[A/N: Songs for the chapter lmao:
- Travis Porter // Make It Rain
- Zedd // Find You
- Katy Perry // Hummingbird Heartbeat ❤️]

I spent the next few days staring up the cracks on the ceiling whilst the nurses changed my bandages. Boredom filled most of my time so I was on edge with excitement when Tyler told me that Mona and Blake were coming to see me again.

They visited me briefly after I woke up from my coma, showering me with sloppy kisses and Blake held Mona back as she cried on top of me, sobbing hysterically that she thought I was going to die. He sent her down to get them both coffee, giving us time to catch up alone.

I was glad he didn't fuss over me like everybody else, instead he sat on the edge of my bed and told me about everything I had missed at school. Apparently there was a shrine of flowers outside my locker and there were many speeches given during graduation to wish for Tyler and my well being.

After their first visit, I cried myself to sleep because moments before their arrival I forgot how old I was when my dad and I planned to go to Disneyland. Mom had to sit down with and go through the numerous memories I had forgotten but I was still distraught I couldn't remember something so simple. It was like searching for a word that was on the tip of my tongue. Except memories were a great deal bigger to forget so why couldn't I grasp hold of them anymore?

Right now, I was glad my friends were here to visit me again to distract me from reality. I was getting exhausted of spending the start of what was supposed to be the summer of my life holed up in a boxy room filled with wilting flowers and 'get well soon' cards.

Tyler was leaning against the doorway of my room, gazing at me with a soft smile whilst Mona sat beside me, holding her hand of cards away from me so I couldn't see her set.

"Blake give me your nines," I held out a hand, grinning wickedly when he grunted and handed me three cards.

After my turn was over, he asked me to give him all my kings. Glancing at my set of three cards, I gave him a disappointed look. His face lit up and a cocky smirk stretched the corners of his lips up until I let my feigned frown flip around.

"Go fish!" I sniggered with a smug smirk.

Seated at the foot of my bed, Blake leaned over my legs and reluctantly picked up a card from the mountainous mess on my hospital bed. He shot me a filthy look but I was too focused on peeking at Mona's cards as she leaned away from me.

Ten minutes later and I was conducting a happy dance in my bed, flailing my arms around my head like a drunk hooligan.

"I won! I won! I won!" I squealed, waving my empty hands in the air as my friends smacked their cards down.

"No you cheated," Blake grunted as I grabbed a handful of cards and threw them into the air.

"You wanna see some ass, I wanna see some cash. Keep the dollars coming, and that's gonna make me dance, and that's gonna make me dance," I sang at the top of my lungs as Tyler doubled over with laughter. "Make it rain trick, make it make it rain trick!"

I threw my head back, laughed hysterically and watched Blake curse under his breath as he gathered all the cards and shuffled them. Grinning profusely, I met Tyler's eyes. He flashed me floppy grin that heightened my happiness. I nudged my shoulder against Mona but she grumbled and stood up.

"No way. I'm not playing again. You cheated again Ashley!" She picked her bag off the floor and slung it over her shoulders. "I refuse to sit through another one of these fixed games."

"I did not cheat!" I crossed my arms over my chest and shot her a smug smile. "You're just jealous because you lost five times."

"Stop lying!" She scoffed and straightened her white, floral dress by pulling up the strapless neckline.

Frustrated and outraged, I held my hands out. "Ty, tell her! Did you see me cheat?"

In the sudden spotlight, Tyler's dazed grin fell and his eyes came back into focus. Mona rolled her eyes when he shrugged his shoulders and gave Blake a wide eyed look.

"Help me out," He mouthed but the black haired guy gave my boyfriend an obnoxious grin and shook his head.

"You're on your own mate," Blake mouthed back.

Tyler turned back around to face Mona and I, gulping nervously when I narrowed my eyes into paper-thin slits. Giving him a death glare, I noticed that Mona was doing the same.

