Taking a deep breath, I tucked a loose curl behind my ear before pressing my finger upon the doorbell. Moments later the front door swung open and butterflies fought violently inside me, struggling to keep a dazed grin off my lips when Tyler's eyes raked over an outfit I spent an hour obsessing over.
Beneath my duffle coat, I wore a leather skater dress and paired it with a combat boots. I even took the time to fishtail braid my hair so that it hung like a thick rope around my waist. Tyler's eyes found mine, glazed with approval until they drank in the concealer I had excessively dabbed over my dark circles to hide any evidence of my sleepless night. Somehow, I knew he picked up on my exhaustion but thankfully he didn't interrogate me.
We stood there for a few seconds, staring at one another. His lips curved into a smooth smile when his gaze flickered my mouth and immense heat coursed through my body like warm honey seeping through my veins. I gave his outfit a once over, ravishing at the sight of his low slung jeans, fluffy dinosaur socks and his amused smile.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?" I asked.
He opened his mouth to retort, shooting me a smirk that disappeared when I barged past him, almost knocking into Rosemary who was holding a laundry basket.
"Sorry!" I gasped and jumped back, accidentally bumping into Tyler.
He hissed when I trod on his foot, gripping my waist to hold himself from doubling over with pain. His head disappeared into my hair and I fought back a giddy smile as his breath warmed my scalp.
"Ashley! I didn't know you'd be coming over today," Rosemary chuckled as she adjusted the overflowing laundry basket on her hip.
Smiling politely, I fumbled with the end of my braid, fingering the elastic band that just about managed to contain my thick curls. The last time she had see me, Tyler's hands were down my shirt and my entire face was alight with embarrassment.
"We decided that, uh, Tyler's kitchen would be better to, umm, use than mine."
"More like you decided," He grumbled into my hair, squeezing my waist in defiance.
Rosemary eyes sparkled when they settled on the Tyler's hands. A faraway, dazed smile pulled her lips up before her warm gaze slipped back to mine, twinkling with insinuations I didn't want to think about.
"Well don't let me keep you guys waiting," She winked and I bit my lip to keep a grimace off my face. "If you need any help just shout."
"Thanks Rosemary," I forced an awkward smile as Tyler led me into the kitchen, releasing his hold on my waist to stride towards the fridge.
I shot a glance over my shoulder, surprised to find Rosemary still frozen at the foot of the staircase. She smiled affectionately at Tyler's retreating figure and I rolled my eyes at the way he chugged orange juice down from the carton. She caught my eye roll, chuckling and raising an eyebrow, agreeing that Tyler was pretty much as gross as a guy could get at times.
Turning around to face him, I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him with disdain.
"You could just get a cup instead of drinking OJ straight from the carton," I wrinkled my nose when he swiped an arm over his mouth.
"Ain't nobody got time for that," He drawled in a falsetto voice and I stifled a giggle when he crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out.
He held out the carton and flashed his infamous smirk at me.
"Juice?"
"I'll pass."
Silence filled the kitchen as we stared at each other, unsure of how to respond considering yesterday's turn of events. After Tyler's soft and achingly slow kiss outside the girl's restroom, he wiped my tears away and took my hand, forcing me to wait outside our class while he grabbed our stuff. Then he drove me home, planting a lingering kiss on my forehead when he walked me to my door and we hadn't spoke since.
There were still a thousand unanswered questions between us, simmering beneath the surface and on the verge of exploding. But now wasn't the time for answers since we had a great deal of work to do. Tomorrow was the deadline for the semester's assignment and it was also the last day of term. Festivity was at it's peak around the school and a lot of kids were going away for the Christmas break, including myself. Mom's parents wanted us to spend a week with them and we had to stay with my paternal grandparents for a few days too. I wasn't looking forward to seeing my father's parents at all. They fussed over me and Mamaw cried way too much.
It was strange to think that Tyler's parents were coming home this weekend, knowing that no matter how much they wanted to avoid our town and the bad memories it held for them, missing out on Christmas with their son would raise too many questions.
"You're doing that thing again."
His deep voice cut through my thoughts and my head jerked up, startled by his soft tone.
"What thing?" I asked nervously, flustered by the way he studied my facial expression in an attempt to figure me out.
I marvelled at his toned physique as he leaned casually against the fridge with his arms folded across his chest. Dim rays of sunshine broke through the windows, sneaking past the grey clouds to bathe half his face in light, making his eyes glow green as they both bored into mine.
