[A/N: Songs for the chapter:
- Snow Patrol // Chasing Cars
- Ed Sheeran // All Of The Stars
- Birdy // Wings
- Sleeping With Sirens // James Dean And Audrey Hepburn (acoustic)]
"Welcome home darling."
Mom pushed the front door open for me, letting the deep orange glow of the sunset behind us spill into the hallway and light up the dust particles. They danced in the air like ballerinas, spinning and twirling around me as I trudged towards the stairs.
"Take it easy, okay?" Mom called out as I hobbled up each step slowly, not used to using my legs after being confined to a hospital bed for an entire month.
"Sure Mom," I replied when I reached the top of the stairs.
Slowly, I edged towards my bedroom door, eager to lie down in my bed again.
Nothing had been touched since I'd last been my room. Clothes were strewn across the floor and my underwear drawer was pulled out. The familiar scent of jasmines and soap detergent made me sigh with relief.
I was home. I was finally back home.
As soon as my head hit my pillow, a loud crackle echoed through my room. Frowning, I flipped my pillow around and snuggled into the cold cotton material, desperate to catch a wink of sleep. Again, the crackling sound filled my ears as I squirmed to get comfortable. Confused, I patted my pillow and found the source of the sound.
Fishing a post-it note from the inside of my pillow cover, I flipped the neon orange note over and read the scribble scrawled on in black ink.
Welcome home beautiful. Meet me for a Midnight Swing. Have fun sneaking past your mom when you're supposed to be 'resting'. See you soon munchkin.
Confusion clouded my mind as I racked my brains, struggling to understand what a 'Midnight Swing' was. It sounded like some crazy alcoholic drink but I knew it was far from that. Racking my brain deeply for answers, my eyes wandered around the dirty state of my room and I frowned.
Did Tyler set foot in this black hole of a mess to put the note inside my pillow case? How the hell did he find the spare key when it was holed up beneath the flower pot in the back garden? Did he seriously climb over the fence with a broken arm and ribs?
Groaning out loud, I swung my feet over my bed and began to tidy my room as I tried to workout the riddle. I understood the time - midnight. That part was easy, but the term 'swing' puzzled me until my brain began to ache. Taking a quick break, I disappeared downstairs and asked my mom for the painkillers Dr Wilson had prescribed me from my frequent headaches.
Once I was back in my room, my mind continued to throb from the effort of thinking too hard as the pills began to kick in.
Midnight Swing. Swing Midnight? Swinging at Midnight?
Swing? What swing?
Just as I stuffed the last piece of clothing into my wardrobe, Tyler's riddle clicked and I let out a squeal of delight.
"Oh my god!" I inhaled sharply. "The park!"
Picking up the discarded note on my pillow, I scanned Tyler's illegible handwriting and flopped down. Sprawled across the bed diagonally, I let out an elated sigh and held the note to the light until I could vaguely see through it.
"Clever little shit," I murmured under my breath before letting my gaze slide to digital alarm clock.
It was seven minutes past nine. That meant I had three hours to sneak past Mom and get out of the house without making a single noise. The prospect of lying to her and breaking the only rule in our house put me at unease but also left me exhilarated. She was a pretty lenient parent as long as she knew where I was and I usually had no reason to lie about my whereabouts. Unless it was something as ridiculous as this.
But Mom would never, in her right mind, willingly allow me to meet up with my boyfriend in the middle of a public park at midnight. She would see it as a welcoming sign to get myself kidnapped on the long walk there. I wasn't in a fit state to cycle since my pills made me incredibly drowsy.
After supper, I pretended to take my painkillers but spat them into my hand when Mom wasn't looking and excused myself. Lying that I was tired, I took a quick shower, reapplied the cream I was prescribed for my burns and threw on clean underwear.
I stood in front of my closet, confused as to what I should wear.
Was it a date?
I guess it was, but I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard so I settled on a tight, long-sleeved top with black leather leggings. Turning off the lights, I jumped into my bed and pulled the covers up to my chin just as Mom crept into my room to kiss me goodnight.
"If you need anything, just wake me up and if you wake up with another migraine, take two of these and one of these. If you can't remember, just knock on my door sweetheart," She planted small cylinders of tablets onto my bedside table and backed out of my room, oblivious to the fact that I was fully clothed beneath my duvet.
"Okay Mom. Love you," I called out when she started to close the door behind her.
Pausing momentarily, a soft smile stretched across her lips. "Love you too dear."
