The surfer meets the rockstar. Two completely different fields of work. But, they hit it off and start falling for each other, with a little help from the little old cafe owner.
( This story takes place starting in 2018 )
*Trigger Warning: sex, lang...
I was awake before Tatum so I went down and did a quick workout at the hotel gym. We had a few days off in Detroit so we got to relax in a hotel instead of being stuck in a bus.
When I got back to the room, Tatum was still asleep. I sighed and kissed her head. It was almost noon and we went to bed pretty early last night. But what I know is that she hasn't slept well and I guess last night was just a good night. She keeps having nightmares. It's what happened with Jeremy but instead of him in it, it's her dad and all those people he let hurt her.
I grabbed some clothes from my bag and headed into the bathroom to take a shower. I was going to let her sleep for a little bit longer, but then she needed to wake up. She needs to eat.
The hot water relaxed my muscles. They were tight from performing even with ice baths. I washed my hair and body then stepped out and dried off. I pulled on my boxers, jeans, and hoodie then stepped out into the room seeing Tatum STILL asleep.
I put my dirty clothes down and sat on the edge of the bed and gently ran my hand over her back,
"Baby, time to get up" I spoke. Tatum shuffled and her nose crinkled. I moved my hand as she rolled onto her back. Her eyes fluttered open as she let out a hum,
"Hi" she lightly smiled looking up at me,
"Hey" I smiled, "We need to get up. It's past noon and we need to eat"
She nodded and closed her eyes for a minute. She slowly sat up and then leaned into my arms, hugging me. She pulled back then pressed a kiss to my lips,
"Did you shower?" she quirked an eyebrow,
"Yes" I laughed, "I went down to the gym"
Tatum finally got out of bed and walked over to her suitcase. She pulled out a pair of leggings and a long sleeve shirt,
"Can I wear your flannel?" she asked moving into my bag, knowing I was already going to say yes,
"Sure baby" I laughed, "What do you want for lunch?"
"Don't care" she yawned and stripped down then got redressed. She walked into the bathroom and came back with her hair up and teeth brushed. I put my phone and wallet in my pocket then took Tatum's hand and we headed out.
****
We ended up at a little 50's diner that was just down a block from the hotel. Tatum sat across from me and locked our ankles under the table. She was happy. She was smiling. She hasn't been like that in a while,
"Stop staring at me" Tatum giggled and covered her face. I snapped out of my trance and grabbed her hand,
"I've been thinking about you moving in" I spoke, then saw panic cross her face, "No no, I still want you too" I assured, "But we are back in LA for like a week in November. We have some shows but we've got days off. I was thinking we can get some things moved"
"Yeah, yeah okay" she nodded and squeezed my hand,
"There's space in my garage for your board rack. I mean Frankie is the only other thing in there and some boxes"
"You know that thing has to be nailed into a wall right?" She laughed,
"I know baby" I smiled,
"God I love you" she tipped her head back,
"The feeling is mutual" I grinned, removing our hands as our waiter placed our food down,
"There's also one more thing" I spoke, taking a bite of the burger I ordered. Tatum looked up with an eyebrow quirked, "I want to buy a truck"
Tatum stared at me to make sure I was serious,
"You seem like a truck guy. What do you want?" she took a bite of her salad,
"Black one. Leather seats. One that the back doors don't open unless you open the front doors"
Tatum nodded,
"That's kinda hot"
****
We explored Detroit a little then went back to the hotel. I had already taken a shower earlier so I threw on some shorts and laid in bed, turning on the tv where I had my Fire-stick plugged in, waiting for Tatum to get done so we could watch Criminal Minds - the show we decided to binge.
I grabbed my phone and started scrolling through social media. Instagram was fine but then I got to Twitter and my anger was skyrocketing:
-Twitter-
@ashirwinfans1: soo Ashton's girlfriend lied about being sexually assaulted to get herself out of a cheating scandal @irlivewin: he just needs to break up with her @ashlove: I heard she came in dressed in a skimpy bikini and asking for it
————
I was fuming. She was not the cause of this. She was not the perpetrator. She was a victim,
"Ash?"
My head shot up and Tatum climbed under the covers in my shirt and her underwear, sitting up against the headboard with me,
"Why do you look like you're going to punch someone?" She asked, her phone in her lap.
I sighed and handed her my phone. She read a lot of them then tossed it down,
"I didn't egg it on I promise," she told me,
"I know" I kissed her head, "Maybe it's time to post something about the situation. Doesn't have to be Twitter- maybe Instagram. More people seem to see that"
She nodded and leaned into my hold. She kissed my arm then grabbed her phone, finding a surfing picture to use. She typed a paragraph and posted, and I looked right away:
-Instagram-
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liked by wsl and 212,221 others @tatumkohole: In August, at the WSL tournament in Australia, I was roomed with Jeremy Thompson. I was uncomfortable sharing a room with him and went to the board many times to get a switch. They denied. My manager tried to get it switched and it was denied. Jeremy was touchy. He kept touching me. I was uncomfortable enough that my boyfriend had to stay on FaceTime while I slept. I walked into my room after practicing on the beach to find Jeremy in my things with an important ring in his hands. I took the ring and packed my stuff. I was leaving the hotel even if I had to find my own way. As I attempted to leave I was grabbed and forcefully pushed to the bed where I was then sexually touched and kissed. I got myself free and left, getting myself to a safer place. Jeremy was told to leave the tournament, but he never did. He showed up on tournament day. I'm a victim. I'm not the perpetrator. ^@ashtonirwin: tell em baby! You are strong! I love you and I will stay by your side ❤️
————
Tatum tossed her phone down after and I pulled us both to lay down as she curled up to me, her head buried in my chest,
"I'm proud of you. I'm always proud of you" I whispered. She squeezed my torso and tossed a leg over mine. I turned the tv off to where it was dark in the room,
