The Boiling Point | ✔️

43 | up in flames

a/n: this is the longest chapter I've published, but for good reason. a lot happens and it's necessary for it to be in ashton's pov. so get ready and get comfortable. see you on the other side :)

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ASHTON

Sometime in the afternoon, I'm sitting on my shitty couch with Summer's legs stretched out over my lap, and I'm thinking how insanely out of place she looks relaxing on the cushions my father usually sleeps off his drinking binges on. It's like a breathtaking Monet painting slapped on the grimy wall of a motel room.

She dips her hand in the bag of caramel corn she's holding—one of the many snacks she filled my cupboards with—her eyes focused on the TV. She's watching an old episode of Twin Peaks she landed on while flipping channels, but I lost interest a while ago. Hard to be interested in anything else when she's around.

"Quit it," she says softly, still watching, and I think she's talking to one of the characters until she nudges my lap with her foot. "You, Ash. Quit it."

"What?"

"Staring at me."

"But I like staring at you."

The edge of her mouth lifts as she chews. "It's annoying."

I give her shins a squeeze. "So try and stop me."

She throws a piece of popcorn at my head that bounces to the floor. I manage to catch the next one in my mouth, and the next. And then we're trying to set a record for how many I can catch before it's her turn and she beats my record.

"Racing to the water tower and this?" She gasps. "Can't believe I ever thought you were real competition."

I pull her legs to drag her closer, diving in to tickle her sides while she squirms and curses me out through laughs. My ears prick up when I hear a car outside, my muscles tensing, body stilling. I listen hard, an onslaught of dark thoughts pushing into this haven. I didn't think my dad would be back this soon. He can't be back. Shit, shit, shit.

The sound of the engine grows quieter as the car drives past. I slump back, my muscles releasing with my breath.

Summer scoots closer, looking me over with knowing in her eyes. "What would you do if he walked through the door right now?"

I shrug, thinking it over. But I don't want to give this scenario any more thought than I need to. "I dunno... probably distract him so you could run away."

Her fingers feather across my jaw, moving behind my head to lightly play with my hair. "We could run away together."

"Don't tempt me." I smile. Any tenseness I had a second ago is flying further away with each stroke of her fingers.

"Our problems would be solved, right?" She smiles back. "We could leave all the rules behind."

I let out a chuckle, resting my head in her hand. "Actually I think Nick would hunt me down and give me a ton of problems for running away without telling him. Mags, too."

"Who's Mags?"

I waver, feeling a flutter of annoyance for letting my tongue slip like that. But then it flutters away just as fast, because I realize it wasn't a slip of the tongue. I want Summer to know more about me. I knew the first time we slept together and it still stands.