The Chase ▹ Ashton Irwin

CHAPTER SIXTY SEVEN

I groaned as my eyes tiredly opened, but they shut back closed at the bright light that shone into them on the ceiling. Where the hell am I? I heard muffled laughs all around the relatively cold room, but I was too weak to open my eyes again or speak up. Was I dreaming?

"Is Brooke finally waking up?" I heard Natalie's voice not too far away.

"What?" I groaned and shifted my body on whatever I was laying ontop of. I opened my eyes at the realization my head was in Ashton's lap, who looked down at me and chuckled. "Where the fuck am I?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"You've been out for about an hour and a half." Ashton chuckled as I sat up, instantly regretting my actions. I drew in a sharp breath at the throbbing sensation in my head.

"Fuck." I mumbled, wrapping my arms around my head and scooting back to Ashton's body who was sat up against the wall. His hands found my waist as he pulled me closer to him, giving me his shoulder to rest my head on.

"You alright, Lovey?" Ashton said softly, rubbing a hand down my back. I shook my head no, and snuggled as deep as I could into his warm chest, shutting my eyes again.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"My house." I heard Luke's voice replied. I opened my eyes and tiredly looked around the gigantic bedroom we were all sat in. By all the guitars on the walls, I could tell it was Luke's. Luke was on the bed, Calum and Natalie were on the couch near the flat screen, and Sydney was passed out on Michael, who was sat against the wall next to us. I pursed my lips and nodded, my eyes wandering around the spacious room.

"What happened?" I asked. I felt Ashton's lungs vibrate on my back as he chuckled behind me. "What?" I asked.

"You got really crazy," Calum laughed. "It was really funny."

"Really?" I asked. Everyone quietly laughed, and I couldn't help but join them. "Shit, what did I do?"

"Well," Luke repled. "First you drank all the rest of the beer, then you got up on the table and made me play club music on my phone and then you dragged Ashton up with you and you started grinding on him, then you screamed how much you hate pickles, then you said...uh, what was it again?"

"Its like last weekend, remember honey!?" Calum finished, his voice in a high-pitched girl voice. My eyes widened in amusment because I don't remember any of that. I looked back at Ashton, who just raised his eyebrows at me and chuckled.

"You're fun to watch when you're drunk." Natalie laughed. I layed back against Ashton, and shut my eyes once again, letting his arms wrap around my stomach to keep my warm.

...

"EVERYBODY." My eyes shot open once again to the sound of Ashton's voice. I looked out the window and realized it was now morning, and everyone tiredly sitting up off the floor. I sat up as well, and saw Ashton tiredly stumbling around the room, his phone in his hand.

"What?" Michael snapped. I watched in confusion as Ashton fell to the ground, pulling his vans over his feet, and brining himself up again.

"Grandma...called..." He panted, looking around the room. "Apartment...getting...enough money...BROOKE." His eyes shot over to me. I replied with a confused look, and he just reached down and took my hand. "You're coming with me."

"Where are you going?" Luke asked, following us out the door.

"I'M MOVING!" Ashton shouted, and my eyes widened as we practically flew down the huge flight of stairs to a massive living room. My pain injected head could only process two things: how fucking huge this house is, and what Ashton had just said.

"Wait-!" I said, stopping my feet as we flew out the door. My abrupt actions caused Ashton to stumble forward, where he just turned around to face me. My heart instantly softened at how he looked right now. His head of hair was moppy and messy, his body stance said tired but his facial expression screamed excited. "What do you mean you're moving?"

"Gram just called," Ashton replied, his voice chirpy and bubbly. Apart from how deep and lustful his voice can get, the voice he posessed right now was my favorite. "She told me she looked into our bank thingy and we have enough for the apartment! And..and as long as I pay for the monthly fee of 90 dollars we could go over there right now and buy it!"

My face instantly lit up at his words. I guess Ashton's grandmother has been saving up money for a while now, considering she works at a gas station. It happened so quick to me, yet maybe it really didn't. All I could do was look at his adorable face, as he looked like an overly joyed little kid. His eyes squinted against the morning sun and those familiar dimples making a prominent appearance.

"Do you know what this means?!" I smiled, crashing my body onto his and wrapping my arms around his neck.

"I know exactly what this means!" Ashton replied in a shrill voice. I parted my chest from his and grabbed his hand, running to his parked truck that was outside Luke's house. I had no idea how it go there, but then again, I was passed out for a good chunk of time last night, and I forget a lot that happened. We both ripped open the doors to the car, and I tried my best not to shriek at how hot the leather seats became due to the heat outside.

"Where do we go?" I asked.

"The shit trailer I still have to call my home!" Ashton replied with a laugh, turning on the radio.

...

