Chapter 11: Past Plus Future Equals Present

"Eli?"

"Get in the car. You're going to catch a cold." His voice was cold and monotonous without a trace of sympathy. I got up and saw just his profile, his eyes looking straight ahead avoiding my gaze.

I wasted no time getting into the passenger seat of his jeep, my wet legs sticking to the seat. "Why did you even come?" I mumbled, looking dizzily at my hands fiddling in my lap.

I don't understand him. After all, he had told me to find another ride, so it wasn't like he ditched me without a warning. I should've listened to him and gone home with someone else, but part of me realizes that even if I went back a couple hours ago, I still wouldn't have gone home with anybody else. The fact that Eli came back for me meant so much more to me. Sure, he came back a few hours late, but in the end he still came back for me.

Eli hit the steering wheel, which caused me to straighten up in surprise. "Why were you sitting out there in the rain? It's like two in the morning."

"Where else was I supposed to go? Home?" I laughed bitterly.

"I thought I told you to find a ride."

"Newsflash, Eli. I'm not exactly acquainted with these people."

"Why didn't you at least go back in the house?"

"The door's locked."

"Why didn't you call anyone?"

"Phone's dead."

He let out a heavy sigh putting his hand over his face. Finally he looked up at me and said in a softer voice, "Here," as he draped his sweater over me. His hands brushed against my bare skin bringing goosebumps for a different reason, as the slightly warm sweater covered me. "You must be freezing. You're shivering and you're covered with goosebumps," he added in the same tender tone.

I didn't realize I was until Eli mentioned it. My teeth were chattering as well making the only other noise in the car. "Eli, you never answered my question properly. Why are you here?"

"I-I don't know. A gut feeling, I suppose."

"But you're mad at me. Why would you drive here in the middle of the night, knowing that there was that possibility that I wasn't going to be here?"

"I just needed to know, okay?"

I made a scoffing noise. "You know you're an idiot, Eli?"

"Most people would just say 'thank you.' After all this 'idiot' is driving you home."

"Well thanks." A moment of silence passed before I spoke again. "Can...can we talk about what happened?" I asked softly.

"What's to talk about? Whatever you and I had is over and done with. You made that decision when you were with him."

"But it's not like we were actually dating. So why would it even matter?"

"Ashlyn, I brought you there to meet my friends, not to hook up with them. And if I'm being honest, it hurt when you said we weren't dating because in my mind, we kind of were. I mean, think about it. We hang out every single day, we go on dates. Isn't that what people who are dating do?"

He did have a good point, but I refused to give in and admit I was wrong. "But it was never official..."

"Does everything have to have a title? Can't we just be us and be happy together? Isn't that enough for you? Everything doesn't have to be Facebook official, you know."

That was one of the most touching things I've ever heard. I don't know if it was really that sweet and meaningful or if I was just an emotional mess (from PMS or other things), but I was close to tears. "You're still angry, aren't you?"

"Just disappointed is all."

"I didn't know how you felt about me, Eli...I didn't know."

"Wasn't it obvious how much I liked you? Then you had to go off with Collin. Then I catch you two having sex?"

"I told him to stop before you got there, Eli."

"Didn't seem that way," he muttered.

"So are we just friends now? No more dates? No more...anything?"

"I just need some time to think." He sighed heavily again and added quietly, "I just wish this had never happened."

I nodded. "Yeah, I understand, but it's not like this was going to be a long-term relationship anyways. We both agreed it would just be a summer thing, right?" He gave me a small, curt nod. "And besides, there's always Rachel for you."

A faint smile crossed his face. "Yeah, there's always Rachel."

Maybe instead of dating him and keeping his mind off of her, I should try to get them back together. Humans were selfish creatures though, and I was human. I wanted him all to myself. But it was nearly impossible because his heart had belonged to someone else for so long. I liked him but I wasn't trying to hurt anyone, and I know that taking Rachel away was taking away a huge part of him.

The car pulled up in front of the apartment, a single light was on, shining in the dark. I watched two raindrops slide from the top of the window sparkling brightly and crossing paths while racing each other to the bottom. I turned to look at Eli and said,

"Call me when you're ready to talk. Thanks for picking me up and dropping me off."

"Okay."

"Oh, and Eli?"

"Yeah?"

"My friends from New York are coming next Thursday to meet you."

Before he could give me a response, I slammed the door and fled inside. Dakota was pacing in the living room with his hands balled into tight fists. His head snapped up and he enveloped me in a tight hug.

He pulled away to examine me, taking in my wet and bedraggled appearance. "I've been worried sick about you. Why didn't you pick up any of my calls? Why you didn't tell me you were going out? I thought something was wrong..." His worried face searched mine with a tiny glint of accusation in his eyes.

"I was at a party..."

"This late? And why are you so wet?

"The party ended a while ago..."

"That doesn't explain why you're wet."

