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Chapter 13 (edited May 2021)

Calum nervously fiddled with the belt on his black skirt, tightening and loosening it to distract himself from the fact that he would be meeting Ashton's grandmother in a matter of minutes. The man himself was in the kitchen cooking his grandmother's favorite meal; chicken parmesan and Caesar salad. Calum paced the living room, mumbling different versions of greetings to himself, his chunky heels thumping loudly against the hardwood floor.

"I can hear you thinking from the kitchen," Ashton chuckled as he walked into the living room, holding a small platter of cheese and crackers. Calum sighed, stopping his pacing so he could look up at Ashton.

"What if she hates me?" Calum pouted, crossing his small arms over his chest. Ashton set the platter on the table then walked towards Calum, setting his hands on the boy's hips.

"She won't hate you," he said confidently. "You are the sweetest and most beautiful person I have ever laid eyes on and there is no way that she could hate you. There is no way that anyone could hate you. I'll promise you that much," Ashton said, smiling warmly as he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. Calum sighed into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Ashton's shoulders.

"I will never get tired of kissing you," Ashton whispered. Calum wrapped his arms tighter around Ashton and sighed.

"I hope not," he smiled, leaning up and pressing his lips against Ashton's again. The man sighed contently, sliding his hands from the boy's hips up to his lower back, a respectable position.

The sound of a door bell made the two jump, breaking apart from their kiss. Calum's eyes widened, his nerves building once again.

"Oh my god, she's here. Do I look ok?" Calum asked frantically. Ashton chuckled, guiding a wary Calum to the front door.

Ashton kissed Calum's head and whispered, "You look beautiful," before opening the door. A small, yet sturdy looking elderly woman stood on the other side with a wrinkled smile on her face. Ashton greeted her warmly, wrapping his arms around her soft shoulders and squeezing as hard as he dared.

"Hi nana," Ashton smiled, kissing the woman's cheek.

"Hello grandson who never visits," The woman glared playfully. Ashton chuckled, allowing his grandmother to enter the house. The woman settled her hazel eyes on Calum, her smile soft and warm as she took in the boy's appearance.

"And who is this beautiful young lad?" She asked, holding her hand out for Calum to shake.

"I'm Calum. It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Irwin" Calum said, shaking the woman's hand gently.

"Oh please, honey, call me Betsy," She smiled

"Nana, this is my boyfriend," Ashton said, wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulder. Calum subconsciously leaned into Ashton's side as he smiled at the woman.

"My little Ashy is in a committed relationship?" the woman gasped dramatically, "I never thought I would see the day, seeing as you always decide to spend your days working and spending time with that noisy, sick looking boy," Betsy laughed lightly. Ashton chuckled, leading both his boyfriend and his grandmother into the kitchen.

"Well lucky for you, Michael is out today, not sure what he's up to but he won't be home tonight. And lucky for me, I met this beautiful boy whilst at the library conveniently doing work," Ashton explained. Calum blushed as he leaned against the countertop, watching as his boyfriend pulled the chicken parmesan out of the oven. His grandmother chuckled, sitting herself down at the table.

"Well, I must point out that you did find yourself one attractive fellow. Your mom, however, must have hated this," Betsy said with a laugh. Ashton scoffed breathily, setting the hot glass pan of chicken on the stove top. He left it to cool as he started working on the salad, mixing cherry tomatoes and chopped cubes of cheddar cheese with washed leaves of iceberg lettuce.

Pretty Boys  // cashton + muke \\ Where stories live. Discover now