The boy I fixed to break

Chapter 13

"Okay okay, who would you choose—Taylor Swift or Hailey Baldwin?"

Ashton pondered this over a minute before saying, "Taylor Swift."

"Really?" I say, looking at him like I didn't believe him, "A singer over a model?"

"Hey, "he said, leaning back and taking a sip of his iced tea, "Tom Hiddleston chose her. I trust his judgement."

I sighed and completed braiding my hair, "It's too bad they broke up."

Currently, me and Ashton were at Aromatic's again. We came here directly after school hoping to decide what to do next for Mission Acquire Lottie the Hottie. It had kind of become our go-to place. The serenity and nature was interestingly comforting. But of course, instead of staying on mission we had drifted away from it and started talking about a totally different topic. It was surprising how hard it was to hold a conversation with him which consisted of only one topic. There just so much more to talk about. It was like our conversation were a tree, we start off with one thick growing trunk but it eventually grew into different branches. It was an annoying ability of ours because we never knew how time passed, but I looked forward to it every time.

"What would fiction character would you be?"

"hmm" I said and reached for his iced tea. He scowled and swatted my hand away. I grinned, "Clary Fray. From the mortal instruments."

He smiled back, "Yeah that was one heck of a love story eh?"

I nodded, "Yep."

"I liked the way she portrayed how they fell in love you know? They didn't just decide that they were soulmates, it slowly grew into something more.

The love that can burn down the earth and raise it up in glory" He said, quoting one of the lines from the famous book series.

I looked at Ashton funny, "I don't know Ash, isn't love supposed to be this spectacular thing that just knocks the breath out of you when it arrives? If it's such a powerful force, isn't it supposed to show its glory right at the start?""

"No" he said, slowly like he was carefully choosing his words, "Look, maybe love doesn't make some kind of grand entrance, you know? Maybe it's not an arrow through the heart, or a knockout punch. Maybe love sneaks in. Maybe when love shows up, it does so imperceptibly, with hands like seasons. You don't know how or why everything's changed, but there's no denying that you've been touched."

I was silent for a moment when he said that. He looked at me, biting his lip. And I just stared back, there was a feeling swelling in my chest

"You should..." I start, "You should write poetry or something."

He blushed a little, "Just expressing views."

I smiled at him, "You're actually a very sensitive guy aren't you?"

"Whatever Vanessa." He mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"No seriously" I insisted, lightly punching his shoulder, "You put on this I-don't-Care-I'm-just-a-jerk act but you are just so much more."

He laughed, shaking his head, "You've got me all figured out huh?"

"I think I've got a pretty good idea. "

"Yeah yeah"

"Can I ask you something?" I said slowly, knowing that I was treading foreign ground.

Ashton took a sip of his iced tea, "Sure."

"Why did you and Charlie break up?" I say.

Ashton froze, gulping down his iced tea.