Together | A.F.I

⁂ 16 :: oxford ⁂

It was 9am, and Joelle was slowly coming to the realisation that she was alone and naked in her bed. She got up, the events of the early evening coming back to her tired head, making her smile. Sliding Ashton's tshirt over her head, she slid on underwear and some shorts before making her way downstairs, hearing a particularly strange rendition of bohemian rhapsody come from the kitchen and realising that he hadn't left.

Sneaking with silent feet, she crept into the kitchen, Ashton's bare back to her as he fried eggs and bacon, doing both the high and low galileos at the same time. An idea of sneaking up behind him flashed in her head, but then she remembered he was shirtless and cooking with a frying pan - hot oil was not good on skin at all.

"Morning, Ash" Joelle hummed, opening the fridge and getting her carton of Tropicana out before stretching to get a glass. "What time did you get up?"

"Five minutes ago, nothing early. A letter came for you, I left it on the side" He told her, looking over his shoulder to smile at her before turning back to the stove "Looks official"

"Bills, probably, then" Joelle hummed, picking up the envelope and practically shitting herself. 'Oxford University' was printed on the corner of the fucking envelope. Oh, god. "No, not bills."

"Didn't think that Oxford supplied your electricity, in all honesty" Ashton quipped with a smirk.

"Oi, shut up, I'm opening the most important letter ever" Joelle muttered, unsealing the envelope with her thumbnail, managing to keep it perfectly intact but still opening it. It was her best skill.

She tweezed the paper out with her fingernails, laying the piece of paper on the clean marble counter with extreme care.

The room went silent for a minute, apart from the sizzling of the bacon and eggs. Ashton turned around to discover that Joelle was crying dead silently, the harsh intakes of breath silent as if they had never happened. He left the pans without a second thought, running over to her and wrapping his arms lightly around her shoulders "Love? What's it say? Why you crying?"

Joelle continued to sob, which was unhelpful and not even a sign for anything, which sucked for him. Ashton looked over at the paper lying flat on the counter, skimming and reading the words 'we are happy to accept your admission' and 'we shall see you in september', feeling ecstasy taking over his body for her.

"Joey, baby! You're gonna go to Oxford!" Ashton grinned, hugging her tightly, beaming as he felt her hug him back and laugh.

"I know! It doesn't feel real, have I really woken up this morning?" She asked, shaking like a leaf in the winter as she looked at him with a smile.

"You certainly have. Victory eggs and bacon? If they're not burnt" Ashton offered, watching her free herself from his grasp to make her way over to her beautiful old record player, putting on 'We are the Champions'. Seriously, how much Queen did she own?

"Definitely" Joelle nodded, dancing around the kitchen, her messed up hair thrashing with her as she headbanged and twirled.

"You alright there?" Ashton asked with a chuckle "Looks like you're either spasming or dancing, but I can't decide which"

"Oh, shush, I'm fucking ecstatic! I got into Oxford, Ash! I'm actually going to do it!" She told him with a grin that reached her ears, making her way over to him and wrapping her arms around him from the back "I'm gonna get my dreams."

"You're gonna do it, and you're gonna be a famous historian," Ashton hummed, sliding the bacon onto two plates and doing the same with the fried eggs "Gonna be a total smartie pants"

"Mhm. Still going to be cooler than you, even when you're a famous rockstar" She told him, stealing a plate and sitting down at the table.

"Always gonna be cooler than me, huh"