The Other Half Of Me - Liam Payne Fanfic

Chapter Seven

**Caylen's Point Of View**

I move around the large open space of Ashton's apartment, going from the dresser to the sink and over to the hanging wrack of clothes off to the side of the bed. His apartment is a giant expanse of open space--a studio apartment--with everything in the open: the make-shift kitchen, dining area, bedroom, bathroom, the toilet of course is kept private, but for the most part everything else is left for all to see. 

My favorite is the large clawfoot tub that sits off to the right of the bed and has an incredible view into the center of our neighborhood. Yes, it doesn't allow for much privacy, but that's what's so captivating by it in my eyes. 

The raw, enchanting power of a home, open to everything, the city, the love, the family that gathers there. 

Ashton is standing over by the large two story tall windows that frame the city and the river. He's leaning on the steel frame and has one foot crossed behind the other. His hands are in his pockets, such a casual pose and yet, I can't take my eyes off of the portrait-worthy scene in front of me. Being as quiet as possible, I grab my camera off of his bed and snap a picture of him and the city we both love so dearly. 

Ashton turns around as he hears the click of the camera and the sound of the film being released from the base. I grin at him, still holding the camera, guilty as ever. He flashes me the sexiest smile and he says in his aussie dialect, "Now, Cay, what've you got there?" The way he cocks his head to the side and saunters over towards where I stand, now holding the picture, hiding it from the outside sources of light and my boyfriend's prying eyes. 

"Oh no you don't," I reply, holding the picture close to me and backing up as he advances towards me. 

He gives me a look, this one look where I just know he's up to something, and in a second, he chases after me. I squeal and run around to the side of the bed opposite where he's standing. Ashton darts around to my side and I squeal again, jumping onto the mattress and off the other side. 

Ash slips for a second, but regains his balance, smile beaming on his face and a chuckle escaping his gorgeous lips. I swear I could listen to him laugh all day long. I just love the pure happiness that Ashton exudes and in turn, it rubs off on those around him. 

I can't remember a time in my life before Ashton when I was near as happy as I am now. 

I smile, laugh a moment, before another squeal escapes my lips as Ashton catches up to me and wraps his strong arms around my waist, pulling me against his hard body. He lifts my chin with his hand and his eyes dart from my eyes to my lips. My eyes mimick his as I try to control myself, but as always, I fall under his spell, losing myself completely in his eyes, his scent, his touch. 

He leans in slightly, grazing my lips with his, then quickly spinning around me, pulling the picture out of my hand. I stay where I was, still completely entranced, before he moves back in front of me, holding the now visible photo in his hands. 

I break out of his spell and meet his eyes. The gorgeous grin plays along his lips and he sets the photo down on the coffee table beside us. He takes a step towards me, reaching around my back and tugs me into him, pressing me against his strong. hot body again. My breath catches in my throat as I feel his touch. 

You'd think after dating for so long that I would have grown used to the feeling of him holding me and how he affects me, but no. I don't think I'll ever get used to it. There's just something about the love and the passion that he and I share that there is not "getting used to it." It's who we are and it's our life together. Nothing can smolder the fire and calm us, not distance, not change, not our incredibly different backgrounds. 

I stare into his big, deep brown eyes, feeling myself begin to slip again, just as he says, "I can't tell you how much I love you, Caylen." 

Before I can utter a syllabul, his lips are pressed against mine and I kiss him back. Our kiss is full of every ounce of love we share. The dance our lips partner in and the teasing our tongues play with each other allows the other to know just how much emotion is shared without having to utter a single word. No amount of "I love you's" can express the love that one of our kisses holds. 

I pull away to stare into his eyes. I see my life in his eyes. My future. My everything. My children with him. My old age. Everything with this one person. Most people would be scared, but I am so sure of us, that I have no worries at all. Instead, I couldn't be more happy. I smile and give him a quick peck before walking back over to the bed to finish folding what clothes I needed to pack. 

He walks over to the rack of clothes and begins to take his off their hangers and toss them onto the other side of the bed. I glance up and see him toss a faded blue hoodie onto the pile of clothes. I bite my lip and continue to fold and pack my clothes and other items. When he finishes getting his clothes, he begins folding and stuffing them into his own small bag. Our eyes meet every so often and he smiles. 

My eyes dart to the hoodie and he must've seen the look. He cocks a grin to one side and picks up the soft garmet. I watch as he walks around the bed and moves to stand behind me. His breath is on my neck as he moves to whisper, "Lift your arms, love." 

I do so and he slips the hoodie over my head and my arms through their proper holes. The hoodie hangs loosly around my torso, smells so strongly like Ashton that I swear I could get high off of it, and is so soft it feels like a cloud has wrapped itself around my frame. 

Ashton takes a step back to admire me in the hoodie. He holds up his pointer finger, telling me to wait, grabs the camera and grins at me. I immediately blush and cover my face with my hands. 

"No! Oh no you don't! You snap a photo of me, so I get to take one of you!" 

I blush even harder as I lower my hands, my short red hair tousled and  falling all in my face, I try to manage a smile, but end up laughing and giving him the goofiest grin. The camera snaps as he takes my picture. 

My hands cover my face again, still shy and embarassed. I peak through my fingers and his hoodie's sleeves to see him waving the film, speeding the developing process up. A grin plays along his soft pink lips and a glint of playfullness radiates in his eyes. The photo reveals itself and Ashton stops, completely awestruck by it.  

I reach over and slip it from his fingers and turn it to look at it. I'm as awestruck as Ashton is. Who would've thought that the embarassed picture of me laughing, with hair in my face, my blue eyes shining and matching the hoodie perfectly, could've made such an incredible photo. 

"I told you it'd be a good picture," Ashton says, his accent sliding through the words and over to me. I glance down at the photo again and think to myself, I suppose when you love someone...every moment is Kodak worthy. 

Ashton's grin confirms that he's thinking the exact same thing as I am. I smile back and wrap my arms around him, squeezing him slightly before releasing him. 

"Let's finish packing, babe. They'll be ready to leave soon." 

 I smile, thinking of the adventure me and my family is about to embark upon. I can't help but get so excited imagining how much fun we're going to have. To be able to take this trip with the most important poeple  in my life is such a blessing and I am so grateful, I momentarily forget that I am now unemployed and homless. 

But that doesn't matter. 

What matters is the love that Ashton and I share and the bond that our family of friends has linking us all. As long as we have this link, everything is going to be okay. I just know it. 

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