Once the door clicked shut, I waited thirty minutes whilst she showered and disappeared into her room before flinging the covers off me. Rooting around my room for my white converses, I spotted one underneath my desk and the other peeking from behind my wardrobe.
"I swear I just cleaned this room!" I grunted under my breath as I slipped them on and crept out of my room.
Silently, I avoided all the creaky floorboards and made it down the stairs in an agonisingly long five minutes. Restless from creeping around soundlessly, I pursed my lips with concentration when I closed my hands around the keys that lay on the living room coffee table.
Their soft chime echoed throughout the house, startling me and before I could stop myself, they slipped past my fingers and clanged deafeningly when they hit the glass surface of the table.
I froze, terrified that Mom had heard me.
"Ashley?" Her voice rang from upstairs and I heard her switch her bedroom light on. "Are you okay?"
"Shit!" I breathed before clearing my voice and calling out. "I'm okay Mom, I'm just thirsty so I'm getting a drink."
The silence that followed seemed to stretch on forever, filling the house as I waited for her to come downstairs and catch onto my crazy plan.
"Don't forget to switch off all the lights," She yelled before adding goodnight and switching her light off.
Breathing a heavy sigh, relief coursed through my body and I relaxed my rigid shoulders. Crouching down, I gingerly picked up the house keys and this time I made sure that they didn't jingle. Moments later I was easing them into the lock, turning slowly so the loud click didn't cause Mom to come pounding down the stairs. Holding my breath, I closed my eyes and concentrated on shutting the door behind me without making a sound. When it clicked shut, I bit my lip and froze still, listening for Mom's screams.
Silence filled my ears for the next minute. Once I was certain that she hadn't heard me, I tiptoed along the porch and jogged until I was three blocks away from my house. Only then did I let out the breath I had been holding.
I did it! I made it past Mom without getting grounded for the rest of summer. A dazed grin broke onto my face as I practically skipped the next block and hurried down winding streets that led up to the park.
Street lamps pooled orange light on the sidewalk to light up my way but besides the occasional car crawling past me, the town seemed serene and silent. Glancing up at the sky, my insides knotted together in anticipation of seeing Tyler. The full moon disappeared behind a series of clouds every few minutes, glowing an eerie white as it tried to break through.
Picking up the pace, I didn't slow down until I reached the park gates that glittered in the pale moonlight. Darting past them, I briskly walked up the concrete path until the swing set entered my line of vision. My eyes rested on the tufts of blond hair that shifted in the soft breeze, brushing against the thick chains that held the swing upright as he rocked back and forth. Tyler's head perked up at the sound of my sneakers squeaking against the rubber mulch flooring that surrounded the swing set like a black island.
"Didn't think you were coming," He called out as I neared him. "I've been here for half an hour."
"Well you're never on time to our dates so you can't really complain. I mean, you shoved the note inside my pillow case Ty," I drawled teasingly, seating myself on the left swing, grateful that he had left it vacant for me. I loathed the right swing. "How did you expect me to see it right away? You should have texted me instead."
He turned his head to rake his eyes over my outfit, grinning from ear to ear at the fact that my wet leather leggings clung to my shapely legs like a second skin.
"I was being romantic."
My insides melted but I kept up the pretence of shooting down his attempt to woo me.
"Well it was stupid," I rolled my eyes, fighting back an identically goofy grin to the one he wore. "Stupid but cute."
Digging my feet into the ground, I pushed the swing back and forth, not really interested in gaining any speed.
"So what's the reason for stealing me away from my bed when I just got home?" I asked, stealing a glance at his aqua soccer jersey. Combined with moonlight, the shirt made his Mediterranean eyes glow in the dark, bright with excitement.
Tyler carried on swinging, getting higher and higher, until I reached out and clasped the chain to ruin his momentum. Startled and one-handed, he lost his balance and almost plummeted to the ground. My hand shot out to steady him and I gave him a sheepish smile when he gave me a death glare.
Eventually he slowed down to a halt and gave me a crooked smile.
"Why do I need a reason to see you?"
Knowing that he had the ability to make me blush in an instant, Tyler smirked and leaned towards me, pushing a few wispy curls away from my forehead.
He leaned back and began to swing again, this time much slower than before as I scoffed.
"At midnight?"
"Well," He said slowly with a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. "There is something else too..."
