A/N: Happy Quarantine Time! Worry not, I'm here to help you pass the time while you and your family is on lockdown. Enjoy this super long chapter of Ash and Gia!
***
*Gia*
We rejoined the party, London heading straight for Lukas, while I aimed at the bar. Jesse was still standing around, surrounded by a small group of girls - but Ash was nowhere to be seen. That was a relief, I told myself. The last thing I needed was to fall back into old, bad habits.
I walked up, taking the only empty spot by the counter, where one of my martinis was still waiting for me.
"Jesse! Doesn't Shelby's dress look just amazing?!" One girl asked, beaming at him expectantly. Everyone's gazes fell on Shelby, who, by all accounts, looked like mad Picasso painting. And not in a complementary fashion.
Jesse hesitated, while I gulped down the sour drink, suddenly thankful that I wasn't the one who had to honestly answer that. "Well..." He breathed, clearly clutching for time. "I think that... Uhm..."
"Holy shit! Is that a photo booth?!" I yelled, pointing at the snaking line at the other end of the backyard. "We have to try this out!" And without waiting for another word from the girls, I grabbed a hold of Jesse's hand and began towing him toward the booth. "You owe me one for this," I whispered, once we were out of earshot.
"Being honest is the worst!" Jesse sighed dramatically. "Am I mean to crush some girl's hopes and dreams, just because I have no choice but to tell her her dress looks like Stevie Wonder sprinkled paint and vomit all over it?! And the worst thing is, she's a designer! She wanted to dress us for the next award ceremony."
"Your life is so tough!" I muttered sarcastically. "Is there another bar inside? I really don't want to wait in line just to have my picture taken. I only came up with the photo booth rouse to get you out of your undesirable situation."
"Why are you so opposed to taking pictures?"
"I already know how I look," I shrugged. "Not nearly as good as everyone else here! It's like they all went to the same plastic surgeon, who can only do one face. Or is everyone just related?"
Jesse laughed wholeheartedly. "It's what's in style!"
"Looking like a knock off Kardashian sister?" I huffed. "No, thank you! I already know that my nose is a little too big and that I'd need to angle my body a certain way to not look wider than two of those toothpicks put together."
"Well, luckily, you're taking a picture with me," He pointed at his shoulders as if to further annunciate his point. "And might I remind you that you can't say no?"
The line was moving quickly, and we were up next when London and Lukas ran over to us. "Put this on!" London handed a pair of black bunny ears to me, which I pushed right back towards her. But Jesse shot me a warning look. "Don't worry, it goes with your ensemble!" London smiled and grabbed a hat for herself, while Lukas put on a pair of gigantic sunglasses and Jesse opted for a pink feather boa.
"What? It brings out my eyes!" He winked, pushing me toward the camera when a tall, lean figure approaching caught my attention.
"Vivi!" I yelled, waving my hand. The girl gave me a wide-eyed, surprised look. "Come and join us!"
"What are you doing?!" Jesse seethed from between his teeth.
"Making your night!" I grinned at him as the brunette walked up to us. London already had a sign and a glitter fan waiting for her, which Vivi took graciously. "You can stand right here!" I pushed her toward Jesse, while I took my position on the other side of the group, next to London.
"Ready?" The photographer counted down from four before the first flash came. "Three more, make sure you switch poses!" He instructed.
London turned to Lukas, smacking a kiss on his cheek as the second picture was taken. I couldn't see what Jesse and Vivi were up to from the other side of them, but from what my friend had told me about the girl, I highly doubted that they were making out.
Which made the next shot even more awkward, when Lukas actually pushed his tongue down London's throat. "Oh, okay..." I murmured under my nose, doing my best to focus ahead at the camera, instead of the debauchery next to me.
"Last one! Make it count!" The photographer informed us, as he counted down from four once more. "Three... Two..."
Two large hands grabbed onto me, and before I knew it, I was up in the air, my legs dangling helplessly as I let out a little squeak. The flash went off, leaving me momentarily blind and my head spinning. Although, that last part could've been due to the fact that my blood was now rushing from my head straight down to my lady parts.
I tried to push my already short skirt lower with one hand, while the other clung onto Ash's neck for dear life.
"That was so much fun!" Jesse smirked over at me, looking like a sinister mastermind as he rubbed his hands together. "We should do one more round."
I was pretty sure the last picture was just a straight shot of my huge ass, taking up the entire space while my friends stood idly by. "No thank you." I declined politely, spaying my hand over my bottom half in an attempt to cover it. "You can put me down now, Ash!"
He hummed for a second, looking thoughtful. "Nah. I think I'll keep holding you like this."
