I busy myself with tidying up the small area of the kitchen while I wait for Ashton to get back, putting the couple dirty dishes in the sink into the dishwasher, wiping down the counters, and putting away the clean dishes lain in the dish drain. The timer on the oven beeps, the shrill noise startling me as I had grown used to the warm silence previously filling the apartment.
I turn the timer and the oven off, grabbing an oven mitt to slide over my palm before pulling the pizza out of the oven. I lay it on the stovetop, cutting it into pieces after I slide the mitt of my hand. The doorbell rings, bringing a small smile to my lips as I restrain myself from skipping towards the door to open it.
I twist the doorknob, opening it to reveal a much more comfortable looking Ashton clad in a pair of dark grey sweatpants and white t-shirt, a black hoodie clutched in one hand and a small duffel in the other. "Hey," I murmur with a smile, his lips curving into a smile as he utters a similarly happy greeting.
I move back slightly to allow him into the apartment once again, closing the door behind him while he slips off his sneakers and leaves them in the hallway next to mine.
"I didn't know how long you wanted me to stay and so I brought some stuff just in case and-" He rambles on, his cheeks tinged pink with embarrassment as his stiff body language seems to be waiting for me to reject him. I cut him off by placing my hand over his lips, his words stuttering to a stop as his breath catches in his throat, hazel eyes widening as he looks at me.
"When I asked you to stay, I meant for the night," I tell him softly, pulling my hand back and casting my eyes towards the ground when I see the astonishment on his face. "I mean, only if you want to, I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable or anything." I rush out, face heating and tongue thick as I stumble over the sentence.
Ashton's fingers catch hold off my chin, his hand tilting my face up towards his as he leans down to place a gentle kiss on my nose. "Of course I want to stay, love. I just didn't want to impose." He explains gently, my features softening back into a smile at his statement.
"Like I imposed last weekend?" I tease, a soft chuckle falling from his lips as he lets his fingers fall from my chin to instead lace through my own. "I already told you, you weren't imposing." He says with a groan as he starts to pull me towards the kitchen.
His pace increases as we get closer to the kitchen, the smell of the pizza wafting down the hallway and making my stomach grumble again. We make it to the kitchen quickly, Ashton's hand dropping mine to grab a plate before sliding two pieces on a plate to hand to me before getting himself two slices of his own.
I take a bite, letting out a small moan of appreciation once the food hits my tongue. A faint curse falls from Ashton's lips, his cheeks going beet red as he looks at me, eyes wide and lips parted.
"What?" I ask with a slight pout, his head shaking quickly in response as he hurriedly takes a bite of pizza instead of answering. I walk over towards him, all the while popping out my bottom lip as he looks everywhere but me, eyes trained on his plate.
"Tell me," I whine, instantly feeling appalled at the babyish tone to my words but brushing it off when Ashton lifts his gaze back to mine.
"It's too embarrassing," he informs me before taking another large bite of his pizza, sauce smudging around his lips as he does. I sigh as I use my napkin to wipe at the skin, his cheeks tinting even deeper red as I wipe the sauce from his skin. I wait for a reply but don't gain one, a slight harrumph sliding past my lips as I finish my pizza in silence.
"Don't be mad at me," Ashton says quietly, his tone sad and heavy as he places his empty plate into the sink, his eyes heavy with disappointment and worry as he speaks. I ignore his plea, instead turning my attention to washing the two plates. The sound of his footsteps is drowned out by the sink, the touch of his hands on my waist startling me and making me jump slightly when his head plops down on my shoulder.
"S'just that I found you moaning over pizza to be extremely attractive," Ashton says after a bit, my teeth biting down on my lip to contain my smile that slid onto my lips at his admission.
I finish washing the plate before turning around in his grip, chuckling a bit at the look on his face. "I'm not mad, Ashton," I assure him with a smile, his lips popping into a pout as he realizes that he'd been played. "I never was, you doof. You're just too easy to crack." I tease, plopping a kiss to his lips briefly in apology. "And I'll take that as a compliment," I add on, loving the pink tint to his cheeks as he brings his lips back to mine.
"It's a good thing that I like you," Ashton tells me after he pulls away, his lips pressing to my nose and my forehead before releasing me from his hold. I let out a small yawn, a wave of exhaustion overtaking my body even after the long nap I had taken this afternoon.
"You tired, love?" Ashton asks me softly, my head dipping into a small nod as I grab his hand in mine, pulling him towards my bedroom.
