Song of the chapter: Never Be – 5 Seconds of Summer (This was literally playing in my mind as I wrote this chapter)

Emilia's POV

If there were a time where I would want to see Ashton the most, it would be now.

I tighten my grip on my pen and begin writing down the different terms projected onto the white screen in the front of the classroom, not even caring that I'm writing sloppily and off-centered. My perfectionist side is scolding me for not rewriting the terms neatly, but the infatuated side of me is telling my perfectionist side to 'fuck off'.

I'm trying so hard to focus on the lecture and take notes, but I can't help but glance at the door every few minutes. I am so emotionally invested in Ashton right now and I just want to see his face, even if it's just a glimpse. It's like I'm waiting for Ash to come bursting through the door and causing a huge ruckus, disrupting the entire class. In a way, I wish he would just so that I know his tardiness isn't intentional.

Only five minutes left until class ends, and I haven't even received a text from Ash. I had ended up caving and sent him one earlier, but I never got a reply. I know that he would never intentionally ignore me without some unavoidable reason, but considering our current predicament, the tables may have turned. I refuse to believe that though. I know him better than that.

He is the one that insists we talk. I know he won't back out of it because of the way he initiated our kiss last night. He is just as eager as me to figure out where we stand. There is no doubt that something is going to change in our relationship when we do finally talk. We will either take two steps back or one step forward. I want to place my bet on the latter.

Professor Ross ends his lecture and dismisses us from class, and I make a haste exit out of the building. I pull the sleeves of my hoodie down past my hands, keeping my cold fingers warm from the declining temperature outside, and walk down the sidewalk to the parking lot. Julia had insisted that I drive her car to school from now on so that I don't have to walk in the cold weather. I don't really like driving, but I also don't like freezing my ass off, so I had reluctantly agreed.

Just as I reach the car and step inside, placing my backpack on the passenger seat, my phone goes off inside my pocket.

You know that overwhelming feeling of relief that basically feels like a bucket of cold water being poured over your head and cooling you off from the scorching heat? Yeah, that's the exact satisfying feeling that rushes through my entire body, down to the very tips of my fingers as I read the six pixilated letters spelling out the name of the idiot who left me guessing.

I end the annoying standard ringtone and press the phone to my ear. "Hello?" I say.

I was expecting to hear the familiar pitch of his voice from the receiver, but another voice answers. "Hey, Emmie, it's Calum," he whispers, leaving me confused and slightly disappointed.

"Why are you calling from Ashton's phone?" I ask. "And why are you whispering?"

"I came into Ashton's room to look for his headphones, and I found him here sleeping," he says. "He told us last night that he was excited to see you in class today, so I assumed he was already with you. If I had known he overslept, I would have let you known sooner."

So he was sleeping. That makes me feel a lot better knowing that he isn't hiding away and ignoring me. "That still doesn't explain why you're using his phone or whispering like you're about to commit some act of crime."

He chuckles softly. "I found his phone on the floor and noticed that there was a text from you asking where he was, so that's why I'm calling. As for the whispering, I'm still in his room and I don't want to wake him up."

I don't understand why he doesn't just leave the room. "Okay," I say. "Do you mind if I come over?"

"Not at all. I know that you two planned to talk anyway. Do you need one of us to pick you up?"

"No, I have Julia's car. I'll be over there in a few minutes."

"All right. Be safe!"

"I will."

I hang up the phone and place it back in my pocket before starting up the engine and backing out of the parking space. As I keep my eyes on the road in front of me, I notice how quiet it is in the car. The radio is turned off and the only sounds that can be heard are from the heater and the wind brushing against the windows. The silence makes me add pressure to the gas pedal, increasing my speed over the limit so that I can get to their house faster. To think that I used to live in this silence before...It's repulsive.

After avoiding being caught for speeding, I reach the old frat house and park in the driveway. Ashton's car is parked next to mine, and I am immediately filled with joy knowing that he's here. He may not have shown up to class and left me questioning if we may have handled our reunion impulsively, but that doesn't matter to me anymore. What matters is that he's here, I'm here, and we can finally get this over with—well, when he wakes up.

I gather my things and exit the car, shutting the door softly before ambling through the front door. They never seem to lock the door so I'm used to walking in like I own the place. Michael is the first to greet me, followed by Luke and Calum as I walk through the foyer and into the living room where they all sit lazily with their laptops. I stand behind the loveseat where Luke is situated and place my bag next to it.