When we pulled up Ashton's familiar mistake of a home, all alone in the hot desert sand, I guessed that Ashton's grandmother was probably inside. I followed in Ashton's foot steps as he pushed the creaky door open, jumping up into the trailer and causing it to shake a little.


"Jesus, Ashton," His grandmother said, obviously startled. "Slow down!" Her eyes shot over to me, and a warm smile spread across her face. "Oh! Hi, Brooke."

"Good morning," I said, returning a smile. "I'm quite confused on whats going on."

"I actually am too." Ashton said, his tone slowing down as he chuckled lightly. Ashton's grandmother just laughed and sat down on the old couch.

"Well think about it," His grandmother said. "When's the last time we bought something really expensive?"

I looked up at Ashton to see his eyebrows were scrunched together in thought. "Uh..." he said, his voice trailing off. "You bought me that dirtbike when I was twelve- Oh wait, I stole that."

"You stole that?!" His grandmother said.

"Okay I didn't steal it," Ashton laughed in reply. "I just took it without permission." His grandmother rolled her eyes, but kept talking.

"I know what you're probably thinking. Oh, just a poor old lady working at a gas station. Well, I've worked there a while, wouldn't you say?"

Ashton nodded, and I joined him.

"And I've been saving money. Maybe a little bit more than you thought, but I have been. And I'm also counting on you to keep your job, Ashton, because that was a fat check you brought home last week." Her voice had a hint of laughter in it, and it mad made me chuckle at what an adorable lady she was.

"So.. we can go over there?" Ashton said, his eyebrows raising. "Cause I don't know about you, but I'm quite hot in here."

Ashton's grandmother laughed and stood up. "Yes, let's go." she said.

"Yes, c'mon Lovey!" Ashton cheered an adorable cheer, and grabbed my hand, pulling me out to his car.

...

"It looks nice enough." Ashton's grandmother said as we pulled up to the familiar buildings. Ashton helped her old self onto the sidewalk, and she peered around our surroundings. "Close enough to the grocery store, the gas station is just down the street."

"Exactly!" Ashton agreed, taking my hand in his. We followed Ashton as we went down an alleyway, and through a gate which opened up into a quite spacious courtyard, buildings similar to the one we saw outside surrounding us. It looked cheap, yet good enough for a 17 year old boy and his grandmother. There was a sign that said "open" on a window at the bottom floor, and I guessed it was the office. We walked inside, and I was thankful for the faint air conditioning that traveled through the room.


A man who looked like he wasn't very fond of his job was sitting at the front desk, his head tiredly resting on his hand. The bell rang above our heads as we pushed the door open, and the man's head shot up to look over at us. "Hey, I know you." He said, his voice hoarse.

"Oh great." I heard Ashton's voice mutter next to me. I watched as Ashton's grandmother walked over to the desk, and instantly proposing buying an apartment here. The man's lazy eyes traveled from her to Ashton to me, and back to Irene again. I'm not really familiar with what it takes to discuss buying a place to live, so I decided to just stand back with Ashton and press my back to his chest.

"You sleepy?" he laughed, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to my shoulder. I nodded, and looked up to fix my eyes on Ashton's. "Did we get caught?" I asked.

"Hey now," he replied. "Who never gets caught? With anything?"

"Oh right," I giggled. "You."

...

About 45 minutes of Ashton's grandma making phone calls and signing papers, we were all sat in chairs that had been brought up to the side of the couter. The man still didn't seem awake by the time he handed the last paper to Irene, and I wondered how much meth this guy probably did.

"Alright," he said. "How much money are you willing to put down?"

"Um, is three thousand enough?" She replied. My eyes widened as the man nodded. That's cheap as fuck.

"Kay, just sign here, here and here..." the man sighed out of boredum. I wanted to snap at him, and tell him to be more respectful to people paying him their hard earned money, but I decided to just keep quiet. "...and you'll be good to go. I'll just send these off to your insurance, and you'll get mail back from them in a couple weeks to confirm that you now own your complex."

"We have insurance?" Ashton whispered. His grandmother nodded, and he nodded with slightly pursed lips.

"But, for now," the man said. He stood up, and grabbed a set of silver keys off the rack on the wall. A plastic card was attached to the ring the keys dangled on, that said "B34". He tossed them onto the counter, and Ashton instantly snatched them into his hands and examined them. His facial expression made it look like he didn't even believe they were real. I smiled, because it was adorable.

"Its all yours." The man finished. Ashton stood up, grabbing me from my chair and pulling me out of the office and into the courtyard with him.

"Ashton-!" I laughed, looking over at him. He had the most happiest look on his face, and I couldn't help but wrap my arms around his neck as he spun our bodies in a circle, his adorable laugh echoing in my ears. "Okay now where do we go?" Ashton said aloud, looking at the plastic the tag on the set of keys he held. "B34? Where the fuck is that?!" He started pacing around, and I just giggled as I grasped onto his foream.