Hopelessly Falling [book 2]

Chapter Twenty Six

XXVI
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Ashton's POV***

When we finally landed in Boston, the look on her face got even brighter than it had been on the way here... if that was even possible. She practically pranced through the airport as we were walking out, and I couldn't help but chuckle to myself at how cute she looked being this excited.

She rushed to the first Dunkin' Donuts that we passed as we walked, insisting that it 'tasted better here'. I highly doubted it, but I knew that even if it didn't taste any different I would play along just to make sure that the beaming smile she was wearing stayed right where it was.

When we were finally outside, we were immediately submerged into the cold air and beeping cars, but if you were only judging off of her face you would have thought we were in wonderland. She put a hand on my arm to get my attention as she stopped in her place and took in a deep breath as if smelling the air. My arm tingled from her touch, even now practically a year after we met.

"Do you smell that?" She asked, her eyes closed.

"Gasoline?"

"No. It smells like home," she countered, and I shot her a really weird look as she took my hand in hers and practically yanked my arm off as she pulled me along.

The entire time in the back of the taxi, she played tour guide. It seemed like everything we passed somehow had historical significance or was a place she loved to hang out by. I didn't really listen, though. Not because I wasn't interested, but because I could barely focus on anything other than the pure excitement in her eyes. I kept my arm resting on her thigh as she continued rambling on.

Apparently our hotel was in a part of the city that she claimed was the best for food, so she already had a hundred different plans in her mind to chose from before we even got to the hotel. I couldn't help but chuckle as she did that weird smell-the-air thing one more time. I didn't know what she was smelling- the air honestly didn't smell the greatest. I wasn't complaining, though. This was the most excited I had been in a while, too.

Once we made it into our hotel room, she leapt onto the bed and started jumping up and down like a five-year-old. She let out a giggle as she let herself fall down into it, and I chuckled as I put my stuff down in the corner.

"We have the best friends. How did we get such good friends?" She flipped onto her stomach to look at me, her legs up behind her and her chin resting on her hands. "Do we even deserve them?"

"Probably not," I admitted with the same smile I hadn't been able to wipe off my face this whole time.

My heart felt a different kind of full as she gazed up at me- a light in her eyes that I had rarely ever gotten a glimpse of. All I could think about was how much I loved her, so much that it almost hurt.

"This is perfect," she giggled again and rolled back onto her back, laying out like a starfish on the queen sized bed.

I couldn't help but fall down onto the bed with her, resting the back of my head on her stomach and looking up at the ceiling. My lips stretched into a grin as she naturally began playing with my hair- probably without even realizing she was doing it.

"Isn't the ceiling so pretty," she commented, and I laughed, looking up to her as she remained staring at the ceiling with a timeless smile painted on her perfect face.