The next morning I woke up to silence which scared me. Normally I could hear seagulls squawking or waves crashing but since my window was boarded up I heard nothing at all.
I turned on my bedside lamp and got dressed in my typical tee and shorts attire. Ender was probably still asleep and had enough pain meds in him to knock him out for a while but I was still quiet, he was a light sleeper.
Before leaving my room I looked at my alarm clock and it read 10:27 A.M. So Ashton would be here in maybe 30 minutes.
I made my way downstairs and opened the fridge, grabbing the egg carton and milk. In 10 minutes I had two plates with eggs, bacon, toast and glasses of milk set on a tray.
Very carefully I brought it upstairs and into Enders room where he was knocked out. His head was tilted back on the pillow and his mouth was open as little snores escaped. I had always thought his snores were the cutest thing.
I set the tray down on the bed and went to go wake him up.
"En. Bro. Time to wake up." I shook him lightly and he stirred and whimpered.
"I have breakfast." I added and one eye creaked open and he groaned.
"Arm hurt?" I asked and he barely nodded.
"Eat something and then you can take some more medicine." I advertised and he opened the other eye.
I helped him sit up and set the plate on his lap while I sat across from him on the bed.
"So how would you feel about Luke, Michael, and Calum coming over to watch you today?" I raised an eyebrow and he immediately perked up.
"Really? What for?" He said excitedly.
"Ash and I are going to the parade today and you need to stay here and get some rest so Ashton called the guys and they are coming over to hang out and make sure you're all taken care of." I took a bite of eggs.
"I wanted to go to the parade." He frowned.
I took a sip of milk before speaking. "And I want you to go but you need to rest your arm. The faster it heals the faster you can get back out again. Okay?"
He nodded and took a bite out of his bacon.
A noise downstairs caused Ender to get wide eyed but I didn't worry.
Four voices were now heard downstairs and I smiled as I felt my heart begin to beat a little faster.
"Up here." I called and moments later four tall teens walked through the bedroom door.
"Sup mate. How ya feeling?" Michael asked as he walked over to the bedside.
"Good! I think it's already healing!" Ender faked and I made eye contact with the guys, rolling my eyes.
Ender was trying to act tough for the guys and I found it funny yet endearing that he had someone to be a boy with and say "manly" things to.
"Morning." Ashton came up behind me where I was sat backwards on the edge of the bed and placed his hands on my shoulders.
"Morning." I leaned my head all the way back and Ashton leaned down to give me a kiss but I turned my face to the side so he got my cheek.
"Hey." He pouted and I chuckled.
"I just ate, let me brush my teeth first."
"I don't care." Ashton waved away my explanation.
"I do." I stuck my tongue out at him and he giggled.
"I'm gonna go finish getting ready." I put my plate aside and stood up.
I walked to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and then took the plates down to the sink. When I was done I went back upstairs where the boys were all sitting on Enders bed.
"Ready to go?" I asked Ash as I walked in.
"Yup." He popped the 'p' at the end.
"Aright. So if he starts hurting then I set the pills on the counter. Foods in the fridge and nothing too crazy." I read off my mental checklist.
"Got it." Luke nodded with a cheeky grin.
"We'll have fun." Calum smiled.
"Okay then. Bye En, love you." I walked over and gave him a kiss on the forehead and he didn't jerk away like normal which made me smile.
"Bye boys!" I called as we left and headed outside.
Ash began to walk towards the parking lot and I cleared my throat behind him.
"Where are you going?" I smiled.
"The car?" He looked confused.
"Nope." I shook my head. "We are riding bikes today."
He laughed and followed me to the open storage area and I grabbed my bike.
"You can use that grey one there." I pointed out and he went over to it.
"Who's is it? It looks too big for Ender." He noted with a smile as he climbed on and pedalled next to me.
"It was my dads but it's still in great shape so..." I trailed off.
"Ah I see." He said, his smile not faltering."So did you ride bikes alot with your dad?"
"Yea, he's the one who taught Ender and I to ride. And since we could'nt drive yet it was our transportation everywhere, still is." I laughed at the end.
We kicked off and rode down the docks, the seats bumping over the boards. When we reached the parking lot I began to head off towards the road.
"Wait!" Ashton called and I stopped as he caught up to me.
"What?" I questioned and he leaned forward, kissing me soundly on the lips.
"Good morning." He smiled when we broke apart and my cheeks burned hot.
"Morning." I giggled.
After we got up to the main road we took the ten minute bike ride to the town square where people were everywhere.
"Woah what's going on here?" Ashton asked as we slowed down.
"Today is the annual Christmas parade." I smiled.
"A parade?! Awesome!" Ashton exclaimed.
"Come on, let's go park our bikes over here." I nodded towards the side street and we both hopped off our bikes, walking them over to the rack.
