Bring Out The Best In Me

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

I suddenly opened my eyes, head pounding. My vision was all blurry and the first thing I noticed was Ash leaned over me. Then I realised I was in the bath tub, and that Ash had the shower head in his hand.

He smirked, not a tiny bit of sympathy in his eyes, as he turned the tap and water sprayed out of it. At me.

**

I woke up, breathing heavily. I looked around, panicking.

I had no idea where I was, no idea how I got here.

I was in a bed, sating sheets covered me up to my waist. The sun shone through the window. I sat upright. Ash’s room!

 I was still wearing my shorts but my jacket was gone. I quickly got out of bed and a searing headache hit me almost instantly.

I held my head which ached. I winced and my vision got all blurry. I blinked a few times and my eyes adjusted. I walked, slowly, over to the door and grabbed the doorknob.

Suddenly the door opened, from the other side, and the door smacked me in the face. I yelped and staggered back.

“SH*T!” I cried as I clutched my nose.

Ash ran over and fussed over me. “Oh, God. Sorry, sorry sorry!” he said as he bent my head back and got some tissue out of his pocket.

He held it up to my nose and I narrowed my eyes, took it from him, and let the tissue soak up all the droplets of blood that were coming out of my nose.

“Great, my head hurts and now my nose too!” I said. My voice was a tiny bit slurred but not like....like... when was the party? Last night?

“What—“ I started to say but Ash poured me some orange juice and handed the glass to me.

I drank it, head still pounding.

“Tha-“ I was about to say ‘thanks’ but a wave of nausea swept over me and I stumbled into his bathroom and bent over the toilet.

Ash held my hair for me while I threw up.

Then he wiped my mouth with a towel and handed me a toothbrush and tub of toothpaste, grinning.

After I brushed my teeth and ran a hair brush through my hair, I staggered back into his room. My nose stopped bleeding now, and I discarded the tissue. Ash was sitting on his bed and he stood up and walked over to me when he saw me.

He grabbed me by the shoulders and steered me over to his bed.

“I’m not sleeping with you.” I snapped, still tired.

Ash laughed and gently pushed me back into bed.

“Don’t try anything, got it?” I yawned as Ash tucked me up.

“Got it.” Ash laughed again.

My eyes closed and the last thing I felt was Ash’s soft lips on my cheek before I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up, again, and the headache wasn’t as bad as before, though I could still feel it. I sighed and got out of bed. I walked out of Ash’s room and a delicious smell from the kitchen reeled me in.

Ash was cooking pancakes.

“Oh my God. Are you making pancakes?”

I ran over to him and leaned over his shoulder, looking at the crisp, golden coloured pancake in the pan. 

“Hungry?” he asked as he flipped it over.

“Mm-hmm” I hummed and sat down at the table. After a few minutes Ash brought a plate of folded over pancakes.

“They’re filled with Nutella. I know you love it,” Ash grinned and put the plate down in front of me. I smiled up at him gratefully and bit into the pancake.

“Yum,” I laughed.

“How’re you feeling?” Ash sat down opposite me.

I shrugged. “My head still hurts and I feel sick here and there but...fine,” Ash nodded and I licked my fingers then took another pancake.

“Thanks for helping me,” I blushed.

“Yeah, no problem.”

“I’m glad you didn’t let anyone take advantage of me,” and then I quickly added, “and that you didn’t either.”

Ash smirked slyly. “How do you know I didn’t?”

I stopped chewing and glared at him, he just laughed.

“I’m kidding!” Ash said.

I relaxed.

“Or maybe I’m not...” Ash winked and I narrowed my eyes and looked down at my plate. Before I could accuse him of something, he quickly added “I didn’t put anything in your food.”

I swallowed and got up, swaying a little, and I leaned against the table to steady myself. “I need to go home, my parents will freak.”

Ash checked his phone and then stood up too. “Already called them,”

“You did?” I asked, surprised.

“Yup.”

I looked around the room, trying to think of some excuse to leave and then I realised I didn’t need one.

“I still need to go,” I said.

“Ok.” Ash smiled.

I stared at him. What? No ‘Don’t leave!’ or ‘But why?’. No persistent remarks? Nothing to make me stay? Maybe he didn’t want me there?

“Ok,” I mumbled as I took my phone out of Ash’s hands and headed for the door. Ash stood there, holding it open for me.

I glanced at him, giving him a chance to say something. Instead he held the door wider and grinned.

I bit my lip and waited for another second.

Then he finally said,  “Be careful crossing the streets.”

Not what I expected...

I walked outside and when I turned around to say something, Ash closed the door. I turned back towards my house, clenching my fists.

I nodded slightly to myself and crossed the street. Stumbling a little, I barely managed to jump out of a Toyota’s way.

“For f*cks sake!” I shouted, pissed off, and slammed my door behind me.