Always a Friend

Chapter 49

My eyes were fixated on the front door. "What?" I mumbled, not turning around to face her. 

"You heard me. What the hell is going on between the two of you? The sex is so thick you could cut it with a knife." I heard her shoes tap the wood floor as she moved closer. "Seriously, Gem. What is going on? Are you falling for Ashton?" 

"What? Falling for Ashton. Don't be silly." I waved my hand dismissively as I walked past her. I walked into the kitchen, trying to get my composure before Chloe rushed in, demanding to know what was going on. I couldn't tell her what was happening because I wasn't sure myself. 

"Deny it all you want." Chloe entered the kitchen, grabbing her glass of tea on the counter. "I still say something is going on." She raised an eyebrow as she lifted the glass to her lips.

"What did you and Braedon have a fight about?" I asked, sitting on the stool Ashton had been sitting on earlier, trying to inhale the faint scent of his cologne that was fading. I just wanted to bury my head in his chest and breathe him in. I blinked, snapping out of my daydream before Chloe caught me, not paying attention.  

"I caught him talking to Olivia!" She threw her hands in the air, then let them slap down on the counter. "He tried to say I was imagining things. Do you believe that shit? Olivia of all girls." She rolled her eyes, taking another drink. 

"You need ice cream." I hopped off the stool, walked over to the refrigerator, and opened the bottom drawer. I pulled out the container of vanilla ice cream and then grabbed the chocolate syrup from the fridge. You could never go wrong picking ice cream as the go-to comfort food. I went to grab bowls when Chloe suggested cheeseburgers and fries. I couldn't argue with her because she was upset over Braedon. I didn't have the heart to tell her I'd just finished eating dinner Ashton had brought over. I turned and put the ice cream back in the freezer and the chocolate syrup in the fridge. I told her I'd change into jeans, and we could leave. Without thinking, I ran upstairs to my room and walked over to my window, gazing out it, hoping to see Ashton's car. I gripped the curtains, standing there staring at the empty spot in his driveway, thinking about the sexy, intense look he gave me before he rushed out the door. 

"Hurry up, Gemma!" Chloe yelled up the stairs. I turned toward my door, loosening the grip on my curtains. I walked over to the edge of my bed and grabbed my jeans from school, still lying across my cushioned bench. 

I walked down the stairs, adjusting my shirt, not paying attention. 

"Chloe let me in and said she'd text you later." 

My head shot up, my eyes wide. "Oh..." I grasped a hold of the wooden banister to keep from falling on my ass. "She left?" I stepped down and opened the front door. "Hmm..." I closed the door. "I was going to go with her to get a cheeseburger." 

"You're still hungry?" Ashton asked with a quizzical look. 

"No, I was just going to go with her and keep her company. I guess I changed for nothing." I motioned down to my outfit. 

"Since you changed, how about I take you out?" He opened the door. "We won't be gone long. I promise." He smiled and reached for my hand. 

"I need to get my purse." I looked down at my hands, then raced up to my room. I sat down on my vanity bench, applied lip gloss, fluffed my hair, and applied a little more blush and powder to tame my shiny nose. I turned my head from side to side, realizing it wasn't great but better than I was when I sat down. "What are you doing?" I mumbled to the girl, staring back at me in the mirror. 

"You coming, Gem?" Ashton yelled up the stairs. 

"Yeah! Sorry!" I jumped up and grabbed my phone and purse. "Sorry," I said softer as I walked down the stairs.