"Umm, Ash won fair and square?" Tyler breathed quickly in one long rush.

I gave him a wide grin and made a mental note to give him a thankful kiss later.

"See!" I squealed, punching my fist in the air just as she screeched with frustration.

"Of course you would side with her. She has you whipped beyond belief!" Mona grunted as Blake laughed
loudly.

Tyler rolled his eyes at her dramatic behaviour and glared at his best friend.

"Don't you dare laugh when your girl has you selling your DVD collection!"

Colour filled Blake's cheeks as he turned away.

"You're selling your collection?" I gasped, leaning forward and gripping his arm as he shook his head feebly.

"I need the money for college and I'm not selling all of it, just-"

Mona cut him off and waved her hand with an air of authority and nonchalance.

"He's selling all of it."

"I am?" He asked and she nodded.

"But we agreed that I'd get to keep half!" Blake whined, peering at her with wide eyes.

Mona rose a thin eyebrow and gave him a pointed look. "Be realistic Blake. You have over two hundred movies and that guy from the video store is willing to pay five dollars for each one. You do the maths babe."

My mouth fell open. "That's over a thousand bucks!"

His bottom lip jutted out as he reluctantly thought her words over, weighing the pros and cons. Grumbling under his breath, he finally muttered, "Fine."

Being overly dramatic, Mona held a hand over her ears and craned her head, pretending to be deaf.

"What did you say? I didn't quite hear that."

Blake pursed his lips into a straight line. "I said fine!"

A triumphant smile played over her lips as she shot us a victorious smirk.

"See! He's whipped," Tyler mouthed to me even though my friends could see him perfectly clearly.

Blake grunted a series of colourful words at him that made my ears ring.

Soon both my friends had to leave for their movie date although Blake was still mourning over his crushing loss. I didn't blame him since he had been building his movie collection since we were in fourth grade. But Mona was right; he hadn't received the full ride scholarship the same way Ty had. Although he didn't have to pay half of his tuition fees, college was still going to take its financial toll on him soon.

His parents hadn't bothered to set any money aside for their only son since they assumed he would be joining the family business. However, Blake wanted more from life than becoming a hardware store manager even if his father didn't agree.

Talking about college fees, I had no idea how I was going to manage when Mom had to fork out a great percentage from my trust fund to cover my hospital bills. Tyler offered to pay it all off but I refused. I appreciated his help but there was no way I was going to sponge off his family's money.

Now that visiting hours were over, I sat still as Dr Khan tweaked the tubes surrounding me, changing the potency of my painkillers so I wouldn't wake up delirious like I had this morning. Tyler went home about four hours after my friends left to shower, spend time with his parents and sleep, giving me a lingering kiss before promising to come back first thing tomorrow.

Overwhelmed by the fact that he wanted to hang out with me in my depressing hospital room, I traced my lips and sighed happily after he left.

"Are you tired? I could feed some new sedatives through your drip to aid sleep if you want me to," Dr Khan muttered in his lilting Indian accent, sparing me a quick glance as I shook my head.

Dark circles ringed his bronze skin, making the fine lines appear deeper from his exhausting night shift.

"No thanks, I'm sick of sleeping all the time."

With a nod, he stood up and bid me farewell before gently closing the door behind him. Leaning my head against the headboard, I counted the cracks in the ceiling for the umpteenth time. Boredom was getting the best of me and I couldn't wait to be discharged in three days.

Eighty-seven cracks.

I counted them again before rolling over and staring at the wall. Restless, I eyed the door cautiously before glancing at the tube that was attached to the inside of my elbow. Gently easing it off, I swung my legs off the bed and clutched the sheets as I shakily stood up. Grabbing a knitted cardigan that was strewn across the chair beside my bed, I shrugged it on to cover the naked skin that was on show where my hospital gown failed to conceal my backside.

