Loving Him (Ashton Irwin a.u.)

Chapter 17

I didn't see Ashton for a couple of days after our small fall-out. I wasn't upset with him per se, but I definitely felt like I needed to have some space from him for a little while whilst I thought things through.

The thoughts I'd had that led to my confusion were very far-fetched and unlikely. I was almost certain I was wrong, because if anything that crazy was to have happened then I was sure Ashton would have told me already. I mean - he told me everything, right? Well, everything except the details of his last relationship. And that was another thing I found shady about him. I'd told him all the gory ins and outs of my last boyfriend - how he cheated on me, who with, the positions - and he had a gang of friends to shut me up when I even mentioned his last girlfriend. Hell, I didn't even know what her name was! However I knew I needed to be patient and respectful of the tender topic and gave up trying to squeeze information out of him.

I had talked to Kia about my conundrum, and she was extremely helpful and supportive of me. I told her my worries, and she calmed me down and distracted me, saying she was 100% sure any guy worth his salt would've spilt the beans about that kind of thing soon after the first date. I spent the next few days after I last saw Ashton with Kia and her boyfriend J. The two of them were kind enough to wait until I was occupied with something by myself until they scurried off to their bedroom for a while. You'd think after being so sexually active for such a long time they would've started to get bored of it by now, but apparently not.

"I'm just saying," I reasoned in a level voice as I stood in front of the couple who were cuddled up on the sofa, "I'm really grateful for your help these last few days, but all I'm asking is for a little bit of time without walking in on you guys doing it on every surface of the living room, you know?"

J blushed and Kia smirked, nodding at me. "We heard what Ashton was whining about the other day. You guys haven't been having sex for a while. Why don't you stick around and watch, maybe pick up a few things to try with him?"

My cheeks burned bright red like the varnish on my nails as I looked at my roommate incredulously. "Kia!" I scorned. "That's creepy! Why would I want to watch one of my best friends sleeping with her boyfriend?"

"Come on," she teased. "Maybe we'll let you join in."

"I'm not listening to this," I stated as I walked out the room in a vain attempt to mask my discomfort. "That's gross. I don't wanna do that," I continued muttering to myself even after I was out of earshot.

I went into my room, flopping down on my bed with my phone in my hand as I opened the Instagram app and scrolled through my feed. A good half hour later Kia knocked on my door and let herself in. Lingering in the doorway, she said, "Sorry for making you uncomfortable earlier," with a shy expression on her face. "I was only joking."

"I know," I said with a smile as I struggled to stand up. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly. "Thanks, Kia. I owe you guys."

She sighed as I pulled away and we sat down on my bed. "Jason went home. I wanted to have some girl time with my best friend."

I grinned. 'Girl time' with Saskia was always a lot of fun, even though it wasn't a common occurrence after she met her boyfriend. Before long we had set up Netflix on the TV in the living room, changed into pyjamas and laid out cushions and blankets on the ground. It reminded me of my second date with Ashton, and the memory of the night's events made me blush and avert my gaze.

"What's that look for?" Kia asked curiously as she jabbed a finger into my side. I shook my head and swatted her away before sitting down. I wasn't going to remind her.

As I picked a film Kia cooked some popcorn and rounded up a few bowls of snacks. Before long we were sat together on the ground with Dear John playing on the TV. I prepared myself for emotional turmoil, having already watched this movie.