Ashton's POV
The entire apartment is quiet except for the noise coming from the television in the living room that we forgot to turn off, the rotating of the ceiling fan blades, and the rhythmic sound of Emilia's breathing as she sleeps against me.
Lying here, holding herâit is the most tranquil feeling. Nothing matters right now, nothing except me and her. If I could stay like this with her pressed against me, her arms holding tightly around my waist, I would bend over backwards at the chance. In the few times that I have held her, the world around me dissipates, leaving me in pure ecstasy.
I adjust my arm and pull it out from under Emilia's body. After having it in that position for so long, my arm has become numb. She doesn't move an inch as I stretch my arm out and circle it around in the air, slowly regaining the feeling back. Instead of placing it back under her, I slowly move onto my side, careful not to let her head drop flat onto the mattress as I shift away from her.
The loss of her contact is unfortunate, but I can't allow myself to stay like that or else I'll fall asleep with her. I don't think Julia nor will the guys appreciate it if I say that I slept with Emilia on our first date (even though I don't mean sex), so I avoid any chance of that. Sex is probably the furthest thing from my mind. I can't say that I've never had sexual thoughts about Emmie because I have, but I never act upon them. It's been a while since I've had any, but I'm not really complaining. I don't even want to bring up sex with her because, yeah, Emmie is okay with the simple hand touches and me holding her, but I don't know how she will react on an intimate level. We'll just have to take it one step at a time.
I prop my head up with my hand and lie next to her, watching her peaceful expression as she sleeps soundly. She's so innocent, so child-like. I sound like such a creeper right now, but it's the only way to describe her.
When she told me more about her parents, I wasn't expecting them to be so much like...well, me. Their personalities match mine and they would do anything to make Emmie smile just like I do. We keep her happy and do all that we can to make sure no harm comes to her. Even though she no longer has her biological family with her, she has gained a new family: Julia, Michael, Calum, Luke, and me. This new family is small and we may not fill the gap from the loss of her parents, but we damn will try to be what she needs.
I continue to be the creep that I am until I hear the hinges squeak from the opening and closing of the front door. Light footsteps walk down the hallway and stop at Emilia's bedroom door. Julia pushes it open slightly and peaks her head into the dark room, looking around to see where we are. I sit up, putting as little pressure on the mattress as I can, and look over to Julia who is expressionless. She has never looked at me like that, and I can't help but think that I did something wrong.
Julia nods her head in the direction of the living room. She turns and walks back into the space and I follow quietly behind her, shutting Emmie's door on my way out. Her eyes soften when she looks at me and she sighs. "It's going to take some getting used to seeing you in Emmie's room since the last time I found her alone with a guy, he almost raped her," she says.
"You know Iâ" I start.
"âwould never do that. I know. That's why I said it's going to take some getting used to," Julia says, finishing my sentence for me. She covers her mouth with her hand, letting out a long yawn. "I'm like a mother hen; I have to protect my chick," she smiles tiredly earning a smile in return from me.
"I should probably get going," I tell her. "It's late and I know you're tired and I also know that once Emmie's out, she's out cold."
Julia chuckles and unzips the oversized black jean jacket that drapes over her shoulders. I know I've seen that jacket somewhere. "Yeah, don't take it personally that she fell asleep on your date," she says. "She probably would have fallen asleep even if it wasn't a date."
I hear her words, but I don't listen to what she is saying as I continue to examine the jacket. It clicks in my head why it looks so familiar and that's because a certain roommate of mine has one exactly like that.
"Is that Calum's jacket?" I ask.
Her eyes dart around the room, looking at everything but me. Why not make it even more obvious and hold up a sign that says 'I AM WEARING CALUM'S JACKET' in big letters and neon lights?
"It is, isn't it?" I say. I probably resemble the Cheshire cat right now from the way I'm grinning from ear to ear.
A hint of pink covers her cheek as she messes with the sleeve of the jacket. "Don't you have to go home or something?" she says.
I chuckle. "I don't necessarily have to go home. I can stay here, but I can leave if you want me to."
"Well, your date if pretty much over since she's knocked out, so get out."
