Dull thuds pounded their way into my dreams of random blurs and sounds causing me to shift slightly in the warm confinement of the sheets.

A soft "Nrgh" sounded in my left ear and I warily creaked my eyes open to be met with the sight of the bed sheets and the edge of my pillow case. I was lying on my stomach, and by the warm presence that encased my sides I could feel that Ashton's arm was draped across my tank top clad back.

I heard the thuds once more and lifted my head up. To my right was a window that was covered by a dark blue curtain so I couldn't tell if it was morning or not. To my left was Ashton's body laying on his side with his arm still resting on me, and beyond him was the nightstand with the alarm clock that read 7:42.

The thuds were heard again along with a small call of my name and I realised it was knocking.

"Ash, wake up." I barely murmured.

Instead of waking up, he exhaled and turned his head to the side, burying it in the pillows.

"Ashton." I whined a little louder and received no response.

Knocking came again and I sat up, pushing my hair back and then tried shoving Ashton's shoulder's but he just flipped over, releasing my waist.

Sighing in defeat, I climbed out of bed and went to answer the door. I slipped out into the hallway and was met with my brother standing in front of the door.

"Hey bub." I yawned.

"Morning." He replied and I could tell that he had been up for a while.

"How long have you been up?" I rubbed at my eyes and he shrugged.

"For a bit, Ashton's mum is making pancakes." He informed me and I followed him into the kitchen where Ann was standing at the stove.

"Morning Carter." She smiled at me as I walked in, my arms folded across my stomach because I was freezing. "There's coffee if you'd like some." She offered and I gratefully obliged, pouring myself a steaming cup full and then sitting at the bar.

"Ashton's still sleeping." I said after taking a sip.

"I figured. He is dead to the world in the mornings." She laughed.

"He was always up before me." I chuckled. "I tried to wake him up and it was like trying to wake up a rock."

"Oh yes, getting him up in the morning to go to school was a nightmare." She added.

"I bet." I laughed and then tried to drink as much caffeine as possible.

Ender and I chatted about random things and Ann piped in a few times until breakfast was served and we were all chewing mouthfuls of pancakes. 

I was about three quarters of the way done with my breakfast when a sleepy Ashton emerged from the hallway and dragged himself into the kitchen.

"Morning sleepyhead." Ann quirked and he barely nodded before ducking down and pressing a tired kiss to my hair and then walking past to get food for himself.

I needed a refill on my coffee so I got up to get more and made Ashton a mug as well. He smiled gratefully as I handed it to him and we joined Ender and Ann back at the bar.

A sudden commotion came from the front door and three tall boys burst through it.

"Calum! Michael! Luke!" Ender jumped from the bar stool and flung himself towards the guys who met him with open arms and wide grins.

"Hey mate!" They all said as they greeted him.

"Hey Carter." Luke walked up and gave me a shoulder hug as I was still sitting on the stool.

"Hey Luke. How have you been?" I smiled.

"Good." He smiled back and then went to go get himself some pancakes.

Michael and Calum did the same and stood around the bar eating their breakfast.

"So whats the plan for today?" Calum asked between bites.

"Well I thought i'd take Carter and Ender out for a tour of Sydney, but how about a movie night tonight?" Ashton suggested.

The guys nodded in agreement and I figured I should start getting ready. I got up to take my plate to the sink and reached up to the cabinet to find a paper towel to dry my hands but was met with a sputtering cough and a loud smacking noise from behind me.

I whipped around to see Calum wiping orange juice from the corners of his mouth while Ashton glared at him.

"Are you okay?" I asked Calum as he gasped quickly in order to regain his breathing.

"Yeah." He wheezed. "Just swallowed wrong."

"Well maybe if you didn't eat like a pig that wouldn't happen." Ashton popped off and I looked at him with wide surprised eyes. I had never seen Ashton act like that.

"Ender why don't you go get ready." I called towards the boy who was playing with Indie in the living room.

"Okay!"He called back and ran off towards the guest room.

"I'm going to get ready as well." I announced and brushed past the guys to Ashton's room,not making eye contact with anyone.

I decided to let Ashton explain why he acted so rude to Calum instead of asking him directly, but I didn't like that side I saw from him, no matter how brief a time it was.

I pulled my suitcase out and dug through the contents until I found my black shorts and a grey Haven High tee shirt.

A few minutes after I started to fix my hair, I heard Ashton walk in and go to his closet.

"So where do you want to go first? We can drive around, or go to the beach, whatever you want." He said from the closet and I kept my eyes on my reflection in the mirror.

"I don't mind, wherever is fine." I replied monotone.

I heard him pause at flipping through the hangers and then the footsteps as he walked over to me.

"I'm sorry you saw that, I didn't mean to upset you." He said quietly.

"I'm not upset, but you shouldn't have been so rude to Calum." I attempted to not chastise him while still telling him how I felt.

"Yeah well Calum shouldn't have been checking y-" He began but then stopped short.

"Shouldn't have been what?" I asked.

"Nothing." He sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm just stressed and I took it out on him."

