Dimples → a.i

→ Chapter Eight ←

Damn, he is one smooth motherfucker, Holly can't help but think. Ashton grins down at her, knowing he pulled that line perfectly. She couldn't let Ashton know that, he was already way to smooth for his own good.

"You don't even know me." Holly says, continuing on her way to the cafe. Ashton hurries to catch up to her, his exceedingly long legs covering the distance between the easily.

"Yeah, but I'd like to get to know you." And there it was again. The smooth one-liners that seemed to come so easily to him. Holly shakes her head, she knew that despite his stupid one-liners that he was a complete dork. He had the complete badass, cocky attitude thing going on, but she wouldn't be at all surprised if the guy lazed around in his underwear watching Spongebob Squarepants.

"You could be a psychopath." Holly states, pushing back into the cafe. Ashton simply shrugs, but an easy smirk graces his face.

"You're right, I could be. But, what's life without a little risk?"

"So you are a psychopath?"

"No I'm not- that's not the question. So, what is life without a little risk, Tea?" Ashton says, tacking on the nickname at the end. It was like he knew it irked her, hell, he probably used it for that exact reason.

"Safe." Holly answered, finally sitting at the table she had vacated minutes previously. Ashton sits back in the same chair as yesterday, and lets out a scoff. Throwing his arms behind his head, he grins lazily at her.

"Okay, you're right. Life without risk is safe. But it's also boring."

"Boring is fun."

She can't help but let out a small smile from the juxtaposition of the statement. Ashton lets out a bellowing laugh and nods his head.

"Oh yeah, boring is definitely fun." He chortles. "For the dead, I mean."

Holly narrows her smokey grey eyes, sensing a challenge she demands,

"Fine then. What do you find fun, Dimples?" The use of his tacky nickname does the opposite of what she hoped. Instead of peeving him off like she wanted, he only grinned wider, displaying the dimple fully. Ashton grins at her for a second longer before answering her question.

"Guitar. I play guitar." Holly's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Of course he plays the guitar, he is the perfect example of a musician. She felt herself sigh inwardly.

"Really? Are you any good?" She questions, leaning her elbows up on the table.

"Yeah, um, like, I'm not that good but I can play a bit. My friend Michael is better at it than me though. He always beats me in Guitar Hero." Ashton rambles, clearly embarrassed by the sudden interest she was taking in him. She smirked at him bitterly. She was ruffling his feathers and she knew it. Now she just had to push a little further and his true personality would show.

It seemed like Ashton knew exactly what she was thinking, because he suddenly turned the spotlight back to her.

"What about you? What do you do for fun?"

Holly had to think for a bit. She didn't really do anything for fun, she wasn't a fun person. Eventually her mind turned to the one thing she did like.

"I read a lot of books." She states, "I like to read."

Ashton popped his bottom lip out and biting it, nodding his head. He stared at her the way an art critic would stare a painting they weren't sure about. Analysing and inspecting, paying extra attention to the small details no one else really cared to look at. Holly immediately felt self-conscious. She didn't like people staring at her, hell, that was exactly the reason why she sat in the back of the cafe and avoided going to any social gatherings.

"Why do you like to read so much?" Ashton asks, leaning forward on the table. They were suddenly much closer than previously, their faces only a foot apart. His breath blew on her as he finished speaking, but she didn't make any movement to pull away.

"Because books can't hurt you like people can."

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