𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ✰ 𝐚.𝐟.𝐢.

8 | touché

❝Ashton❞

I wake up to see Lily already awake and turned on her side, looking at me. She has a small smile already playing on her lips.

"What?" I grumble, but I can't stay grumpy with the girl. She's adorable, even at this ungodly hour.

"Can we go get coffee?" She bats her eyes at me and sits up in the bed.

"Sure, why not." I smile to the beaming girl and match her actions, also sitting up in the mess of white duvet. I watch as she moves slowly around the room in search for some things to get ready before I even think about getting out of bed. Perhaps this is my first mistake.

My eyes float over her every curve. Her sun kissed skin and where my tee shirt clumsily lays over her body. I watch her swift but careful movements as she gathers things from around her room.

Until she's turned around, looking right back at me.

"Hey! Earth-to-Ash." She waves her hand in front of me, a bundle of clothes and belongings in her arms.

"Yeah?"

"Where were you?"

"Here." I protest. "Just waking up, I guess."

"Okay," she huffs, giving up much easier than she would normally take to give up. She must really need that coffee. "I'm gonna go get ready real quick, I suggest you do the same, you lazy oaf!" She pushes at my bicep before chuckling and leaving the room. I watch her in awe. Her beauty is something that truly cannot be matched. By anything, anywhere. Fuck. I'm really in deep, aren't I?

Steam fills the room from her en-suite bathroom. I'm tempted to ruin everything we have right at this moment. Why the fuck am I so horny right now? I'll take care of that before anything else and more importantly before I fuck up this whole friendship-deal we have going for us. She already doesn't trust anything I do.

***

Once we'd gotten downtown, Lily insisted on us parking in a lot down the way so we could walk to the shop. I didn't mind, plus it made her happy. We ordered and she sent me to get a seat, preferably outdoors, so I did that too. So here I am, sitting at a cast-iron table outside of the small cafe waiting on a beautiful girl to bring out our coffees.

"Hi there." I smile to her as she comes into sight with the two iced coffees in hand.

"Hello," she chuckles at both me and herself. "Coffee?"

"I love that." I smirk, taking a glass from her.

"Love what?" She sits down, a confused look on her face.

"Your accent when you say hello." I smile to her nonchalantly.

"I didn't think I still had it." She frowns playfully. "I moved here from New York months ago."

"You very much do still have it, but it's fine, it's cute." I say without thinking. She stays silent.

"Do all of the cute Australian boys think that a New York accent is cute?" She sips on her iced coffee across from me. It takes everything in me not to blush like a schoolboy right now. And to think, I brought this onto myself. I just need to learn to keep my mouth shut.

The take away from that comment though is that she very much thinks I'm cute. Noted.

"I hope not." I chuckle, returning the flirty energy. I continue to sip at my coffee, only slightly hoping that she'll move on to another topic. And she did.

"So," She tugs her bottom lip between her teeth. "Whatcha wanna do today?"

"I honestly haven't a clue." I shrug, sitting back in the metal chair and sipping my iced coffee.

"Beach? I haven't been swimming for the longest time. Plus I think it's due time to show off this rockin' bod I've been working on." She laughs, flexing her biceps.

"The beach sounds like a great idea but Lily, honey, don't ever refer to your body as 'rockin' or do that ever again." We fall into a fit of laughter.

"You're just jealous," she does a hair flip. "Shut up Ashton"

"Why don't you make me?" My eyes get wide and so do hers. Fuck. Why did I say that? I see the pink rising in her cheeks. We're completely silent now. I look down at my coffee and begin to sip it once more, hoping that I didn't just say that and that this was just s fun little hallucination.

It wasn't.

But good thing she can take a "joke". She looks up to me and smiles, "it looks like I just did." My eyes meet hers and we laugh together again. That little shit.

"Yeah. It does." I nod and laugh in response, "touché."