"It's raining?"

"Ash, just quit avoiding the question, tell me the truth. I won't be mad. I'm just happy you're okay."

"I didn't really have a ride home."

"Why didn't you call me?"

Here we go again. "My phone was dead."

"Who'd you even go with?"

"Eli..."

"And where was he?"

"We got into a fight and he left."

"That little-"

"It wasn't his fault," I interjected, defending him.

"He shouldn't have left you," he decided firmly. "You don't know your way around town, you hardly know anyone, and you don't even have a car. Wait-how did you even get home?"

"Eli," I said brightly.

He scoffed. "At least he had the decency to pick you up, even though he was a little late. Now, go dry off, put on some warm pajamas-none of that skimpy crap-and get to bed."

I nodded and followed his orders. I didn't even realize that I still had Eli's sweater until I started to change into my sweatpants and t-shirt. Even though it was drenched, it still carried the scent of him. Yes, like a stalker, I smelled it, inhaling the familiar and safe scent of him. If I was feeling desperate to talk to him later, and he still didn't contact me, it would give me an excuse to talk to him. I threw it in the hamper and curled up under the covers, wishing that I hadn't gone to that party and that things had gone differently.

***

I woke up the next morning, looking and feeling, like crap. My hair was a knotted mess and I felt as if my body had just gone through a hurricane, tornado, and blizzard all combined. All that rain last night must've gotten me sick. At least the issue with my hair was easy to fix. I ran a brush through my long, blonde hair, wincing as it tugged on the tangles in jerky motions. After being somewhat satisfied with it, I threw it in a high ponytail. I loved how it swished and made me feel freer rather than when it was down. It was like my hair was in some sort of prison. Maybe I should just chop it all off. I studied myself in the mirror, rearranging pieces to see what it would look like short. I washed myself with lukewarm water and dragged myself to the kitchen.

I sat up straight, my senses suddenly awakened by the steam coming off of the plate of pancakes Dakota set in front of me. "I'm glad that got you out of your mood. They're chocolate chip."

I smiled weakly and sunk my fork into the pile. I don't know who taught him to cook, but I owed them a big 'ol thank you. If he hadn't learned any useful things in college, like cooking, my life in Jangles would've been pretty miserable. Just thinking of eating all those instant breakfasts via toaster everyday made me sick.

What was I doing? I was moping around like a girl who had just gotten her heart broken. My heart wasn't broken, not by Eli anyway. So why was I so depressed? I didn't love Eli, I knew I didn't. Sure, I liked him, but that was no reason to be sad. What I needed was to get out and have a little fun. Olivia wouldn't be here until Thursday, and right now, it seemed like a lifetime away. I wasn't even sure if I had friends anymore. After our "breakup", they might've decided to side with Eli's. After all, they were his first. I thought about tripping over someone else, but something told me that they wouldn't be as nice as Eli had been about it.

Suddenly, an idea came over me. When Olivia drives down here, I could hitch a ride back with her to New York. I didn't have to stay here for the rest of summer vacation. I could go home and have the summer I had originally planned on having. I would spend every night clubbing and partying with my friends-a sure guarantee of fun. But that would mean leaving my shaky summer romance with Eli. There were far more pros than cons with staying with Eli; I was positive that if we stayed together I would have the time of my life, a summer to remember-which was what I wanted in the first place.

The reasons to stay and go evened each other out, so I decided to wait and make my decision until the end of Olivia's stay. If the storm between Eli and I had calmed by then, I would stay. If they didn't, I would leave.

"Honey, I'm home!" Cayden called as he shut the door.

I raised an eyebrow. I thought he had disappeared off the edge of the earth. I haven't seen him for days and he suddenly shows up. "Why were you gone so long?"

He smirked. "Missed me that much, huh?"

I snorted. "You wish."

"If you must know, I was visiting a college."

"But, you already graduated? How you did it, I'm still not sure."

He rolled his eyes. "I missed the sorority girls."

I pretended to gag. "Gross."

"But I abandoned them as soon as Dakota told me about your little breakup."

I shot Dakota an accusing glare. "You told him?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I might've told a couple people."

"When did you find the time to do this?"

"This morning when you were snoring your pretty little heart out."

I sent him one last disdaining look before turning to Cayden, who plopped down in the seat across from me. He gave me a sympathetic smile. "Are you okay, Ash? Breakups are hard, or so I'm told. I'm always the dumper, not the dumpee."

"We weren't dating. We just went on dates."

"Still rejected."

"You're not helping, Cayden," I gritted. "And he's just taking time off to think, that's all. Besides, it's not like I'm in love with him or anything."

"Sorry, but you do like him."

"Yes," I admitted, "but it's just a crush. I'll get over it."

"You're stubborn." He shrugged. "Just make him jealous and he'll come crawling back to you in a heartbeat."