He trailed off and settled his gaze on my mouth for a long moment before flicking it back to my eyes. My insides flipped about repeatedly, churning like I was hanging upside down from a roller coaster when Tyler planted his feet on the ground. He used his weight to shift his entire swing until it was adjacent to mine, then clasped his hand around the chain that held my swing as well as his one and flicked his gaze to meet mine.
Inches away from my face, Tyler pushed my hair away from my ear and whispered, "...I really wanted to do this too."
Before a smile could play along my lips, he cut off my train of thoughts, silencing them with a swift peck.
"Is that it?" I arched an eyebrow when he pulled back and began to swing again.
A teasing glint consumed his luminous eyes making them glow even brighter when he nodded.
Daringly, I stood up and took three steps until I was standing right in front of his swing. Tyler stopped swinging and peered up at me, a small smile tugging the corner of his lips upwards.
"Is that it?" I repeated in a low voice.
His smile widened until it was a full blown smirk, egging on my teasing confidence.
"I don't know," Tyler breathed a laugh, and I felt the heat from it tickle my nose when I leaned closer to his face. "What exactly were you expecting?"
Spreading his legs apart, I stepped in between them and pressed myself closer to him until I could feel the warmth of his body ignite a flame inside my stomach. Butterflies took off, bombarding my stomach walls until I lowered my head and let my brittle curls curtained us both. I pulled them to one side and then clasped Tyler's shoulders, easing my hands over his upper back before bringing them up to cup his face.
"I was expecting something more..." I breathed, pecking the corner of his mouth whilst running a thumb along his bottom lip. "...like this."
Tyler's breath hitched when I ran a series of kisses along his jawline until my lips met the sensitive skin behind his ear. His hot breath burned against my neck and I smiled when he lifted his uninjured hand to my waist.
"Like what?" He murmured, kissing the side of my throat - the skin that hadn't been affected by the accident.
I leaned back and stroked his strong jaw, loving the way he clenched it repeatedly. With a wicked smile, I shrugged my shoulders and dropped my hands from his body and attempted to take a step back.
"Where on earth do you think you're going?" Tyler raised an eyebrow and tightened his hold on me, prisoning me between his legs.
My attempt to act cool and collected faltered when he lifted his hand up and positioned it behind my neck. In a swift motion, he slowly brought my head down until our foreheads were pressed together. With nowhere else to look but his intoxicating eyes, I registered the slow smirk that stretched across his lips.
"Your eyes are so haunting," Tyler whispered and the smirk widened into a full blown grin that made me catch my breath. "They're like liquid gold and so damn pretty."
Losing myself into the oceanic depths of his sea-green orbs, I blinked rapidly to push back the blush that was creeping up my cheeks.
"Your eyes are prettier," I sighed with a floppy grin and he grunted in response.
"Pretty isn't a manly word Ash," He breathed. "How many times do I have to remind you not to call freaking pretty or cute. Call me hot or handsome or rugged or anything masculine!"
I laughed. "Rugged? What are you? Homeless?"
He scowled. "Shut up Ash."
"Whatever pretty boy," I retorted, struggling to come up with a decent retort when his hand slid down from my behind my neck and caressed my cheek.
Instantly the skin beneath his thumb began to burn and Tyler smiled, pleased with the way he could affect me. Embarrassed, I bit my lip and averted my gaze, concentrating on his slender fingers as they disappeared into my hair, pulling me down to meet his parted lips. The second they cupped mine, a blistering heat raged through every nerve ending of mine. Warmth and the taste of lemon soda lingered on my tongue when his mouth opened wider and the taste of him was so addictive that I ran the tip of my tongue against his bottom lip.
Tyler tightened his grasp and broke the kiss, making me squeal when he lifted me off the ground and planted me on his lap. Straddling him, I had no time to come to terms with his spontaneous move because his lips were already working quickly against mine. They moved at a much faster rate, passionate and strong, just like the hand that locked my chin in place. I struggled to keep with him. He was much better at this than I was so I had to pull back to breathe or risk dying.
"Whoa," I was breathless when he pulled me down again, but this time I was prepared.
Sliding both my hands over his back, I dragged my fingertips up an down until he moaned into my mouth. My wandering hands found the neckline of his shirt and I let my fingers disappear, tracing the bare skin along his upper back. Grinning into our kiss, I let out a light laugh when his breath noticeably hitched.
Tyler groaned breathlessly when he was the first to pull back, unable to hold himself together as I ran my hands all over his back.
