"Just don't let Ashton near the wine."

         "Em-"

         "Or anything strong."

         "Emma..."

         "You know what was made for you?" My sister's head pops up in the front of the car, staring at the side of Ashton's head while our three friends from college are left giggling in the backseat. "Cider. Or spritzer. Or anything that has less alcohol than beer."

         Meanwhile I'm in the passenger's seat, holding my head in second-hand embarrassment, hoping this car ride will be over as soon as possible. And also hoping Ashton doesn't crash into anything from my twin distracting him, we don't need that happening again.

         "Okay, if you're gonna make jokes, start from yourself," He tells her- thank God he's laughing at her insults, I wouldn't want him to be in a bad mood for this. "You don't have a great history with alcohol either."

         "Fair enough, but my history with four beers is just fine." She slumps back onto her seat, "Unlike some people."

         I snort quietly at her words, placing my hand over my mouth as I note Ashton briefly glance at me from the corner of my eye, shaking his head right after. "I'm starting to think this was a bad idea."

         "Relax, I'm only giving you a hard time 'cause I haven't seen you in a long time," She sighs from the back seat, "Hopefully you won't mistake me for Lu and snog me-"

         "Emma-"

         "-again."

         Even I have to admit I've missed her cruel sense of humor. "You're saying that like it happened every time we got together!" Ashton replies, loudly and desperately- he's the only one of us in the car that isn't laughing his ass off.

         "Well, no, but do you want me to tell you why it happened at all? Alcohol, Ashton, alcohol."

         "...Fuck you, Emilia."

         "Yeah, you probably would've tried that too if it hadn't been for my conscience-"

         "We're here!" I yelp, opening the car door even before Ashton's stopped it- good thing I have my seat belt on. I might be a party pooper, but I kinda really don't want to listen about my sister and boyfriend hooking up because he's alcohol-intolerant and she looks exactly like me.

         "Whoa, slow down, at least let me park," Ashton mumbles, to which I only raise my brows and nod my head curtly; I can already see the other guys gathering wood by the beach and- I think the two guys hitting each other with thin but long branches are Calum and Michael, but I'm not sure.

         As soon as Ash parks his old Mitsubishi behind a jeep, I unbuckle my seat belt, rushing down the path and almost tripping on my way to his band mates, and another few guys that tagged along. I can't believe the numbnuts actually managed to organize something that isn't a gig for their band – a bonfire party, with their friends. Here I thought the four of them were each other's only friends.

         "Hey, hey." I wince when I feel a hand on my upper arm, pulling me closer to my sister, who's apparently been running in order to reach me. "Is everything okay?"

         "Uh, yeah?"

         "You sure?"

         Except for my boyfriend having snogged you on multiple occasions? "...Yeah?"

         "Look, I'm sorry for the comments I make about Ashton and-"

         "No, it's okay," I nod firmly, "You're my sister, we share everything, what's mine is yours-"

         "You can't be serious."

         "Of course I'm not serious," I breathe out with a laugh, to which she narrows her eyes at me. "But for real, cut down on... making out with him, will you?"

         "You got it."

         "Thanks."

         "I'm more into Calum, anyway." I furrow my brows at her as she says that- she's just full of surprises tonight. "Don't give me that look, you know I like guys that I have something in common with."

         "And you have... a love for drinking in common with him?"

         "Well... I was thinking the fact that we're both of mixed races, but now that you say that..."

         I shake my head quickly, "Better for both of you if you stuck with the multiracialism."

         "Hey, we'll always be multiracial, but this is the time of the life when we should be getting drunk. Hey Calum!" I lift my hand to my right ear as she yells out his name, soon afterwards leaving me to go and hug him for a few seconds too long- all joking aside, we do act like real sisters and share everything. And she's never told me about her apparent liking toward Calum – it's probably something she made up off the top of her head just to make the evening interesting for herself. And unless she's hooking up with someone, there aren't many other things that could make her feel like she didn't waste the night.

         "Whatever," I mumble to myself, sighing as I head toward the small bungalow they rented for the night. It's August, so it's bound to be too cold for sleeping in tents during the night. Of course, that applies for those of us who actually plan on sleeping at some point.

         "This is a really nice place," I hear my classmates Sam and Phoebe gush as they walk in behind me, and I have to agree – it's not much, but it's cozy. I note that the kitchen and living room are not separated by a wall or anything on my way to the fridge, making the room seem much larger. The sofas in the living room can make a bed to four or five people, but since there are two bedrooms upstairs-

         "Hey."