It was an intriguing idea that I certainly considered, but I had decided against it. It would just make him even more mad at me. Although, hypothetically speaking of course, if I were to use his plan, who would I use to make him jealous with? "There's a hole in your idea. I don't really know any single guys."

"Uh...me."

"You're old."

"I'm not that old! I'm only six years older than you."

I grunted. "Only six."

"C'mon, let me do it! You want him back, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"No buts. We're going on a date today."

"It still feels weird."

"It'll be good for you, Ash," Cayden encouraged.

He seemed to be a little overly nice, but I suppose he was just being a good friend. I hesitated before nodding. One little date couldn't really hurt anybody. Besides, past Ashlyn would've swooning at the chance to go on a date with Cayden. Cayden grinned at me while Dakota seemed uneasy about all of this. He probably thought I needed it, otherwise he would've said something earlier.

"We're going to the beach."

"But that's mine and Eli's spot," I said dejectedly.

"Good. It'll fuel up the jealousy." I didn't want to hurt Eli more than he already was, but Cayden was a guy, and he knew about these kinds of things. "Go get dressed. We're going to spend the entire day together searching anonymously for Elijah."

I changed into a loose tank top and a pair of denim shorts. I wore my bikini under it, just in case we decided to go swimming. I got into the passenger seat of his car and he drove off. "It's just pretend, right?" I confirmed.

He nodded. "Just pretend."

As soon as we stepped foot on the beach, my eyes started scanning for Eli. His soft, russet-colored curls were nowhere to be found.

"Let's put this plan into action." Cayden grabbed my hand we started walking along the shore. The feeling wasn't like when I was with Eli, but it was nice enough.

We spent the majority of the morning and afternoon in a coupley position and talking about random things. He told me some more embarrassing stories of Dakota and some of the other members of their "crew." I couldn't put a face to a name, but I'm sure if I saw them I would recognize some of them. We went to restaurants, parks, and anywhere else I could think of that Eli would go to, besides people's houses of course. I wasn't that much of a stalker.

Much to my disappointment, we didn't run into him. Not once.

We followed the same routine the next day.

And the next.

And the day after that.

Needless to say, it got repetitive.

Soon, Wednesday rolled around. After having Cayden rub sunscreen on my back, and just my back, I basked in the heat of the sun to tan. A shadow loomed over me, turning the golden light that was shining into my eyes into a darkish blue-like the color of a bruise. I opened my eyes to yell at the person to move out of the way, but then I saw who it was.

A leggy pregnant woman was glaring at me with her hands placed on her hips. "Why haven't you called us?" Isabella demanded.

"Uh...Eli and I got into a fight."

She gestured for me to stand up. When I did, she punched my arm with as much force as a pregnant teenager could. I winced and rubbed it. "Ouch!" I wailed.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a baby."

"Speaking of babies, how is yours?"

She rubbed her tummy lovingly. The bathing suit she was wearing outlined her slight baby bump beautifully. You couldn't really notice it unless you looked closely and you knew it was there. It was hard to believe that she was carrying a life in there and responsible for not only her, but her unborn child as well.

"She's fine," she said with a dreamy expression on her face.

"You found out the gender?"

"No," she laughed. "I just think it's going to be a girl, but that's enough about us. I had to find out from Aaron about your so-called breakup. I was hoping, as your girlfriends, that if you guys had a rough patch, you would come to us! I had so many things planned in case this happened."

"You were anticipating it?"

"No, but it's nice to have a backup, you know?"

"Yeah, but I didn't think you guys would want to talk to me after that. I mean, you guys were Eli's friends first and I just thought-"

She sighed and let out another laugh. "But we're your friends to now."

I smiled, feeling a fuzzy feeling spread throughout my body. "Thanks, Isabella."

"Izzy," she corrected. "Isabella sounds too formal for me."

"Izzy. So now that I know we're okay, how would you like to meet some of my friends from New York? Oh! And tell Zander that his girlfriend will be coming!"

"We get to meet Cheyenne?" she squealed.

"Yup!"

"When are they going to be here?"

"Uh, they should be here tomorrow."

She clapped excitedly. "I can't wait! I'm going to go tell the others. Have fun sunbathing!"

She winked and skipped off. I chuckled lightly to myself. Isabella and her mood swings. Depending on her mood, she could act like the coldest or nicest person. I didn't realize babies could cause that much of a change. I hope my mom wouldn't get pregnant anytime soon. Selfish, I know. But it's not like she would want another kid. Although Phil and her are probably having plenty of sex on their cruise...Alright, enough with the scarring mental pictures. Think about bunnies, cats, anything but this. 

"Who was that?" Cayden asked. "She was hot."

"You think everyone's hot."

He looked around and pointed to a wrinkly, old woman in a bikini. "Not that lady."

"Cayden!" I scolded. "That's rude."

