Flaws || A.I

Chapter twenty two

While I crave the warmth of his chest,

Pressed against my back while his arms wrapped around my waist.

As three am turns to four,

I start to miss his voice,

Singing me to sleep,

And sounding raspy as he wakes up in the morning.

Soon four am melds into five,

And I'm still lying awake,

Trying to duplicate your hair,

Splaying messily across your forehead.

It's six am now,

And even though sleep is screaming my name,

Trying to drag me into it's peaceful depths,

I'm fighting it,

Trying to replicate your perfect face,

And your safe voice,

And your strong arms.

Darling, when you're not around,

I try to replicate you."

Ashton applauded me and I blushed, punching him in the shoulder. "Stop it," I said, "It's not even that good. It's utter rubbish."

"Shut up." Ashton kissed me gently before pulling back and saying, "Next time you say this poem is utter rubbish I'm going to strip to my knickers and run all over campus, reciting this."

"As much as I'd love to see that, I don't need everyone hearing my crap poem." Ashton raised his eyebrows at me and I said, "What? You said I couldn't call it utter rubbish, but you didn't say anything about calling it crap."

"God you're sexily frustrating sometimes," Ashton sighed, falling back on my bed. "Sometimes, when I talk to you on the phone when you've first woken up, you give me a boner."

"You're disgusting," I replied, resting my head on his shoulder. Ash wrapped an arm around my shoulders and let his other hand rest on the bottom of his stomach.

"It's true. Sometimes it's so bad I have to have a wank, but I think of you the whole time," he said casually and I made a few retching sounds.

"Oh please. I know you masturbate thinking about me," he said, his voice getting deep and I laughed so loud I scared Brielle.

"What the fuck man?" She said, standing in my door way. "God, keep it down. And shut this damn door. I don't want you guys to frick frack with the door wide open." With that, she left while Ashton laughed and I flushed.

"I hate you!" I called.

"No you don't!" Brielle called back. Before I could retaliate, I heard a lot of giggling and what sounded like an 'I love you more' fight happening next door in Brooklyn's room. Ashton and I raised our eyebrows at each other before Ash said, "Let's play Sherlock. I'll be Sherlock you'll be John."

"Why do I have to be John?" I whined, even though I've never even payed attention when Leia and Brielle watched Sherlock together. I didn't know anything about the characters or who 'John' even was.

"Because Sherlock's a high functioning sociopathic asshat. Do you really want to be him?" I shook my head and Ashton smiled before jumping off of my bed and running into Brielle's room. He came out a few moments later with a long black coat and a scarf.

"Can I use this?" He asked Brielle.

"Just don't fuck it up. I'm wearing that to comic con this year," she replied.

"You're cosplaying as Sherlock?" Luke asked her.

"Why not?" She replied, shrugging. Ash slipped the coat on, tied the scarf around his neck and turned up the collar of his coat. He turned to wink at me and say, "The game is on."

"I don't watch Sherlock. I don't understand your references," I pouted.

"Well for one, John Hamish Watson doesn't pout." I wrinkled my nose and said, "His middle name is Hamish?"

"God, you've got so much to catch up on," Ashton sighed, taking my hand and pulling me over to the door. He leaned in close, his ear pressed against the wood. His eyes went wide and he pulled me away. "I think that's Calum in there," he whispered. My eyes went wide and I ran outside, looping around the house and stopping at Brooklyn's window. Ash appeared beside me instantly and wrapped his arms around my waist, hoisting me up to look into Brooklyn's window. I gasped when I saw her and Calum kissing.

"Oh my God," I said. Ash dropped me on my feet in the grass and asked, "What happened?"

"Cal and Brooke are kissing. Kissing, Ash. Oh my God. Oh. My. God." Ashton placed his hands on either one of my shoulders and grinned. "Excellent. Excellent. Come on, let's go tell Bree and Luke."

"Not excellent!" I argued. "She's my best friend! Why didn't she tell me!?"

"Why don't we go find out?" He grabbed my hand and dragged me inside as I fumed silently. I couldn't believe Brooklyn. She knows she can tell me anything.

"Did you have fun finding out about Crooklyn?" Brielle asked dryly when we got back inside. She was now playing a card game with Luke while Will played some extremely violent assassin like video game while Leia watched, drawing occasionally.

"You knew?" I asked. She nodded, laughing humourlessly. "Of course I did. I know everything. I figured I'd just let you guys have your fun playing Sherlock and Watson. Did you enjoy yourselves?"

"Very much so," Ashton said, sticking his tongue out at her like a child, making me laugh.

"Screw it. Let's go solve more mysteries John," Ash said, grabbing my hand and running out the front door.

So that's how my day was spent. I chased around after Ashton, solving fake crimes while he acted like a complete know-it-all asshat, making me laugh when he wasn't forcing me to stay in character.

After the sun went down, I found myself relaxing back in a hammock Brielle had insisted on putting up when we'd moved here. She mostly used it for relaxing and reading at the same time, but right now she was reading on the couch while Luke played video games with her head in his lap. On the love seat next to them were Riley and her boyfriend Darren whom she finally decided to bring around. Not wanting to be around their loud chatter, Ashton and I cuddled together on the hammock, staring up at the stars.

"I love you," Ashton blurted out. I froze and he continued. "You told me you loved me the night you found me on the cliff, and I never got to say it back. But Claire Grande, I am utterly and completely in love with you. I love you in every way humanely possible, and even though I can't possibly deserve you, you're still here and I still love you and-" I cut him off and pressed my lips against his softly.

"I love you," I whispered. "So, so much." Ashton smiled and kissed me again before picking me up and carrying me back to his house. I fell asleep curled against his body, the sound of him professing his love for me running through my head over and over.

//shitty chapter I know & I'm sorry but I really wasn't inspired to write this & now I'm really tired & the next chapter is the last, so after a week or two I should be posting the first chapter to "Sins", but I have to make a cover first. Okay, I can barely keep my eyes open & I only stayed up this late, even though I'm completely exhausted, because @ellawhoran promised to text me but she didn't cause she sucks & she fell asleep & ugh :c

You suck Estrella

Jk ily💕💭👑