The Boy of My Nightmares 5sos.au.

Chapter 8

The next day at work was pretty busy.

Calum came a couple hours after opening to visit but ended up staying to help. There were at least three people in the store other than us the entire time since we opened up four hours ago.

It's noon now and customer-empty so I sit down for a cup of coffee myself. Mikey and Cal are at the bean bags, but I decide to sit at a booth for a while and sip my coffee while I read The Fault in Our Stars. Amazing book if you ask me.

Too soon, I hear the bell above the door ring, causing me to groan and stick my book mark in the page, sitting my book on the table and making my way to the front. Ashton's curly hair and friendly smile making my breath hitch. "Hi Shay." He says, quietly.

"Hi. Black coffee?" I ask. He nods.

"Could I sit with you again?" He asks, blushing and looking nervous, "I mean, you seem lovely. I, uhm.."

"Yeah, I was just sitting over here reading." I tell him, nodding toward my book and coffee as I hand his to him and stuff the dollar into the cash register.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't want to interrupt." He says.

"It's okay. Augustus is imagining himself as the skeleton this time instead of the kids and I'm not ready for him to die. I'm happy for a distraction." I smile, sitting.

"Oh, that's a good book. I cried like a baby." He admits, laughing at himself and taking the seat across from me.

"Me too and I'm not even finished yet." I laugh along.

Over his shoulder I see Michael looking at me warily. He seems more upset about Ashton being real than I do.

We sit, sipping our coffees and looking at each other in an awkward silence before he speaks up, "so Shay, how old are you?"

"I'm 18. What about you?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"I'm 19." He smiles, tapping his fingers lightly on his cup. Somehow it doesn't annoy me, it's actually relaxing, making me feel somehow safer with him.

"Are you from here?" I ask him, keeping the conversation going.

"Uh yeah. I moved here when I was three, so basically. I'm from Australia, people think I have an accent since my parents are both from there, but I don't remember it." He answers, "you're obviously not from here, cause uh, you have an accent and stuff."

"Yeah, and stuff." I laugh at his nervousness, "I'm from Britain. A little town I'm positive you've never heard of."

"Probably not." He laughs, "why did you move here?"

"Uh, my dad wanted to move and he asked me where to, so I took a map of America and circled my finger over it, and well, here I am. But I'm glad my fingers chose here, if not I never would've met Mikey and Calum back there," I tilt my head in the direction of the two boys.

By now he's laughing at my story, "you're kidding."

"My dad really didn't like the town we used to live in." I confirm, nodding as he laughs.

"Well I'm glad your finger chose here." He continues laughing, but instantly getting serious. "It's like.. fate."

"Yeah?" I ask, the eye contact between us never ceasing. I can't tell if he's hinting at something, so I change the subject, "Are you in college or anything?"

"Nah, I needed to take a few years for myself before I go to college. I'm planning on going next year though. What about you?"

"Well," I look around the shop, "I obviously work here. And I'm not really sure about college yet. Maybe. Probably. But I haven't really made up my mind."

"Makes sense." He sighs.

I sigh.

Ding.

"I'll be right back." I tell him and get up.

"Coffee, sugar, milk. I'm in a hurry, be quick." A tall man in a suit tells me before I even get behind the counter, already tossing the money on it.

"Paitence, young grasshopper." I say, making his coffee.

"Patience my ass." He scoffs, grabbing the coffee from my hand and practically running out the door.

"Patience my ass," I mock, hearing Michael laugh from beside me. "That guy needs an attitude adjustment. Or a nap."

When I get back to the booth that Ashton's in, he leans farther over the table and begins whispering, only loud enough for me to hear even though the shop is practically empty. "Shay. I- I don't know how to say this. You're probably gonna think I'm crazy. Oh my god, I think I'm crazy. This is so weird but please hear me out, okay?" I nod, urging him to continue. He put his face in his hands before looking up at me, his hazel eyes staring into mine, "okay, well, I basically have dreams about you. Like, not dirty dreams cause now I sound like a creep, but like.. nightmares. And it's really weird because I've had them for a real long time, before I ever saw you. And I don't really know why I'm telling you this, I just thought you should know. Please don't think I'm crazy."

"Oh my god. Ashton, oh my god." I mutter, smiling like a maniac, I'm not the only crazy one!

"I know, I know. It's weird but I don't-"

I cut him off by putting my hand over his mouth. "Shut up and listen to me!" I whisper-yell before quieting myself as well. "I have those dreams. I thought I was crazy, that's why I didn't say anything about it!"

"Really?" he asks, sounding hopeful.

I nod my head furiously. "This is so weird."

He giggles and answers, "a little less weird than before though, now someone knows." He sighs.

"Michael knows." I tell him, looking at the boys sitting in the corner laughing.

"Does he think you're crazy?" Ashton whispers.

"He knows I'm crazy." I laugh, "but no, not about that."

Ashton laughs again as the door jingles and I glance in that direction, five people enter, laughing and talking loudly. "I have to get those people." I say to Ashton, getting up.

"That's okay, I have to go anyway." He says, getting up as well. "Maybe we can talk about it again, later."

"Yeah, yeah," I nod, pushing my unruly hair behind my ear. "Uhm, you can come to my apartment tomorrow. I have to work, but after. I mean, if you want."

"Yeah, that'd be nice. Where and what time?"

"We close up at 8:00 tomorrow night, so any time after that." I nod, and grab a napkin and a pen writing down my address and handing it to him.

"See you tomorrow," he smiles as I make my way over to the people talking to Mikey and Calum.

"See you," I say as he walks out the door, then I turn to the people, "hi, do you guys need some help?"

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I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world. Just kidding my new year so far has been playing COD and watching movies. What have you guys done so far? Is it starting off good? :)

Like the chapter? I hope so!

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^-^

-PamelaJean