Heartbreak Girl

Part 9

When Ashton woke the next morning, he found that his arms were wound tightly around the woman he could now call his girlfriend, making him smile into her curls. He settled again, pulling her back against his chest the same way he had done weeks before.

"Morning, beautiful," he murmured into her shoulder when she stirred and huddled back against him. "How'd you sleep?"

"Really well," replied Bethany, turning to face him and moving her hair out of her face. "Did last night really happen?"

His only answer was to lean forward and kiss her softly, cupping her cheek as it deepened slightly.

"Feel free to hit me if I dreamt it all," he told her when they eventually separated. "I'm really hoping I didn't, though."

"You realise Michael's gonna kill us when he finds out," said the brunette, moving into his arms. "I can't imagine him being ok with us dating."

"He might change his mind if he realises we're actually going to do this," agreed Ashton, running his fingers through her hair. "Shall we get it over with, or would you rather hide?"

"If my best friend's gonna hate me, I'd rather find out now," she sighed, hiding her face in his neck.

"You guys have been friends for twelve years, angel," he reminded her. "It's me he'll hate," he added, wondering how the twenty year old would react now that their relationship was no longer hypothetical.

Five minutes later, Ashton led his girlfriend out of his bedroom, stumbling when she jumped on his back, before wrapping his arms around her legs so he wouldn't drop her.

"You're lucky I love you," he muttered, shaking his head slightly.

"I know," said Bethany, kissing his cheek with a smile.

Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, he headed for the living room where he could hear his bandmates talking about the gig the night before.

"We need to do another gig before exams," said Calum from his place in the armchair, his legs over one of the arms.

"B can vet all the songs first," insisted Michael as Ashton walked up behind him. "We shouldn't have played Ash's song without her ok; we have no right to sing about her love life."

"You wrote those songs?" asked the brunette, making the other three jump at the sound of her voice.

"You can yell at me later," he told her, letting her slide off his back to the floor. Seeing the look on Michael's face as he took in her attire, he couldn't help but smile.

"Please tell me you didn't," he begged, his face pale.

"I can't," replied Ashton sheepishly, putting an arm around her, smirking when the twenty year old stared at them in horror. "Bethany borrowed my clothes last night."

"You actually had him there," laughed Luke as the young woman hit the older man's chest lightly.

"Damn it, Irwin," muttered Michael, running a hand through his blue hair. "You're gonna be the death of me."

"The two of them do look awfully close, though," commented Calum with a grin.

"Am I not allowed to hold my girlfriend?" questioned the eldest of the four men, winding his arms around the brunette's waist as she closed her eyes, fearing the reactions they would get.

"I knew it!" exclaimed Calum, sitting up and turning to the other boys. "I said before graduation; pay up, guys!"

"And I said before exams start," Luke reminded him. "I believe that means I win, Cal."

"You were betting on this?" asked Bethany incredulously, looking between them and ignoring their innocent smiles. "Did you know about this?" she frowned, looking up at her boyfriend.

"Don't look at me," he protested. "I knew Calum said we'd get together before graduation, but I didn't know they were betting on it."

"You guys are really dating?" clarified Michael, watching the brunette as she nodded slowly, still wary of his reaction. "In that case," he continued, standing from his place on the sofa and moving over to the couple. Before any of them could react, he had the older man pinned to the wall, one arm against his neck to keep him still.

"Michael!"

"Get off him!"

"No!"

Ignoring the shocked comments from the others in the room, Michael never took his eyes off Ashton's, glad that he had the sense not to struggle. He narrowed his eyes before addressing him, his voice low and with an edge that said he wasn't to be crossed.

"If you hurt her, you will answer to me," he told him quietly, pressing him further into the wall. "You make her cry, I'll make you cry. Got it, Irwin?"

"Got it," he gasped, the pressure on his chest making it hard for him to breathe.

"Enough, Michael," said Calum, his voice calm. "Let him go."

Slowly, he dropped his hold on the twenty one year old, who managed a deep breath before his girlfriend was fussing over him. He ran a hand through his blue hair as he watched Bethany rest her hands on Ashton's bare chest as his arms snaked around her waist, assuring her that he was fine, though it was obvious that she didn't believe him.

"I mean it, Ash," warned Michael, making them look back at him, the brunette glaring at him.

"I wouldn't dream of hurting her, Mikey," replied the older man, letting go of her long enough for her to hit her best friend around the head, scolding him for attacking her boyfriend.

"Hey!" he protested, clutching the back of his head. "I'm your over protective best friend; I'm only looking out for you."

"And he's my over protective boyfriend," she retorted, moving back into his arms. "Leave him alone."

"Ok, ok," he agreed, before smiling at her. "I knew you liked him; I'm happy for you."

"You sure about that?" asked Ashton, rubbing his neck lightly, smiling to show he wasn't really upset.

"I gave you my blessing months ago," Michael reminded him, watching the couple interact. "I just forgot the warning, which you now have, so all that's left to say is congrats and don't make out in front of me."

"Deal," smiled Bethany before he left to join the others in the kitchen. "He doesn't hate us for this," she murmured, mostly to herself.

"I didn't think he would," said Ashton, letting her rest her head against his shoulder. "So this is it, huh? You and me taking on the world."

"Let's tackle exams first," she replied, looking up to meet his eyes. "The world can come after that," she told him, reaching up to tangle her fingers in his curls as they kissed, both of them ignoring the noises of protest the three other men made when they returned to the living room, unable to care about anything but one another.