may 2014
houston tx
Ashley is in the middle of studying, just about ready to fall asleep on her text book, when he phone begins ringing loudly.
The sudden noise jolts her upright, spiking her heart rate momentarily, before she glances at the caller ID lighting up the screen.
She smiles at the sight of Awsten's name, and reaches across her desk to answer it. "Hi."
"Hey, Shelly," Awsten responds, cheerfully. "Are you doing anything tonight?"
"Unless you count falling asleep out of boredom on a textbook, no," she shakes her head. "How come?"
"Mom wanted to invite you over for dinner," he explains. "I think she's missing having Gracie around."
"Oh, yeah, of course," she agrees easily.
"Nice! I'll come pick you up," Awsten offers. "I haven't even seen your place yet."
"I can show you around when you get here," Ashley shrugs.
"Sounds good," he smiles. "Text me your address?"
"On it," she replies, hearing the sound of him grabbing his keys before the call ends.
Only ten minutes pass by, before there's a knock on Ashley's door, and she opens it to be met with Awsten's bright smile.
"Hey, come in," she leans her weight against the door as she opens it wider, allowing him to step inside.
"So, this is student life, huh?" Awsten raises an eyebrow.
"Extravagant, I know," Ashley replies, sarcasm dripping dryly from her tone, causing him to laugh.
Ashley likes the way he laughs when he smiles really wide, because she likes the way his eyes crease, and his shoulder shake lightly; not to mention, the way the sound makes her feel warm all over.
"So, there's the kitchen," Ashley begins to briefly show Awsten around her accommodation, "small living, slash dining, area," she points out, "bathroom, and bedroom," she continues, leading the two of them into her room.
"What were you studying?" Awsten questions, gesturing towards the textbook that had been left open on her desk.
"Mostly research methods," Ashley lets out a sigh. "It's the most boring part, but arguably the most important."
"How come?" He proceeds, intrigued.
"Well, it's basically in everything," she begins to explain. "It's in every exam, at least. It's essentially how things are researched: types of grouping used when carrying out experiments and how ethical they are— plus why they are or aren't ethical," Ashley elaborates, and Awsten watches her intently as she speaks, nodding along. "Kind of boring."
"Not boring," he shakes his head. "At least, not when you explain it," Awsten comments, the words coming out of his mouth before he gets much of a chance to think them over; he doesn't regret it though, when he notices the smile creeping onto Ashley's face. "Let me test you," he suggests, wearing a grin.
He stands up and scoots her off of her desk chair, before stealing her spot and peering over at the pages of the textbook.
