𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ✰ 𝐚.𝐟.𝐢.

5 | Because he's Ashton Irwin

❝Lily❞

It's been almost two months since the party and Ashton and I meeting. And since then, we quickly became friends. Best friends. And people went crazy. Insane, mad, bonkers. Well, the last one sounds stupid, but there's really no one word to describe it. People saw us hanging out constantly and always talking and they always insinuated that there was more. That there would always be more. 'Because he's Ashton Irwin, that's why' is all I would get in response to me asking why it had to be complicated. And why there had to be more to our relationship. I just shrugged it off as a sick joke or as an exaggeration for the time being, however. Jenny spent her time trying to persuade me to stop talking to him. She said that he's a bad person, but I don't see it. On top of my not understanding why he's a bad person, she wouldn't elaborate on the comments or tell me anything else. And who's to say that I'm not a bad person? Or she is? It's all just opinions, right? What even makes someone a bad person? Their character, personality, things they've said?

Nonetheless, I'm pulled abruptly from my thoughts with a knock on the door.

"Hey Ash!" I smile to see the sandy haired figure in the doorway.

"M'lady." He bows in front of me, causing a fit of giggles to erupt from my lips. "Ready?"

"I was born ready, Irwin." We laugh and he extends his hand out to me for us to walk together down the hall and into the elevator.

We find ourselves at a grungy diner downtown, sharing a chocolate shake and a plate piled with greasy french fries. We sit in the corner booth, across from one another on the ripped red vinyl booth seats. Neon lights from the signs in the window shine down on our faces and make us look mysteriously cool. Ashton looks like a model, as he always does, so I sit and unintentionally stare, lost in my thoughts.

"What's up, Lil?" Ashton cocks his head at me.

"Just thinking." I shrug, taking a big sip of our chocolate shake.

"About?" He raises an eyebrow at me.

"Us." I shrug as I speak so casually.

"Uh-oh." Ashton smirks, looking so radiant and beautiful, but he always does.

"No! Not 'uh-oh'!" I chuckle.

"Okay, then enlighten me." He smiles back, moving his arms out in front of him.

"I don't know!" I'm embarrassed now, I should've just said nothing. "Like how we met was just pure chance and I don't know what I'd do without you." I speak far too fast and shrug again, trying my best to make it all seem more casual than it is. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have any feelings for this man. He's my best friend though and I can't risk losing that. Especially since he lives down the hall from me. It'd be awkward if anything did happen between us, if it were to crash and burn like most things in my life. I'm mainly just trying to talk myself out of my feelings now, I guess.

"I guess, but it was me that went up to you." His smirk doesn't seem to leave his face.

"Yeah, well I could've just listened to Jenny!" I retort and his smile fades.

"What?" His eyebrows furrow and he looks both hurt and angry.

"Nothing, I don't know why I said that." I try to shrug it off. "C'mon, Ash," I persist. "What is it?"

"Nothing, okay?" He kind of snaps at me this time, smacking his hands off the table. His tone is rough and harsh, everything that he usually isn't.

"Oh-um, I've gotta get some air." I stutter, looking at him in such awe. Was Jenny right? Were they all right? Did I even know this man? He's never gotten so angry in front of me before. I bring myself to my feet as all of these things run through my mind and begin for the doors in the front of the diner. I've just got to get out of here right now.

"No!" He stands up as quickly as he can, racing over to me. "Please?" We're already getting weird looks from everyone in here right now. I make it out of the diner until he quickly pulls my wrist in his grasp. He's got both of them now and I've turned completely to him.

"Ashton," I speak softly, my voice somewhat shaken. "Just let me collect my thoughts and digest what just happened. That was scary." I shake from his grasp and walk down some concrete steps before pulling a pack of smokes from my jacket pocket.

"Hey, I told you to stop that." His voice is soft now. Like warm honey, it glides through the air.

"Well, you've said a lot of things. Some angrier than others." I mumble, clicking my lighter to a small white cigarette that sits between my lips. "Why did you go off like that?"

"I'm sorry, I overreacted." He shoves his hands into his pockets. It is rather cold out here.

"No, Ashton, don't tell me that you're sorry, tell me what that was about." I take a long, hard drag. 

"It-uh, it doesn't matter now."

"It's affecting you now, so yeah, it does." I say back to the man in front of me.

"It's just my past. I've made this reputation for myself and it's not a good one." He speaks so soft that I can barely hear him. He hangs his head and a curl plops down onto his forehead. I keep my eyes on it, it's cute. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a group of girls begin to walk towards the diner beside us.

"Care to enlighten me, Ashton? About this reputation of yours?" I stare blankly at him as I say these words.

"Yeah? Ash, are you going to explain to this oblivious girl, or should I?" One of the girls stopped behind the rest and now stares between both Ashton and I, her hands on her hips.

"Do you two know each other?" I ask her before I take yet another long drag from my cigarette.

She scoffs, "Oh, honey, do we ever."