No Strings Attached

Chapter 4

“S-Since right now. He j-just came up to me.” 

Pushing his goggles up on to his forehead, he gazed down at me. “Of course he did. No one ever comes to our practices.” With a shake of his head, he sighed. “And seeing a girl here for once must’ve sent his hormones flying. Fucking slacker.” 

“M-Must you always curse?” 

Laughing, Ashton’s grey eyes bore into mine as he leaned down. “What? Are you going to pull a ‘Marian’ on me, kiddo? It’s just part of my vocabulary.” 

“S-Some girls don’t like that sort of language.” Where was I suddenly getting all this bravado to speak to him? My heart was pounding in my chest the longer he gazed at me and I could hear my blood rushing in my ears. 

Brows arched, he smirked. “Kiddo, that’s never hindered me before.” When I looked away from him, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you still up for that ice cream after practice?” 

“I didn’t just come here to watch you.” 

Ashton snickered, patting my hair and wetting the top of it thanks to his soaked hand. “Alright, practice is over in ten and then we’ve got to change. So wait here.” 

I nodded and watched him jog back towards the pool before diving in. The second he resurfaced, he was shouting orders at the rest of the swimmers. 

Come to think of it, I could actually see a resemblance to Mr. Abbey. 

When I searched for Cyrus, not seeing my brunette brother, my eyes landed on Milo, who was lounging against the edge of the water. He shot me a smile as I pulled out my notebook again, pressing my pen to the paper as I grinned to myself. 

*** 

“Ice cream for dinner is not really all that healthy.” 

I rolled my eyes over my fudge sundae at Cyrus’s grumblings. When we’d pulled into Friendly’s, he had immediately blamed me for ruining his strict diet, now having to exercise an extra day for the “dairy disaster”. He was picking at his cup of pistachio ice cream, shooting me dark glares every so often. 

“Don’t give her such dirty looks, you ass.” Ashton hissed, bashing Cyrus’s face against the table. When my brother lifted his fist to punch him, Ashton waggled his finger in Cyrus’s face. “Ah-ah, my man. We’re in a restaurant. Compose yourself.” With a sigh, my brother focused on the cup before him. “Plus, this was all my idea, Cy.” 

“I highly doubt that.” He pouted, dropping his spoon in the cup. “You’re not the one obsessed with this crap.” I rolled my eyes as he pushed his ice cream towards his best friend, who instantly gobbled it down. 

At the sound of a screech echoing around the restaurant, I instinctively ducked under the table, hiding my head in my knees and covering my head. “Ohmygod, Ash, hi!” As another pair of legs joined us at the table---and kicked me as they slid in---, I pressed my lips together, peering over the edge. 

My eyes widened as I watched her lean against Ashton, her face aglow. “You didn’t call me back the other day.” She whimpered, her blue eyes sparkling. 

Running his hand through his black hair, he smiled at her, taking her chin gently between his fingers. “I’m sorry, babe. Things came up, and well, I had to attend to them first.” 

Nodding, she gazed up at him through her thick black lashes. “Well, I had fun. When are we… hanging out again?” I gawked at her as she flirted with Ashton grazing her hand across his chest. Letting out a quiet gag that only I caught, Cyrus excused himself to the bathroom. Lindsay now stretched out her legs where my brother had been, smiling up at Ashton. 

This girl had no shame… 

As I focused on my sundae, grabbing a spoonful of fudge, I scooped it into my mouth as I felt someone’s heavy gaze fall on me. Peeking up through my choppy fringe, I flushed to see Ashton already staring at me, those grey eyes darkening. 

“Well, as much as I love your company, Lindsay, I’m busy.” She blinked as he faced her with a smirk. “I’ll call you later tonight, yeah? Bye.” As if to send her off, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before turning back to his own sundae. 

Scoffing, Lindsay rose with a pout, casting me a disdainful leer before sashaying away. Why would she even bother giving me that look. I didn’t do anything to deserve it… 

“She’s in love with you.” I found myself whispering over another spoonful of fudge. 

Ashton snickered, the smile that tugged on his full lips ice cold. “No she’s not. She’s obsessed with me. Big difference.” 

“She looks at you the way girls do on TV.” I mumbled, pushing my empty sundae cup away. As he continued to scrutinize me, I found myself quickly losing my appetite. “She’s a girl in love.” 

“Love is nothing more than a fictitious lie people force themselves to believe in when they can’t get a grip on their emotions. It’s not cute or romantic. It’s pathetic.” His grey eyes pierced into mine as he gazed at me, his lips twisted in a grimace. 

I gawked at him, my fingers twitching by my sides. Was Ashton really that opposed to love? 

Clapping Ashton on the back, Cyrus slid back into the booth with a jovial smile, chuckling. “Great, Miss Easy is finally gone.” When neither of us laughed, simply looking away from each other, my brother frowned, licking his lips. 

“Wow. I can taste the awkward.” 

Shaking his head, Ashton pushed himself out of the booth, heading towards the door. “Dinner’s over. Let’s go.” He growled. 

We watched Ashton stalk into his car, slamming the door shut before slouching his head back against the seat. 

“What’d you do to him?” Cyrus questioned briefly before he raced out to his best friend’s side.

As I paid the bill, I rubbed my arm, not able to make eye-contact with the waiter. 

Had I really said anything wrong?