Something Beautiful

↠t w e n t y - t w o ↠

Song of the chapter:
My Way by Fetty Wap

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"So what's happened in the few weeks since I've been gone?" Ashton asked me. We were sitting on my bed, side by side, his hand on my thigh.

My mind automatically went to the day Jason grabbed me. I looked down and swallowed hard. You can't tell him, Hazel. It'll just cause problems. "Nothing much, really." I lied. "I just sat around the house doing nothing. I was bored out of my mind, to be honest."

"You should've taught yourself how to play the drums." Ashton chuckled.

"I can't go into your room when you're not around!" I exclaimed.

He shrugged. "Why not? It's not like I'm hiding anything."

I beg to differ. I thought. I still hadn't gathered enough courage to ask him about the band he was in.

Suddenly I heard a knock on the front door upstairs.

Ashton stood up and stretched his arms above his head. "I better get that. I don't think Lizzie is home."

Of course, Jim was on yet another business trip.

I nodded. "I'll come with you."

He shook his head. "No, it's fine. It's probably just some salesman that I'm gonna have to chase away." He grinned.

I giggled.

He left my room and ran up the stairs.

A few seconds later I heard him say in a surprised voice, "Calum? What are you doing here?"

I immediately stood up and went to the bottom of the steps that led up to the kitchen.

"Ashton! You're finally back!" Calum exclaimed. I heard some thumping which I guessed was him patting Ashton on the back.

"What are you doing here?" Ashton repeated.

I took that time to go upstairs and into the kitchen.

"Hazel!" Calum exclaimed when he saw me. "What's up?"

I smiled timidly and shrugged.

Ashton looked back at me and raised an eyebrow, surprised. "You two know each other?"

"Yeah, man. She answered the door the last time I came here, looking for you."

Ashton nodded. "Oh."

"Man, you really need to start coming to band--" Calum started.

"Calum." Ashton said firmly and shook his head.

"Dude she already knows." Calum said, laughing.

Ashton tensed up. "Since when? Calum did you tell her?" Ashton exclaimed. He was angry.

"Dude, I didn't know that you didn't tell her!" Calum threw his hands up in surrender.

Ashton groaned and looked back at me. "I guess I've got a bit of explaining to do, don't I?"

I shrugged.

"Sit." He ordered, nodding toward the kitchen table.

I went and sat down in one of th chairs, and crossed my arms over my chest.

"First of all, I'm sorry, Hazel." He said, as he sat down across from me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"It's complicated." He muttered.

Calum laughed. "How is being in a band complicated?"

Ashton shot him a glare. Then he turned back to me. "I didn't want you to use me."

"What do you mean by that? I would never--"

"I know that now. When I first met you, I kind of liked you. It's just that I didn't know you so I didn't say anything."

"Were you ever going to tell me?" I asked.

Ashton nodded. "Eventually. It's just that girls would use us because they knew that we were semi-famous. I wanted things to be real with you."

So he was worried about the same thing I was. Getting used and getting hurt. "I get it now."

"Do you?" He asked, his lips slowly turning up into a smile.

I nodded. "Same reason why I was trying to avoid you. Didn't want to get hurt."

"Okay, now that we've all told our life stories, are you going to my party tonight, Ash?"

Ashton looked down at his hands. "I don't know."

"But--"

"Calum, do you ever shut up?" Ashton asked, getting annoyed.

I stared at him. He never acted like that.

"Hazel, you should come." Calum said, ignoring Ashton.

My head shot up. "What?"

Ashton groaned. "She is not coming, Calum."

"Why not?"

"Yeah, why not?" I asked.

Ashton sighed and looked at me. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

I snorted. "It's a party Ashton."

"Yeah well what about all the other parties you went to?"

"I have you, don't I?" I asked.

"What if I'm not around?"

I rolled my eyes. "I am capable of taking care of myself, you know."

"Yeah, and chances are I'll be close if you're not. It is my party." Calum added.

Ashton stared at me, probably trying to gage whether or not I was serious. "I don't know."

"Ashton, seriously? You don't need to worry about me! I'm not freaking five, okay!" I exclaimed. God!

He laughed at my outburst. "Okay, okay."

"Sweet. See you guys at eight?" Calum asked.

"Ten." Ashton answered.

Calum nodded. "Well, I'm gonna go then. See you guys later!" He opened the front door, stepped out and closed it behind him.

Ashton stood up and held out his hand. "Let's go back downstairs."

I nodded and grabbed his hand. He pulled me up off my chair and led the way downstairs. Once we got to my room, he led the way to my bed and turned to me, dropping my hand. Instead, his hands found their way up to my face, on each side of my face. He leaned into kiss me but I brought my hand up to his face, cupping the side of it, and putting my thumb over his lips. He glanced up at my eyes, surprised.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"What else are you hiding?" I whispered.

He sighed. "Nothing, I swear."

"You sure?"

"I promise, Hazel." He looked so honest.

I believed him. I leaned in, and replaced my thumb over his lips with my own lips.

For once in my life, I found someone who loved me for me.

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