I heard Lukas laugh from the background, but I was too busy shooting daggers at Ash to flip him off. "Put. Me. Down." I said more sternly, lowering my voice so only he could hear. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Ash grinned. "I don't think so," And before I could open my mouth to tell him off, he added. "If I remember correctly, you can't say no. I'd like to carry you around for a bit longer, so you'll just have to bite the bullet and let me do it."
"What do you get out of this?" I seethed.
"Entertainment," He shrugged. "And if you keep wiggling around like that, a boner."
I froze, which made his smile even wider.
"Relax, red! We're just having fun. This is a party."
"So will that be another round of pictures or-" The photographer interrupted, sounding agitated. I didn't envy him, having to paster entitled, rich drunks around all night, while they carelessly-
Then Ash's deep voice boomed. "Absolutely!"
***
No sooner had Ash had his fill of posing with me in his arms and finally set me back on my feet, then two girls rushed over. "Our turn!" They echoed in unison. Upon a closer look, everything about them was in unison...
"Twins! How great for you..." I murmured under my nose, turning away from the happy trio. From the sound of the photographer counting down behind me once more, I could've only guessed that Ash complied with their wishes. And it shouldn't have made me angry that he did, but I couldn't help the flash of the familiar spark inside me.
In my desperation to get away from the source of my disturbance, I headed toward the bar once more, hoping to find Jesse or London there.
And this was the part of the night where my luck has run out.
"Hey, I've seen you somewhere!" The guy leaning against the bar pointed his finger at me. "Aren't you the chick that's been in the news? The one Ash screwed?"
Excellent. Just what I was hoping for. Being recognized for not anything I've ever achieved, but for having a working, healthy reproductive system, and choosing to use it with the most infamous celebrity of the town. "Sure," My response was less than enthusiastic, but he didn't seem to pick up on the cue.
"Hey, you're like super famous right now!" He had to yell so he could be heard over the loud music, which made him lean even closer. "I'm Brad, by the way. Very excited to meet you."
"Gia." I nodded at him, outright ignoring his outstretched hand. I kept my eyes ahead, hoping to catch the bartender's attention, grab a drink, and find a quiet corner somewhere.
"So are you two still a thing? I saw him holding you just over there."
Great. He was the nosy type. And didn't even have the manners to try to appear to be polite. "He's taking pictures with someone else now. What do you think, Chad?" I was being a bitch and I knew it. This guy wasn't the one who ticked me off and he didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of it, just because he was a star-struck wannabe. We were in Los Angeles, after all, at the house of a celebrity. Everyone here was either somebody, or trying to be somebody.
"It's Brad," He corrected me, not sounding the least bit offended. "And I've heard he has an insatiable libido. He's being photographed with chicks left and right."
If only you knew, Brad - I thought. The bartender finally made eye contact with me, and a minute later, he slid a martini over the counter, before moving onto other thirsty patrons.
I took the drink and threw it back in one gulp, sucking on the olive a little longer to take the sting away.
"Damn, Gia!" Brad did a slow, awkward clap. "Wanna dance?"
I didn't. But earlier that night, I've made a promise to my best friend that I wouldn't say no to anything, so I took Brad's hand and allowed him to lead me onto the makeshift dance floor.
Sweaty bodies were bumping into me from both sides and after that last drink, perspiration began to cover my skin. We were barely halfway through the song, when Brad made his first move, by dancing behind me. A moment later, I felt his hand on my waist and I had to swallow the urge to wince away from his touch. This was completely normal, I told myself. This was what everyone single, in their mid-twenties was doing. All things considered, Brad wasn't a bad looking guy and he wasn't even acting out of the ordinary.
A second hand joined, engulfing my waist. My stomach churned as I felt him step closer, bringing his body to the back of mine.
I pulled away. "I'm sorry, I'm just not the touchy-feely type," I explained, turning around to face him. That wasn't a lie, I was never one to show unnecessary love to those around me. Not even toward my friends and what remained of my family.
He lifted a brow at me, his look mirroring his confusion. "But we're just dancing."
My face screwed up. "Yes, but I'm not into it." And with that, I turned on my heel and headed off the dance floor, feeling not only Brad's angry gaze on me, but a pair of midnight black eyes that followed me from the other end of the garden.
***
*Ash*
"I think your girl just bailed out of her side of the bet." I nudged my brother, who tore his gaze away from our assistant for a brief moment to look up at me.
"Was she? I didn't notice, because I wasn't staring at her like a fucking lunatic!"
I gritted my teeth. "Watch your mouth, kid!" I warned.
