peregrination

[ sieben. ]

"So, I guess this means that we're friends now?" Ashton asked Journey as he walked the brunette across his yard and to her home.

"We've been friends, weirdo," she nudged him, her hands shoved into her pockets. "Maybe we could do this again? Minus the cats?"

"Sounds good to me."

"You're buying the pizza next time, though," she said, turning around due to her being on her doorstep now. "You know, as my boyfriend, Harry should have walked me home. It's common courtesy, really."

"I'll be sure to tell him that, but I'm not sure if he even knows you're our neighbor, honestly," Ashton said, laughing slightly.

"Good night, Ashton," Journey smiled, leaning forward and pressing her lips to his cheek.

Journey rushed inside, trying to hide her red face, completely unaware that Ashton's was a few shades redder. She really had no idea what made her kiss his cheek, but when her parents were standing in front of her with a potted cactus in hand, she was even more confused.

¤

For the first time in what felt like forever but was only a few days, Journey wasn't woken up by Ashton repetitively ringing her doorbell. Which was really upsetting, because she had slept away half of her day due to him not playing the role of Australian alarm clock. Journey was going to continue laying in bed for the rest of the day, considering she had nothing better to do, but she was interrupted by her phone ringing.

She answered, barely glancing at the Unknown Caller at the top, and is met with a strongly-Michael-sounding, "Journeyyyyy!"

"Aussieeeee!" Journey yelled back, not 100% sure who it was.

"It's Lukeeee," he said, and she realized that she really had no idea what any of Ashton's friends sounded like nor how they managed to get her number.

"How'd you get my numberrrr?" Journey asked, whining slightly at the end.

"Michael had ittttttt," Luke responded, his voice dropping to a whisper as he added, "I was supposed to be prank-calling you because we're bored."

"Are you guys at my boyfriend's house?" Journey asked, getting up from her bed and looking at Ashton's house from her window.

There was a moment of squealing before Luke finally shouted, "Ashton asked you out? And you said yes?!"

"No, you idiot. Harry asked me out and I couldn't turn down a kid. Now are you guys there or not?"

"Technically yes. But Ashton isn't. He went to go...uh," his voice was farther away, as if he held the phone away from him, "Michael! Where did Ashton go again!"

"He went to Macca's to get us some breakfast, I think!" Michael shouted from Luke's end.

"It's noon," Journey said, "isn't it a little bit late for breakfast?"

"You probably haven't had breakfast either, so don't critize me. I called you to have a good time and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now."

"Aw, I'm sorry, Lukey," she responded. "Do you think it's possible he'd bring extra food? I'm starving."

"I'll tell Michael to call him and ask. You should totally come over here because it's kind of really boring," Luke says, whispering the last part.

"Deal," she answered easily, hanging up without saying goodbye and rushing to the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair.

Journey then threw on the first clothes she could find, which just so happened to be a dark grey Journey t-shirt and a pair of black ripped skinny jeans. In half a second, she was on Ashton's doorstep, ringing the doorbell just as he had done to her countless times, but instead of Luke or Calum or Michael answering, Harry did, a smile appearing on his face, "Journey!"