Now or Never ⇀ John B Routledge [1]

iv. do i wanna know?

If you ask anyone close to Ashtyn, they would tell you that the brunette could sleep through the end of the world. Nothing, not even her brother's off-beat beginner drumming, could wake the girl once her head hit a pillow. Not only was she able to fall asleep anywhere, but she was also able to stay asleep no matter how obnoxious the world around her became.

This blessing, or curse in some cases, of deep slumber seemed to have disappeared now that she was on Kildare though.

The sound of light footsteps on the top deck startled the poor girl awake, reminding her that she actually did run away from home the previous day and was currently in hiding on the Cameron family yacht.

She could have sworn her heart was going to beat out of her chest when the glass door above her room slid open to let the trespasser in because for all she knew, it could be Rafe coming to get his revenge or Ward attempting to bring her back to the mainland.

Neither option was ideal, but she'd rather take her chances with Rafe before Ward... Taking a deep breath, Ashtyn snatched one of her mud covered white vans and made the silent trip to the upper level of the boat.

As she reached the top of The Druthers' spiral staircase, she couldn't help but gape at the sight in front of her.

John Booker Routledge, the sweet kid from her past, was stealing what looked to be the Cameron family's scuba gear. To say Ashtyn was confused would be an understatement. Sarah never once mentioned knowing the brown haired boy, but he obviously knew someone in her family if he was able to get in here so easily.

His back was to her, showing off the tension in the sixteen-year-olds shoulders as he scanned the few remaining tanks for air. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

The new voice practically caused John B to jump out of his skin, nailing his head on the low white ceiling above as a result of his quick movement away from the silver air tanks. He let out a pained groan, using the wall as a crutch to stay on his feet as he stared back at Ashtyn with wide eyes.

His beautiful hazel orbs caused the girls heart to momentarily skip a beat, a haunting reminder of that kegger a little under a year ago. Ashtyn knew she would have to face John at some point, especially if she wanted to see her brother again, but she needed to get her story straight first.

John B on the other hand felt his blood beginning to boil at the sight of the brunette. Their final encounter nagged at him the longer he stared. He had fallen for her, hard, while she packed up and left like that week meant nothing to her.

"Me?" The male finally straightened up, "You're the one who doesn't live here. When did you get to Kildare?" She watched as he winced from raising his voice, no doubt showing signs of a concussion.

Ashtyn let her eyes scan over his tall frame, frowning at the purple shiner around his left eye. She wanted to reach out and get a good look at it, but John B would no doubt shy away from her touch.