He shrugged. "It's true, and I speak the truth! So are you planning on introducing me to her or what?"

"She has a boyfriend," I deadpanned.

"Like that's ever stopped me before." How classy.

"They're childhood lovers. It's actually really cute-"

"But she was hot!" he whined.

I almost said that she was pregnant, but I caught it before it slipped out. I wouldn't want to betray her trust by telling a very important secret to someone she didn't even know. "They're in a committed relationship and you won't break them up. Am I clear?" I raised an eyebrow to show him that I met business.

"Crystal," he sighed dejectedly, but he bounced back rather quickly. "I met a girl named Crystal once..."

He then proceeded to plunge into stories of his ex-girlfriends and how happy/miserable they made him. If we were on an actual date, it would've been over a long time ago.

***

I frantically skittered around the house, picking up dirty laundry and trash. I wanted everything to be clean for my guests. I blew up an air mattress for Cheyenne and Olivia to sleep on. I made sure that there was an avalanche of pillows and blankets. They needed to be comfortable. Scottie was going to sleep in my bed; he always does. Although I'm sure it would take him awhile to get used to the new location.

I didn't get much sleep last night. I was constantly tossing and turning, anxious for them to show up. I knew perfectly well that they might not be here before dark, but there was always that sliver of hope.

I turned on the TV, satisfied with the condition of the apartment. Bridezillas was on, but I could pay less attention it. It served as background noise. I was daydreaming of the moment that Olivia, Cheyenne, and Scottie would get here. My knee was bouncing and I had a huge grin pasted across my face. Every minute I was glancing out the window to check whether or not they were here yet.

At around one in the afternoon, my frequent glances paid off. I practically leaped to the door in one bound and ran out to greet them in the parking lot. I threw open the driver's door and pulled Olivia into a tight hug.

"Liv! You made it here safe. How was your trip? Was Scottie good for you? I can't believe you're actually here!" I gushed.

Olivia let out her signature giggle. "One question at a time, Ash! Yes, I did make it here safe. The trip was okay. Scottie was great. And believe it!"

I hugged her again. "When do you have to go home?"

She looked at me in a puzzled way. "I just got here and you want me to leave already? If you just wanted to see my face, we could've just Skyped."

"No! I just want to know how much time I have with my best friend until she has to go back home."

"You have a week. We would stay longer, but Allie has to get back to start her new summer job." Allie? I didn't realize that she was coming. I mean, I didn't mind her here, but it was just unexpected.

"Ashlyn! Way to greet me," Cheyenne pouted, throwing herself at me and pushing Liv away.

"Hey, Chey! It's so good to see you!"

"I can't wait to meet Zander in person!"

I smiled. "You'll love him. He's hilarious."

"Yada yada yada, you can't kiss through Skype."

I laughed. Same old Cheyenne. I had a feeling that Zander and her would get along great, but something tells me that they wouldn't do a lot of talking. As soon as I wretched my way out of Cheyenne's grip, Allie tackled me. The end of her shiny, red ponytail brushed across my cheek.

"Parties aren't as much fun without you!" she laughed, stepping back from me. "We need to go to tons to make up for lost time. Oh, and the beach! I need some serious tanning time."

I nodded. "Of course we'll go to the beach. It's what Jangles is known for. And I guess we can go to a party if you want."

"I do want! Ah, yes. I forgot. This is Florida, the sunny state. I can't wait! Hey, that rhymed. I'm a poet and I didn't even know it." She winked.

I smiled and looked around. "Now, where's my Scottie?"

As if on cue, the little white terrier jumped out of the car and scampered towards me eagerly. "Hi, baby," I cooed, stroking him. "Were you good for Aunt Liv? Don't go near Dakota, okay?"

He barked happily and stuck his tongue out.

I smiled and patted his head. I turned to Olivia. "Did he go to the bathroom yet?"

She nodded. "Just went."

I set Scottie in the house and let him explore his new surroundings. I had already prepared water and food dishes for him. I wasn't worried about him not finding it; he'd smell it out.

"Now if there aren't anymore unexpected people, let's get your luggage inside and party! Us, not the luggage."

Olivia, Cheyenne, and Allie exchanged uneasy looks, like they shared some secret that I didn't know. I didn't like the feeling. I was always the one in on these things, not out of the loop. I narrowed my eyes. "What are you guys hiding from me?" I asked suspiciously.

"Don't forget about me, Ashy."

The voice made my blood run cold, paralyzing me. I knew that voice. It was all too familiar. I had heard it everyday for years. It was the voice of Liam, my ex boyfriend. It was Liam, the reason why my heart was broken. He was here.

I plastered on the fakest smile I could at the moment and turned around. "Liam, what are you doing here?"

"Just coming to see one of my close friends, that's all."

I mentally scoffed. Close friends, yeah right. Some exes can be friends, just not Liam and I. We weren't lethal enemies, but he wasn't one of my favorite people. "It's good to see you, Liam." I wasn't going out of my way to be rude. We might as well be civil as long as he was here.