"And there you go again," He laughed, pushing himself off the fridge and striding over to me. Confused, I gave him a questioning look and cocked my head to the side. "You space out quite a lot Ash."
"I do?"
Tyler stopped just inches away from me, "Yeah, it's kind of cute. Your eyes go all out of focus and sort of crossed eyed. Weird but it's hella cute."
I held my breath when his thumb and forefinger clipped my chin, forcing me to meet his powerful gaze as he scrutinised the dark circles I'd tried so hard to hide with concealer. I even ditched my contact lenses for my glasses so that the frames would hide the dark circles even further but I guess nothing could escape this guy.
"You okay?" He asked, regarding my breakdown in the hallway yesterday and I nodded feebly, rubbing my clammy palms together when he pulled me into a gentle hug, sliding an arm around my waist and using the other to hold the back of my head to his chest.
Grateful for the embrace, I sunk into his shirt and listened to the irregular beats that vibrated through his chest. My arms closed around his waist, squeezing them tightly as I fought back all memory of the screaming that welcomed me when I woke up. Mom rushed into my room, holding my hand tightly as I wiped away the cold sweat but I was glad she didn't mention Dr Jillian's name.
I was starting to wonder if I could handle any more nightmares when Tyler pulled back, held me at arms length and broke out into a wide grin. Suddenly all my worries fizzled into the ocean that gazed at me, bright green and blue, alive with excitement. Heat filled my cheeks, heightening into a full-blown blush when the back of his hand brushed against my cheek.
"Let's see if we can get this cake done in less than two hours."
My lips stretched back, mirroring his wide grin and I had to force my eyes to stay glued to his and not his lips which was remarkably hard after yesterday's kiss. I could still feel the soft pressure of them against mine, slow and warm enough to send heated shivers up and down my spine.
As we rounded up the basic ingredients, a comfortable silence settled between us, light and enjoyable. I hopped onto the counter and watched Tyler's muscles ripple beneath his plain white t-shirt, unable to keep a giddy smile off my lips knowing full well that he had been in love with me since kindergarten.
How did I miss the obvious?
Considering the cold shoulder he gave me last year, I guess it was easy but I couldn't believe I spent the past year thinking that he hated my guts when all this time he was doing everything he could to stay away from me. I mean, he stooped low enough to date Michelle in ninth grade. Albeit I wasn't too pleased he used her that way but my chest lurched at the thought that he liked me all along - even when we started our assignment and he acted like a Class A dick.
There wasn't much we could do about the past four years we'd lost but the future looked promising; especially now that he no longer had his back to me. Instead Tyler leaned against the counter and gazed at me. I grinned when he beckoned me to get a move on and stop lazing around. Hopping off the counter, I searched the upper cupboards for a mixing bowl and the electric mixer until a sudden shadow fell over me and two hands reached over me to retrieve the items just as I tiptoed to get them.
"I got it munchkin," Tyler reassured me as I tried to help him lift it down.
I didn't realise I had been holding my breath until he stepped away from me. Suddenly my back was exposed to coldness from the absence of his body heat. I turned around and watched as he measured out the flour.
"Are you just gonna stare at me and do nothing?" Tyler didn't even bother to spare a glance in my direction.
"You seem to be doing just fine by yourself," I smiled as he concentrated on pouring the precisely measured flour into the mixture.
I peered over his shoulder, pressing my body against his to get a good look at what he was doing - well, in reality I just wanted to catch another whiff of his addictive scent but Tyler needn't know that detail. His concentration faltered and his grip on the small plastic bowl loosened. It slipped from his grasp and spilled all over the tiled floor, coating his socks in a thick layer of flour the same way snow layers the world in a blanket of white, completely undisturbed and serene.
I jumped back and giggled when a chain of curses rolled off Tyler's tongue. He instinctively tried to scoop the flour back into the bowl only to make it spread across the floor even more. Muttering more curses, he pushed his hair back before groaning when I laughed at the white handprint on his forehead.
My laugh turned into a series of hysterics when Tyler slumped down on the floor, leaned against the cupboards and stretched his legs over the mess.
"I give up!" He grumbled, dragging his fingers over his face whilst I doubled over at powdered face. Red lipstick was the only thing keeping him back from looking like a clown. "Are you just gonna keep laughing like a retarded seal or are you gonna be a sweetheart and help me clean this mess up?"