         I look up from the fridge, a little startled to hear a familiar voice since I'd been so caught up in my thoughts; sure enough, there he is, in his red Wisconsin shirt, a Snickers bar in his hand as he watches me. This would all be very nice if my friends weren't sitting on a couch behind him, and giving me knowing looks and annoying smiles. Girls.

         "Hi."

         He swallows the chocolate in his mouth, looking over his shoulder afterwards, "Ladies? Would you mind if I kissed my girlfriend?"

         "Not at all," Sam chokes out, managing to keep her act together while Phoebe is losing her shit laughing. And, right, I'm standing with my hand on the opened fridge door, wondering if the shivers I got are a result of the chilly air from the fridge, or Ashton's words.

         He approaches me, not breaking our eye contact- why does my heart start working funny every time he's in my personal space? "What'cha doing there?"

         "Um, looking to make something to eat?"

         "Mhm," He nods his head, looking me up and down, "What'd you decide?"

         "Well..." A little perplexed – and mostly excited for some reason – I lean forward, taking a better look at the food that was brought by the earliest guests for the night. "There's-there's ham and some sort of sausage, I could make sandwiches. I've no conditions for making something gourmet."

         I smile as I look over at Ashton, noticing Sam and Phoebe get up and scurry out of the room, giggling between themselves- okay, I have a few ideas as to why that may be. "That's alright," Ashton says, clearly ignoring the noise the two girls were making before they got out of the house, "Make whatever you can."

         I give him a small nod, taking the said meat out and carrying it to a free counter. He's confusing me a little, but at least I was assigned to do something that always gets 100% focus out of me – cooking. Well, this technically isn't even cooking, but it's close enough.

         A minute into slicing some bread, the creaking of wood lets me know Ashton has started walking somewhere- and his breath on the back of my neck lets me know he's come right behind me. "What are you gonna make me on Sunday night?"

         "...W-what? What?"

         "You know, when we get back home."

         "You mean what I'm gonna make you for dinner?"

         "Mhm."

         Very 1940's of him. "Uh, well... I don't know, whatever you want."

         "I think I'm gonna be in the mood for pizza the next few days."

         The way he's breathing down my neck, purposefully to make goosebumps appear on my skin, I have a feeling this will turn out into a cliche moment where two people in a relationship are all loved-up and the less fortunate one cuts their finger. Me being the less fortunate one, of course. "Okay, then, pizza it is. Just make sure to tell me what kind you want."

         "Okay," Ashton says lightheartedly, almost smugly as he keeps looking at what I'm doing from behind me. Well, my purposefully slow talking so that I wouldn't mess up any of the words from actual nervousness does seem like something worth feeling smug for. "Can I ask you something?"

         "Sure?"

         "Cooking is your passion, right? You care for it more than journalism?"

         I turn my head slightly to the side, initially to give him a confused look, before remembering journalism is what I'm majoring in. Dammit, Lucy. "Uh, I guess? I like both, though."

         "What if you... hypothetically, dropped out of college?"

         "Then I'd go to a cooking school," I tell him with a breathy laugh, that's even more nervous now because the conversation is kinda going somewhere where I don't want it to go. "I have to get some sort of degree, Ashton."

         "Okay, that I get, but what if... you postponed it for a while?"

         I think it's time I asked. "Where are you going with this?"

         "I was just... thinking..." He moves his left hand to mine, more than coincidentally rubbing my ring finer- alright, I'm getting a feeling that this will turn into one of those movie moments where the guy is all romantic and stuff, and the girl accidentally cuts off the tip of her finger with the knife she's holding because of it. "And I realized a few things."

         "Yeah?" I gulp, feeling my palms start to sweat, "Like what?"

         "When... you almost left the other week, I got scared. I was used to being angry at you, but I was also used to you being there, and when the thought of you possibly leaving me really hit me, I... I was terrified, Lucy."

         Lucy.

         Lucy.

         Lucy, he called me Lucy for the first time in months. That took away every last bit of doubt I had about him screwing with me right now.

         "...Aren't you gonna say anything?"

         "Yeah, uh, I..." I leave the ham and knife on the surface, relieved that I hadn't cut myself after all. "I was... scared too. I wanted to do the right thing for once but, honestly, living with you hating me would've probably been easier than living without you at all."

         "I'm sorry I came off that way," He whispers after a small silence, squeezing my hand a little, causing my heart to squeeze a little. "I didn't hate you. I was bitter and mad at the whole world, but I don't think I hated you."

         "It's okay," I whisper back, "You had every right to hate me, even if you didn't."

         Not seconds after my last few words, I feel Ashton's hands on my waist and his lips on my shoulder- I almost want to pinch myself. Almost. "I don't wanna talk about sad things right now," He mumbles flatly against my skin, making me laugh lightly. "You didn't answer my question."

