On The Line (Ashton Irwin)

Chapter 23- Then

Chapter 23- Then

-Madison's POV-

"Meet you at the apartment?" Ashton asked as I opened up the door to my car, shutting it behind me and looking at him through the open window.

"Whatever you say, birthday boy," I said, my eyes fluttering shut as he leaned in through the window, pecking my lips quickly.

Wow. Here it was. Ashton's eighteenth birthday, and we were moving into our new apartment. Just me and Ashton. On our own. Together. Things honestly couldn't get much better.

Backing out of the driveway,  I looked in the rearview mirror to see Ashton getting into his car, his used Chevy Avalanche truck he had gotten when he was seventeen. I also saw Anne, Lauren, and Harry standing by the front door to their house, waving at us.

It wasn't a far drive to the apartment complex, but I arrived before Ashton did, or any of the guys for that matter. So, I grabbed one of the boxes and took the key out of the ignition.

We had moved pretty much all the boxes a couple days ago, and then there were just two left, both filled with clothes, so Ashton took one and I took the other. The thing was, we hadn't unpacked any of the boxes, so that was pretty much our activity for his eighteenth birthday.

Unlocking the door to the apartment, I opened it, surprised to see that the piles of boxes weren't in the entryway like they had been before. Instead, everything was unpacked, not a box to be seen in sight.

"Surprise!" three voices yelled before Luke, Calum, and Michael jumped up from their hiding places.

"What the hell are you three doing here?" I asked, setting down my box.

"Shit, she's not Ashton," Michael said. "Reset hiding places, boys."

"Wait, you three did all this?" I asked, looking around.

Luke nodded. "It's Ashton's birthday present. We unpacked so the two of you didn't have to worry about that tonight. We thought that maybe the two of you could go out or something."

"How'd you guys get in?" I asked then.

"Mrs. Irwin was in on it." Calum explained. "So she gave us the spare key she has, the one that you guys gave her."

"Wow," I said, looking around again. "The place looks awesome. Thanks guys,"

"What's going on here?" Ashton's voice came into the mix, and I turned to see him with the box slung under one arm, his other arm slinking around my waist.

"Damn it, we didn't get to hide again!" Cal said, throwing his arms up in defeat.

"Surprise,"  Luke said simply.

"You guys unpacked everything?" Ashton asked, looking around in awe.

"Happy birthday, Ash," Michael said.

"Wow, I don't know what to say." Ashton said. "Thank you guys,"

"Well, we're gonna go," Luke said, grabbing Calum and Michael by the shoulders. "You two have fun. But not too much fun, alright?"

"Alright," I said. "Thanks again, guys,"

"We'll see you tomorrow for the party, right?" Cal asked as he was being dragged out.

"Of course," Ash said. "Bye guys,"

Shutting the door behind them, Ashton looked at me before he set the box down next to mine, his arms wrapping tightly around my waist as he hugged me tightly, his face burying into the crook of my neck.

"I love you," he said simply, and I smirked slightly.

"I love you too, you loser," I told him.

"Wow, harsh," he joked, pulling away and looking at me.

"So," I said. "We don't have to unpack anything, so what do you want to do? It's your birthday, so the possibilities are endless."

"I don't even know what to ask for," he said. "I've got all I want right here,"

"Ashton," I said, smiling.

"Oh yeah, and you're here too!" he said. "Sorry Maddy, I was talking about the TV..." he trailed off, noticing my wide-eyed expression.

"Ouch," I said, feigning hurt.

"I'm joking," he said. "You're all I want."

"You're a Cheeseball," I said, stepping away from him and taking his hand in mine, making him follow me towards the couch.

****

"I really do love this movie," Ashton said, and I looked up at him.

"Ashton, we're not even watching that movie. That's just one of the previews on the DVD," I said, laughing.

"Oh. Right." he said. "What movie are we watching again?"

"The Hunger Games..." I trailed off, watching him with a bewildered expression.

"Oh yeah," he said, then a grin spread across his face. "That should be our Halloween costume this year."

"The Hunger Games?" I asked.

"Well, maybe not the Games exactly, but we could go as Katniss and Peeta." he said. "Does that sound like a good idea?"

I thought about it for a moment. That actually did sound like a good idea, I could braid my hair back and get one of the Mockingjay pins. Maybe a bow and arrow, and have Ashton carry around a loaf of bread.

"If you carry around a loaf of bread with you, then I'll do it," I told him, smirking.

"Do I get to eat it as I walk?" he asked.

"Sure, why not?" I asked, shrugging.

"Okay," he said. "I'll do it."

His phone vibrating from the table next to the couch, he picked it up, reading it quickly before sitting up straight in awe.

"Ashton?" I asked, "Are you okay?"

"Another surprise from little Lucas," Ashton said.

"And that is?" I asked.

"They booked a tour," he said. "We're going to be touring around Australia. Luke calls it the Pants Down Tour."

"You're going on tour?" I asked, a huge smile forming on my face.

"Yeah," he nodded happily. "And the best part it... you get to come too!"