recovery // a.i.

26 // nicholas sparks

hayden's point of view

Our train rolled to a stop at the platform, awakening many of the passengers. Ashton slept on my shoulder, my fingers loosely intertwined with his. His earbuds were nearly falling out of his ears as he slouched in his seat.

Shaking his shoulder, he woke up and looked at his surroundings. He sat in the window seat, so he got a slight view of the lit-up city on the other side of the platform. I stood and let Ashton through, since he was the taller one of the two of us. He retrieved our bags from the compartment above the seats and passed them down to me.

"When we check into the hotel, can we cuddle?" asked the half-awake blonde boy. It was nearly eleven at night. Ashton had spent his day packing and sleeping, since he had worked until eleven the night before. "We can watch a movie or something," he suggested.

Rolling my suitcases behind me, I exited the train. Ashton and I looked around, taking in the Boston view. I felt Ashton's hand slip around my waist and grip my side as we walked, so he wouldn't lose me in the crowd.

The two of us hailed a cab, putting our bags in the trunk once it pulled up and getting in the back seats. Ash asked the driver to take us to Oakwood Hotel and, within minutes, we were there. He handed the driver a bill and we exited, retrieving our bags.

Ashton got the key from the counter before me and made his way towards the elevator, carrying a bag and rolling two. He only let me carry one bag, since it was "necessary."

We were the only two in the elevator, since it was so late at night. Dropping the bags onto the floor of the elevator, he pressed the button for the twenty-fifth floor and then walked over to me. His large hands rested on my waist as he pressed his forehead to mine. His eyes held so much exhaustion as he blinked, trying to stay awake. We stayed like this until the door opened and he grabbed the bags again. I carried one bag down the hall as we approached our hotel room door. He unlocked it before pushing open the door and revealing the beautiful room. It had a great view of the city.

"Which bed do you want?" asked Ashton, smirking and sitting down on the one closest to the window. Making my way over, I sat beside him and looked out at the lit up city of Boston. He pulled me towards him and laid down, bringing me down with him.

After turning on a couple of movies and laying there for three hours, Ashton brought his lips to my cheek from behind. His gentle, pink lips brushed the skin just before my ear. "I'm scared about meeting your parents," he mumbled, leaving a few kisses on my face.

"Why?"

"The last parents I met both want me dead," he laughed quietly, brushing stray hairs behind my ear.

Rolling my eyes, I turned over so we laid face-to-face. "My parents wouldn't want you dead. It'd be my brother, if anyone," I joked as he sat up and scooted back against the headboard, pulling the blanket over himself.

"What if I make a bad first impression?"

"You w-"

"Oh my God, I'm the worst at first impressions. They're going to hate me. What if they tell me I can't date you?" rambled Ashton, pulling his glasses off of his face and folding them up.

Crawling into bed beside him, I wrapped my arms around the muscular boy. "They wouldn't do that, trust me. They're pretty laid back."

"That's what they all say," he chuckled and pulled the cord of the lamp. "Goodnight, Hayd. I like you a lot."

•••••

Daylight made the tan silhouette standing in the middle of the room brighter. Ashton stood there in his underwear, his freshly cut hair dripping wet. "Nice ass," I greeted, making him jump and blush, since I'd startled him.