Rose | Ashton Irwin

chapter twenty one

Rose's POV

"Pst." I hear him whisper again. I can feel him lean in, before he repeats himself. Since Ashton had came into class late he had been pestering me. He started sitting by me again, and despite the glares from the teacher he isn't giving up. I've completely turned my body away, my hair falling down like a shield to seperate us.

"Rosalie." He hisses, and I can hear the aggravation in his voice growing. I continue to stay silent, pretending to take notes on the lecture despite the fact that I can't focus. With a loud screech he moves his chair closer to my desk, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

My head snaps up, cheeks turning a bright shade of red when I see the pleased smirk on his face. He watched my attention, and he got it. Within a few seconds everyone has returned back to their papers and the teacher the board. "Whoops." He grins, eyes meeting mine. They seem to be sparkling with hope, but I see it fade whenever I roll my eyes.

"If you keep ignoring me I swear I'll stand up right now and make a scene." He challenges. I stay silent, but raise my brows in question.

As he begins to push himself up I clutch to his arm, pulling him down, "Fine. Just sit." My eyes dart around, noticing the students that are still paying too much attention to us.

A small smile still tugs at the corners of his lips, but he surprisingly stays silent. With his chair still so close to mine, I can't ignore the heat radiating from his body. Despite the aggravation that runs through my body when I think of everything he's said to me, I still feel an irresistible pull. With a huff I try to ignore it, until he leans in.

I suck in a shark breath until I see that he's leaning over my paper. He slowly begins to doodle around the edges of my notes. "Hey," I whisper with furrowed brows, "You're messing up my notes."

He looks up at me through his eyelashes, a light laugh escaping. "Trust me, this will just improve your 'color-coded notes." He rolls his eyes and returns to the work. For the rest of the class I try to ignore the proximity and hold back my smile as I watch him work.

His cocky smirks are gone as he concentrates, and I think back to the day we drew each other in art. They're just doodles, but still better than I could ever do. He starts with simple things, sketching objects around us. Then, he sketches Mrs. Simonson at the top of the paper. She's exaggerated like a cartoon character, and has fire coming out of her ears. Next to her head is a bubble that reads, "Where's your pass?"

I almost giggle, but manage to keep it in. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm mad at him, but sitting like this it's hard to. The way he smiles up at me feels like when we enjoyed the beach. Just remember how that ended. I say over and over, turning toward the wall to clear my mind. I can't let myself slip into his games again.

With a sigh, I pull the notebook away, shoving it into my bag. He furrows his brows at me, but the bell rings and I quickly sprint out of the classroom. I think I've made it into the clear until I hear heavy footsteps behind me, and then a hand wrap around my arm. I'm spun around to see Ashton, his bag thrown over his shoulder.

"What the hell?" He snaps. Anger has replaced his playfulness from earlier. A short kid with dark hair bumps into him, but immediately skitters off when he shoots him a deadly glare.

"I can't do this right now Ashton. I just can't." I raise my hands in defense and step back, but the crowd of students leaving classes have begun to fill the hall.

"Can't what?" His voice raises, and I find the irony in the question he's asking as the surrounding students turn toward him with curious and concerned expressions. When he notices, he tugs me into a nearby classroom. Luckily it's empty, not even the teacher in sight. When I try to make my move toward the door he nudges me gently back against the wall with a frown.

"This is exactly what I can't do Ashton. You're so back and forth. I'm done- seriously. How many times do I need to tell you that?" I try to keep my composure. I feel like a broken record player, but my words don't seem to be getting though that pretty head of his.

"You're always so damn stubborn." He groans, running his hands through his curls. He's pacing now, eyes flickering between me and the door.

"And what do you suggest I do then?" I cross my arms over my chest, turning away.

"Maybe try listening for once in your life?" I can hear the frustration in his voice and see the desperation in his eyes as he finally plants his feet in front of me. I try to step back but my back hits the wall, causing a breath to escape my lips.

"Okay." I give in, "Talk then. You have five minutes."

His eyes widen as if he hadn't expected me to agree. He stutters, searching for the right words it seems. "I don't know what you thought was going on with me and Olivia but it's nothing. I don't get why it matters so much, we aren't even dating." He starts out, "We were actually suppose to be meeting some other people, but we got there first- and you know how she is."

"I know how you are too." I mumble under my breath. When he narrows his eyes I take advantage of the bravery I'm feeling, "When I saw you two it sure didn't seem like nothing. I don't care anyway, that's not the issue."

"That what is?"

"This. This is!" I gesture between us, my brows knitting together in concentration as I try to explain, " Whatever is between us, is obviously toxic. You're my brother's best friend for one. You literally can't be in the same room for my family. In the first place, it doesn't even matter. I don't get why you can't just move on to the next girl already- give up!"

I try to push past him, but his arm shoots out, pressing his palm flat against the wall. He leans in, trapping me. "I-I don't want to." He admits, and my heart drops. I try to keep hopes low, but my stomach is doing flips at the way he's looking at me. There's so much emotion behind his eyes, but covering it all is confusion. "I have no idea what the hell this is, but I don't want to just move on. I realize I've been as asshole, but I'm trying to figure it out okay?"

My breath hitches when he leans down, but he gently presses his forehead to mine. We're now eye to eye, and his breathing has finally slowed, anger simmering away. He drops his arm, his hand slowly running down my arm. Goosebumps rise on my skin at his touch, and the familiar burn that goes along with it returns.

The door squeaks and Ashton immediately jumps back. A boy peeks his head in, "Is Mr. Green here?"

"No." Ashton snaps, causing the boy to raise his eyebrows in shock, "Now if you could please get the fuck out." He nods toward the door when the boy stands frozen in fear. He glances between us before shrinking back, closing the door behind him.

Ashton lets out a long breath before slowly stepping back toward me, eyes softening. I study him before a scoff leaves me mouth, "Wow."

He tilts his head, reaching back for my arm, "What?"

"You were scared to be seen with me." I push his hands away, getting as far away from him as possible. His touch only clouds my judgement, and the fact that I had almost given in hits me. "You haven't changed Ashton, and I don't think you ever can."

The rage is back, and I can already see it boiling under the surface. He clenches his fits together as I push past him and toward the door. "I'm fucking trying!" He yells, louder than before as I reach for the door knob. I can see how hard he's trying to contain himself, but he's letting his composure slip. "If you would stop being such a cold bitch you could see that!" As soon as the words leave his lips I see the regret settle into his eyes, but the words are already hanging in the thick air.

"Yeah, I can see you're trying really hard." I mumble, my voice cracking. My eyes fall to the ground as I take in what he said. Mistake or not, there was truth in his words- I could hear it.

"Rose- wait, I'm sorry I didn't-" He reaches for me but I raise a hand to stop him.

"I told you already, I can't." I open the door and slip into the still crowded hallway. I glance over my shoulder to see that he hasn't followed, and I can't decide if I wish he had. 

- AUTHOR'S NOTE -

Hey everyone! We have a quick question today. We've been trying so hard not to rush things that we're worried we're going too slow now. Thoughts? Let us know please :)

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