At least I was allowed to wear underwear otherwise I would have thrown a fit. There was no way I was going to have my naked ass flapping about for the world to see. Breathing heavily, I shuffled to the door, stumbling as my legs ached from disuse. They felt heavy, like my bones were made out of lead and my muscles were made up of water.

I clung onto the walls and shied away from the curious eyes of the nurses who hurried along the corridors. Following the directions to the ladies shower room, it took me twice as long as it should have to reach my destination because I had to drag my legs like gorilla arms.

Sliding the door open, I left the lights off and was glad that nobody was here. But then again, it was almost midnight and most of the patients had gone to sleep. Fifteen cubicles ran along the entire length of the wall, each one equipped with a glass shower, toiletries and two white towels.

Skulking towards the full length mirrors that lined the opposite walls, my shoulders sank at the sight of the dishevelled girl that mimicked my movements. Her honey brown iris focused on me, exhausted and ringed with shadows of moss green that should have been bright with life. Black pupils dilated in the darkness and skirted along my deathly white skin, picking at the new-found flaws I had attained as a result of the accident.

My hair.

I bit back a sob and settled for breathing heavily when my fingers ran through what was left of my curls. Mom promised to book me an appointment with her personal hairstylist as soon as Dr Wilson discharges me; but that didn't help ease the pain.

My waist-length hair had diminished in the flames, leaving me brittle curls that ended abruptly around my chest. On my right side, some of the frizzy locks hung lower than the left. It was like someone had taken a scissor to my hair in the middle of the night and chopped off as much as they could with their eyes shut.

Pushing every wiry strand away from my face, I whimpered and fastened my hair into a bun again. I didn't want to see that atrocity ever again until it was cut properly. At least then I could feel like a fraction of the girl I was prior to the accident.

My fingers edged towards the bandage that was wrapped around my neck, travelling down along my shoulder before they picked at the soft linen covering my upper arms. I peeled my cardigan back until it slipped off my shoulders and pooled around my arms. Lifting the linen bandage up, I peeked at the chapped, scarlet skin beneath.

A heavy anvil settled inside me and I planted a hand on the mirror to steady myself when my knees shook violently. Covering up the skin, I reminded myself to be grateful that my burns were no longer bleeding and seeping through my bandages.

"Thought I'd find you here," A sudden deep voice came from behind me.

I shrieked with surprise, biting down on my lip as my eyes scanned the mirror, desperately searching for another person. The familiarity of the voice made my shoulders relax and my skin prickle, not with fear but with anticipation as the guy behind me slowly edged towards me.

Clad in a fitted leather jacket and stonewashed jeans, Tyler looked extremely handsome for somebody who was sneaking past hospital security after visiting hours. I wondered how long he had been standing there because I didn't hear him come in.

"What are you doing here? You do realise this is the ladies shower room, right?" I shrugged my cardigan back on and defensively wrapped my arms around my abdomen. "I thought you were catching up on some sleep."

He shrugged his shoulders and I watched his reflection edge even closer to mine until he was standing a mere inch behind me.

"Couldn't sleep," Tyler's eyes met mine in the mirror.

"Me neither," I breathed, struggling to refrain myself from shivering when he was standing so close to me. "But I've had plenty of sleep lately whereas you..."

I trailed off when he slid his uninjured arm around my waist to press my back into his chest. I could feel the hard planes of his muscles between the thin layer of clothes dividing us.

"I'll survive. I always do, don't I?" He murmured into my hair but I shook my head.

Tyler's reflection disagreed with his rhetorical question. The dark circles that ringed his eyes reminded me of Dr Khan's ones except Tyler's had a purplish tinge to them like week old bruises. Combined with the pink scar that was starting heal and his heavy eyelids, I frowned and turned around.

"I still think you should make an effort to get some sleep. You look like hell Ty," I closed my eyes when he pressed his lips to my forehead and held them there.

"I know, but with all that's happening my mind won't shut up and I don't want to lay in bed for hours waiting for sleep that won't come."

