Heartbreak Girl

Part 3

A few days later, Ashton was wandering through the library looking for a place to work on his essay when he found Bethany spread out across one of the tables. He headed over, smiling to himself when he realised that she was completely oblivious to his approach, simply typing away on her laptop as she glanced at the pages of her neat writing surrounding her.

"Mind if I sit with you?" he asked quietly, not wanting to startle her, though he did despite his efforts. "Sorry; I didn't mean to make you jump," he said when she looked up.

"It's fine," she smiled, prompting him to sit down across from her.

"Taking up enough space, B?" he teased, removing his laptop from his bag and turning it on.

"Sorry," she apologised, blushing as she gathered her notes and textbooks closer to her.

"I'm kidding, B," he assured her as he placed his own pad of notes and a textbook on either side of his laptop. "Your project?"

"And notes on the module I'm taking with Calum," she replied, tidying the notes into piles. "He had to cancel on revision, though; said something came up. He promised me dinner if I go over tomorrow instead, so I'm not too upset. I'm not going to turn down a free meal, or a chance to hang out with the four of you. You're a welcome break."

"I can punch him if you like," he offered jokingly, smiling when she laughed and shook her head. "The offer's there if you change your mind. And thank you, I think?"

"It's a compliment," said Bethany, flicking through her textbook. "I trust him to be honest with me; if he says something came up, I believe him."

"But you don't believe Greg," he finished when she paused.

"I don't want to talk about it, Ash," she sighed, looking up but avoiding his eyes. "Not now."

"Alright," he agreed, reaching over and taking her hand. "I'm here if you change your mind, ok? Anytime you need me."

"I know," she told him with a smile. "Thank you."

With that, Ashton let go of her hand and started his essay on the Third Reich, leaving Bethany to work on her project without interruption from him, though she was still distracted.

Despite the fact that she had sat through a number of lectures and worked on three different assignments since Michael's suggestion that she date Ashton, Bethany could not stop thinking about it, even though she knew he had been joking. The truth was that she had been crushing on him since Michael had introduced her to the boys two years ago, and it had only grown. She rarely thought about it, but over the past few days she had thought about little else; and Ashton didn't make it easier to stop liking him.

"What are you planning to do for food?" Ashton asked four hours later, pulling her from her project.

"I was going to work 'til late and grab some toast when I eventually go home," she admitted quietly, knowing he would object, which he promptly did.

"That's not healthy, Bethany," he scolded with a slight frown. "You have two options," he continued before she could protest. "Either we stop and eat, then come back after, or we can go home, eat and work there. Your choice, love."

"How likely is it we'll actually work if we go back to yours?" she questioned, thinking it over.

"It's Tuesday," he told her simply, as if that was explanation enough. "Tuesday is study day," he elaborated when she looked at him as though he was losing it. "One day a week, we all shut ourselves away and do our work without the possibility of disturbing each other. We can claim the kitchen if you like, or the living room; whichever you prefer."

"Well if you're providing the workspace, I should provide the food," she replied a minute later, closing her laptop. "It's only fair, don't you think?"

"Deal," he agreed, grinning as he packed his things away. "Are we ordering in again?"

"I thought you were telling me to be healthy?" she pointed out as she gathered her notes into an order that made sense to her. "I'll make pasta if you like; I really can't be bothered to do anything fancy."

"You're feeding me; I'm not gonna complain about what it is," replied Ashton, picking up her textbooks with his, ignoring her objections that she could manage herself. "I have my car today, so we don't have too far to walk. I can bring you home too."

"I can walk, Ash," she protested as they walked out of the library. "It's out of your way anyway."

"Then you can crash at ours," he offered as he led the way to his car. "I know Michael has some of your clothes and I don't mind sleeping on the sofa."

"We'll see what time we finish," said Bethany, trying to compromise but not minding either outcome.

The two friends lapsed into a comfortable silence as they continued to the car park, where they climbed into his blue Vauxhall after he had shoved some drumsticks and a kit bag onto the backseat. When he let her control his radio, she accepted the responsibility, happily surprised when he let her listen to music he didn't really like with no objections on his part.

Less than an hour later, the pair had taken over the living room; Ashton was sitting sideways on the sofa, his notes in front of him on the cushion, and Bethany was on the floor beside him, her notes spread out in a wide arc around her, her laptop perched on her knee as she leant back against the sofa and they worked in silence.

"What are you guys doing Friday night?" she asked after a while.

"Drinks at Time Out, then maybe clubbing in Encore," he replied, still focussed on his essay. "Calum and Michael want to go, so Luke and I are being dragged along. Why d'you ask?"

"Never mind," she sighed, reaching out for some of her notes, only to be pulled back by an arm around her shoulders.

"Tell me, Bethany," said the younger man as he held her in place, his attention fully on her after her dismissal. "What's on your mind?"

"If you were home, I would've asked if you were ok with me maybe coming over," she explained with a sigh, leaning her head back against his thigh.

"Since when do you ask?" he teased with a smile, his green eyes meeting hers as she looked up, though that was the only response she gave. "Date night?" he guessed, getting a nod in reply. "You're welcome to join us if you like."

"I'm not gonna intrude on your guys' night," she protested. "I'm not that welcome."

"It's no problem, love," he assured her. "We'd tell you if it was, and we'd make sure you'd be busy too. Come find us if you want."

"Thanks, Ash," she smiled, looking up at him.

"No problem, B," he repeated, letting go of her so they could work again. "But what does it say about your relationship when you make back up plans for date nights?"

The young woman didn't reply, but she knew what he was thinking and she couldn't deny that she was starting to agree with him.