but it's like… I can't be what he expects. I'm my own person, you know?"
Joey nodded, looking at her with understanding. "Yeah. And you deserve to live your life the way you want. I'll talk to him if it'll help."
She shook her head, leaning into his embrace. "No, I think he just needs time. I need time, too."
Joey looked at her, brushing a strand of hair from her face with a sigh, careful not to touch his bruised cheek.
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.
One couple found out more about each other, while another faced their first real challenge: getting approval.