"Fine. Just let me go say goodbye first." I walk back into Emmie's room and she's still in the same position that I left her in. I lean down to her level and whisper, "Emmie." She doesn't flinch. This time, I shake her shoulder tenderly and whisper again, "Emilia."
She groans, burying her face in the pillow.
"I have to leave now," I say.
She turns around with her back facing away from me, giving me a view of her annoyed sleeping face. "Go away," she mumbles almost incoherently, combining both words together. I wasn't expecting for that to be her farewell to me, but I'll take it.
"Goodnight, Emilia," I whisper in her ear before pressing my lips against her temple. Once I pull away, the creases between her eyebrows smooth out as her face relaxes, and she looks even more peaceful than before.
I grab the fleece blanket that sits folded along the foot of her bed and drape it over her before silently exiting the room.
"Hey, Ashton," Julia calls. "Don't make any plans with Em tomorrow."
"Why not?" I ask.
"I need some best friend time with her," she says. "I don't get to see her as much as I used to because she's always with you. Don't take that in a bad way or anything. I just think that every once in a while she should be able to take a break from you and hang out with me instead."
Even though she said to not take it in a bad way, I do. I didn't think that I was coming in between their time together. It's understandable that Julia wants to spend more time with Emmie because I do take up a lot of it. It will be good for the both of us to have time apartâmaybe not long periods, but we don't have to spend every day together. Plus, I wouldn't mind some guy time of my own.
"That's fine," I say. "I didn't really have plans with her anyway."
"Good, because even if you did, I would have made you cancel them," she says, and I don't doubt her. "Goodnight, Ash."
"Goodnight, Julia. I'll be sure to tell Calum you said hi." I grin before rushing out the door, escaping her shouts of profanity that would wake up any normal person, but knowing Emmie, she's probably still asleep.
The drive home is actually very soothing. There aren't many cars on the street and I am able to go under the speed limit and listen to whatever music that is on the radio. It's relaxing and it helps clear my mindânot that it needs any clearing; everything is perfect.
Even though it's late, light still shines through the curtains and out the window in the house when I reach the driveway. I park the car and make my way inside, locking the door behind me which the guys fail to do all the time. I kick my shoes off while walking over to the kitchen where I grab a glass from the cupboard and fill it with water.
"How was the date?" Luke asks, appearing in the kitchen entryway. He takes the glass from my hand and drinks it for himself. If I wasn't so tired and sore right now, maybe I would actually give a damn that he stole my drink from me but I don't.
"It was great," I say. "She really loved rock climbing. Although, now I think neither of us will be able to move much after today."
"So the date went really well then," Calum butts in, pushing past Luke and leaning against the counter with a smug grin on his face. Luke is the first to punch his shoulder, followed by me. "God, you know I was just joking!" he whines, rubbing his shoulder to soothe the pain.
I roll my eyes at him and brush off his comment, knowing full well that he is one-hundred percent joking. He knows what Emmie has gone through so he would never be completely serious when it comes to sex jokes that involve her.
I grab another glass from the cupboard and fill it with water, chugging it down before someone steals it again. "By the way Calum," I start. "Julia says hi." I wait for the anticipated change in his facial expression which doesn't take long. Once Julia's name slips from my tongue, he looks nothing more than like a deer in the headlights. "Why was she wearing your jacket?" I ask. "Is there something going on that we don't know about?"
Calum sighs. "We've been talking for a while," he says. "I went up to see her at work today and lent her my jacket since it was going to be pretty cold tonight. We didn't really want to tell anyone about us right now."
"So are you dating or something?" Luke asks.
"Not technically. We're just seeing where things go."
It's nice that Calum has finally gotten involved with a girl. He hasn't been so lucky in the dating world, and I think Julia would be a really good fit for him.
"Good for you," I say, giving him a warm smile and a solid pat on his shoulder. He reminds me of a puppy who has finally been adopted by a loving owner and can't contain his gratitude. I hope things go well for them. "Well, I'm going to bed, guys." I say mid-yawn, walking past them and climbing the staircase, receiving 'goodnight's from the two.