Haven Harbour was a pretty safe town so I didn't worry about our bikes getting stolen, I mean out of a population of 2,042 it wouldn't be too hard to find.
We leaned our bikes on the rack and then waited as a crowd passed by us.
"So do you want to go play games, shop, or eat first?" I grinned.
"Whatever you want to do." He nudged my side with his elbow, a wide smile making his dimples show.
"Shop first." I decided and he smiled in agreement.
We took off down the sidewalk to where the booths were and Ashton took my hand as we walked.
His fingers laced between mine, enveloping my hand in his. Ashton's hands were big and smooth but a little rough on the tips of his fingers where you could tell he worked with his hands.
"So what made you decide to come here for holiday?" I asked as we strolled along the sidewalk.
"It seemed peaceful and quiet and not crowded, just somewhere we could unwind and chill." He shrugged.
I nodded along.
"Why?" He chuckled.
"I dont know?" I shrugged, "I just think it's funny how you came here and we met, it's just kinda funny."
"Well, I for one, am extremely glad we came here." Ashton bumped against me playfully and I laughed as he dipped down for a kiss on my cheek.
We continued to laugh as we came up to a booth selling beach glass. Ashton seemed mesmerized by it.
"You know, we have alot of that back at the house, my grandfather used to collect it." I said after a few minutes of him oogling it.
"Really? I just think it's so cool." He smiled.
"It is." I agreed.
As we walked around the different booths we began to pick up little bobbles and trinkets. At one stand I found a small jewellery box. The top and bottom were scallop shells and a brass clasp was built onto the back and front opening so it would close.
The shells were a swirl of white and light pink.
"Oh how pretty." I smiled as I picked it up.
Ashton smiled at me as he looked up from the Sharks tooth necklace he was holding.
I set the box down and took his hand again as we walked along the sidewalk.
"So where do you wanna go next?" I asked.
"Let's play some games and then we can eat." He suggested.
"Lets do it." I grinned. "Race you to the ring toss!"
I took off down the sidewalk and I heard Ashton call behind me.
"Hey that's not fair!" He laughed at the end before running to catch up with me.
The rest of the after noon was spent playing carnival games and eating as much junk as we could. By the time the sun was setting we were full and exhausted.
Ashton and I talked about absolutely anything, from the one time I got locked in the school's supply closet over night to the time he went on his first plane ride to the UK and spent the majority of it in the planes lavatory.
For some reason, even when the conversation had quieted between us, we held hands or let our shoulders brush each others, never letting go of the connection.
Ari had always told me of the romance stories between her and her many boyfriends, and how there was always a connection. But none of them ever stuck or lasted until she met her fiancé Jason. When Ari met Jason they had this certain bond from the beginning that was undeniable. Whenever they were together, it was like some force of gravity pulling them closer, almost like they were inseparable.
They didn't have to say a word to each other for the other to know what they were thinking, it was like telepathy. Just by looking into each others eyes they knew all they needed to know.
On one of the many nights Ari and I had stayed up, laying on my bedroom floor talking about her and Jason, she told me about the feeling you get when you know someone is the one.
"It's like suddenly, that person becomes the one thing you can always count on as being there. When you look into their eyes and see your future and life together, thats when you know they're the one." She had said.
After that night I had wondered if I would ever know that feeling.
A tug on my hand chased my thoughts away and snapped me back into the situation at hand.
"Hey." The sweet, tender voice flowed into my ears.
"Sorry." I blushed.
"What were you thinking about?" He bumped me with his shoulder, a giggle on his lips.
"It's a secret." I winked.
"Awww tell me." He begged, laughing so adorably I couldn't help but join in.
"Just about us." I shrugged.
"Oh yea?" He kissed my cheek. "What about us?"
"Just that I'm really glad I met you." I blushed again.
"Aww babe." He giggled again. "I'm really glad I met you too."
I was sure my cheeks were on fire now and I would have a 2nd degree burn later because of my embarrassment. He'd actually called me babe. No one had ever called me that before and it felt really, really, good.
We reached our bikes and hopped on so we could take the journey back to the house. By the time we rode up to the storage area it was dark out.
Leaning the bikes against the wall we turned on the outside lights and then fumbled into the house.
"THEYRE BACK!" I heard someone scream before four heads popped up over the back of the couch.
"Hey." I laughed.
I reached over and ruffled Ender's hair.
"How you feeling?" I asked as I walked around to sit next to him.
"Better!" He smiled.
"Good!" I smiled. "So how about we watch a movie together?" I asked.
"I'm down!" Michael said and Calum seconded.
"Nothing scary." Luke replied with wide eyes.
"Of course babe." Ashton smiled at me as he plopped down next to me. "We can cuddle." He whispered into my ear and my cheeks blazed for the millionth time today.
"Thank you for today." I whispered into his ear back and he gave me one swift peck on the lips before watching Michael and Calum argue over what movie to watch.