With understanding, I nodded. I knew that feeling all too well. I used to force myself to stay awake to keep the nightmares at bay until I became a walking, talking zombie.

"I have some sleeping pills holed up in my bedroom at home," I suggested. "If you want, I can give you my keys and you can take two. They work relatively quickly but you'll be really drowsy and cranky in the morning."

"No wonder you're bitchy when you wake up." Tyler chuckled. "But I'll pass up the offer, thanks though."

I lightly smacked his chest and peered at him underneath my lashes. "I am not bitchy!"

He raised a dark blond eyebrow until it disappeared behind his hair.

"Okay," I sighed, pinching my thumb and my forefinger before pulling them apart by an inch. "Maybe by that much but within an hour I'm chirpy and happy and fun to be around, right?"

"Right," Tyler drawled, flicking my nose before kissing the same spot.

I giggled and melted into his chest, burying my nose into his shirt until my smell receptors went into overdrive at the mouthwatering scent of lemons, soap detergent and sandalwood. I loved that Tyler always smelt so clean and not like he took a dunk into a Hollister perfume bottle like most guys at Riverdale.

"You smell so good," My voice was muffled but the vibrations of his rumbling laughter that only made me giggle even harder.

"I would say the same for you but," Tyler pushed me off his chest but kept his hand locked onto my waist. He wrinkled his nose and gave me a mocking disgusted grimace. "You smell like dog poop. When was the last time you washed your hair?"

"Ha ha!" I drew my lips into a flat line and shrugged his arm off me.

He laughed and stole a swift kiss on my cheek when I wasn't looking.

"Come here," Tyler draped his arm around my shoulder and plastered my body into his side.

"Let go of me," I squirmed when he kissed my cheek again, this time closer to my mouth.

"Not until you give me kiss."

"No, you said I smell like shit." I grunted, crossing my arms over my chest.

Tyler smirked slowly until he wore a crooked, devious grin. "That's because you do. How can you not smell it? It's really strong!"

He wrinkled his nose and took a whiff of my hair again.

"Well then you can screw your kiss," I huffed, side stepping him and heading towards the door.

Tyler darted in front of me and edged towards me until I backed away, hitting the corner of a shower cubicle.

"Stop being difficult Ash," He laughed infectiously and I bit back a smile.

"You just said I smell like poop."

"And?"

"That's not a nice thing to say," I poked my tongue out at him and tried not think about the fact that my back was plastered against the shower cubicle.

"I meant it as a compliment Ash."

"Sure," I drawled at his pathetic attempt to take back his insult.

What other childish insults did he have hidden behind his sleeve?

"I happen to like the smell of dog crap?" He tried to get back into my good books but I just laughed and shook my head when he tried to peck my nose.

"Get off me Ty," I gripped his waist, pushing him away to place some distance between us.

"Not until you give me a kiss here," He tapped his cheek and I shook my head.

Tyler pressed his body against mine, crushing me against the glass before tapping his cheek again. Flustered by the proximity between us, I sighed with defeat, tiptoed and pecked his cheek.

"Happy?" I snapped halfheartedly, planting my hand on his chest and giving him a gentle shove. "Now get off me Ty."

He shook his head and tapped his cheek again, this time further down. Repeating the same procedure, I gave him a small peck and raised my eyebrows.

"You're being ridiculous now," I bit back a laugh when he shook his head with unsatisfaction.

Once again, he tapped his cheek but much closer to his mouth. Just as I leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth, Tyler turned his head and I giggled with surprise when his lips brushed against mine.

"Oops," He grinned in anything but an apologetic voice.

"You're such a spoilt jerk," I whispered into his mouth, pushing his chest with more pressure to get him off me but Tyler lifted his unbroken arm and planted it over my head.

Now that he was towering over me, his lips continued to hover over mine and his eyes bored into mine.

"Well someone has to be honest with you and tell you the truth. You smell worse that horse crap right now."