         "What question?"

         He lifts his head from my shoulder, his hair still tickling the side of my neck, "Would you consider putting your academic stuff on hold for a couple years?"

         "Why, Ashton?" I turn my head as much as I can without actually turning around, catching him letting out a small sigh and pulling his lips between his teeth. "You can't just ask me something like that out of the blue."

         He looks down for a few seconds- I wouldn't be mad even if the affection stopped at this point. It was too good to be true from the beginning. "Okay, I didn't wanna answer you until you answered me, but since you're being as stubborn as you've always been..."

         His eyes meet mine, making me forget how to breathe for a while, "There was this... talent scout sort of guy at the club the last time we had a gig, you know, the one Calum described as our 'biggest one' yet?"

         "Mhm?"

         "Well... he happens to be working with All Time Low, and... they happen to be in need of a supporting band..."

         "No," I widen my eyes, now turning around completely toward him, "Are you seri- are you and the guys gonna be... opening for them?"

         "Well, nothing's sure yet, but-"

         "Oh my God!" I squeak, first putting my hands over my mouth in thrill, then wrapping my arms around Ashton's neck when he laughs at my reaction. "You! And All Time Low! You and All Time Low!"

         "Yeah, and if it goes well, we might get to open for them for the rest of their tour."

         Obviously, the first thing I feel for him is excitement, but then I slowly let go of him, my eyes still wide as I lean back to get a good look at his face. "You mean... outside of Australia?"

         "Well, yeah."

         "That's..." I place my hands on his cheeks, "That's amazing. I hope they see how great you are, I hope you make it."

         Ashton doesn't say anything- just wraps one arm around my back to pull me closer, and kisses my forehead, keeping his lips against my head afterwards. "And another thing."

         "Hm?" I hum in response, just now remembering he'd asked me about leaving college for a while, and how it has nothing to do with what he just told me.

         "I... want us to be married if that happens. And by the time it happens."

         I lean away from him again, this time my eyes widened in confusion. And shock. "What?"

         "Listen, I want us to be what we used to be, but I don't want things to go back to how they were a year ago. We were good, yeah, but that'd be going backwards. And I don't wanna go backwards, Lucy, I don't want to date you, I want the whole thing."

         Even though I'm looking at him as if he'd just spoken to me in Mandarin, his explanation has considerably lessened my shock. I mean, yes, I am still definitely puzzled since he pretty much dropped this bomb on me out of the blue, but when I think about it, people have done crazier things. Marrying Ashton on such short notice would most definitely be mad, but I wouldn't call it stupid. We've been together for over two years. Besides, whenever I thought about how my ideal life would look like, Ashton would be in all of the scenarios.

         "Wait, wait, wait," I frown, closing my eyes and placing my hands over my face; this has all cluttered my head with thoughts and questions and a million different answers to them, my head is gonna hurt if I don't stop. "What-what does all that have to do with- I mean why would- why should I leave college because of that?"

         "Wouldn't you wanna come with me if I went on tour?"

         The way he's half hopefully and half hopelessly raised his brows at me, it just breaks my heart. "Well... I guess."

         "There you go."

         God, he's the most beautiful sight. Smiling stupidly like we were just talking about going to the movies, not getting married. Then again, it's amazing how he makes everything sound simple and doesn't worry about it half as much as I do.

         "You... you know we have to talk more about this, right?"

         Ashton grins widely- "I know, I know, but think about it anyway."

         I smile at his quiet tone, leaning forward to place my hands on his neck to peck his lips. He smiles wider at my actions, and leans down to give me a longer kiss, his hands balled into loose fists on my waist. Man, I'm still getting used to kissing him. I have a feeling he'd freak out if I tried to French him.

         "Hello!" I wince in surprise as a loud, familiar voice yells out the word after entering the bungalow just as loud, ultimately making the door slam against the wall next to it. Dammit, Luke. "I hope you haven't started drinking without me!"

         "I wouldn't blame anyone if they did, we're always late because of you."

         I widen my eyes at the other voice, feeling the blood drain from my face while Ashton's hands fall from my waist; and just like that, as soon as the tan guy who used to play the guitar next to Ashton once upon a time walks into the room after Luke, I know the night is going to become everything we didn't want it to be.

*

hiiiiiiii how is everyone how are you doing

i'm very sorry for updating late but i'm finishing high school in a couple weeks + im studying for my entrance exam for uni so i p much have no time to breathe

also i turn 19 in three and a half hours and im not ready for it but heY (and please vote and comment xxxxxxx)