"I have to go."
"But I'm not asleep yet," he mumbled out, squinting his eyes to see me in the dark.
"I can't stay here the entire night Ash," I said, flinging my leg on the other side of the open window, shivering from the cold air. I was halfway...
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"Alexis, wake up."
"5 more minu –"I trail off, dozing back to sleep again.
"Unless you want your father to walk in and find a boy in your room, sure, take all the time you fucking need," he snapped, rolling on top me, squishing me further into the bed.
"Okay okay I'm up, will you chill?" I groaned, desperate to get this idiot out of my room and back to sleep.
I dragged him to my window before opening it, "Jump."
"On your parents?" he sassed back.
I looked down to see my mother on the porch drinking coffee, and my dad reading the newspaper on the chair beside her, a white mug in front of him.
All these homey activities were confusing me.
"Right okay, come with me."
I gestured towards the back door and while he was almost over the fence he was climbing, he knocked over one of pots near it.
Idiot.
"Alexis? Is that you?" my dad hollered, his footsteps closing in.
"Go go go," I panicked before stretching my arms and doing some weird exercise.
"Dad, long time no see," I smiled; hoping to God Ashton was over that fence already.
"Kitchen, young lady," he grumbled, walking through the back door that I had forgotten to shut.
"Hi dad," I tried again once we were back in the house with no chances of him spotting Ashton.
"Where have you been for these past two nights?"
"Um, last night I was home, obviously. And the night before that I stayed over at Emily's."
"What time did you get home last night?"
"Um, 3...ish?" I smiled.
He was about to say something when Malibu ran into the kitchen, carrying a black item in his mouth and dropping it at my dad's feet.
A black leather jacket.
A black leather jacket belonging to Ashton.
Who needs siblings when you have a dog like Malibu?
"And who's jacket is this?" he asked, eyeing it suspiciously.
"Um, Charlie's. He gave it to me cause it was really cold yesterday."
"And since when does Charlie wear leather jackets?"
"Well, he's being dressing real edgy lately. Don't know what's gotten into him but this has been like his dressing sense for the past couple of days."
"Uh huh okay well –"
My dad was cut off when my phone started blaring.
Ashton.
"Got to go, Emily's calling. I promised to meet her at 10 for breakfast."
I quickly shut my bedroom door before receiving his call.
"What do you want?"
"I left my jacket there."
"Yeah, I –"
"Meet me at Linda's Ice Cream in 30. Don't be late. Get the jacket."
"But –"
He disconnected before I had a chance to complete my sentence.
Where the fuck is Linda's Ice Cream?
***
I was standing in front of the same ice cream shop that I'd gone to yesterday (courtesy of Google Maps). This was like our spot.
I walked in to be greeted by cool air and the old lady at the counter whose name tag read Linda.
Guess the name makes sense now.
"Hey, what can I get you?"
"Something chocolate," she chuckled before scooping up two huge scoops of chocolaty goodness and placing them on top of the counter.
'There you go. That's $4.99."
I placed a five dollar bill before walking over to one of the empty tables and sitting down, dumping his leather jacket on the chair opposite me.
Guess who was late?
"Hey Alexis?"
"Well well well..." I trailed off when I noticed it wasn't Ashton, but James.
"Oh um, hey!"
"Hi, what are you doing here?" he smiled, sitting down in the chair beside me.
"Oh you know, just... chilling," I finished lamely.
Who 'chills' alone, you absolute loser?
"Mind if I join you?" he asked, smiling slightly.
"Uh, nope, not at all." Okay, keep calm, don't freak out.
Fuck, do I have ice cream on my face?
"So, how have you been?"
"Oh you know the usual. How about you?"
"Oh, great great. Hey listen, is Ashton bothering you too much because I've seen him around and he seems to be like a real troublemaker. I can totally get him another tutor if it's too much for you."
"I think she's great with me, thank you for your concern though," Ashton faked a smile before picking up his jacket and sitting down, take a spoonful of my ice cream before I could even react.
"Hey, my ice cream!" I snapped.
"Hey, slow reflexes," he smiled back, taking another spoonful of my ice cream.
"Right, so I'm gonna go, it was nice seeing you," James got up, kissed my temple and walked off.
Wait, hold up for a second.
Kissed my temple?!
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god..." I need a paper bag.
"What?"
"He just kissed my temple, holy shit I'm dead. This is like a parallel universe where I'm pretty and he's interested in me, yep."
Ashton continued to look at me with a confused expression while I completely lost my cool over the Teacher's Assistant.
"I still don't get it," he grumbled, walking over to his 'baby' while I trailed behind him.
"He's hot, and he kissed my temple. That's pretty much it," I said, climbing on the bike.
He looked at me for a couple seconds before tucking a strand (that wasn't even on my face) behind my ear and slowly leaning closer.
"Um, Ashton what are you..." I trailed off when I felt a soft pair of lips trail feather light kisses all over the column of my neck continuing over to my jawline before stopping at the corner of my lips, pausing for a second before moving up and planting a kiss on my nose and then on my temple, keeping his lips the exact same spot James had pecked for a couple of moments.
It was safe to say I was breathless.
"Hm," he grinned when he noticed the dazed expression I was sporting, hopped on in front of me, and zoomed off.
