I Need You || a.i. (EDITING) [On Hold]

Chapter 20

Ashton's POV:

Shit. 
Shit.
Shit.

I stared at my mother standing before me and wanted to crawl under a rock for ten years.

Lauren coughed behind me, obviously wanting me to explain what the fuck was going on here. My mom raised her eyebrows at me and crossed her arms. She walked right past me and looked around, her heels clinking on the wood floors and echoing in the room.

"It's cleaner than the last time I was here, I'll give you that."

She turned and walked back over to me.

"Well, aren't you going to introduce me to your...friend?"

I looked at Lauren and tried to tell her to walk back into my room, but my mother's eyes were on me like a predator on it's prey. She was dressed nice, as usual. I started regretting not answering the phone earlier. If I would've answered, I could have prevented her coming here and just explained everything to Lauren. Why was I always being such a fuck up?

"Mom, this is Lauren...a friend."

Lauren held out her hand and shook my mother's with a polite smile.

"It's nice to meet you. Ashton's told me a little bit about you."

Lauren smiled and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. It immidietely fell out again and I was tempted to reach out and fix it for her. I needed to learn to keep my hands to myself.

My mother smiled at Lauren warmly and turned back to me. 

"Ashton, it's very frustraing when I'm trying to get in contact with you and you ignore me. The one time you picked up, you hung up two seconds later and wouldn't answer again," she sighed.

I shuffled my feet on the floor and looked anywhere but straight ahead. This was humiliating. I could only picture what my mother was thinking right now, and strangely, I kind of wished some of it had happened... It wouldn't be the first time she walked in on me. She only called me when she needed me to do something.

"Son, I need you to watch Lauren and Harry tonight. I'm going out with a few friends to dinner. It was too late for me to find a regular sitter, so you're my last choice at this point."

My mom turned to Lauren and smiled. 

"Did Ashton tell you that he had a sister named Lauren too? Very beautiful name."

Lauren didn't respond, just smiled as her cheeks flushed. I got the sense that she was as uncomfortable as I was at this moment. I felt myself wanting to pull the blanket off the couch and cover my chest up.

"What do you say, Ashton? I don't ask you to look after them too often. They miss seeing you all of the time!"

Fuck no. I didn't want to do this tonight. I was in the middle of almost having a break through with Lauren and now I'm being asked to babysit? I'm pretty sure I have band practice today anyways-

"Of course he will!" Lauren said. I turned to look at her, but she just gave me a smug grin.

"Excellent! I'll bring them by around six! Thanks, son." My mother had her things and was headed out the front door before I could protest.

"Goodbye, Lauren! Lovely meeting you."

And just like she had arrived, she was gone in seconds.

When I turned back to Lauren, she was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed and eating the plate of pancakes with the biggest grin on her face. Even though I was annoyed, I was glad she was still here with me. I crossed over and sat beside her on the couch.