Summary: Ashton bumps into an old friend while he is back home for Christmas.
Based on Love Prompt #51: "What if I told you I've been in love with you since we were kids?"
(I don't remember if this was requested.) (Words: 3k) (Part 2: Couple or More)
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(Ashton's POV)
My childhood room feels strange; I haven't been here in many years- well at least haven't stayed in here for a while. But I figured that since I am home for Christmas, I should stay with my family, make up for the time we are apart.
I am lucky enough to have time to stand back from my life in LA and reflect. It gives my mind some peace, helps me keep myself grounded.
And of course, there is nothing that makes me feel better than spending the holidays with my siblings.
I love how my mom put Christmas decorations in my room as well; I swear she was so excited when I told her I was coming home for Christmas.
And now I am here, feeling mellow as I interact with them.
"Ash, dinner's ready." Lauren knocks on my door, making me crunch up from my bed and stop the song that was playing on my phone.
"Is it? Or is mom lying that the food's ready to bring us to the kitchen to make the table?" I ask as I walk out of the room. Lauren smirks and shrugs her shoulders, motioning for me to follow her.
We find the table laid out, a plate of saucy spaghetti and meatballs for each one of us on it along with a green leafy salad in the center.
"Wow, looks great, mom." I comment as I drag Lauren's chair out for her.
"Good to know you like it. I hope you know you are on dish duty after we are done." My mom giggles as I take my seat.
"Yes, ma'am." I sigh.
"And I will need you to pick up some stuff for me from the grocery store. You need to get out of your room a bit." She continues and I roll my eyes playfully.
"I literally have been home for 24 hours and she is already piling up my chores." I joke to Harry as he takes a bite off his plate.
"What? You think that because you are rich and famous you would get a pass from chores?" He says sarcastically and I shake my head, playfully disappointed at his remark.
"I'll go to the market after I am done with the dishes. Anyone want anything?" I ask, taking a bite of my foot.
"We'll write you a list, don't worry." Lauren jokes, giggling at the end.
With the list in hand and my earphones on, I wander around the aisles of the market. They totally redid the whole thing since I left, so I have to look around for everything on the list. The market seems relatively empty, for the Christmas season, so no one is groaning that I stall too much on each shelf.
I am in this store for 20 minutes now, and yet, no one has recognized me. Well, practically, there is no one here, but still, I am glad that I can do this while being at peace.
Soon though, the tap on my shoulder signals that someone has just found me. I remove one of my earphones, and turn around, plastering a smile to my face.
"Ashton Irwin..." The girl in front of me announces mesmerized. She looks my age and she brings out a familial warmth in my gut. It takes me a moment of observing her face until I make out who she is.
"(Y/N) (Y/L/N)... Damn... What are you doing here?" I ask her, looking at her mesmerized now. "I was about to ask you the same question. Wow, look at you, Mr. Big Shot." She comments, looking up and down at me.
"I came to visit my family for Christmas. What about you?" I ask her, eyes scanning her frame.
"Same. I haven't spent Christmas with them in a while." She replies, smiling warmly at me.
"Me as well. Well, they visit me sometimes, but I haven't been home for Christmas in some years now." I explain and she nods like she knows exactly what I am talking about. Her eyes sparkle as they stay glued to mine.
"Well, I know what you are talking about. I always thought that Christmas in New York would be way better, but I have actually missed home." She explains.
"You live in New York now?" I ask her, gasping surprised.
"It's a long story, far less interesting than you have going on with your life Mr. 'My band beat Beyonce and her husband'." She giggles. I chuckle and lower my gaze, scratching the back of my head as I feel a little awkward.
"Yeah, it has been a good year for us." I admit and she chuckles.
"I am very proud of you. Really." She says cheerfully, placing a hand on my shoulder affirmingly.
"I'd better go, let you finish your shopping. It was good to see you. Merry Christmas." She waves me off before she takes a step to move away.
"Wait..." I rush to let out the word from my mouth.
"Yes?" She turns around to see me.
"Would you like to grab some coffee after we are done shopping?" I ask her, shrugging my shoulders involuntarily.
"Uh... I actually have to head home after, but I'd love to grab a beer with you tonight. If that's ok." She replies and I nod my head eagerly.
"Sure... Around 9?"
"Great. Wanna meet at Joe's?" She asks me, smiling at me brightly. Her smile makes her cheeks pop out and her face softens, giving her an instant glow. She looks good, truly good, even under the lights of the neighborhood's market.
"Amazing. I'll see you there, then." I smile and she nods her head.