"What? I don't get a hug?"

He held his arms open expectantly and started walking towards me. I glanced at Allie, who was looking a bit uncomfortable. Ah, right. I was a split second away from being hugged by her boyfriend. He tugged me towards him like there was no awkward tension in the air. Nostalgia surged through me. We used to hug quite a bit when we were dating. He was a big cuddler.

"I've come back to meet your friends and you've already moved on?" Eli's voice rang in my ears. There was a hint of an accusation.

I pushed Liam off of me and saw Eli standing on the sidewalk, his hands shoved into the pockets of his cargo shorts. He looked as perfect as ever. "Eli...you came?"

"Yeah...I thought we could talk before your friends got here, but I guess I'm too late."

"We can still talk. I bet they want to look around in the apartment," I said, dropping hints to my friends.

Olivia didn't take it. Instead, she pushed past me hopped towards Eli. She stuck out her hand. "Hi! I'm Olivia, Ashlyn's best friend. You must be Elijah. Ashlyn's told me a lot about you."

Shut up, Olivia. Couldn't she just keep her mouth shut? That was just another piece of information that Eli would use later on to tease me.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh really?" he smirked

"Totally. She won't shut up about you. It's always Eli this, Eli that."

"Good to know," he said slyly. "Who's the dude?"

Allie slinked her arm through Liam's possessively. "I'm Allie and this is Liam, my boyfriend."

Eli sent me a brief, questioning look and I shrugged in response. "It's nice to meet you. Now where's Zander's girl?"

He looked over my shoulder for Cheyenne. She stepped up shyly and tucked a strand of long, brown hair being her ear. She held her hand out. "Cheyenne."

"Elijah." He grinned widely, finally meeting his buddy's girlfriend. "Zander should be here any minute with the others." His attitude towards Cheyenne was completely different from the others. He was more welcoming.

All of them were coming? Oh, good. They could entertain each other while Eli and I talked. And if they refused to, I'm sure I could convince Alexis and Olivia to. People listened to them.

Cars started to roll in. As they got out of their respective cars, I was reminded of the Cullen's from Twilight. They were all so...glamorous in a non-showy way. I made introductions and shooed them all into the living room, with little help from Olivia and Alexis, who were busy gossiping about Eli and I. Zander was using all of his best pickup lines on Cheyenne, who was giggling furiously. Eli and I stayed outside to talk privately.

"That's Liam? As in, ex-boyfriend Liam?" he demanded as soon as the door closed.

I sighed. "Yes, that's Liam." His fists were balled up as he made a move for the door. I sidestepped, blocking his path. "Eli, stop."

"He hurt you, Ash!"

"That was the past."

"He's hurting you now, isn't he? Because he's here?"

"No, Eli. The only person who's hurting me is you."

"I don't like him staying with you."

"That's not really up to you, now is it?" He was acting like the clingy boyfriend again and I didn't like it.

"I can't believe you're together again," he muttered. "When were you going to tell me?"

What was he talking about? "Together? With who? Liam?"

Have me a 'duh' look.

I laughed. "You think I'm with Liam? That's ridiculous. He's with Allie. She already told you that." My expression got harder. "Why would I have to tell you? You're the one who broke it off, remember? These were your exact words, 'whatever you and I had is over.' Does that ring any bells?"

"I told you I needed time to think, didn't I?"

I pulled my hair and let out a frustrated scream. "You're so infuriating, Eli! You've told me both things, but I have no idea what any of it means! We're over, I need time to think. They both sound like breakup lines to me."

"Wouldn't we need to be together to break up?"

"So you admit it that we weren't together?" He nodded. "Then why the hell did you get mad at me back at the party? Huh?"

"I told you I liked you!" he screamed back. "And now you're with Liam. I bet anything that he wants you back."

I rolled my eyes. "He's just here for a week. I didn't even know that he was going to be here, so stop being a jealous brat. And even if he was trying to get me back or whatever, which he's not, I told you I liked you, didn't I? Why don't you trust me?"

"Does the name Collin ring any bells?"

"That was a mistake, Eli. People make mistakes. And besides, it wouldn't have even gotten to that point if you had just believed me when I told you I wasn't flirting."

"But you were."

"It was harmless. I came to the party with you. I spend pretty much everyday with you. I like you. Get it through your head!"

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "My pretty little head?"

I knew at that instant that we had just made up. He was cracking jokes, just like old times, well as old as it could get since we only met a month or so ago. He had forgiven me. I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, you're pretty little head. I'm sorry, Eli."

"I think you can make it better with a kiss," he said, shutting his eyes and puckering his lips dramatically.

I giggled and shook my head unbelievably. I was tempted to take a picture, but decided against it. I wanted to kiss him, too. I pressed my lips lightly against his for about a couple seconds before pulling away. Even if we were only apart for a week, I missed this. I missed us.