Bubbles of laughter filled the room as I choked at Tyler's dishevelled appearance. His blond hair was dusted with white flour and all that remained of his perfect complexion was a tanned gash that stretched from his left ear to the corner of his mouth; and the remainder of his face was a stark white.
"At least help me up?" He pleaded, blinking rapidly to get the flour out of his eyes since his hands were pretty much useless.
I barked another laugh before holding out a hand. Tyler's pasty fingers curled around my palm as he gripped them tightly and hoisted himself up; or at least he attempted to. Since he weighed twice as much as I did, I had to clamp my other hand around his wrist to keep my feet planted on the floor but it was no use. He was too heavy and I only had to acknowledge the mischievous twinkle in his eye to understand that he already knew that too.
"Tyler... Don't you dare! Don't you dare pull me down!" I snapped in a dangerous tone. "Let go of me now...Ty, stop...Stop that!"
I screamed as I careered forward.
My feet slipped on the flour and vanished from beneath me as my arms flailed about helplessly in the air. The floor flipped, turning with the rest of the world as I spun around in an attempt to save myself. Suddenly, two arms forced me to the floor and my head crashed into a muscular chest and my glasses slid across the floor.
"Shit!" Tyler groaned as the impact of my weight winded him.
Dazed, I clutched my temples and bit back a scream at the brick wall that my head had slammed into. What the hell did he have hidden underneath his shirt?
"Tyler!" I growled, rubbing my head and blinking wearily. "What the heck? You did that on purpose!"
Pulling back, my glower amplified because of the blank way he stared at me.
"You think I would purposefully pull you to the ground? I asked you to help me, not to throw yourself at me."
His innocence only fed the flames to my fury and I shook my head with disbelief, struggling to escape the arms that were caged around me, plastering me against his chest.
"I didn't throw myself at you! You pulled me down!" I hissed, burning a hole through his gorgeous face with my scorching glare.
He raised his eyebrows, biting his bottom lip although the smirk he tried so hard to suppress still managed to make an appearance.
"Okay, so maybe I intended for you to fall..." Tyler trailed off at my flat look before chuckling and flicking my nose with his powdered finger. "Just not into me."
I smacked his chest. "Screw you!"
"Mmm gladly."
Lifting my fists to pound his chest, Tyler chuckled at my red face and grabbed my wrists before I could do him any more harm - not that my smacks were capable of any destruction.
"Violence is not the answer Ashley," He scolded in a mocking stern voice. "Didn't you tell me that when I pounded Jonah?"
My nostrils flared with fury and I wrenched my wrists free, smacking the floor blindedly for some leverage to hoist myself up. In an attempt to heave myself off his lap, a handful of flour filled my palm, thick and round like a snowball.
He peered down at me, his sea-green eyes meeting my hazel ones and I wondered how badly he would murder me if my fist found his face. An evil visualisation fleetingly danced behind my eyelids as I fantasised what I could do with the flour in my hand - that was until I acted out my visualisation and shoved a fistful into Tyler's face.
"Ashley! What the fu-"
I tossed another handful at his face, smothering it into his eyes before scrambling off his lap and scurrying across the floor like a rat. Sadly, I didn't make it very far when five fingers curled around my ankle and dragged me across the kitchen floor back to a blind and extremely furious guy.
"Let go of me!" I squealed as flour particles littered the air, creating a hazy fog that obscured my already terrible vision.
"Bad move Ash. Bad move." Tyler growled in a voice that was low and dangerous.
The ominous chuckle that vibrated through his chest put me on edge and I froze, alarmed by the devilish glint in his eyes. My own eyes bulged out of their sockets, threatening to roll onto the tiled floor as they gawked at Tyler's upstretched arms that blindingly patted the counter above. When they closed around a bag of flour, I let out a scream that was drowned out by the white waterfall he unleashed onto my face.
Sprawled on the ground with a snowfall of flour all around me, I let out a blood-curdling scream.
"Tyleeerrrrrrr!" I shrieked, choking on solidified clumps of flour as if I had swallowed a mouthful of cinnamon powder.
I smeared the stinging flour out of my eyes and coughed out soggy balls like cat hairballs, growling with frustration because frankly, not even my glasses could sharpen my hazy vision when there was flour inside my eyes. I patted my bare face and groaned. Where were my glasses anyway?
"You bastard! I'm gonna kill you!" I screeched.