Michael's door is already closed and there is no light shining through the crack underneath his door, so I'm assuming he's already asleep or being a hermit and wasting the night away on his laptop. I make my way into my room and don't even bother to flip on the switch to the light. I just fall onto my bed and wrap myself in my blanket, letting my eyelids drop and my consciousness fade.
__
Sunday goes by pretty quickly. I spend most of the day lounging in the living room and eating copious amounts of microwavable food with the guys. The other half of my day is spent on finishing off assignments that I've been putting off just because I wasn't in the mood to do them. Now I don't really have any work to do until after Thanksgiving break.
Emmie didn't call or text me yesterday since she was out with Julia which was disappointing, but I'm pretty sure Julia must have taken her phone away so that there weren't any distractions from their 'best friend time'. I'm okay with it though. They both need their time together.
I decide to pick up Emmie from her apartment this morning so that she can ride with me to school. She isn't very happy that my text telling her so woke her up, but she gets over it. The entire ride, she tells me of her day with Julia and how she told her that she and Calum were talking to one another to which Emmie found surprising, but she's happy for Julia. When I tell Emmie that I had already found out that there was something going on between the two of them, she pouts and sends Julia an angry text for telling me about it first instead of her.
When we arrive to campus, we walk extremely slowly; not because we want to take our time, but because we literally can't go any faster. Emmie's still extremely sore, as am I, but with every step that she takes as we walk through the building to get to class, she whimpers. Just as we make it up the stairs that seem to have gained ten more steps than I remember, I take Emmie's hand in mine which she shakes off. I've come to the conclusion that Emmie isn't a big fan of PDA judging from the way I try to hold her hand again, which she allows for two seconds before immediately letting go once we enter the classroom.
"Are you purposely refusing to hold my hand?" I ask and let her walk in front of me as we make our way to our seats.
She pulls out her nearly-filled notebook and pen and places them parallel to each other. "I'm not really refusing," she says. "I'm just...declining your offer to hold hands."
"That literally means the exact same thing," I say.
"Yeah, but it sounds nicer, doesn't it?"
"Why won't you? You held my hand when we went rock climbing and back at both of our places, so what's the difference with holding hands in class?" I'm not getting after her or anything, I just want to know her reasoning as to why she won't let me touch her.
"Yes, but there were what, like three people there? And we were basically alone at our houses. Well, not really yours, but I don't mind the boys."
"So, why then?"
Emmie turns and fixates her eyes on me, her cheeks still rosy from the cold weather outside, and she says bashfully, "Because you distract me."
I've already known that I distract her in class, but hearing her say it almost gives me a sense of accomplishment. I distract this girl just as much as she distracts me.
"Hmm," I say. "I don't really know what to say to that. I'm flattered, really," I tease and she groans.
"You suck," she says.
I laugh and slouch into the chair, resting my legs on the back of the chair in front of me. I place my hand on Emmie's thigh and she doesn't move it, probably because the desk as well as the chairs in front of us hides it. Professor Ross walks into the room and places his briefcase against the podium where he stands to lecture. Like always, he scans the room, looking at each pair of students and either nodding in approval of their "friendship" development or blankly staring with an unamused expression at the lack of effort being put into the project. His eyes finally reach up to Emmie and me, and unlike the other students, he gives us the widest, most approving smile before starting class.
The last time he saw me, he gave me a confused, almost disappointing look since Emmie wasn't with me in class, and now that we're sitting together again, I think he's aware that something has been resolved between the two of us. It amazes me how he can see through us like this. I guess that just goes to show how knowledgeable and experienced he is in the communications field.
Just a little over thirty minutes into class, Professor Ross turns off the projector and gathers his things. "I know it's still a bit early, but I'm going to go ahead and dismiss you guys," he announces. "Read chapter sixteenâthe chapter is posted online, and we'll discuss it Wednesday morning. Have a good rest of your day."
Silent cheers and shuffling feet reverberate around the room. I remove my hand from Emmie's thigh and let her shove her notebook into her backpack. Everyone basically hauls ass out of the room in a matter of seconds, leaving us as the last ones behind. Just as we stand up out of our seats and walk down the stairs, Professor Ross stops us.