"He's still asleep, but you can go up and wake him if you'd like," Michael says, breaking away from typing on the keyboard and running a hand through his chaotic hair. The red highlights that are mixed throughout his dark hair seem to be fading a bit. Luke and Calum just give me warm smiles and gesture for me to go upstairs.

No other words are exchanged between us as I nod and ascend the staircase. I feel a bit guilty not taking the time to talk to the other boys, but right now, all that matters to me is seeing Ash. As softly as I can, I turn the doorknob to his room and slowly push the white door open. Inside, the room is completely spotless; a major difference from the last time I was in here. I close the door behind me and look over to the sleeping boy occupying the full-sized bed.

He lies on his side, one arm tucked under his head and the other hovering over his bare torso. I try not to focus on the fact that he's shirtless, but I can't control my eyes from examining every line of the muscles adorning his fit body. His knees are bent and the blanket that should be covering his body hangs halfway off the bed. He must move a lot in his sleep. I tiptoe over to the edge of his bed, grabbing the fallen part of the blanket and draping it over his body to cover him properly, making sure not to stir him. I sit down on the floor in front of Ash, crossing my legs and placing my arms on the mattress which acts as a pillow as I rest my head on them.

In all the times that I have looked at Ashton, seeing him sleep right now would have to be my favorite.

His hair really has gotten long. The blond—almost light brown hair sweeps across his forehead, curling up is some places and falling just above his eyes. Every muscle in his face and body is relaxed; not a single twitch or movement to be seen other than the subtle rise and fall of his chest as he intakes the air around him. I extend my arm out from under my cheek and lightly graze my fingers across his forehead, brushing aside the stands of hair that have fallen near his eyes. I gently trace down his cheekbones to the corner of his partially open lips. There is light stubble running from his jaw line to under his chin and I can't help but giggle at the ticklish feeling as my fingers trace along the rough facial hair.

My laugh may have been a bit too loud as Ashton groans softly, his eyes fluttering open to meet mine. I bring my arm back to its previous position under my cheek and stare at the half-conscious Aussie who doesn't seem bewildered by my presence.

"I'm not still dreaming, right?" he asks, lifting his hand and poking the tip of my nose with his index finger. "Because I would be greatly disappointed if you were just a figment of my imagination teasing me at my bedside." His morning voice is a drastic difference to his regular voice. He could sing the alphabet right now and his husky voice would turn it into a sexy song. He stretches his arms and legs, shutting his eyes and letting out a long yawn.

The dark circles that were extremely bold under his eyes yesterday, have faded and he actually looks well-rested for the first time in two weeks. I gaze at him for a bit longer, taking in every aspect before smiling to myself.

"How did you sleep?" I ask.

"Really good actually," he says. "I haven't gotten that well of a night's sleep in a while until now, and I can thank you for that."

"What did I do?"

"You kissed me back." His sleepy smile and droopy eyes send my stomach on another trip to the zoo. "What time is it?" he asks, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with his knuckles.

"A little past noon," I mumble, consumed in taking in his sleepy features that vanish once he processes my words.

His eyes widen and he sits up and rests his weight on his forearms. The thin rays of sunlight streaming in from his window make his eyes narrow as if they are blinding him. He quickly adjusts to the bright light and turns to look at me. "Did I miss—"

I lift my head up and move to sit on the edge of the bed. "Yup."

"You were waiting for me in class, weren't you?" he says.

"Yep," I repeat.

Ashton rubs his hand down his face and then pushes back the hair that lies on his forehead. "Emilia, I am so sorry. I didn't hear any of my alarms go off. I hope you didn't think that I was ditching you or something."

"I know you better than that, but the thought did cross my mind once or twice," I say, rubbing the side of my arm.

"You know I would never do that." He locks his eyes on mine and I nod. "Hold on for a sec, okay?" Ashton scooches off the bed and walks out of his room, leaving me to sit awkwardly with my hands in my lap and kick my feet back and forth. After a few minutes, he returns back to the room—still shirtless might I add—and sits back down on the bed with me.

"Where'd you go?" I ask.

"I had to brush my teeth and tell the guys that they are dicks for not waking me up," he says, shrugging.