Suddenly, Tyler threw himself on top of me. My body was crushed with the weight of his chest and I gasped when he dove his head into my neck and craned his head up to my ear.
"You'll have to catch me first," He whispered smugly and his hot breath made me jump out of my skin.
I screamed again, throwing my arms out like octopus limps, wrapping them around his torso and crushing the life out of him. Tyler rolled over so that he was beneath me and gently swiped the flour awake from my eyes so that I could just about make out his smug smirk.
"Damn Ash," He drawled in a seductive voice and if I wasn't driven to murder him, I would have swooned at how sexy he sounded. "The flour really brings out the green in your eyes- Ow! Ouch! Stop that!"
The pincers I formed using my fingers nabbed at his skin, pinching him everywhere I could grab until he flung me off his chest and sat up, rubbing his arms with wide eyes.
"You pinched me!" Tyler whined, scooting back when I lunged at him again. "You beast! Get the hell off me- Ow! Ashley! Stop that!"
I continued to claw him until he jumped to his feet and scrambled away from me.
He wants me to chase him? So be it.
Before lunging for him again, I patted the floor blindingly for my glasses; I was going to need all five of my senses to capture a guy who was begging for an excruciating death at the hands of Ashley Martin.
"Looking for these?" Tyler waved my spectacles in front of my face the way zoo-keepers do when feeding a ferocious predator.
"Give them back!" I grabbed the counter and hauled myself to my feet.
Rubbing my eyes didn't improve my sight since Tyler was still a blob of blond, darting around the kitchen, cackling at the top of his lungs like he was a reincarnation of Mona on too much sugar.
"I'm gonna kill you!" I shrieked, spotting four eggs discarded beside the fridge and snatching them before dashing one at his back.
Sadly, it landed at his feet and a girly screech left his lips, forcing a triumphant laugh to reverbrate from mine.
"Ashley!" Tyler stopped short and stared at the oozing yolk that stained his fluffy dinosaur socks. "You ruined my favourite socks! I only wore them to impress you!"
The lilting, teasing tone he used made me giggle and his stiff shoulders slackened when he realised that I was no longer on the verge of eradicating him from the world.
Oh sunshine, little do you know I still have three eggs hidden behind my back. Moron.
With lightning speed, I shot another one and it hit him squarely on the chest. Tyler yelped again and I giggled at how high pitched he sounded.
"Oh Ty-Ty," I cooed in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Scared already?"
My echoing laugh made the tips of his ears redden but his face hardened with determination and he sobered up. Twirling my glasses dangerously around his pinky finger, he leaned against the fridge and crossed an arm over his chest. Muscles strained against his tight t-shirt, threatening to pop out and I held my breath at the handsome smirk that graced his full lips.
"So you wanna play dirty then?" He narrowed his eyes or at least I thought he did since the two sea-green blobs on his face disappeared.
I let out a determined growl and suddenly another egg flew across the room, surprisingly hitting him on his forehead in response to his question. Cocking my head to the left I smiled sweetly.
"I may be blind right now but I can still kick your ass."
Tyler winced from the impacting pain that made him double over and clamped his forehead. He swiped the thick yolk away and peered at me from behind his flour-dusted lashes, terrified by the wry grin that split my face in half.
"You're such a wimp," I took an intimidating step forward and he edged backwards.
He held my gaze, skirting around the small table that provided a circular race track for us to chase each other around. But right now we were trapped in a trance, frozen in a cowboy showdown. I gripped the fourth and final egg I had hidden behind my back and broke the spell we were under by lunging for him.
Much to Tyler's advantage, playing soccer his entire life had strengthened his rock hard muscles so he was pretty much a ridiculously fast runner. I managed to chase him around the circuit like we were Tom and Jerry six times, edging closer with each lap but I was always out of reach.
I stopped still to catch my breath, unable to keep up with a guy who could outrun Usain Bolt. Tyler, who was completely oblivious to my sudden halt, crashed into my back before squealing like a girl, startled that I was no longer behind but in front of him. I tried to bite back my laughter but couldn't hold it in as he grabbed my waist to steady himself, forcing us to stagger forward from the impact of our collision.
Twisting around in surprise, the laughter died away when Tyler's arms remained around me, rooting me to the ground with my final egg hanging limply by my side. The little smile on his face blossomed into a full-fledged grin when he peered down at me smugly.