I rolled my eyes and drawled, "A nurse watched me shower this morning to make sure she could bandage my burns up as quickly as possible. Should we find her and have her confess an eyewitness account?"

"Hey," He whined, "How come some a stupid old nurse gets to watch you naked and I don't?"

A flush crept up my neck and seeped into my cheeks.

"You just said I smell like horse crap," I raised my eyebrows, "You, my friend, are never going to see the world beneath this gown."

I laughed and expected him to whine or complain but Tyler cocked an eyebrow up.

"Is that a challenge?"

His infamous smirk made my smile falter and I gulped nervously. Heat seared my skin when he ran his fingers along my jawline, down my throat towards the neckline of my cardigan. I gave him a defiant look, challenging him to peel off my cardigan.

I wasn't going to be the first to back down and neither was he so we stared at each other as the woolly material slipped from my arms and pooled around us on the tiled floor.

Snaking my arms around his neck, I kept my face impassive, coaxing him to continue. Considering the fact that I had just been scrutinising my reflection with disdain before Tyler interrupted me, I felt surprisingly strong and confident in his arms.

He continued to stare at me and his blank expression made me snap.

"Are you gonna kiss me or not?"

The corners of his mouth twitched. "So now you're interested in a kiss when I had to beg you-"

I cut him off by forcing his head down and muttering, "Just shut the hell up for once."

Our lips met halfway, crashing into each other with enough force to slam my entire body against the cool metal of the cubicle. We staggered backwards, stumbling a few times before I took the initiative and held us upright. I pushed him, never breaking the kiss, until his back was pressed against translucent glass that surrounded the shower.

Tyler's hands slid down the strip of skin along my back that was left bare by the horrid hospital gown. He dragged them up before bringing them down to the point where my underwear started, circling the small of my back as I sighed into his mouth.

Heated shivers raced up and down my nerves like Formula One cars edging towards the finishing line. I couldn't figure out exactly what my body yearned, but my hands disappeared under Tyler's white shirt, tracing the sharp outline of his hip bones before sliding around to cup his ass and press his body closer to mine.

Bursts of electricity passed between us every time we pulled back for air, magnetised and energetic as we dived back down for another kiss. I couldn't get enough of him; his mouth and moans mirrored mine.

"We...should...probably...head...back..." Tyler murmured between each kiss he laid on my throat as his head dipped dangerously low.

"Y-Yeah," I replied breathlessly, arching my back so my legs were moulded between his.

Tyler lifted his head and pressed his forehead against mine. His chest rose and fell heavily as his eyes bored into mine, unblinking and unwavering.

Neither of us made an attempt to move.

I waited for the strong currents of desire to fizzle away but they heightened at the dark look in his eyes. Frustrated, I clasped his cheeks and brought his mouth to mine. In a matter of seconds, Tyler's leather jacket somehow ended up on the floor and my hands slid up his shirt as he opened his mouth wider.

I shuddered when his tongue danced with mine and clutched fistfuls of his shirt. My heart kicked against my rib cage, threatening to break free when Tyler's teeth tugged my bottom lip.

Suddenly, I was flipped around so my back was pressed against the glass with Tyler towering over me. My bandaged back protested with a numbing pain but that only made me kiss him harder, grazing my teeth along his bottom until he shivered and pressed me closer to his chest. Using his uninjured hand, Tyler managed to grab the back of my thigh and swiftly lifted me up so the glass was bearing all of my weight.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and bit back a moan when his lips found my neck. They left heated imprints as he worked his way back to my lips. Tyler struggled to keep me upright with one hand so he slid me along the wall until we were completely inside the glass shower and my butt was resting on a small ledge that held soaps and shampoos. The toiletries crashed to the ground but we paid them no attention.

Now that his unbroken hand was free, it wandered around leaving me breathless and trembling when he wrapped it around my neck and kissed me even harder, passionately working my lips so fast that I struggled to keep my concentration for dwindling. Unable to sit still, I jumped down and shoved Tyler until his back slammed against the tiled wall where the shower-head hung from.

