Chapter 49

My eyes were fixated on the front door. "What?" I mumbled, not turning around to face her.

"You heard me. What the hell is going on between the two of you? The sex is so thick you could cut it with a knife." I heard her shoes tap the wood floor as she moved closer. "Seriously, Gem. What is going on? Are you falling for Ashton?"

"What? Falling for Ashton. Don't be silly." I waved my hand dismissively as I walked past her. I walked into the kitchen, trying to get my composure before Chloe rushed in, demanding to know what was going on. I couldn't tell her what was happening because I wasn't sure myself.

"Deny it all you want." Chloe entered the kitchen, grabbing her glass of tea on the counter. "I still say something is going on." She raised an eyebrow as she lifted the glass to her lips.

"What did you and Braedon have a fight about?" I asked, sitting on the stool Ashton had been sitting on earlier, trying to inhale the faint scent of his cologne that was fading. I just wanted to bury my head in his chest and breathe him in. I blinked, snapping out of my daydream before Chloe caught me, not paying attention.

"I caught him talking to Olivia!" She threw her hands in the air, then let them slap down on the counter. "He tried to say I was imagining things. Do you believe that shit? Olivia of all girls." She rolled her eyes, taking another drink.

"You need ice cream." I hopped off the stool, walked over to the refrigerator, and opened the bottom drawer. I pulled out the container of vanilla ice cream and then grabbed the chocolate syrup from the fridge. You could never go wrong picking ice cream as the go-to comfort food. I went to grab bowls when Chloe suggested cheeseburgers and fries. I couldn't argue with her because she was upset over Braedon. I didn't have the heart to tell her I'd just finished eating dinner Ashton had brought over. I turned and put the ice cream back in the freezer and the chocolate syrup in the fridge. I told her I'd change into jeans, and we could leave. Without thinking, I ran upstairs to my room and walked over to my window, gazing out it, hoping to see Ashton's car. I gripped the curtains, standing there staring at the empty spot in his driveway, thinking about the sexy, intense look he gave me before he rushed out the door.

"Hurry up, Gemma!" Chloe yelled up the stairs. I turned toward my door, loosening the grip on my curtains. I walked over to the edge of my bed and grabbed my jeans from school, still lying across my cushioned bench.

I walked down the stairs, adjusting my shirt, not paying attention.

"Chloe let me in and said she'd text you later."

My head shot up, my eyes wide. "Oh..." I grasped a hold of the wooden banister to keep from falling on my ass. "She left?" I stepped down and opened the front door. "Hmm..." I closed the door. "I was going to go with her to get a cheeseburger."

"You're still hungry?" Ashton asked with a quizzical look.

"No, I was just going to go with her and keep her company. I guess I changed for nothing." I motioned down to my outfit.

"Since you changed, how about I take you out?" He opened the door. "We won't be gone long. I promise." He smiled and reached for my hand.

"I need to get my purse." I looked down at my hands, then raced up to my room. I sat down on my vanity bench, applied lip gloss, fluffed my hair, and applied a little more blush and powder to tame my shiny nose. I turned my head from side to side, realizing it wasn't great but better than I was when I sat down. "What are you doing?" I mumbled to the girl, staring back at me in the mirror.

"You coming, Gem?" Ashton yelled up the stairs.

"Yeah! Sorry!" I jumped up and grabbed my phone and purse. "Sorry," I said softer as I walked down the stairs.

"Where are we going?" I couldn't help but notice a few flecks of green in his blue eyes.

"What?" Ashton asked,  looking away, running a hand through this hair.

"I've never noticed the green in your eyes before," I looked away, smiling. I moved around him and opened the door, being greeted by my mom, who had her hand suspended in mid-reach for the doorknob. My smile faded as quickly as it appeared a few seconds ago.

"It's a school night. Where are you heading to?" Mom asked, barging through the door, bumping into my shoulder, and sending me back a few steps. "You don't need to be going out on a school night." She stepped onto the bottom of the stairs.

"We're just going to go grab something to eat."