"Are you going out?" Lauren asks me, leaning on the bathroom door as I fix my hair. She takes a sip from her hot tea while looking at me, studying me to find answers.
"I am meeting with an old classmate of mine." I reply, taking a look at myself in the mirror.
"Oh... Who?" She asks, making me roll my eyes.
"Are you serious right now, Lauren?" I ask her.
"I am just asking." She raises her hands in defeat.
"(Y/N)." I reply, turning to look at her.
"I don't think I remember her." She states and I hum.
"See? Now, if you are done interrogating me, I would like to leave." I say and she moves from the door.
"What time are you going to be back?" She asks, following right behind me.
"Lauren, I am supposed to act all protectingly, since I am the big brother. Now please, try not to worry about me and let me go out with my friend." I hug my sister, finally giving her something to calm her down.
"Ok, you are right. Have fun and be safe." She nods her head and gives me a smile.
I wait for (Y/N) in Joe's place; I came here a solid 15-minute period early. I feel like a 16-year old on a first date and it fucks me up. I am well past that point of my life, but there is no denying of the butterflies in my stomach. They are there, flapping their little wings every time I think of her, of how she is going to look, of how she is going to laugh at my joke -if she will laugh at my jokes.
I know it is not a date, and I know that she is probably seeing someone, but I still want to impress her.
"Hey. Sorry I was late." She rushes to apologize as she leaves her purse on the empty spot next to her seat.
"Oh, don't worry about it. I didn't even notice. You look good." I compliment her, bringing a smile to her lips.
"Thank you. You look dapper, per always." She compliments me back, while she runs her hands over her romper to straighten it out. I pass her one of the menus on the table, so she can decide on her drink; I had my time to pick since I came in too damn early.
"Uh... I am a little hungry and I think I will order some loaded nachos. But if I remember correctly, the servings here are huge, so there is no way I can eat all of those nachos. Sorry, I am rumbling. The question is, will you eat half the nachos?" She asks; her voice was going up and down, I could tell that she was rushing the words out of her mouth.
"I could never say no to that." I reply and she nods her head.
"Good to know." She mumbles cheerfully.
"I am gonna go bring our drinks. What are you getting?" She asks me, shutting the menu and placing it down.
"I can go..." I offer but she chuckles.
"Mr. Rockstar, I was waiting tables for a living while studying, I can handle 2 drinks and a nachos plate." She states and I smirk, raising my hands in defeat.
"Then I will have a large draft beer and half of that plate of nachos." I say, sitting up to reach for my wallet in my pocket and hand her enough cash for our drinks.
"Yeah, no... Keep your damn money, Irwin." She giggles, walking away from our table.
I watch her walk away, her steps being almost like she is dancing. It makes me smile, watching her.
She walks back, perfectly balancing the 2 drafts in one hand and the nachos in the other.
"I think you are actually every man's dream right now." I comment as she walks towards me, making her laugh.
"Why is that?" She asks, placing the beer on the coaster in front of me.
"A pretty woman holding a plate of snacks and a beer is the dream since we were teenagers." I comment and she nods her head, smiling as she leaves the plate on the center and takes her seat.
"What should we drink to?" I ask, raising my glass. I watch her purse her lips and take a moment.
"To tonight. A night that 2 classmates got together after long." She replies, holding her glass up as well.
"Always good with words." I comment, clinging my glass with hers.
"So, we have a lot to catch up on. Ladies first." I say after taking a sip.
"Well, after high school I took a gap year and worked to save some money for New York, and then I went off. I studied journalism and starting writing articles in the 4th semester. Then I took an internship at Cosmopolitan magazine and they kept me afterward, so now I am working there." She says, her cheeks turning a bit red.
"You are working in Cosmo?" I ask her, surprised.
"Yeah, I know. But I really like it there. Most of the people there are really nice, plus, the girls from the beauty department always give us samples to try on." She giggles, picking a nacho from the plate.
"No, no, no. Don't get it wrong. I am just surprised, that's all." I explain, realizing that my tone must have gotten out more judgemental than I intended it to be.
"It's ok, don't worry." She assures me, tilting her head to the side.
"Where are you staying in New York?" I ask her, in an effort to change the subject.
"In Brooklyn. I have this amazingly tiny apartment that I am spending 2/3 of my salary for. But it is kinda aesthetically pleasing, so I am not complaining."
"In Brooklyn, huh? You look more like a Manhattan girl." I tease her.
"Well, I can't afford that, just yet." She shrugs.
"You are living alone?" I ask her, looking at my glass as I expect her to start talking about her relationship.
