Troublemaker (5SOS)

Chapter Five

*Author's Note: I added a clip of The Lost Boys into this part, just in case you're unfamiliar with the scene I reference in this chapter*

Ashton's breath hitched as he noticed the girl nearing his friends.  He tried not to have any expectations, but Tara exceeded any expectations he did have.  She stood out of the crowd, not only because of her style, but she just seemed to radiate positivity.  She leaned into Michael, speaking just loud enough for Ashton to overhear.  She was asking for him.  He could tell that Michael was smitten, just by the dopey look on his face, but Ashton quickly shut it down when he introduced himself.  She grinned as he handed her the flowers that he ran back to his car for and apologized to the guys as they began to walk away, slipping her hand into his.

Ashton had already laid out a spot underneath the willow tree, which included a couple of blankets, a pillow against the tree for comfort, and a package of Oreos.  

She gasped, looking at him with stars in her eyes.  "No way are you this perfect!" 

Ashton smiled, opening the plastic wrap and handing her the tray of cookies.  Oreos and pink stargazer lilies were her favorites, and he remembered those small details from their late night conversations.  They settled into their spots against the tree and watched as one of the main characters, Michael, noticed the beautiful and mysterious Star in a crowd for the first time upon moving to the small town.  

As Ashton comfortably slipped his arm around Tara, pulling her closer, she could feel eyes on them.  She turned to look back at his group of friends, only to see the one in the middle shift as soon as they made eye contact.  She waited until he looked back at her to smile, and once she did, he bit his lip to fight a grin.  Her breath hitched in her throat.  Michael was completely how she pictured Ashton, but the real Ashton went above and beyond what she expected of this night.

Tara trembled against Ashton although it was the dead of summer.  It was cooling down, though, so he pulled the lightweight plaid blanket over them both.  She nuzzled against him, and his body tensed as he felt her breath on his neck.  He laced his fingers with hers and they watched the movie in peace.  At one scene, he noticed her lips moving along with the characters as if she'd seen the movie a thousand times over.

She caught him watching her and blushed, letting her hair fall in her face as she looked away.  He gently lifted her chin so he could meet her eyes and slowly brought his lips to hers, hesitating for a moment to make sure it was okay.  She met him the rest of the way and melted into him, bringing her right hand to the nape of his neck, deepening the kiss.  Every nerve in Ashton's body was tingling.  This would top the charts as his most romantic kiss, and it took place in a cemetery with a blue haired siren.