Chapter 15; (I'm just ending it here)
The last few days have been hectic and serene at once, it seems. One moment we're covering up my situation and the next, we're in the clear. And then there's now, where everything seems to be going great. Austin and Ashton had taken Ash's boat out for a full day of deep sea fishing. I passed, settling on running the store for the day over a bunch of fish. Plus it was a great bonding experience for them.
Ashton hasn't really had much time to spend with Austin, neither have I truly, since that night. We just wanted to be around eachother constantly and I know how much that must've bugged Austin. Maybe a guys day is what they needed.
It's definitely felt different since that night. I feel like I'm practically glowing when he looks at me now. It's weird, the normal butterflies feel almost tripled the size when i see him.
"Taylor!" One of Ashton's neighbors, Nicole, calls from the water. I look up from walking the beach, setting aside the stray seashells into my shorts pocket.
She points toward the water where a dark figure is coming into view and I smile at her, waving a quick thanks before half-jogging toward the dock.
At the front of the boat stands Austin, waving furiously at me, a huge grin plastered across his face. There's been times I've seen him happier but there hasn't been many. Behind the wheel, Ashton is almost grinning, and even from afar I can see him laughing at Austin.
When they get close enough, Ash tosses a rope on shore and a local helps tie it into the dock.
"You're late." I cross my arms, trying to ignore the tremendous amount of giddiness rising in my stomach. He just smiles, biting down on his tongue between his teeth, and focuses on bringing the boat closer to the dock.
"Miss me?" He teases without looking up. I roll my eyes and help Austin to shore who's already blabbing on about all the stuff they caught and how they're in a cooler on the boat.
"I missed Austin. I take it it went well?" I ask, pushing Austin into a hug, ruffling his old Braves hat against his scruffy hair.
"It was awesome! Can we cook'em tonight, Ashton?" Austin bursts, looking to Ashton for confirmation.
"Of course, what else would we have for dinner?" Ashton smirks, glancing to me.
"Awesome. I'm going to go show Wilson my catch!" He runs off with the cooler toward the Nelson's house just down the street.
"How'd it go?" I ask after he gets his feet set. He raises his hands to my cheeks, cupping my face as I hold onto his waist. He smiles, eyes flicking around my face every few seconds, before settling back on my eyes.
"Great." He murmurs. I swipe my tongue across my lips and grin back, preparing to be ushered closer and to be kissed but a second later I was being twisted through the air and dropped on his shoulders with a sigh. Frantically, I grabbed at his back for stability.
"What- What are you doing?" I screech. "Put me down! Ash!"
He walks me to the side of the dock where a boat was missing from the spot. Through my fallen hair, I can see the water lapping against the side of the dock where the poles meet the ocean.
"No, seriously, wait," I grip at his shirt. "Hang on, stop."
"Didn't miss me, huh?"
"I never said I didn't!" I defend. He bends his knees as if acting like he's about to drop me and I squeal.
"I missed you!" I giggle, my legs attempting to kick through the air uselessly. "I missed you, alright!"
"I don't believe you!" He shouts just as he tosses me through the air. I see his blurred form just before I hit the water feet first. He joins me a second later, pulling me closer to him and drawing us to not-as-deep water where he can touch the bottom but I cant. I straddle my legs around his hips and push my hands to his cheeks after slapping his shoulder.
"I did miss you, you jerk." I say, kissing him on the cheek quickly, salt water slipping onto my lips.
"I know you did, I just wanted to hear you say it. Also because the water feels great today, doesn't it?" He smirks. I grin and kiss him again, this time on the lips.
"I love you," I murmur, grinning up at the sun that's now at its lowest point just after sunset.
"I love you too," He says, dipping me down so my wet hair dips farther down until it reaches my ears. He leans for my lips again but I shake my head and hold my hand up to his lips, letting my knuckles brush against them.
"Kiss the hand," He smirks, pecking his lips to my hand, eyes on me. "Then you kiss the girl."
It's now that I get that feeling that everything's going to be alright in the end. And maybe it will, maybe we will end up safe here, maybe this place could become our home. But I think it already is.
As long as I'm with Ashton, I think it'll work out in some form or another. We have a lot of time on our hands, as it is, so I think we'll be okay. Either way, it's about time we ended up somewhere safe. And honestly, I couldn't think of a better place.
••A/N
Ahhhh, the end. Thanks for reading guys, I know it was short and honestly not very good but thanks to ones who did read it. It means a lot. I'm starting Take Me Away now so please check it out. Thanks!!:))
Brooke