"What?" I murmured innocently, blinking at him when he turned his head to the side and chuckled.
"The things you do to me," He muttered under his breath while I kissed his exposed neck.
After a several more kisses, I slid off his lap and rubbed my swollen lips. Tyler laughed at my dazed smile and got up, slinging his arm around my shoulder as we walked away from the swing set. We found a nice patch of grass to lay down on. Shoulder to shoulder, we stared at the starry sky and talked about all the promising things we could do with our summer.
First of all, we had to recover and once Tyler's bones were all healed, he promised to take me camping. Not that I was fond of bugs, canned food and not showering for days; but the sound of spending a weekend alone with Tyler seemed intimate. Scarily intimate. We'll be completely alone for two nights in a row and who knew what could happen between us. I mean, I've shared a bed with him plenty of times but now that we've been dating for about seven months, the idea of sharing a bed with him haunts me each time we go too far during our heated makeout sessions. Tyler always stops before things end up getting out of hand, but what if I can't stop myself.
Girlfriends shouldn't be afraid to make love with their boyfriends, so why was I?
I wanted him, there was no doubt about my overwhelming desire to be with him that way. But the problem was that my rock bottom confidence would ruin everything when it came down to getting naked. I was recovering from severe third degree burns and they made me feel grotesquely deformed because of the state of them. I had no issue with my body shape - curves and shapely legs were my best assets but my skin just made me want to cower away and hide forever.
I pulled my sleeves up to my elbows, scanning the region where my greatest insecurity started and winced. Immediately, I rolled the white cotton back down to my wrist and forced myself to focus on Tyler's excitement. He was rambling on about taking us zorbing and doing a bunch off things from Taylor's bucket list. I guess he wanted to live the summer she dreamed of having after senior year and I didn't want to hold him back by brooding about my burns. So with a wide grin, attentive eyes and affirmative grunts, I gave him my undivided attention.
We chattered for the next few hours about anything that popped into our mind until a sudden thought popped into my head.
"Out of curiosity, how did you break into my house to put the note inside my pillowcase?" I asked, playing with his fingers as he murmured all the constellations he could see under his breath.
Tyler momentarily stopped his incoherent mutters and turned his head to side. A sheen of amusement lit his eyes as he tried to hold back a secretive grin.
"A magician never tells his secrets," He laughed, untangling our hands to flick my nose. My flat look made him reconsider his answer. "Fine, your mom gave me the spare key so I can let myself in tomorrow morning."
I coughed and spluttered.
"You're the person she put on babysitting duty?" I gawked at him, puzzled that my mom trusted Tyler to stay at home with me when she goes back to work tomorrow.
"Why do you sound so shocked?" Tyler raised an eyebrow and gave me a smirk. "Are you scared that I'll walk in on you naked or something?"
My cheeks burned as I swatted his hand away when he tried to tickle my neck.
"No! Well yeah! But that's not the point!" I huffed, clasping my cheeks and groaning with embarrassment. "I meant that you've got a broken arm and three broken ribs and you're...you're just...well, you're you. You're irresponsible and a man child."
"It's doesn't take more than a person with broken bones to remind you when to take your pills Ash," He scoffed and gave me an offended look when I called him irresponsible.
I breathed a laugh. "No it doesn't. But I'm glad she asked you instead of Mona or Blake. Imagine being stuck with them all day!"
I grimaced at the thought of my friends fussing over me like I was incapable of doing anything myself. At least Tyler knew when I needed help and when I could carry out a task by myself. I was forgetful and got excruciating migraines. It's not like I was physically incapable of making my own bed or lunch.
Tyler slid his uninjured hand underneath my neck to pillow my head and I scooted closer to him. Burying my face into his neck, I planted a series of small kisses where his pulse quickened. He closed his eyes and breathed raggedly when my kisses worked their along his strong jaw. I found his sensitive spot again and nibbled on the soft skin until Tyler couldn't hold himself together anymore.
An arm shot out to cup my face and suddenly our lips were pressed against each other, moving so slowly that a chain of fiery shivers rippled down my spine making my toes curl. They were like exploding meteors, showering my entire body with immense heat; a burning, blistering warmth.
"We have to leave soon," Tyler murmured breathlessly when we pulled apart. "It's almost dawn."
I rolled over and flopped onto the soft grass to stare at the twinkling stars.
"I don't want to go home," I whispered, lifting a hand up to count as many stars as possible.