I play with the hem of my hoodie, twirling a loose thread around my finger partially out of anxiety and partially just because. It's by no means awkward between us. I thought that things would feel awkward after we kissed, but nothing seems to have changed. Well, except for the nonstop fluttering feeling in my stomach that seems to have intensified tenfold, but other than that, everything feels the same. I just think we don't know where to start this awaited conversation.

"Emilia?" he says. I love the way his accent adds emphasis to each syllable in my name.

As I stare into his hazel eyes, I can see that there is so much that he wants to say, but he doesn't know where to start. His expression is hard to read, and I just want to know what is going through his mind. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, readying himself for what he is prepared to say.

"Why did you run away?" he asks.

"I was caught off guard," I say. "I panicked and began over-thinking everything. One minute you were yelling about how you were angry with Natalie and the invitation to her wedding and the next, you were telling me that you love me and kissed me. It was all a bit overwhelming."

"I'm sorry that I scared you off like that," he says. "I wasn't in a good place then, but I'm back to normal now. I honestly thought I scared you off for good. When Luke told me he took you to Glendale, I was ready to hop in my car and drive to see you so that I could apologize. He didn't let me though. I was basically put on house arrest until you came home. You don't know how difficult it was to be away from you."

"I know how you feel. I guess we've just spent so much time together that it feels natural to be near each other at all times."

"We're so clingy," he jokes and I throw my head back in laughter. "I want to apologize for pushing you away last week." His face turns serious and I let my curved lips fall to a straight line. "When I got the invitation, it was like everything came crashing down on me. All I could think about was Natalie and what she did to me. I began drinking so much and basically ended up drunk every night."

"That's why there weren't any bottle on the fridge." It makes sense now. The missing bottles, the empty scotch that I found in his trash on Halloween; he was trying to find an escape from his past. I'm disappointed in him for even going to that level.

"Yeah." He rubs the back of his neck. "I'm not proud of myself and I know you aren't either. I shouldn't have let her take control of me like that. I wanted that invitation to have my name written on it, not Nathan's. It should have been mine and Natalie's wedding. But the simple truth is: It would never be our wedding. Even if things didn't end the way they did, our marriage wouldn't have lasted. It was a relationship built on empty promises and it's not something that I would ever want to put myself in again."

Ashton bows his head and stares down at the floor. "I was angry that she's marrying someone else after such a short period of time. I was angry that she invited me despite her betrayal to me. I was just...angry. And I took that out on you and the guys and I am so sorry for that. There is no excuse I can give to make up for what I did. When you yelled at me on Halloween, it helped me realize that Natalie can't dictate my life anymore. I was hesitant to get close to you because in the back of my mind, I believed that all girls would end of leaving me a broken man. But you..." He raises his head and the sheen from his eyes leaves me speechless.

"You helped me realize that that isn't true," he says. "I've always had trust and faith in you, and you never fail to show me that trusting you was the best decision I could have made. My friendship with you is the best thing that has happened to me I never thought that I could fall in love again, but you proved me wrong and I can't thank you enough for that."

"I'm not sure if I'm supposed to say 'you're welcome'," I say, causing him to laugh that beautiful laugh. I know this is a serious moment, but I can't help but lighten the mood a bit. I'm glad to finally know the full details of why he was acting so strange last week. But what I'm most glad about is that he is back to his normal self.

We sit in a comfortable silence for several seconds, unable to think of what to say next. I know that he likes me and I'm pretty sure that he knows that I like him, so why are we taking so long to get down to the point?

"I feel like we're making this whole 'talking' thing bigger than it needs to be," I say.

His eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think there's much to talk about." Ashton's face falters to disappointment. "No, not in a bad way or anything. I just mean that this should be a simple conversation." I may have no experience with real relationships, but I do know that I don't want this to be complicated.

His expression changes to one full of confidence. "Then let's make it simple," he says. "I don't plan to ever stop liking you."

"What do you plan to do?" I ask.

"I plan to hold your hand like this every day." He takes his hand in mine and intertwines our fingers, fitting perfectly together like a jigsaw puzzle. "I plan to tell you that you are without a doubt, the most beautiful girl that I have ever laid eyes on. I plan to annoy the living hell out of you like I always do when you're studying or working. I plan to always help you when you need someone. I plan to never let anything ruin our friendship because it is the most sacred thing to me. I plan to like you more and more as each day passes. However, I think my biggest plan that I'm going to put into action right now is to ask you to be my girlfriend and take you out on a date."