"Uh... Ever since I broke up with my ex, I live alone. I actually had to move out, so..." She replies, looking at her hands on her lap. A tiny spark inside me goes off, making me light up, but her expression makes me feel bad for bringing it up.
"I am sorry." I apologize. She tries to brush it off, raising her gaze to look at me.
"Don't be. I mean, it was a dead-end and we are better off apart, but you know, I had to start over... Kinda." She shrugs.
"I know what you are talking about. I had to deal with... something like that in the past 2 years." I sigh.
"I know, I've been watching your interviews and following your Twitter, so, I know what you've dealt with." She smiles sweetly at me. I smile back, nodding my head and sighing.
"Sounds just a tiny little bit of stalking." I tease her.
"Come on, I was always a fan of you and your band. I even came to that show to that hotel when you first started." She explains and I gasp.
"You are a fan?" I ask her surprised, and she nods.
"Of course. I always believed you guys would make it." She states; I look in her eyes and I can tell she is honest about that, the way they stare back at mine and how they sparkle gives it away.
At around 12, the bar had to close. But I didn't want to end the night there.
"Wanna go for a walk?" I ask (Y/N) as we walk out of the bar.
"Yes, I don't want to go home just yet." She replies.
"Tough time back home?" I ask her as we walk down the street.
"Not really. But you know, they still treat me like I am a baby. My mom literally interrogated me before leaving the house."
"At least it was your mom. I had to tell Lauren where I was going." I chuckle and she sighs.
"Protective of her big brother, huh?" She asks, walking right next to me. I would be pushing the limits if I tangled my fingers with hers, but it just feels natural, so natural that I know it would be inevitable that I would have to hold myself back. So, I put my hand in my pocket, hoping that it would be enough.
"I am supposed to be the protective one." I protest but she hums negatively.
"That girl has seen her brother suffer a broken heart. She gets to be protective." (Y/N) replies, moving to step in front of me and face me.
"Is that so?" I ask her.
"Yes, Ashton. She is worried about you." She states.
"Well, you won't hurt me (Y/L/N), will you?" I ask her and she bites her lip.
"That's not my intention. But I am just an old friend, she worries about people you have feelings for." She replies.
We both pause for a minute, and I just stare at my feet, gathering up all the courage. This is stupid, I am acting like I am 14.
"Well, I have feelings for you." I let out, holding my breath as I wait for her response.
"I mean romantic feelings." She sighs, rolling her eyes.
"Well, what if I told you I've been in love with you ever since we were kids?" I admit and she gasps. Her eyes crinkle as she smiles, biting her lip.
"Then I would tell you that I've loved you ever since we were 13 and you were my assignment partner for that physics project." She replies, staring right back at me.
"Then I would tell you that ever since I saw you again, I feel like I am 15 again, and I feel that my stomach is going to explode with all those butterflies in it." I reply, moving a step closer to her. Her breath hitches, but she doesn't flinch, she doesn't move away.
"And then I would tell you that I am feeling exactly the same." She giggles.
"Then I would ask you if I could kiss you." I whisper and she bites her bottom lip.
"And then I would ask you what are you waiting for." She replies, moving closer to me. I smile, using my knuckles to lift her chin up so that our faces are close.
"I am going to kiss you now." I whisper, just inches apart from her.
"Yeah, you should do that." She whispers back, standing on her toes.
I close the gap between her lips and mine, feeling her lips soft against my lips. In the beginning, it is nothing but a peck, a short, rushed kiss, like we are trying to test each other. But her hand moves to the side of my face and her fingers stroke it lightly as she repeats the kiss, only this time making it last longer. My own hands move to hug her waist, hugging her close to my body. Shyly, she parts her lips for me, in an effort to deepen the kiss. I let my tongue swipe between her soft lips as I respond to her action, holding her close to my body.
After a second she pulls away, but her body stays on mine and her hands lower to the collar of my shirt.
"I feel like teenage me would fucking flip right now." She giggles, looking at me. I stroke her cheek, my thumb lowering in front of her lips for a moment, so I stroke them too.
"I wanna kiss you again." I state and her face goes red, feeling warm on my hand.
"Here? Aren't you afraid of being seen, or photographed?" She asks. I shake my head no, so she leans in and kisses me, smiling as she does.
"What are you doing tomorrow?" I ask her after we part.
"It's Christmas eve, so probably dinner with the family." She sighs.
"What if you ditched the whole thing and I took you on a date?" I ask her, stroking her face.
"A date?"
"Yeah, like an official one. But nothing too fancy, don't worry." I explain and she nods her head
happily.
"That would be nice." She replies, giving me a quick peck before she tangles her fingers with mine.