My Girls| a.i.

eight

I busy myself with tidying up the small area of the kitchen while I wait for Ashton to get back, putting the couple dirty dishes in the sink into the dishwasher, wiping down the counters, and putting away the clean dishes lain in the dish drain. The timer on the oven beeps, the shrill noise startling me as I had grown used to the warm silence previously filling the apartment.

I turn the timer and the oven off, grabbing an oven mitt to slide over my palm before pulling the pizza out of the oven. I lay it on the stovetop, cutting it into pieces after I slide the mitt of my hand. The doorbell rings, bringing a small smile to my lips as I restrain myself from skipping towards the door to open it.

I twist the doorknob, opening it to reveal a much more comfortable looking Ashton clad in a pair of dark grey sweatpants and white t-shirt, a black hoodie clutched in one hand and a small duffel in the other. "Hey," I murmur with a smile, his lips curving into a smile as he utters a similarly happy greeting.

I move back slightly to allow him into the apartment once again, closing the door behind him while he slips off his sneakers and leaves them in the hallway next to mine.

"I didn't know how long you wanted me to stay and so I brought some stuff just in case and-" He rambles on, his cheeks tinged pink with embarrassment as his stiff body language seems to be waiting for me to reject him. I cut him off by placing my hand over his lips, his words stuttering to a stop as his breath catches in his throat, hazel eyes widening as he looks at me.

"When I asked you to stay, I meant for the night," I tell him softly, pulling my hand back and casting my eyes towards the ground when I see the astonishment on his face. "I mean, only if you want to, I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable or anything." I rush out, face heating and tongue thick as I stumble over the sentence.

Ashton's fingers catch hold off my chin, his hand tilting my face up towards his as he leans down to place a gentle kiss on my nose. "Of course I want to stay, love. I just didn't want to impose." He explains gently, my features softening back into a smile at his statement.

"Like I imposed last weekend?" I tease, a soft chuckle falling from his lips as he lets his fingers fall from my chin to instead lace through my own. "I already told you, you weren't imposing." He says with a groan as he starts to pull me towards the kitchen.

His pace increases as we get closer to the kitchen, the smell of the pizza wafting down the hallway and making my stomach grumble again. We make it to the kitchen quickly, Ashton's hand dropping mine to grab a plate before sliding two pieces on a plate to hand to me before getting himself two slices of his own.

I take a bite, letting out a small moan of appreciation once the food hits my tongue. A faint curse falls from Ashton's lips, his cheeks going beet red as he looks at me, eyes wide and lips parted.

"What?" I ask with a slight pout, his head shaking quickly in response as he hurriedly takes a bite of pizza instead of answering. I walk over towards him, all the while popping out my bottom lip as he looks everywhere but me, eyes trained on his plate.

"Tell me," I whine, instantly feeling appalled at the babyish tone to my words but brushing it off when Ashton lifts his gaze back to mine.

"It's too embarrassing," he informs me before taking another large bite of his pizza, sauce smudging around his lips as he does. I sigh as I use my napkin to wipe at the skin, his cheeks tinting even deeper red as I wipe the sauce from his skin. I wait for a reply but don't gain one, a slight harrumph sliding past my lips as I finish my pizza in silence.

"Don't be mad at me," Ashton says quietly, his tone sad and heavy as he places his empty plate into the sink, his eyes heavy with disappointment and worry as he speaks. I ignore his plea, instead turning my attention to washing the two plates. The sound of his footsteps is drowned out by the sink, the touch of his hands on my waist startling me and making me jump slightly when his head plops down on my shoulder.