"That's some plan you got there."

"Impressive, isn't it?" He winks, giving me a toothy grin and showing off the beautiful craters in his cheeks. "Will you?"

"It's a good thing we have the same plan or else I would have to decline." My hand grips tighter around his. "I didn't get to say it yesterday, but I'll say it now: I like you, Ashton. And just like you, I don't ever want to stop." The words came out so natural and effortlessly. Like it was exactly what I was supposed to say. There is no doubt that this boy may have just ruined my life from the very moment I felt the icy liquid spill on my shirt two months ago. However, he ruined it in the best way possible, and I couldn't be happier about it.

"Say it again," Ashton demands softly. In a swift motion, his free hand finds its way to the crook of my neck and pulls me closer to him, not taking his eyes away from my dull ones even for a second.

"I like you," I whisper, scooting closer to him, our knees brushing against each other.

"Once more."

Almost silently, I repeat the words he so desires to hear. "I like you."

His face is mere centimeters from mine, and his warm breath fans over my skin. "Good, because whether you want me or not, you have me."

His lips press fiercely against mine, igniting a burning sensation throughout my entire body. His touch alone is enough to make my body fall completely limp and with the added feeling of our mouths working against each other, I feel like I can pass out at any moment.

When I was with Jared, none of his kisses had passion like Ashton's. They were always rushed, full of need, and one-sided. Not once did his kiss elicit sparks throughout my body, leaving me almost paralyzed. There was no feeling behind them; only lust.

But Ashton's...God. Ashton's kisses leave me feeling weightless. Like a feather flying in the autumn wind.

I turn my body slightly, making it easier to wrap my arms around him. My hands reach over his bare shoulders and trail up to his messy hair that I love, tugging it gently. He lets out a soft moan and places his hand around my waist, pulling me tightly against his warm body and deepening the kiss. Ashton begins to slowly lean me back until I am pressed securely against the mattress, not once detaching his lips from mine as he hovers over me.

His tongue swipes along my lower lip and just as I open my mouth to give him entrance, the bedroom door swings open. We disconnect from each other and look at the culprits who literally ruined the moment and it is none other than his dicks of best friends. Ashton buries his head in my neck and I can already feel the heat rising to my cheeks as his friends cheer us on.

"Finally!" Calum shouts, throwing his fists in the air.

I crane my neck to look over Ashton's head and view each of their stupid grins. I think they knew what was going on in here and they just wanted to put their two cents worth into this newfound relationship. I am slightly pissed off, but I'm also delighted to see how much they were looking forward to this.

Ashton groans, bringing his arm out from underneath me and flips them off. "Go away!" he says; his voice is muffled as he keeps his head in my neck. They follow his orders, praising us before leaving the room and closing the door behind them.

He lifts his head and rests his forehead on mine, looking lovingly into my eyes. "So did I make it to level five on your friendship scale?"

I scoff playfully. "You broke that scale long ago, my friend."

___

A/N:

ASDFGHJKL;

ASHLIA FINALLY HAPPENED! You don't know how many feels I had while writing this chapter. When I first started writing it, I deleted over 2k words because it just didn't play out the way I wanted it to. So I went with something different and it just became a breeze to write. I am actually happy with the way this turned out, except for the ending. I suck at endings, but yeah.

I am so torn between making the intimate moments less detailed and keeping it PG-13 or write it in a way that would change the rating to R. I really don't know because I have friends and family who reads this and I'm just like uhhhhh.....

What do you think? I want this to be a story that takes my readers in consideration. If you want me to write it maturely, I will. If not, I won't. I'll just have to hide myself in embarrassment from my family, haha. But seriously, I want to know your opinion.

So, what do you guys think of this chapter overall? Love it? Hate it? Indifferent?

Thank you all for voting and commenting. It makes me happy to know that you keep reading as each chapter comes out. All your kind words and praises make me feel like I'm actually doing well with my writing. You have let my story grow and spread to others and that's more than what I could've asked for.

Please continue to vote, comment, and share! I love you guys so, so much! Thank you for all your continued support! –Rebecca xoxoxoxoxoxo