"There's stuff in the fridge." She glanced down at her phone.

"I'm sorry, but I get tired of cooking for myself all the time." I tilted my head to the side. "Are you going out tonight?" I asked, lowering my head and trying to get her attention. "Mom."

"Huh?" Her head popped up with a clueless look on her face.

"Exactly." I crossed my arms. I don't know when I became a mother and when she became an adolescent, but I didn't like it. She needed to start acting like a grown-up. I stared at her while she stared down at her phone as her thumbs tapped the screen. I closed my eyes, shaking my head in disbelief. "I'm going out with Ashton. I'll be home later." I turned and opened the front door, not giving her a chance to say anything in response. At this point, I'd even enjoy her chasing after me out the door, telling me to go to my room. Instead, silence followed after me.

Ashton unlocked his car and opened the passenger door for me. My eyes met his gaze as I lowered myself into the passenger seat. It was as if I was seeing him for the first time, even though I'd seen him pretty much every day for years. I'd never seen him this way, though. Before, it was, Oh, it's just Ashton,  to Oh, my god, it's Ashton, followed by my stomach doing summersaults in every direction.

He closed the door and walked around the front of the car to the driver's side door. I eyed him with each step he took in front of the vehicle, daydreaming about what it would be like to have my hands on his ass.

"You ready?" He opened the driver's side door.

"Where are we going?" I fastened my seatbelt.

"It's a surprise." He peeked at me, smiling.

"Another surprise? Are we going back to The Pier?"

"No." He stepped on the gas and zoomed down the road.

I couldn't help but wonder where he was taking me, but at the same time, I didn't care as long as I was with him. My smartwatch vibrated on my wrist, and a small image of Chloe's face appeared on the face of my watch. I bent down and grabbed my phone out of my purse to see what she had sent me.

Chloe: Hey! Are you with Ashton now?

Me: Yes. He's driving.

Chloe: Driving? Where are you two going?

Me: Idk, he won't tell me. I'll text you later.

"Let me guess...Chloe," He said with such amusement in his voice.

"Yeah. I told her I'd text her later." I looked out the window at the sunset, filling the sky with hues of pink and orange, mixing with a hint of blue from the sunny day. I couldn't imagine anything more beautiful. I was so lost in admiring the sunset that I wasn't paying attention to the road.

"We're here."

"Huh?" I turned, looking out the windshield toward the walkway a few feet from us. "What are we doing at the beach?"

"Do you want to leave?"

"No." I noticed him taking off his shoes and stuffing his socks into them. I followed his lead and slipped off my wedge sandals. I grabbed my phone, opened the car door, and rolled the bottom of my jeans so they wouldn't get wet if the waves crashed along the shore. The pavement warmed my feet after getting cold from the air conditioner in Ashton's car. A few hours earlier, I wouldn't have been able to step onto the pavement with my bare feet.

"I'm sorry your mom treated you like that." Ashton took my hand, leading me toward the beach. "You know you don't have to stay home alone all the time. You can come over to the house." He squeezed my hand, interlocking our fingers.

We walked a few more yards before I found the courage to ask him. "About not being alone constantly. Is that coming from your mom or..." I let my voice trail off while I turned to look out toward the setting sun radiating off the water.

"No. I said it." He stopped and turned me around to face him. His fingers brushed across my cheek, sending a shiver up my spine. My breath caught in my throat, my pulse quickened, and it felt like time had stopped and we were the only ones on the beach. He leaned down, inches from my mouth, not moving his eyes away from mine.

"Hughes!" A familiar voice hollered from off in the distance.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." He grumbled, lowering his hand. "Hey." He turned around, not letting go of my hand.

"Your mom said you were coming out this way. Hey, Gemma." Ty smiled, walking up.

"Hey. Where's Sarah?" I leaned to the side, looking behind him.

"She's at home, but I was on my way to pick her up and thought I'd stop by and see if you two wanted to come with us to get ice cream." Ty peered at us.

Ashton glanced down at me, giving my hand a light squeeze. "Yeah, sure."