"Tease," he muttered.

He wanted a tease? I'll give him a tease. I slowly peppered kisses on his face; cheeks, beneath his ear, and around his lips, but never quite got to them. "Screw the one kiss rule," he whispered, smashing his lips against mine. They moved urgently in sync with each other, like we were lovers who haven't seen each other in years.

I smirked. "Fine, we'll get rid of that rule. But right now, I need to go entertain my guests."

"Uh, Cutie? I think they already are entertained. Those dirty perverts."

"What are you talking abo-"

His eyes flickered to the window. By the time I turned around, I saw the curtain swishing. They were spying on us! I stormed inside with my hands on my hips. "Have you guys ever heard of privacy?" I demanded.

They all looked at me with innocent eyes, except for Blake, Taylor, and Liam. Blake had his usual nonchalant face on, Taylor was giggling to no end, and Liam looked like he had just taken a bite of a lemon.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ash," Olivia spoke up.

"How much of that did you see?"

"Enough," Aaron coughed. "Keep it PG-13. Taylor's not allowed to see that kind of stuff."

"Like she hasn't done enough with Blake," Zander teased.

Blake pushed Zander roughly and growled, "What did I say about those comments?"

Zander rubbed his arm, pouting. "Geez someone's pushy. Get it? It was a pun!"

The only one who laughed at his incredibly lame joke was Cheyenne, who found everything funny. Those two were meant to be.

"What were you two fighting about?" Allie asked curiously.

Uh-oh. I didn't tell any of my friends from New York about my "relationship" issues. I was going to receive a mighty fine lecture from Olivia later, who was already mad enough that I didn't tell her about Eli when I met him.

"It doesn't matter now. It's all done and dealt with."

Allie shrugged and snuggled further into Liam, who lifted an eyebrow questioningly. I ignored him.

"Let's go to the beach!" Olivia cried.

Everyone piled into their cars, with Alexis and Marcus leading the way. As usual, I rode with Eli. I wanted to ride with Olivia, but she didn't have any room because Zander wanted to ride along with Cheyenne.

When we got to the beach, the girls and the guys went their separate ways, with the exception of the newly joined couple (Cheyenne and Zander). They all went off to a different, more secluded, part of the beach. No surprise when Liam got along great with the others guys, other than Eli, who still hated him after what I told him. Aside from our breakup, Liam was a pretty cool guy to hang out with.

Olivia, Allie, and Alexis were chatting animatedly about designer clothing. Isabella could care less about name brands, so she and I were discussing baby names. Taylor was stuck between both conversations, piping up when she had something to say and going with the flow. That's one of the things I admired most about her; her carefree and happy attitude. It was just so contagious.

"How's the baby?" I asked.

"Wonderful. I think I'm starting to show. I should buy looser tops. I don't know how much longer I can take strangers eyeing me like I got knocked up by a stranger from a one night stand so young," Isabella sighed.

"Your parents approve, your friends now, so who cares about random strangers?"

She beamed. "You're absolutely right, Ash. I shouldn't care what they think. I'm carrying the love of my life's baby and we're going to be one happy family-whoa. That was a mouthful!"

"So what did you decide on names?" Taylor chirped.

"If it's a boy, we're thinking about Ian. If it's a girl, then maybe Rhylee. Aaron likes Jackson, but I turned that down. Whenever I hear that name all I can think of is Hannah Montana."

Aaron came over and sternly said to Isabella, "We need to talk."

For a split second, she looked alarmed. "Alright, excuse me, ladies. Aaron needs to 'talk,'" she mocked, laughing. Aaron helped her up and they disappeared.

"I wonder what they're talking about," Taylor marveled aloud.

"It's probably nothing serious."

"I don't know...Aaron looked pretty serious. I'm going to make Blake get me some ice cream. I'll be right back!" she cheered suddenly, running to him.

Taylor and Blake were too adorable. They were so perfect together, even though they were complete opposites. I guess the saying 'opposites attract' came into play. Blake twirled her around like she weighed nothing, which was probably true, and carried her like a surfboard to an ice cream truck. Her arms were wrapped around his waist to make sure he didn't drop her, which I doubted her ever would. I think the only reason he even let go of her was to make sure he didn't seem too clingy.

The remaining guys made their way over to us. Marcus sat down next to Alexis, set her in his lip, and kissed her forehead. "No PDA," Eli said.

"I seem to remember you and Ashlyn showing some outside earlier," he shot back.

My cheeks reddened. "We were in privacy," Eli retorted.

"I wouldn't call outside privacy."

"I wish I had brought Nate," Olivia whined. "Everyone here has someone but me."

"Aw, come here," Dylan cooed, opening his arms. "Prescott and I can be your boyfriends for the week."