Startled, he broke the kiss and nibbled on my ear as our hands roamed everywhere. There wasn't a sliver of air separating us and in that moment, Tyler made me feel just as strong as he was, just as confident, just as brave.

Suddenly, my hand slipped past his ridiculously soft hair and accidentally slammed into the knob that was used to adjust the cold and hot water.

"Ashley!" Tyler stiffened against my body.

I screeched when ice cold water plummeted from the shower head above us, drenching us from head to toe in a matter of seconds.

Tyler gasped as the freezing torrent of water flattened his hair to his scalp, dyeing the golden locks a dark blond that looked brown in the dark shower.

"Turn it off!" His voice was frantic and appalled as he lifted his head up, drowning in the icy torrent of water.

"I'm trying!" I shrieked as my fingers fumbled with the knob, turning it left and right but the water just changed in temperature. "It's not working! What should I do? Tyler...Tyler! Stop that!"

I struggled to clear my clouded and jumbled thoughts when he kissed my extremely sensitive neck. My fingers continued to prod at the metallic knob above his head but Tyler no longer cared since the water was warm instead of ice cold.

"Tyler! Ty-"

My squeal was muffled when he moulded his mouth against mine to silence me. The steady stream of water shot past my scalp and made my gown stick to my body like a second skin. Tyler's hand clutched a fistful when I slipped my fingers under his shirt again. Grazing his abs, I smiled when he moaned into our kiss, shivering when my nails scraped the hard ridges of his eight pack.

"Ash..." Tyler murmured against my lips, pushing my hands away from his belt buckle.

"Mmm hmm?"

"We should," He took a deep breath, sucking on his swollen lip before biting it gently. "We should stop...like right now...or I probably...won't be able to."

I cupped his lips between mine and gently bit his bottom lip as water slid past my skin, trickling into my eyes and forcing me to blink repeatedly. He was right. What the hell were we doing, groping one another for dear life in a hospital shower!

Oh dear.

I loosened my grip on his waist and reluctantly retracted my hands from his body. Slowly, my senses came back to me one by one except my eyesight. I kept my eyelids closed until my rapid heartbeat gradually stopped jumping like a lunatic on crack. Up and down, up and down. It shot up to my throat before plummeting back to my stomach, up and down, up and down.

With one last jump, my heart leapt at the way Tyler was eyeing my swollen lips.

"Y-Yeah, good idea," I replied breathlessly, slicking my hair back and struggling to come to terms with how fast everything had escalated.

Tyler's eyes raked over my body, drinking in the way my gown was plastered to me like a second skin. My black underwear was stark against the grey gown and I made no attempt to peel it off my body, leaving it moulded against every curve because frankly I loved the way he was looking at me.

Instead I let my gaze feast on his translucent, white t-shirt and bit my lip at the stark eight pack that screamed to be touched. Stiffly, I forced myself to pad out of the shower and shuddered when his fingers curled around my waist. It took every screaming cell in my body to stop myself from jumping his damn sexy bones.

Keeping my self-control intact around Tyler was suddenly posing to be harder than ever before.

______________________________________________________________

[A/N: I uploaded this from my phone so there might be tiny mistakes but I'll go back and fix them later.

Right now, I would sell a freaking kidney for some McDonalds and a Twix bar. I really would.

Guess what I spent all yesterday doing? I wrote this chapter, Chapter 68 and I'm just gonna finish of Chapter 69 today. I wrote on my status how many chapters are left so if you saw that then lucky you. If not then...boo hoo because I'm not telling you ❤️

Chapter 67: Pick A Star, Any Star

This is one of the chapters I wrote like two months ago so I could double update but I'll be a meanie and give it to you tomorrow.

Please vote and comment and all those shenanigans :')

See you tomorrow ❤️
-Kaddy]