"Ms. Anderson, Mr. Irwin, can I talk to you for a moment?" he says.
Emmie and I look at one another, confused. I'm unsure as to why he would want to talk to us. We haven't done anything wrong that I know of. Emmie stands completely rigid, most likely scared of what he wants to talk to us about.
"You're not in trouble, if that's what you're thinking," Professor Ross says, calming the panicked Emmie next to me. "I just wanted to say that I'm proud of you two."
I keep my eyes stationed at him. "What for, exactly?" I ask.
"Out of all the students who are involved in this project, you two are the only ones who have established a genuine relationship with each other," he says. "You both have a general interest in one another and enjoy each other's company. I've seen you two around campus together on several occasions and it's incredible to see how your friendship has developed. Out of all the times I have assigned this project, I have never seen such an authentic relationship develop from it. This isn't just a project to you guys anymore, is it?" He smiles at us both, already knowing the answer.
Emmie lowers her head sheepishly, embarrassed by his words. Are we really the only ones who have developed a real friendship? Are we really the only ones who actually put effort into this project? You'd think more students would be interested in expanding their circle of friends. However, Emmie wasn't too keen on making friends, but I'm grateful that she let me in.
"Honestly," I start, speaking for the both of us, "I don't think this was ever a project for us to begin with." I intentionally brush my hand against Emmie's, making her shiver with chills as I shift my weight to the ball of my heels.
Thinking about it now, there was something about Emmie that I liked the moment I met her which made me want to get closer and learn more about her. She had this strong force that reeled me in, allowing me to form an attachment with her. Sure, the project may have initiated the effort to get to know one another, but even without it, I'm pretty sure things would have turned out the same for us.
Professor Ross nods. "That's what I like to hear," he says. He grabs his briefcase that sits against the podium where he stands and holds it at his side. "I can't wait to see what you two have prepared to say about each other." With that, he walks past us and out of the room without a second glance.
"That was nice of him to say," Emilia says, running a hand through her long hair.
"Yeah, it was," I say. "Most professors don't take the time to stop and praise their students. I guess we really stood out to him."
"At least now we have some extra time to spare since class got out early," she says. "What should we do?"
I look at my wristwatch and see that we have about two hours before Emmie has her afternoon classes. I've been putting off talking to my advisor (which I seriously need to make an appointment with) and I don't really want to see my dad, but ever since Calum said he was looking for me, I've been curious to know why he wants to talk to me.
"I actually have to go talk to my dad..." I say hesitantly, knowing that she doesn't like him.
She raises her eyebrows in shock. "What for?"
"I'm not sure. Calum ran into him last week and my dad told him that he wanted to see me."
"Do you want me to go with you?" she asks.
"I'd rather you not get involved with him again, but I can't stop you if you want to go." Even if I say no, she will go against my word and come anyway.
"I'll go with you. I can just wait outside or something while you guys talk."
"Alright then, let's go." I take her hand, and she doesn't shake it off like earlier. "No longer a distraction?" I taunt, squeezing her freezing hand and warming it up with my insanely warm one.
"Shut up," she mutters as we exit the room and head out to see the one person who is more than likely waiting to scold me.
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A/N:
Okay, guys, big filler. This chapter is a bit shorter than what I have recently been posting. Sorry for the wait in uploading this. This chapter isn't what I really want it to be, but I didn't want to have to make you guys wait forever.
Thank you guys for 8.5k reads. Wow. When I saw that number I was just blown away. Thank you guys for continuing to read and enjoying this story. Please continue to vote, comment and share!! You guys have done so much to get this story out there and I couldn't be happier about it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I love you guys! âRebecca xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
P.S. If you didn't already know, I have posted a new Ashton au fanfic called Piece of Cake. Just think: Baker Ashton (the dessert kind, not the drug kind haha). There's only one chapter posted, but I plan to update later this week. I'd really appreciate it if you all check it out. If you like it, awesome. If you don't, that's okay :)