I paused. I knew that wasn't the real reason but I didn't feel like dragging it out of him. "Dont apologize to me, apologize to Calum." I sighed and he nodded. "And why are you stressed?" I turned around so I could face him.

"Just the new a- everything that my boss is making me do for my job is hard. And I want you to have an amazing trip here." He dropped his shoulders.

"Ash.." I sighed. "You have to stop worrying, please. We are going to have an amazing trip okay, as long as we're together then I don't care." I assured him by wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling myself closer to him. His hands found my hips as he stepped closer as well.

"Okay...I'll stop worrying." He sighed and kissed my cheek.

"And you'll apologise to Calum?" I raised an eyebrow and he grumbled before nodding. "Thank you." I whispered and kissed his cheek back.

"Now get dressed so you can take me out places." I winked.

"Yes ma'am." He snickered into my neck and pressed another kiss there before letting me go and walking to the closet again.

I finished smoothing down my natural waves and applied minimal makeup while Ashton went to bathroom to brush his teeth.

When he came back I was packing up my cosmetics and I glanced up to see him slipping off his shirt to put another one on and I couldn't help but watch. The muscles of his back were so defined I could see the outline of them precisely. When he went to remove his basketball shorts he looked in my direction and my eyes dropped to look back at the bag in my hands but the small chuckle that escaped his lips told me that he had noticed.

My cheeks were flushed and I fought the urge to look at him but I heard the zipper of his jeans and I took that as a sign that he was dressed.

He wore black skinny jeans as normal and a grey tee shirt that he placed a army green jacket over. He snatched a grey beanie from his closet and moved to stand next to me so he could adjust it in the mirror.

"Ready?" He asked and I nodded, grabbing a dark blue-grey jacket and followed him into the hall.

We went down the hall and Ashton knocked on the guest door.

"Ender mate, are you ready?" Ashton called and seconds later the door flung open to reveal a beaming little boy.

"Let's go!" Ender cheered and I laughed, following Ashton out to the living room where Ann stood watching the news.

"We're heading out. I'll text you later and we can meet up for lunch." He hugged her and I did the same before he lead us to the garage where his jeep was parked and we loaded up.

He pulled out of the driveway onto the street and then began to give us the grand tour.

Ashton drove us past his old school, Michael's house, Calum's house, and a few of the local joints where they hung out. Luke's house was farther away so he decided to take us into the city instead.

I couldn't help but bask in his glow as the wind blew back his hair and the sun cast striking shadows across his face. I was sure he caught me glancing at him through his sunglasses because his smile grew and he squeezed my knee.

As Ashton drove us into the city, I fell in love with the sights. I had never been to a big city before but it was just like I had imagined, but even better. The buildings were tall and glinted in the sun while the sounds of traffic and music from outside restaurants whooshed past us.

The amount of shops and places to eat blew my mind and made me want to explore everything my eyes landed on.

Ashton wove through the downtown streets until he found a parking garage and parked on the fifth level.

"Wanna do a little shopping before lunch?" He offered and I happily accepted.

Ashton held my hand and I held Enders' as we walked through the parking garage and onto the street.

While we strolled along the sidewalk looking at all of the different shops, nothing looked familiar. Which is stupid to think because of course I knew nothing would be familiar to me since I'd never been here before, but I was used to only three real clothing shops back home in Haven Harbour and there were so many here.

"Anything you wanna go look in?" Ashton asked and I just looked awestruck all around me.

"I have no idea." I admitted.

"How about I take you into one of my favourite stores." He suggested and I nodded, still in culture shock.

He practically dragged Ender and I into a two story tall building with a sign outside that read "Urban Outfitters".

The store was massive and filled with clothes and records and trinkets of all kinds.

"Car, can I go look at the records?" Ender asked and I nodded.

"Just be careful and don't leave that area, okay?" I told him and he smiled before scurrying off.

Ashton, still holding my hand, walked me over to the girls clothing.

"Tell me if you see anything you like." He smiled.

These clothes were nothing like I was used to. I felt out of place in my tee shirt and shorts while the crop tops and pleated skirts filled the racks and tables.

We passed one rack that had some pretty black floral dresses that I eyed and reached out to touch the fabric.

"Why don't you try it on?" Ashton asked, noticing that I was staring at it.

"I don't know." I shrugged.

"Please, come on." He begged and made a puppy dog lip and I rolled my eyes playfully before finding my size and my brother and then heading off to the dressing rooms.

Ashton and Ender sat on a white couch outside the rooms while they waited for me to try it on.

I slipped the soft fabric over my head and about had a heart attack when I looked in the mirror.

The thin strapped dress cut off just above mid thigh. It fit me very nicely but what I hadn't noticed was the cut out in the back that stopped just above my bum and revealed more skin than I had ever shown before (besides a swimsuit of course).

"How's it going in there?" I heard Ashton call.

"Fine." I gulped.

"Can I see?"

"Um...." I faltered.

I heard footsteps come to the door and then a small knock.

