The Drummer || a.i [completed]

53 - if this is what it's like

falling in love, then I don't ever want to grow up

Ashton did indeed take me everywhere. We visited every attraction our city had to offer, and halfway through the holiday we had exhausted our resources - and still had done absolutely no work.

In the end, since we had run out of things to do, we finally had to admit defeat and open some textbooks.

We were studying one Saturday evening - since Ashton had dedicated Saturdays to us time, meaning saturday was basically our date day - with a week left of the holiday, sitting on opposite ends of my room, when Ashton suddenly coughed, catching my attention.

"Let's play a game!" He announced, grinning at me from across my bedroom. He hopped over to me and sat in front of me on the carpet.

"There's only two of us, what kind of game can we play that's actually fun?" I asked, knowing that I seemed grumpy - that's because I was. I really disliked studying. Especially for physics. And especially when my boyfriend was only a few metres away from me, but forbidden for me to talk to.

His smile turned evil, and I shut my mouth. I should not have asked that question. "Oh, there's plenty of fun games for two people, Octavia," he replied, crawling closer to me. I stopped breathing, biting my lip nervously. His face came closer and closer.

"Ash-" but he interrupted me.

"Tavie," he whispered, his lips just inches from mine, "I think I love you."

You what?

My breath hitched in my throat, and I was about to talk, but he put his finger over my lips and stood up from my bedroom floor.

"I think I've loved you from the moment I saw you crying in those tunnels in the Isle Of Man. I think I've loved you since we watched movies on the plane, since we looked through pictures and I saw your beautiful smile. Look, I can't give you much. I'm a failure, I'm not smart - I play football, I play drums, that's all. I can give you a beat, but when I play for you, it's my heart beat. All I can give you is music and words that I can barely put together because..." he knelt back down in front of me and held my face in his hands as if he was holding a baby bird, "because when I look at you, I get lost in your eyes. They sparkle up at me holding so much innocence, and so much beauty. In my eyes, you sparkle Octavia Taylor, and I don't know if I can ever get rid of this feeling."

He took a deep breath and held it, just looking at me. I know he was waiting for me to say something, but I was scared that if I opened my mouth, I would start sobbing. So I lifted up my hand to his cheek, trailing my fingers along his cheekbone as I tried to pull myself together. He loved me, he actually did.

He let out his breath slowly. "I can't form coherent trains of thought when I'm with you," he whispered, smiling and taking my hand in his, his thumb tracing circles across my knuckles. "I can't... I am just a blubbering mess inside. I seem calm, and collected, but on the inside all I can think about is you."

My throat suddenly got dry, because all this time, I was looking at him, thinking he was Jerkton, but really he was looking at me and thinking I was... beautiful.

I pulled him in for a hug, the tears flowing freely now. "I think I love you too, Ashton Irwin," I whispered.

He stopped breathing, I felt his chest stop rising mid-breath. I smiled and he pulled away from the hug just enough so that he could kiss me, pulling me to him in desperation and relief.

The kiss was beautiful, gentle, timid, powerful, and I could only wish that that had been our first kiss.

He pulled away for a second, leaning his forehead against mine and staring into my eyes. "You don't know how long I've waited to do that," he whispered.

I smiled. "You've done it before," I replied, referring to the time he kissed me and I was extremely not okay with it.

He smiled, a lopsided grin that took my breath away. "I know. I meant how long I've wanted to do it when you wanted to as well," he said.

"Oh," I replied, then had the urge to face palm myself for my own stupidity.

He grinned then restarted the kiss, his hand going to the back of my neck, fiddling with my hair. I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him back passionately. And then I realised, I truly was in love with Ashton.

And I wasn't sure if that made me terrified or ecstatic.