"We will?" Prescott asked.

"Yes, we will," Dylan said with authority in his voice. Prescott shrugged.

"No one here is cuddling with me," Eli said, sending me a smug look.

"I'm sure Prescott would be willing to," I answered slyly.

"But I want youuu," he sang. He was too cute for his own good. I rolled my eyes and scooted over to him. "Now this is much better."

"Idea!" Alexis cried. "We can go on a big date."

"But I don't have a date," Olivia pointed out. "And I'm not going with these two, no offense to you guys."

"No offense taken," they replied in unison.

"Maybe I just shouldn't go. I don't want to be the fifteenth wheel."

"Go with Cayden," I suggested. Cayden wouldn't mind. Olivia was totally hot.

"Hm, I've never been with an older man before..."

"Good, it's settled. Date night!" Alexis clapped her hands.

"Where exactly are we going?" Marcus asked. "And will it cost me a pretty penny?"

"I suppose we could go to Jitter's..." Eli suggested.

Alexis scrunched her nose. "Again? Why don't we just go see a movie in Periniam?"

I was torn between both ideas. I loved Jitter's because they had great food and I wanted my friends to experience that with me. But on the other hand, Eli and I could cuddle in the movies. Cayden would sit there awkwardly at the diner with us, whereas in the movie he could actually watch the movie, not participating in any small talk. I guess I could always take them to Jitter's later...

"I like that idea," I said.

While everyone was throwing out movie ideas, Eli whispered to me, "We're not watching the same movie as them."

"Why not? What if I want to watch whatever they pick?"

"Then we'll go some other time. We're sneaking off."

"To see a different movie?"

He shrugged. "Or we could do something else..."

"Nah, let's watch a movie. I'd feel weird if I left my friends alone with yours."

"So what movie should we watch?"

"Shouldn't we wait to see what they're going to see?"

"Oh...yeah." I chuckled and flicked his nose.

"Aren't you two just the cutest things ever?" Olivia gushed. "This was a match made in heaven!"

"You know it's just for the summer, Liv."

She folded her arms and stuck her lip out. "It's still cute," she muttered.

"Wait-it's just for the summer?" Alexis asked. "So you guys already decided that you're breaking up when Ashlyn goes home?"

I nodded. "There's no point in a long distance relationship."

Isabella and Aaron came back grinning like idiots. Something just happened, and I'm pretty sure they didn't just do some talking like Aaron said they would.

***

"Why is he still here?" I asked, gesturing to Liam.

"Baby, get out. We're having girl talk," Allie said, giving him a kiss as she pushed him out the door.

"But Scottie's a boy and he gets to stay."

I hugged Scottie's squirming body. "Scottie's a dog who can't understand what we're talking about."

Liam grumbled something and exited reluctantly.

"So what do you guys think of him?" I asked, stretching out on the bed.

"He's cute. Why do you get all the good ones?" Allie pouted.

I wanted to remind her that she was dating my ex, but decided against it. It would just make her feel worse about, to put it crudely, dating my leftovers.

I grinned and turned to Olivia. Her opinion mattered the most to me. "I like him."

"That's it? You don't have a reason why?"

On her face was a small smile and a thoughtful look. "There's just something about him."

"That helps so much," I said sarcastically.

"Why do you even care? Does it really matter what I think?"

"Of course it does! You're my best friend."

"But you said so yourself. It's just a summer romance, so it's not like you're going to get married."

When someone other than Eli or me brought that up, I don't know why it disappointed me so much. Was it wrong that neither of us wanted to try to have it after the summer ended? Was it so weird that we had an expiration date on our relationship? "We should have a boy's perspective," Cheyenne suggested. "Why not ask Liam?"

"I'm not really a big fan of speaking to Liam, especially asking him for boy advice."

"You don't have to talk to him, just listen."

"Liam!" Allie sang. "You can come back now."

Not even a second later, the door swung open. He bowed. "You called, m'lady?"

"Oh stop that!" Allie blushed. "Now, Ash wants to ask you a question."

"Do I really need his opinion?"

"Yes!" the three of them chorused. I didn't really see why I need his opinion, but maybe it was just me.

"What's your question, Ashy?"

I flinched when he called me the nickname that was once endearing. You'd think he'd stop calling me that because we were over, but he didn't. Allie didn't look too happy about that either, but I guess she found a way to block out his constant flirting. His full attention was on me.

"What do you think of Eli?" I mumbled.

"I don't like him," he replied simply.

"Figures...why not?"

"Because he's not right for you." 

I sensed a double meaning in his words, but I didn't say anything about it. "Thanks, you can leave now."

He shook his head. "I don't think so. I'm not going out there with your brother and his friend. They're being weird."

I sighed and agreed to let him stay. Knowing them, they were probably talking about stupid boy things that Liam had no interest in. Either that or they were interrogating Liam. We had to change the sleeping arrangements since we had two more people than originally planned.

