Going Somewhere New - 5sos

Chapter 9

--Alaska's POV--

As soon as Devyn left for her date, my roommates and I decided to get ready; it was almost nine and we were supposed to meet the boys at the party around ten. Once we were ready, we took Carolin's car and drove over to the party which was at the same house where we first met the boys.

The party was in full swing when we got there and as we walked into the house I eyed the expensive vodka in the kitchen. I was debating whether or not to get a drink when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. To my surprise, it was Jacob.

What are you up to tonight? ;)

Why I still had his number was beyond me. Maybe I was the one hurting myself by not cutting off contact completely, but I couldn't bring myself to delete his number.

I stuffed the phone back in my pocket and looked around. Carolin had agreed to be the designated driver for the night so Heather, Rosie, and I were free to drink. I knew Dev would be mad if I got super wasted again but after seeing Jacob two nights in a row and getting his text, I definitely needed a drink. I turned around and began to head back to the kitchen.

Something tapped my shoulder and I turned around to see Michael grinning widely with a drink in his hand. My friends and I giggled at him; he was a light shade of pink, my guess was that he was already buzzed.

He motioned for us to follow him and he lead us out to the backyard. There was a fire pit with a few guys standing around it, Luke and Ashton being two of them. They saw us and we all exchanged hugs and greetings. Luke had a bottle of Skyy vodka and he passed it around. Rosie and Heather took a swig but I declined. Having Ashton there made me not want to drink since I'd aready embarrassed myself in front of him while drunk.

I looked up at the sky. Although San Luis Obispo was teachnically a city, it didn't have too many bright city lights so I could still see some stars. I looked back around me and saw Michael chatting with some guy I'd never seen. Luke was talking and giggling with my friends while they took turns with the vodka bottle.

As I looked over at Ashton, I noticed he had taken a seat beside the fire and was using a stick to poke at the firewood. He noticed me staring and smiled at me, making the heat rise in my cheeks. I looked back up at the stars until the butterflies went away. Then I decided to walk over and take a seat next to him. I plopped down on the grass and he looked over at me curiously.

"What's up?" He asked, his eyes focused back on the fire.

"Not much," I answered.

He nodded and kept poking at the firewood.

"Bored?" I asked.

"Kind of," he answered truthfully. "You?"

"A bit," I admitted. "I know I just got here, but I'd usually be drinking by now."

He chuckled and I joined him; his laugh was contagious.

"Why aren't you?" He asked.

"Drinking?" I said and he nodded.

I shrugged and my fingers fidgeted with the grass beneath me.

"I don't want Dev to have to put up with me again," I said quietly. "I know she doesn't like when I drink."

I looked up at him and met his eyes before moving my gaze to the fire in front of me.

~~~~~~~~~~

--Ashton's POV--

She looked lovely, simply lovely; the fire illuminated her face, making her dark eyes shine in the darkness. She looked younger than she was, and the way she was speaking showed a more vulnerable side of her.