Tattler || 5sos

Twelve

~Emery~

"Well now I wish we would have gone to my apartment first," Ashton laughs as I unlock the door. Our coffee in hand, we enter, and I try to look at my apartment the way Ashton sees it. Big. Open. Expensive. I look back at him with a small smile.

"You know how my parents are," I force a laugh. They knew I hadn't wanted an extravagant apartment and they go me one anyway. To be professional you have to look professional.

"Yes, 'Let's give her everything but the things that make her happy'. Are they still like that?" Ashton sets down his cup and opens the tall French doors to the balcony.

"Yeah, they've always been like that," I hang up my coat in the front closet and kick off my shoes before skipping over to the balcony. Ashton was standing at the railing, looking down over the city. I went to stand next to him.

"Wow," he grins at me. "This is a great view."

I lean against the railing and smile sadly. "It's kind of lonely."

"Lonely?" Ashton repeats. "Don't tell me you don't have any friends."

"No, I have friends," I say, standing back up straight and turning to face him. He's looking at me, biting the inside of his lip.

"They're just not close to you," he says, and once again he knows me better than anyone. Even after all this time. There's a sharp wind and I shiver.

"Are you cold?" he asks, having not taken off his jacket inside. I laugh slightly, and see my breath spread out in front of me.

"No, I'm fine," I look back at the city, even though I can still feel his eyes on me. A thought forms in my mind, and I glance at him for a moment. "Ash," I say, and he smiles at me using the nickname. "You never told me what you do."

"I'm a music major," he shrugs. "But since you can't do anything with that, I work at a record store."

"That's not that bad," I say, and I mean it.

"It pays surprisingly well," he shrugs. "And I get to listen to music all day."

I watch Ashton for a long time, then think about the blank canvases in my room. If my parents were here, they'd scold me, but I say what I'm thinking anyway.

"I don't care," I say, and Ashton turns back to me suddenly.

"What?"

"I don't care," I feel myself smiling, and pace back before turning back to face him. "I'm not going to law school. I'm going to go call and quit the internship-"

As I'm turning for the door, Ashton grabs my arm. "Emery," he laughs nervously. "What are you doing?"

"I don't want to be a lawyer, Ash, I never wanted to be. This," I gesture at the apartment, at myself, "is what they want. I want to be an artist. I don't want to have to 'look professional' all the time. I want to feel like I'm free, I want to be with you, I want-"

"Wait," Ashton's smiling like he's been waiting for me to say all of this. "What was that last part?"

"I want to be with you," I say again. Ashton pulls me back over to him, achingly close. He brings his hands to my face and moves my hair out of the way. I don't want to breathe.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that again," he says and presses his lips to mine softly. When he pulls away I feel dizzy.

"I'm so glad we got thrown in jail," I laugh, pressing my forehead to his. We don't get to stay like that long though, because a knock on the door of my apartment brings us back to the real world.