As you say

Chapter 28

I spend the entire afternoon with Ashton. I didn't want it to end. That and I'm too lazy right now to walk back to my own house.

It's great that my parents are fine with this. With me sleeping over at an unsupervised boy's house. Mostly it's because they trust Alpha's judgement and my ability to make reasonable choices. Plus female Morph are stronger than 92% of the human males, but that's not really relevant right now.

"Do you want me to sleep on the couch?" Ashton asks as we settle sown to watch one final movie before bed.

"No, I think we should go and take your bedroom's mattress and put it on the floor next to the couch, then you can sleep on your bed, and I'll be cozy on the couch," I suggest.

"Sure," Ashton says and gets up, I assume to go get the mattress. He looks at me over his shoulder before walking down the hall.

That look. I take the quick moment alone to smile into my hands. I had butterflies.

I like like Ashton. Like like.

I feel like jumping around, or banging my head against the wall. It's the kind of excitement that feels like it wants to burst out of you.

"Zaili, the pizza guy is at the door! Just take my wal-" Ashton calls from down the hall.

"Don't worry, I got us covered!" I answer him and paid the man waiting at the door. All is good, he doesn't look like a rapist or a stripper.

"You didn't have to do that, Lili," Ashton says when I re-enter the living room. The nickname made my butterflies flutter.

"No, I did, because I may be a female, but I can fend for myself! You bought the McFlurries, I buy the pizza. We take turns, alright?" I glare him down.

"Oh, really?" he glares right back at me.

"Yes, so accept it, embrace it, appreciate it. Now let's go watch a movie. Your turn to pick," I tell him and skip into the living room.

"What does BoxOffice have?" Ashton asks as he plops down onto the mattress-which he positioned so that our bodies would be parallel to each other-with his back against the couch.

"Loading... loading... loading... lo-never mind, now open your eyes and see for yourself!"

"Why don't we watch that Beastly thingy one?"

"Okay," I got the renting info on the screen whilst Ashton grabbed his phone.

"Have you watched this yet?" Ashton asks me as I sit down next to him.

"Nope, so hush now," I say as the movie begins. With a boy exercising bare-chested. Cliché.

I turn my head and eye Ashton carefully, wondering when I would be able to get him into a swimming pool.

Morphs are not generally ugly.

As the movie evolves, I grow more attached to it. The message is beautiful. Extraordinary.

"Have you ever done that?" Ashton asks me when Hunter and almost kisses. Again.

"Done what?" I squint at his face, which is lightebed only by the light the TV casts.

"Kiss," he looks at me. Very straightforward, this fellow

"No, virgin lips," I mutter, turning red. Red red red.

"Me neither," Ashton says, squeezing my hand tighter.

"No way," I deny his words. He is of the male gender, isn't he?

"True. I want my first, my very first, to be real. I don't want it to happen at some random school dance or a first date. You know?" Ashton mumbles and plays with my fingers.

"Yeah, me too," I smile and kiss him on the cheek. The cheek we've both had before. The cheek is fine.

"Do you ever wonder what life will be like for us in ten years?" Ashton asks.

"Hopefully," I answer, "just like this, Ash. Just like this."

I smile and lean my head onto his shoulder and we watched the rest of the movie in comfortable silence.