It was like the floors of heaven had opened up to let tiny holes sparkle and flicker across the navy blue blanket, stretching from one horizon to the other. I lost count when Tyler lifted his arm and pushed his fingers between mine, interlinking them and squeezing gently. He brought our conjoined hands and laid it down on his chest before sparing me a soft smile. The gentle beat of his heart vibrated beneath his shirt as he spoke.
"Pick a star, any star."
He turned his head to the side so that his hair fell into his eyes. My gaze flickered across the sky, skirting along every spot of bright light as my eyes latched onto one star then another. I pointed at the brightest star - Sirius, I remembered Tyler telling me earlier - and spared him a quick, questioning glance.
"Now make a wish."
His breath was warm against my cheek and I shivered, unaware that he had been so close to me all along. I bit back another shiver and gnawed on my bottom lip.
"You can't make a wish on any star. It has to be a shooting star," I protested meekly but Tyler scoffed.
"To hell with that," He spat before cursing. "I say you can, so make a wish and make it a good one."
I laughed and scrutinised the star. It flickered like a candle flame in the wind, first intense then faint before it brightened again. Closing my eyes, I racked my mind for something worth making a wish on.
I could have wished to have a speedy recovery or for my memories to return to me but they seemed like stupid things to focus on. They wouldn't really come true so I tried to look for something worth attaining.
I slowly open my eyes. They lingered on our entwined hands and my gaze slid to the left where Tyler was peering at me behind the shock of blond hair that tickled his eyelashes. We stared at each other for a long moment, and slowly, I mirrored his dazed grin.
I wish to be yours, forever.
"Done?" Tyler asked softly, shuffling closer until the tip of our noses brushed each other.
"Yeah," I whispered, moving my head forward by an inch so I soak in the warmth of his breath.
"Do you think it'll come true?" He questioned me after a moment's silence.
"Maybe, hopefully, possibly," I muttered quietly before flicking my eyes up to meet his. "Most likely."
I closed my eyes and breathed in his familiar scent, relishing in the faint fragrance of lemons and soap detergent and that lingering hint of sandalwood. It was a distinct smell that could instantly relax my body like sinking into a hot bath after a hectic day.
Tyler pressed his lips to mine, holding them still until my entire body was a raging bushfire and then pulled away to sit up. Slowly, he used his working arm to drag himself to his feet. I lay there, watching him brush his jeans after he pushed his hair out of his eyes.
"Did you make a wish too?" I asked curiously as he held out a hand for me. I clasped it tightly as he effortlessly pulled me up.
"No, I don't make wishes anymore," He paused, averting his gaze and rubbing the back of his neck before tilting his head back to drink in the night sky. "The only thing I've ever wished for has already come true."
A flicker of confusion tugged my lips down before it blossomed into a realisation.
"Oh," I squeaked, nervously scouring his face when he looked at me, searching for a hint of a smile though his expression remained soft and serious.
Hand in hand, we strolled towards the park exit, pausing momentarily whenever Tyler pointed out more constellations; or stole a quick kiss on my cheek.
"Would you believe me if I said that I love you more than any banana cake?" He smiled at me, pulling him into a crushing side hug.
"Nope," I giggled, finding that pretty much near to impossible.
"Well I do."
"Really?"
Tyler chuckled, "Yeah, really."
My heart picked up speed, galloping right out of my chest at the sight of his crooked grin.
"Then I guess I love you too; more than any KitKat bar in the world."
"Really?"
"Nah," I laughed when his smile dropped. He raised an arm to tickle me and I quickly surrendered. "Kidding! I was just kidding Tyler!"
"You better be," He grunted, turning my cheek so our lips could meet.
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[A/N: I'm having a few 'irreconcilable differences' with my mum so like a sensible, mature and very reasonable adult she literally stole my laptop because I won't let her choose my degree for university. Yeah, she's one of those ones. The controlling, obsessive ones who think that the life of their child is a second chance for them because they messed up their own. *sighs*
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was literally just glaring at my phone the entire time because my mood is just merghhhh today.
Soooooo who wants to experience Tashley together for an entire day? Usually I give you scenes of all the important bits but in the next two chapters I will literally let you spend an entire day with them and you can witness just how crazy they are together when they're not baking cakes or getting into car accidents :)
Chapter 68: Should I Mention The 'P' Word Or Not?
Vote, comment and fan. See you tomorrow ❤️
- Kaddy]