"Saraaaa, hi!" he yells and I sigh. "Answer me. Why do you have Ashton's phone?" I say, but he doesn't answer me. Instead he says, "This is a reaaaaally nice bar, you should come here too. Very cute girls and boys, like me." he giggles and I groan. This is very annoying, and I had no intention to talk to him in the near future. As sad thinking about Calum made me this morning, as mad does it make me right now. "Where's Ashton? Give him his phone back."
"Okay, whatever you want." Calum says and a second later I hear him shout of the loud music. "ASHTON YOUR CHICK WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!"
Then I hear someone say in the distance, "Shut up, you're drunk. Where is she?" "Here he is, I'm gonna party some more." Calum says and I say, "Hi Ashton."
"Hi hunny," he says, "Come over here! I didn't know why Calum's got my phone but you should come here it's really nice." "No I'm not, I'd meet you tomorrow, remember? And you're definitely as drunk as Calum is."
"No I'm not, I'd meet you tomorrow, remember? And Calum's been drunk since he slept with another chick remember?" "Whatever. You should really consider drinking less." "You're not my mom," he says, "But you're sweet." he giggles, and then he hangs up. I sdigh and say, "Let's go back to the hotel. I just want to sleep right now."
***
The next day I wake up and check my phone for the time. It's not even nine a.m. yet, but I have enough texts to read. They're from both Ashton and... Calum. Even though I deleted Calum's phone number I know it's him from the way he types. It's mostly a bunch of drunk texts which were sent in the middle of the night from both. After quickly reading through the texts I get out of bed. I dress myself in shorts and a tank top and decide to get some breakfast all by myself. My parents are out taking a walk, and my sister is still sound asleep.
Just when I'm about to take a bite of my toast, someone inrecognizable comes walking in. He's wearing sunglasses and his hair is pushed back. Nobody would be able to tell who he is, but I can because of the smile on his face. I stand up and hug him. "Hey Ashton," I say and gesture for him to take a seat, "Are you hungry? I can get you some toast." I say, but he shakes his head. "No thank you, I already ate. I'm so hungover, sorry. But I just thought I could meet you already. I got you tickets for tonight's concert, I'd really like you to come. Please?"
I smile, but shrug. "Ashton, I really don't know if that's a good idea. I mean, seeing Calum... Even hearing him talk last night was difficult for me. Do you evenk now what he did yesterday?" I ask him and Ashton shakes his head. I pull out my phone and show him the picture Eva took. "That's a message he left for me. On the bathroom mirror. In red marker."
"Okay, he didn't tell me he went over here. That is very weird."
I nod and say, "Whatever. What are we going to do today?"
"Well, I maybe thought we could go to the beach? Or maybe first go shopping and then go for a swim?" Ashton says, "I have to be at the concert hall at five so we have enough time left." I nod. "Sounds like a good idea to me. Aren't you too hungover?"
That makes Ashton laugh and he removes his sunglasses. "Do I look like I'm hungover?" "Yes." I laugh and he grins. "Indeed. But I just want too have a good day with you. I'm not stopping that because of a stupid hangover."
The two of us walk over to my hotel room, where Ashton looks around while I get ready. I'm already dressed. The only thing I do is tying my hair up in a bun. That way my neck won't get too hot and I put on my sunglasses. "I'm ready to go." I say and we walk outside. My sister and parents are heading to Rome too, but they are leaving a little later than me and Ashton. Ashton hired a car to get to the hotel, so we drive to Rome. After half an hour of driving we find a parking spot and we walk over to the neighbourhood with the most shops. Ashton immediately heads over to the most expensive shops there are in Rome. I laugh, because if I didn't know him I'd think he wouldn't be able to afford anything they sell. His tank top is a little faded, his jeans are cut off and he really needs a haircut. The security guards pay more attention to him than they do to me, but when Ashton starts humming She Looks So Perfect, they immediately recognize him. They start apologizing for looking at him like that, and when we go our separate ways to the women's and men's section, one security guard comes up to me. "Can I ask you something?" he asks and I immediately know what he's going to ask. "I'll ask him if he wants to take a picture." I chuckle and walk over to the dressing room where Ashton is. "Ash, there's someone who wants to take a picture with you."
"Wait a minute, I'm half naked at the moment!" he shouts and the security guard grins at me. A little later Ashton comes out and I gasp when I see what he's wearing. He looks amazing. He's wearing a dark blue blouse with short sleeves and he wears jeans that aren't cut off. "What do you think?" he asks and I smile. "You should really buy this."
Ashton takes a selfie with the security guard. He then pays for the outfit and we walk out of the store, when he suddenly says, "Wait, you haven't gotten anything!" I nod and say, "I was too busy conversating with your fan. But it's okay, these shops are way too expensive for me anyways." "I'll pay for something you like. I'm not letting you not buy anything because it's too expensive. Let's go in here." Ashton says and I sigh. "Really, it's okay. You don't have to-"
But he's already gone in and he pulls me along with him. And indeed, my attention goes to a salmon pink dress. That dress is perfect in my eyes. I try to hide my interest for the dress when I see the price tag, but I don't succeed. Ashton already has come walking up to me and says, "You really should try it on. It's beautiful." "But it's too expensive..." I say and he sighs. "I'll buy it if you like it." I know there's no getting out of this and walk into a fitting room. When I try on the dress, I just know I want it. It fits me perfectly and the details are so beautiful. I feel like never taking off this dress. I walk out and Ashton's mouth falls open when he sees me. "I'm buying this for you. No doubt, I swear, if you come to the concert tonight the guys will drool all over you. Please?" "Okay," I chuckle, "If you say so. And I'll pay half of the price. I can't pay more, I'm sorry." Ashton nods, which surprises me because he earlier insisted on paying it. But when I"m changing back into my own clothes he reaches for the dress and runs over the the cashier before I can stop him. "Ashton..." "Sara..." he says and I grin because he's so stubborn. But by bying this dress I'm saying that I'm coming to the concert tonight, and I'm far from ready for that.