"As usual Ash," He laughed in a breathless whisper. "You lose."
My sudden cackle caused Tyler's grin to die down into a frown. Shaking my head as if he was the most stupid person on the planet, his eyes flashed with confusion when I lifted my left hand to caress his soft cheek. Warmth radiated from his skin and a soft smile tugged the corner of my lips up, resulting in a sharp intake of breath from him when my thumb wiped away egg yolk from the corner of his mouth.
Our gaze remained locked and his eyes flickered between mine, struggling to figure out what I was trying to communicate when I wrapped my hand around the base of his neck and pulled him closer towards me. Slowly, I lifted my right hand and Tyler's gaze flickered to the egg before they widened a fraction. Surprise lit up his eyes yet he made no attempt to move as I gave him an ominously teasing smile.
"You wouldn't dare." Tyler exhaled sharply, warmth from his breath adding to the heat creeping up my cheeks.
I tiptoed until my mouth was level with his and kept my gaze glued to his eyes.
"Try me," I breathed when my lips were an inch away from his.
With one hand wrapped around his neck to hold him in place I used the other to smash the egg into his hair, smothering it around until his soft locks were clumped together before I trailed my fingers down his forehead to the tip of his nose and flicked it lightly. Tyler's ragged breaths washed over my lips, setting them alight and it took everything within me not to shudder.
"And now," I grinned manically. "You lose."
Expecting it to be over, I stepped back down, craning my head to commit his astonishment to memory but it dissolved away, hardening like his eyes, dark and dangerous. Tyler tightened his grip around my waist making me gasp with surprise. With one hand curling around my waist to keep me in place, the other trailed up my side leaving blistering tingles behind. Stuck in a trance, I felt my previous confidence crumble beneath the sea-green thunderstorm that threatened to swallow me.
I struggled to hold the intensity of Tyler's gaze when his fingertips brushed lightly against my aching lips before they retreated back to my chin, tilting my whole face upwards. A strong force of attraction swept over me and my head involuntarily leaned towards his magnetised lips, drawing closer until his ragged breaths showered me in ripples of searing heat.
Coming to a halt an inch away from his mouth, my eyes found his which were glazed with an emotion that I couldn't quite translate. Before I could drag my gaze away from his, a gentle pressure brushed my lips, ticklish like a feather's kiss. Shuddering, I closed my eyes and drew a shaky breath as I felt the same brush again, only this time it was much warmer. Without pulling away, I tilted my head just a fraction more to mould my lips against his.
A surging current of scalding heat raced through my body when Tyler's lips cupped mine, making me sigh into his mouth and mimic their slow movement. Tiptoeing as much as I could, I deepened the kiss and he pushed me until my back was pressed hard against the wall.
I brought my other hand to cling onto his neck and squeezed tightly when his lips parted. Egg yolk dripped from Tyler's hair when my fingers glided through the mess I'd made but it was still soft and as silky as imported satin.
The hammering of both our hearts matched our ragged breaths and I kept my eyelids firmly shut even after Tyler's lips pulled away, replacing warmth with coldness - simply because I wanted this feeling of elation to linger for a few moments longer.
Suddenly, my wayferer glasses slid past my ears until the plastic bridge between the two lenses sat snugly on the skin between my eyes. My eyes fluttered open and my sharpened vision took in the soft smile that played upon Tyler's mouth as his sweeping lashes brushed his cheeks. Dazed and disorientated, I blinked wearily until his gaze zeroed onto mine. My breath hitched when he leaned towards me again - but this time his lips grazed past my cheeks until his warm breath set my ears on fire.
"Like I said earlier munchkin: you lose."
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[A/N: Oh. Another daily update? Well, let's just make it a thing now, how about that eh?
Chapter 46: Two Kisses? Time For Girls Night!
Please, please, please vote. And comment your thoughts on the chapter, they make me laugh, fangirl, and in most cases asdfgjklasdfgjklasfdjklasfdjkl. Also if you wanna be a star, help me share this story by letting your followers know about it.
Anyways, enough of the self promotion. How was your day today? Was it as eventful as Tashley's food fight? Mine sure as hell wasn't. We started A2 Biology today and my teacher was a pretentious little dickhead towards me. Wanker. Oh well, I'm dropping that subject in Year 13 anyway.
Same time tomorrow? Follow me on twitter: @Kaddy_Dee
Peace out suckers(I have always wanted to say that)
- Kaddy].