The Mix Up (Ashley Purdy Love Story)

I'm Lexi

I stood in Ashley's backyard staring at the pool. It was such a nice day out today and I wanted to swim badly, but I had sadly left my swim suit behind. It's not like you're going to LA where you know there's an ocean or anything, I thought as I stared longingly at the water.

An idea struck me and I glanced back at the house, biting my lip. It was early in the morning and Ashley was still asleep and I knew that the moment he woke up, he was going to jump into the shower. So I had about an hour to myself before Ashley came looking for me.

I slipped out of my shirt and shimmied out of my shorts, kicking them aside before taking a deep breath and diving into the cool water. It soothed my muscles and I held my breath for as long as I could. I floated on my back and stared at the blue sky, grinning to myself. I can get used to this.

One moment I was floating peacefully and the next I was flipped over and screaming my head off. Emerging from the water, I spluttered wildly before my eyes landed on a hysterical Ashley. He was floating in the middle of the pool, a mischievous grin on his face as he watched me try to redeem myself.

"So, having fun without me?" He teased, cocking his head to the side. His hair was darker in the water and for some reason, I found myself licking my lips as he swam closer.

"Yep. Enjoying the moment I have alone." I grinned.

Ashley rolled his eyes before leaning forward and pressing his damp lips against mine. For a second, I let my eyes flutter shut before I splashed him in the face with water. He coughed for a few seconds before looking at me with wide eyes.

I smiled cheekily, "That's for scaring me."

His eyes narrowed dangerously before he let himself float underwater. My heart thumped as I watched the dark mass move closer to me before I felt his large hands wrap around my ankles. I barely had time to breathe before he yanked me under. Bubbles floated around my face as I opened my eyes and Ashley's blurry figure appeared before me. There was a moment we didn't move before I felt Ashley pull me closer, our hair floating around us. I couldn't keep the excitement from forming as his did the most cliche thing ever: He kissed me underwater.

Yep, I'm most definitely liking LA.

...

"He kissed you underwater?"

"Until we had to breathe, yeah."

Cassandra chuckled over the line, "Oh wow, you're definitely getting laid."

I blushed a furious red, "Cass!"

"What? We both know it's true."

I sighed and laid down on my bed, running the towel through my damped hair. I could hear Ashley feeding the dogs and knew that I'd have to hang up with my friend soon; we had lunch plans before Ashley was booked for an interview with CC and Jake. At that time, I was going to head home and make a surprise diner for him. After all, it was all I could for him letting me stay here.

"Whatever. How is Alex? I'm worried about her." I asked.

Cassandra sighed, "Not good. I had been on the couch when she came out of her room, I don't think she saw me, but she was wearing a short sleeved shirt and Lexi . . . she's cutting again. They were really deep too. I didn't say anything, I mean you're the one who knows what to do. I have no idea what to say to her."

My heart broke when I heard the news. Alex was cutting again? I knew that every now and then she wanted to cut herself but she always came to me when she had the feeling. I had made it clear that she could come to me whenever for whatever reason, yet this time she hadn't? Was it because I was here with Ashley? I knew that I should't have came. Alex was already in a dark depression and me leaving had made it worse, hadn't it?

"Fuck. I should come home. I'll be there in a few hours if I leave now-"

"No! Lexi, you're just getting better. I can deal with Alex for three more days. I promise she'll be fine. I'll just call Trenny or somebody to come and help me. I don't want you to stop having fun." Cassandra quickly cut me off.

I sighed, "But I feel guilty."

"Don't. You already helped her now it's my turn."

Nodding, I quickly tossed the towel away from me when I heard Ashley coming down the hall, "Alright, if you say so. Bye, tell Alex I said I love her." 

I hung up just as Ashley knocked on my bedroom door. I jumped off of the bed and opened the bedroom door, smiling up at my boyfriend. He grinned before holding his hand out, looking sinful in tight jeans and an Hello Kitty t-shirt. I loved how he didn't give a shit what people thought about him, it made me want to be the same way, but I was too self conscious to ever do that. 

"Where to, my good sir?" I asked, smiling when he opened the passenger door to his car for me.

"It's a surprise." He simply said.

...

The surprise ended up being McDonald's. I couldn't keep the smile off of my face as Ashley led me towards the counter. It was busy seeing as it was Saturday afternoon and we quickly found a spot in the far back, chatting about future plans and such. I didn't bring up Alex since it didn't feel right talking about my friend's personal problems, but I still wanted to speak to him about my worries. But I kept it inside and decided that I'd talk to Cassandra later.

"Um, sorry to uh, bother you, but uh can I get a picture?" A shy girl stuttered, standing awkwardly beside our table. Two of her friends stood behind her, both clutching pens and napkins from the table tops.

"Yeah, sure thing! How are you ladies today?"  Ashley grinned and slid out of the booth, completely ignoring me and turning his full attention to the fans.

I know I shouldn't be angry but I felt slightly perturbed that he easily dismissed our date but I tried to imagine it from his perspective. I ate my fries in silence as Ashley carried on a conversation with the girls for well over five minutes before he finally said good-bye to them and sat back down. We quickly continued conversation but I was a bit put off after the fans.

Ashley held my hand as we left, waving at the girls when we passed them. I didn't glance at them and continued out of the fast food place, not wanting to stay any longer than needed. 

"Hey, are you okay? You've been weird since the pool. I didn't do anything wrong, did I?" Ashley asked, stopping me before getting into the car.

I shook my head, silently pleased that he noticed, "No, it's just drama back home."

He nodded understandingly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's not my place to talk about. Thanks though, Ash." I grinned as he helped me into the car.

"No problem, babe."

...

I had dinner placed on the table by five thirty and I nervously flitted around the house. Ashley wasn't supposed to be home for another hour so I had time to waste since I was already dressed and primped. I played with Tokio and Killer for a while before watching TV. Time seemed to slowly pass and when the clock chimed 6:15, I heard a car pulling up the drive.

I smiled brightly and bounded towards the front door, yanking it open and expecting my boyfriend to be standing there. However, an older couple stood there. They reminded me of the country folk with their sun kissed skin and the cowboy hat the man was wearing. Luggage pooled around their feet and a panting Border Collie sat next to their feet.

"Who are you? Where's Ashley?" The woman asked with a slight country twang to it.

"Um, my name is Lexi. I'm Ashley's girlfriend, who are you exactly?" I asked, clutching the door knob tightly. I didn't want to be rude, they were senior citizens, but she annoyed me with her demanding tone.

The man cleared his throat, "My name is Trent and this is my wife, Daisy. We're Ashley's grandparents."

"And he's never mentioned anything about a girlfriend." Daisy stated, her eyes unkind as she stared me down.