"Lemme brush my teeth and stuff and then we can lay down," I inform Ashton, gesturing towards the bathroom. He nods, taking a seat on my bed and dropping his duffel onto the floor as I enter the small bathroom, the floor chilly against my bare feet. After I finish going to the bathroom and washing my hands, I open the door and peak my head out, Ashton looking up from his phone as I do.
"You can come and brush your teeth now, if you want. I'll be done in just a few minutes if you wanna wait till I'm out of here." I offer, Ashton sending me a small smile as he grabs his small bag and walks towards the bathroom.
"I'll join you if that's alright." He tells me as he follows me into the small room. "I don't wanna make you wait for me when you're done." He explains sweetly, his kind demeanor definitely something I could get used to.
"Such a gentleman," I tease lightly, his cheeks heating pink as he steps into the bathroom beside me.
"I can't help it!" He protests, "My mum would kill me if I wasn't." He adds on with a chuckle, my own laughter joining.
He sets his bag on the ground, pulling out a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a contact case before setting them all onto the counter.
"You wear contacts?" I ask, slightly surprised. He nods in reply as he starts to open the container for them, putting solution in the little compartments before starting to remove the small objects.
"I got my dad's eyesight. I can't see far away for shit," He informs me with a small shrug. "Yet another reason to dislike him," He mumbles under his breath, the subject obviously something painful in Ashton's life by the way his whole demeanor changes when he talks about it.
"I think it's cute." I tell him with a grin, squeezing some toothpaste onto my brush as I speak. He sends me a small smile in response, mirroring my actions as he wets the brush and toothpaste and starts to brush his teeth. I finish brushing my teeth, shyly spitting out the excess toothpaste into the sink and rinsing out my mouth with water.
Ashton does the same next to me as I pull out my face wash, wetting my skin with some warm water. I squeeze some of the cleanser onto my fingers, the wash dotted with exfoliating beads that for some reason are super interesting to Ashton.
"Can I try some of that stuff?" He asks me softly, almost shyly. "I always see it on TV and it looked so cool. I've always wanted to know what it felt like," He admits sheepishly.
I let out a laugh but squeeze some onto his fingers, his eyes lighting up like a child's as he looks at the face wash in amazement.
"Okay, so rub it gently across your face like this," I tell him, demonstrating on my own face. He excitedly follows my example, wincing a bit as he scrubs it roughly against his skin.
"Not so hard!" I squeak, reaching over to pull his hand off his face before he can do any more damage. "You don't wanna hurt yourself, Ashton. Do it more gently." I tell him before releasing his hand and letting him go back to his face.
I keep an eye on him as I finish washing my own face, turning my eyes away from him only when I'm rinsing the wash off my skin. I pat my skin dry with a towel before applying moisturizer to not only my face but Ashton's as well after he insists on wearing it too.
"Woah," He exclaims, running his fingers over his cheeks. "My skin is so smooth." He tells me with a small giggle, a snort falling past my lips as he then runs his fingers over my cheeks.
"Now I know why your cheeks are so damn soft," Ashton says with a grin, plopping a kiss to my forehead before sliding a pair of glasses onto his face.
"You should wear these more often, I like 'em," I comment, tapping a finger to the side of the black framed glasses, the square lenses fitting Ashton's face nicely.
"Well I'm glad someone around here does, because I sure don't." He responds teasingly, but with a happy grin. I scoff but still send him a smile, leading the two of us out of the bathroom after turning the light off.
I grab a pair of fuzzy socks from my drawer, sliding the plush material onto my feet before sliding into bed. Ashton slides in next to me, instantly reaching his arms out across the sheets till they hit my body, hands gripping onto my hips as he slides me across the mattress till I'm flush against him. I reach my arm out to shut off my light, the room settling into a warm darkness as soft light filters under the door from the small nightlight in the hallway. I pull my arm back under the covers snuggling into the blankets and Ashton.
He lets out a soft hum as he hugs me to him, his curls tickling my cheeks as he buries his head into my neck. His lips press small open mouthed kisses against the sensitive skin, a shiver running down my spine at the sensation. Ashton pulls his head back till he is looking at me, his hazel eyes glowing brightly in the darkness as a look of pure adoration softens his features.
"I just can't seem to get enough of you, Elsie," Ashton murmurs softly, his voice raspy as it breaks the near silence in the room. "That beautiful face of yours never seems to leave my head," He continues, my teeth biting down on my lower lip to contain the grin desperately trying to break free. "But I've decided that I don't mind." He finishes with a hum, lips gently coaxing my bottom lip free until it's secure between his own.
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How was your day? Mine was pretty tiring but not bad. I hope you all smiled today because you're beautiful and I love you all!
Don't forget to vote, comment, and share please!
-Eryn xx