Olivia and Cheyenne quickly claimed Dakota's room, who volunteered to sleep on the couch. He wanted to watch late night TV, no doubt. Liam and Allie were left to sleep on the blow up bed, which I was a little hesitant about. I didn't know how comfortable they were going to be sleeping together, but apparently they do it all the time.

I barged into Dakota's room. "Why are the lovebirds here? Did you invite them?"

"It's Chey's fault," Olivia immediately blamed. "She was babbling on about visiting you in front of them and they wanted to come."

Cheyenne sent Olivia a glare for ratting her out. "Liam was really persistent."

"I'm tired. Get out." Olivia pointed to the door. "And close the door on the way out, please."

"It's nice to see you two, too. Good night, losers," I said dryly.

I went back to my own room and laid out a ground rule for the couple. "There is absolutely no sex in my room or under this roof."

Allie giggled. "We wouldn't dream of it."

Liam's arms snaked around Allie. "I don't know, baby. It'd be kind of taboo. You know what they say, rules are meant to be broken."

My hands flew up immediately and covered my eyes. "Please agree to my conditions."

I felt Liam's hand on my knee. "Relax, Ashy. We're not going to do the dirty."

"You better not...or else."

Liam rolled his eyes and tackled Allie, who let out yet another high pitched giggle. "Not in front of Ashlyn!" she squealed.

I groaned internally and covered my head with a pillow. This was going to be a longer night than I expected it would be.

After listening to Allie and Liam whisper all night, it then occurred to me that I could've slept just in Dakota's bedroom. I would've had a quiet night to myself since Olivia and Cheyenne were exhausted. And since my patience with them was running thin, still a bit irritated that both of them were dating, I threw a pillow at them. It helped me let off some steam and they got the message to shut up. Minutes later, I heard light snores coming from Allie. She always did manage to go to sleep rather quickly.

"Ashy," Liam whispered loudly.

"Don't call me that."

"Okay...Ashy." I knew him well enough to know that he was smirking.

"What do you want, Liam?"

"You."

I uncovered my head with the pillow I was using and looked down at him. "Excuse me?"

"I want you back, Ashy."

Is that why he came all the way here? Because he wanted me back? That was cute. He thought there was an even the slightest chance that we were getting back together. What kind of medication was he on? And what nerve did he have to say while his girlfriend was on the floor, sleeping right next to him. He had some audacity to think that I might crawl back to him.

I scoffed. "Too bad."

He got up from his air mattress and sat on my bed. "Why not?"

"Because you're with Allie."

"Oh her? I can dump her, Ashy. I didn't like her that much anyway."

"Liam. You can't just string her along until something or someone better comes along."

"That's the thing! No one's going to be better than you, Ashy. Letting you go was the worst mistake of my life."

"It sucks for you then, doesn't it?"

"Yeah...it does. Why won't you take me back? I know you still love me."

"Part of me will always love you, Liam. You were my first love, but you're not going to be my last. I drew the line when you cheated on me for the gazillionth time. I drew another line when you started dating one of my best friends. If you really wanted me back, you wouldn't have done that. If you really loved me, none of that would've happened. You made your choice, Liam." I looked at him, the orange glow of my lamp casting a shadow over half of his face and said quietly, "And it wasn't me."

"I can change, Ashy. I will change. For you."

"Change for someone else...we're done."

"It's because of that Elijah kid, isn't it?"

"He's not a kid. He's a year older than us."

"So it is because of him. What's the point in even dating him if it's only for the summer? You have to think about the logical part in this. Be smart and think about what you really want."

"What I really want is to spend my summer with Eli as my boyfriend, not you."

"Okay, I can hold up until the school year starts."

"Liam, nothing's going to change between me and you."

"Take me back, Ashlyn. You won't regret it."

If he had looked at me with those warm, chocolaty eyes a year ago, and said the same thing that he's saying now, I would've been putty in his hands. I would've taken him back in an instant. But I was stronger now, so I didn't melt. Okay, I did, but not enough to take him back. "No is no, Liam. Go back to your own bed with your girlfriend and let me sleep."

He sighed, nodding understandingly, and left my bed.

I really hoped this was the last time he was going to attempt something like this. I didn't know what my breaking point is and I didn't want to know. Besides, Eli wouldn't be happy it. Why I was obsessing about a guy that I was going to break up with at the end of summer, I don't know. Like Olivia said, there was just something about him. And it made my heart flutter, twirl, and feel somewhat whole again.

Hey guys :) I hope this loong chapter was worth the wait! It disappoints me that you guys have no faith in Eli! Not one of you thought it was him who picked her up! Tsk, tsk. Anywho, I'm wondering if you guys say Elly or E-lie. I say Elly! He's a sweetie :)

Picture of Scottie and if you haven't already seen the trailer, it's there too! -->