Jesse rolled his eyes. "Well, why don't you follow her then and make sure that she's okay?"
"I'm not her friend." I shot back, keeping my tone casual. "Supposedly, you are."
"I'm sure you wouldn't mind lending her a nice shoulder to cry on!" He said under his breath, earning a murderous look from me.
"Didn't you just lecture me about not harassing her? I thought I wasn't supposed to be 'pushing myself on her'. And now you want me to follow her inside? Where there's not a lot of people?" I lifted a brow at my brother. "God knows what I will do!"
Jesse huffed. "Fine. You've made your point, I will go talk to her." He glanced back our assistant, who was eyeing the both of us, no doubt trying to put the pieces of the situation together. "But I'm taking Vivi with me!" He said finally, grabbed a hold of her hand and together, they walked inside.
He was barely out of my sight when a group of girls came, sitting down on either side of me on the gazebo bench that faced the dancefloor. "Ash! We've been really hoping to meet you here tonight." One said, fluttering her caterpillar-like fake lashes at me.
"Is that so?" I leaned back, spreading my arms on either side of me and resting them behind the girls. Gia did end it with me. And there was only one way I knew how to erase the thoughts of her from my mind.
***
*Gia*
Jesse basically dragged me back outside, towing both Vivi and me behind him. "Don't you want to participate?" He had asked me, lifting his brow in suggestion, even though he knew damn well I couldn't say no.
"Whatever." I groaned, hating this night already. My comfortable buzz was fading by the minute, and I really needed a couple more drinks to make this party bearable.
"What's with you hating on fun? Who the hell doesn't like having fun?" He snorted. "Well, besides you and Ash."
"Yes, he seems really bummed to be here."
Jesse and Vivi followed my gaze, turning to see Ash sprawled over a bench, with a girl sitting on either of his legs, kissing his neck, while two more waited their turn. Ash smirked as one girl grabbed a hold of his shirt and yanked him in for a kiss.
"I think I need another drink!" I announced to no one in particular.
"Damn. I really can't leave either of them alone for longer than a minute!" I heard Jesse complain behind me before he caught up with me. "Okay, so my brother is an asshole. But we don't care, right? Because you ended it with him?"
"Right." I murmured, making eye contact with the bartender, who already had my martini ready. "Bless you!" I praised him, handing back the empty glass for a refill a minute later.
"Then why are we drinking our problems away?" Jesse's brows were lifted so high as I threw another glass back, they nearly got stuck in his full hairline.
"You made me rejoin the party, remember!" My stomach did a funny turn as I glanced back at the happy gang over by the dance floor. The girls were now taking turns making out with Ash, turning his head from side to side. "Yuck!" I groaned. "I'm obviously not drinking my problems away. I'm just concerned about his health. This cannot be sanitary..."
"I'm forced to tell the truth, so I'm just going to tell you that he was pining about you earlier too." Jesse surprised me by saying. I whipped my head back too fast to look up at him, and for a moment, Jesse multiplied in front of my eyes. His duplicate danced around him, then zipped back inside my Jesse.
"Ash? Pining?!" I snorted but leaned closer as I wanted for him to tell me more.
"Come on, Ging!" Jesse laughed uncomfortably. He ran his hand through his hair, then added. "You're smart. You've had to know he set up the whole lime in the mouth thing to mess with you."
"He's always messing with people..."
"No, Ging. He wanted to kiss you."
My brows rose in surprise, my lips parting as I was trying to grasp his words. "What?"
"You broke it off with him. He never would've ended it with you. He likes you." Jesse shrugged. "And for the record, I didn't see him messing around once while you two were-" He paused, pointing down at my southern regions. "You know."
I polished off one more glass of martini for courage. "I think you want me to go and break that little party up."
Jesse cocked a brow at me. "What? Ash and his-" He frowned, glancing back their way. "Oh!" He turned his attention back to me. "Gianna Walsh, I think you should go and insert your presence in the middle and all over that snogfest."
"Yes." I nodded, taking a deep breath as my feet were already carrying me across the garden.
***
A/N: How is everyone fairing with COVID-19? Are you on lockdown? Is your town going out of their everloving mind?! Do you want to murder the people you are on a lockdown with yet??
So far, our quarantine has been pretty peaceful. We're both lucky enough to be able to work from home during this time, which I know many many people aren't (including my entire family.....). I've finished watching The Circle and WormWood on Netflix, on Season 4 of Schitt's Creek now... Life is just banging by! Just trying to focus on the positives and enjoy our alone time as much as we possibly can given the circumstances.
Stay safe and sexy!
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