The Eleventh Hour (FINISHED)

18 - Uhhh... hi?

Meadow woke late that night, and she rolled over on the bed, loving the feeling of the soft sheets.

Wait.

Bed?

She opened her eyes then, looking down at the sheets and realizing she was lying in Ash's mattress.

She sat up then, glancing down to find her the only one under, and when she looked up, her heart stopped for a moment.

Ash was sitting in an armchair that was next to the nightstand, watching her curiously.

The smile was even gone.

She stared for a moment, seeing his expression remain the same.

After a couple minutes, she found her voice. "How long have you been watching me?"

He shifted his position as if he'd been in the original for hours.

"A while," he responded honestly, though the smile still wasn't there. Not even peeking through. "I was originally watching the moon," he gestured outside, "but you started talking in your sleep, so I thought you were talking to me. I looked at you..." he paused, "I couldn't look away, I guess."

She was silent, and he attempted an innocent smile.

She shook her head then, looking down to his bed. "That's creepy."

"Is it?" he quizzed.

She glared at him. "Yeah. You might as well crawl in and snuggle."

He shot up then, making her draw back in surprise. "Okay."

When he started to the bed, she didn't draw back in disgust or fear like she expected, but she still said, "I was joking."

He stood at the side of the bed then, eyeing her thoughtfully as if trying to what she was thinking. "Were you?"

She was silent, and he smiled at this, nodding to the bed. "Roll over."

She stared for a moment. "What?"

"Roll over," he said, "on the other side of the bed. Come on. I don't have all day."

She listened despite her stomach surging with confusion, wondering how she should've reacted to this.

When she scooted to the far end of the bed, he crawled in with her.

"Thanks, love," he said.

Love? Oh, right. It wasn't an endearment... probably just... a name he called everyone.

He laid down on the mattress, and Meadow sat far apart from him, staring at him almost cautiously.

" okay?" he said at this.

She seemed to have recognized she was staring as if she hadn't noticed before, and nodded, looking away and lying far apart from him. "Y- yeah."

She rolled away then, hoping to keep herself from locking gazes with him.

"Are you cold?" he said from behind her.

She shook her head, hoping he'd just go to sleep already.

"But..." he said, "you've got goosebumps."

"I'm fine," she lied, hugging herself to prevent shivering.

"No," he said then, "you're not."

And he started pulling the covers over her, but she kicked, fighting it. "Ash...."

He put his hand on her chest, telling her to knock it off. "Stop," he said.

She listened, easing slightly into the mattress while continuing to avoid eye-contact; all while Ash pulled the blankets over her.

"Good job," he praised playfully, seeing her glare at him. "Better?"

"Yeah," she responded honestly, avoiding eye-contact, "thanks."

"Of course," he said almost gently.

They were both silent for a moment.

"Ash?" she said.

"Yes?"

"Have we ever dated before...?" she whispered, cheeks reddening slightly. "The days... I can't remember?"

He was silent for a moment, and she questioned if she should've asked that.

"No," he said finally, "why?"

"Oh..." she said, avoiding answering and just asked another query. "What were we to each other?"

"Friends, I guess," he responded.

"What?" she couldn't help but say.

"You sound surprised," he commented.

"Ye- I mean, no, just... You said, you 'guess.'"

"I did," he responded.

"What does that mean?" she questioned, still staring at the wall.

He smiled, but she couldn't see it. "What do you think it means?"

"Why are you dodging the question?" she said quietly.

"Because I don't feel like answering," he said honestly.

She let out an annoyed sigh. "Fine. Whatever."

He looked at her then. "Do you want to be more than friends, Meadow?"

She was quiet.

"Meadow?" he pressed.

"I'm done talking," she said. "Good night."

He smiled when he heard the embarrassment in her tone. "Good night."