Secrets [m. clifford]

- 2 -

I hear a door slam and my name being called.

Ashton's home from practice.

"Grace!" He shouts again.

I can hear his feet pounding the stairs as he runs up them.

He bursts into my room and I give him a look.

"You said yesterday you were going to hang out with Michael and never came home where the hell were you?" He questions.

I roll my eyes. "Oh my god relax Ashton."

"Answer me." He demands.

"Leave her alone Ashton." Bec says as she walks by my bedroom door.

"This doesn't concern you Becca." Ashton replies.

"Grace.." Ashton says in a warning tone.

I give in, "Okay! I stayed at Michael's last night. I-"

"Grace!" He exclaims.

"If you would let me finish, I was going to say we were watching a movie and it was quite late and I ended up falling asleep. Nothing happened." I tell him.

That is actually true, I just left out the part where there were multiple make out sessions.

"If he made any moves on you.." He mutters.

"He didn't, okay. Now will you leave me alone?" I beg.

He walks to the door but before leaving he turns back to me.

"If I find out there's something going on between you two I'm going to be furious." He says then turns back, walking off.

I feel bad for continuously lying to him but he can't tell me what I can and can't do.

"Grace?" Bec softly calls, lightly knocking at my door.

She looks up at me giving me a weak smile.

Walking into my room, she closes the door and comes to sit at the edge of my bed.

"I'm sorry Ashton acts that way." She quietly says.

"He's being an asshole." I mutter. "I'm just so tired of him always harassing me about hanging out with Michael, or just the guys in general."

"Remind me to never bring up a guy around Ashton." She chuckles.

"If you do he'll probably go crazy considering you're the baby of us three." I reply.

"I just think it's still going to be worse for you because Michael is one of his best friends." She tells me.

I sigh, "I know. I don't get it though. He was always fine with me hanging out with them before. Ashton would invite me places with them all. But as soon as Luke and Calum started making jokes about Michael and I, I think it just made him uncomfortable."

"Once you finally do tell him, I think he'll be okay with it... Maybe after a long, long time, but he will eventually be okay with it." She smiles.

I chuckle, "Yeah, sure he will. Besides, none of them are supposed to be dating because of that stupid deal anyways so.."

"Well Grace, Ashton said he was going to take me out shopping, actually I'm kinda forcing him to. So we're going to be gone for a while. Oh and mum just left" She says standing up.

"And you're telling me because.." I question.

"I'll text you to warn you when we're on our way back." She smirks before leaving my room.

I laugh, clueing in to what she's trying to say.

My phone rings from beside me and it's Michael.