Family Troubles || Redlyn

Detention

Ashlyn's POV

How come the one time detention isn't full of people and there are two people there, it's only me and my ex? Who wants to be with me? While I also want to be with him?

I hardly regretted much. I told Big Red how I feel. I think it made him feel better. I might as well spend an hour in detention.

The teacher left for a few minutes. I quickly turned to Big Red. "Sorry."

"It's fine." He nodded.

"You weren't even passing the note." I sighed.

"Baby— er, Ashlyn— it's fine. Detention's... not the worst." He said. "I mean, it's worth hearing... that?"

"What?"

"The I love you. I know it. It's... different than reading it. Which is still really different from hearing—" he said. I got out of my seat and kissed him.

"I love you." I said, before he kissed me again. I pulled him closer to me, falling into the kiss.

"I love you." He said back. I kissed him one more time, before sitting back in my seat in case the teacher came in anytime soon.

"It's not like we're actively... hanging out, right? I can't get in trouble for happening to be in the same room as you? And no one knows we kissed." I mumbled, realizing I probably made a mistake. Luckily, despite the quick subject change, he followed my train of thought.

"Probably? I mean, that's not to say we should make out whenever we're in a room together, but... I don't know. It just happened." He shrugged.

"Yeah." I beamed. "I'm glad it did."

"Me too."

"Even if I can't talk to you." I forced a weak laugh.

"Your dad's in town?"

"Yes." I confirmed.

"Are..."

"I'm asking them." I nodded.

"When did he get here?"

"Last night."

"Things going well?" He asked.

"They're alright."

"Good." He smiled slightly.

"Yeah. And about the kiss— yes, we shouldn't make out whenever we can... I just... want you to know that..." I trailed off, beginning to play with my hands.

"Ash."

"Yeah?"

"Hands. You're nervous." He said.

"What?"

"I can tell from your hands that you're nervous. Don't be, say it." He smiled encouragingly, despite the fact he probably wasn't very happy.

"I've been thinking about the fact that whenever we kiss, recently... it's been our replacement for actually... being together. Does that make any sense?"

"I think I know what you're saying." He nodded.

"So, I mean... I know we're on the same page. Like, we're both head over heals. Hope to be together as long as possible."

"Exactly."

"So the kissing... it's like... it's weird that that's what kinda of... fulfills our relationship? We don't see each other then 'boom,' we kiss." I finished.

"Ash, because... I think that's because we're so in love. It's not weird to want to kiss your partner. It's also not weird to not want to. But we kiss, and I think... it's easier than what can be said with words when we shouldn't even be talking. And I think... well, it's kinda of a habit. You know how long distance is hard, even if you call them a ton? Like... you FaceTime them just as much as you would see them in a day?"

"Um... yeah." I nodded.

"There's some sort of border, still. I think when you're used to it, the physical touch that just comes naturally is weird to be gone." He continued. "It's not like we have to kiss. We both know that. It's... so, so much deeper than that. It's... we're in love. And sometimes kisses are how we express that, we aren't just... kissing."

"How do you always claim you're dumb in the relationship department and then say stuff like that?"

"Good things can be thought of when good people— that's gonna be dumb, isn't it?" He smiled. I laughed. "It's easier when I know how I feel. And when... someone's hurting. I come through when I need to."

"That you do." I beamed. "Okay, um—" I pulled myself together. "I'll try and work things out with my parents this weekend. Hopefully this whole... I'm in detention for the first time thing won't disrupt anything. And for now, no randomly kissing."

"Got it."

"I love you."

"I love you too." He smiled. I looked at him for a few seconds.

"Shh." I said, the teacher starting to open the door.