14 days

seven

"This is Ashton." I say, that way, I didn't say Ashton's my boyfriend, but I've got him introduced.

"Is Zara a good kisser?" Michael asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Excuse me?"

"That's between the two of us." I say, nudging Ashton's side.

I really should've told him before this, no matter how hard it was to spit out those words. I felt disgusted.

"Why do you look confused, mate?" Luke asks, frowning at Ashton.

Damn, Luke. It's because he is.

"Isn't that the guy for the 14 days program? I could've sworn I saw him with that label somewhere." Michael raises an eyebrow.

I laugh, hoping it doesn't sound nervous. "14 days program? Psh."

Calum turns to Ashton. "So you're dating Zara, or no?"

"No, I'm not." Ashton answers, puzzled.

I nudge Ashton in the hips really hard, and he turns to look at me, obviously very confused. "Ashton, sweetie, it's okay. I think we can make it public now."

"Oh, you guys were hiding your relationship?" Luke says, nodding.

I'm starting to sweat from being nervous, and I hope Ashton can catch on.

Thank the motherfucking Lord, he does. "Oh! Alright, then. Yes, we're dating."

"Why'd you keep it hidden?" Michael asked.

I shrug. "He doesn't go to our school. He goes to UCLA."

Calum looks skeptical. "Are you two really dating? You seem awkward as hell."

Michael nods in agreement. Were we really that bad?

"I mean, I don't know how else to prove to you that we are. I mean, I brought him here and everything." I manage to choke out.

Luke raises an eyebrow. "Kiss her, man."

"Oh, um, we hadn't really kissed before."

"Haven't you been dating for a couple days now?"

"Yeah, just, there wasn't much time, taking things slow, you know?" Ashton scratches the back of his neck.

"You can do it now. It shouldn't be a big deal." Michael shrugs.

"He's not a fan of PDA." I tell them, knowing if I said I wasn't a fan, it'd be a complete lie. Calum and I made out in public all the time, and the thought hurts so much, I have to turn away from him.

"Doesn't matter."

"I don't really appreciate this kind of... pressure you have here. Do you find it funny?" To my surprise, Ashton throws an arm around my shoulder and to play along, I lean my head on his chest, linking my hand with his.

Luke shrugs, shaking his head quickly. "Well, no. We just heard some stuff circulating around school, we just wanted to make sure."

"Well, I'm telling you now, we are. Leave her alone." Ashton says, frowning. "We should go in the house." Ashton tells me, and I nod.

The window from the outside in is tinted, so I relax and shrug Ashton off of me.

"What just happened?" Ashton says, clearly flustered.

"Well, you're my boyfriend in front of them, now."

"I noticed. What is this? I am your tutor, not your boyfriend."