"Carter?" Ashton asked quietly and I took a deep breath before creaking open the door.

"Hey what's wrong?" He cooed.

"Nothing. It's just...I'm not used to wearing things like this." I bit my lip.

"Can I see it? You don't have to show me if you don't want to?"

I gnawed on my lip in hesitation but nodded and opened the door wider to he could see me fully.

His eyes widened as I turned in a small circle so he could see.

"Carter Chase..." He murmured before fitting his hands onto my waist. His fingertips dug into the skin of my back that was revealed and he pulled my body flush against his.

I glanced out of the corner of my eye to make sure Ender wasn't looking, which he thankfully wasn't.

"You look very beautiful." He pressed his lips to my ear and whispered.

A shiver went down my spine and I let out a breath I had been holding in.

"Should I get it?" I almost whispered back and he pressed a hot kiss to my neck.

"I think you should." He replied back and I giggled as he tickled my cheek with the ends of his curly hair.

"Okay." I hummed and he pecked my forehead before backing out of the room so I could change.

By the time I had purchased the dress Ashton had settled on a place to eat that was close by where his mum would meet us.

Ashton's grip on my hand tightened as we walked through the bustling downtown streets. I held on to Ender's hand despite his protests because I didn't want him to get lost or left behind, but I could tell Ashton's fast pace was too much for his little legs and he was having trouble keeping up.

I looked over to see Ashton moving his head back and forth, scanning our surroundings.

"Ash, what's the deal?" I said and he seemed to break out of a deep thought when he heard my voice.

"Downtown is not always the safest place so I just want to be cautious." He informed me but he glanced around one more time before slowing down his pace.

We walked for another minute or two until we reached a very upscale and modern building with white brick walls and floor to ceiling glass windows. Green palm plants were decoratively placed around the outside and I could see Ashton's mum sitting at a table inside through a window.

"Hey! How was shopping?" She greeted us as we walked up to the table.

"Great! Sydney is just lovely." I beamed and took the seat next to her, knowing Ender would want to sit  next to Ash.

Ashton sat across from me and gave me a strange look that I couldn't quite decipher.

When he realized I was confused he pulled out his phone and typed for a second before placing it on the table. Right after that my phone buzzed in my pocket and Ashton watched as I opened the text he sent me.

'Sorry. Im just trying to make sure you're safe and having a good time.'

I glanced to see him eyeing me carefully.

'I am, you're just acting strange.' I sent back and he hurriedly replied.

'Sorry, I'll try to relax.'

I closed my phone and shot him a soft smile which he returned, before looking down at the menu in front of me.

Lunch was nice and I had a great conversation with Ashton and his mum. She told me stories about him as a kid and about the times she caught him ditching school or when he tried to catch the Kangaroo that had wandered into their backyard.

Ashton just held my hand and laughed at the memories while I reviled in the bliss of being involved with such an amazing family.

After we ate we all headed back to the house to rest before movie night. I sent Ender to his room so he could "not nap but rest with his eyes closed" for a little bit, while I joined Ash on the sofa in the living room.

He scrolled aimlessly through his phone when I noticed he opened the Twitter app.

"Oh, I was thinking about getting one of those." I nodded towards his phone.

"You already have an iPhone you dork." He playfully ruffled my hair and I pouted back jokingly.

"Not an iPhone." I stuck my tongue out at him. "A Twitter."

A weird look crossed his face before he locked his phone and dropped it in his lap.

"Why do you want a Twitter?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "You have one, Ari has one, I just want to be in the loop. It might be fun. I could like follow you and you could follow me and we could like, what is it called? Tweet each other?"

"Twitter is really not that great." Ashton chuckled at my attempt at talking about social media. "I've thought about deleting my account several times."

"You're always on it." I corrected him and he shrugged.

"Only when I'm bored."

I rolled my eyes before moving on from the subject. "Well Mr. I'm bored, let's do something fun then." I suggested.

An amused glint passed through his eyes and he smirked before pulling me closer across the sofa to him.

"Okay." He murmured before connecting our lips.

"Still in the kitchen, guys." Ann's voice suddenly came from that direction and we immediately yanked apart and my cheeks began to flare as I buried them in my hands.

"Oh my god." I clenched my eyes shut. How completely embarrassing.

I heard Ann laugh before walking off to her room and Ashton let out a little giggle himself.

"I have another idea come on." Ashton tugged on my arm after a moment of me trying not to die from my embarrassment.

"Okay." I let him drag me from the sofa and into the garage where his jeep was parked next to Ann's car.

"You always said that you wanted to learn how to drive right?" Ashton more or less asked as he walked around to the passenger side. "Well how about I teach you?"

"Are you serious?" My jaw dropped.

"Yes, come on Car, it's time for you to get behind the wheel."

--
I'm so sorry it took so long for me to upload! Things have been crazy with moving to uni and other personal life events haha but here it is and I'm starting on the next chapter and I'll try to have it up in the next few days!

Don't forget to vote and comment if you would like and also tell me what you think Carter and Ashton's ship name should be (: much love xx -M