The Chase ▹ Ashton Irwin

CHAPTER SEVENTY ONE

HI THANKS FOR 70K READS THATS AMAZING THANK YOU FOR LIKING MY WRITING AND SAYING NICE THINGS TO ME sorry for any spelling mistakes its allmost 11:00 and i have a biology test tomrrow that I didn't study for hell yea

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My eyes slowly opened the next morning, but I wish they hadn't. The sunlight that shone through Ashton's window caused me to wince, shutting my lids tight and burying my face into the pillow. My head hurt, I wasn't the least bit awake, and my heart sank at the fact that the bed was empty. I opened my eyes back up, and I was right. Ashton was nowhere next to me, but the smell of pancakes and his faint humming coming from the main room gave me other ideas as to where he was. I didn't even know what time it was, but it must've been pretty late at the fact that Ashton was awake before I was.

It took some effort, but I managed to pick myself up out of the bed, pulling Ashton's loose sweat pants tighter around my waist. I padded over to the door, and opened it, peeked over to the small kitchen.

"Can't you see that it's just raining..." Ashton stood at the stove with his back to me, singing a familiar song under his breath. "There ain't no need to go outsiiiide." I smiled to myself, and watched as he slightly as he hummed the tune to "Banana Pancakes". He twirled the spatula around his fingers like a drum stick, and I tried my best to contain my laughter as he dropped it. cursing under his breath. "BUT BABY YOU- " he said. "Shit, what are the words."

"But baby you hardly even notice-" I sang, stepping completely out the door. Ashton spun around.

"-When I try to show you this song." he added, smiling at me.

"It's meant to keep you from doing what you're supposed to-"

"-waking up too early maybe we could sleep in-

"Make you banana pancakes pretend like its the weekend NOW." We finished together, both of us cracking up as I sat at a bar stool across from him.

"Brooke!" he said happily, a sleepy and loopy tint to his voice. "So happy you could finally show up to the feast."

"What time is it?" I asked.

"12:00," Ashton replied. "I guess banana pancakes are the perfect brunch food, right?"

"Oh definitely," I giggled, mentally slapping myself because this is way too late. "Did uh, my mother call at all?"

Ashton shook his head no, and my heart sank. I would have thought she would be calling and calling, because I never told her where I was exactly going. I guess not. "Doesn't matter, does it?" Ashton said, obviously noticing my change in emotion. He stood across the counter from me, his messy head oh brown hair flowing over his forehead and his adorable glasses over his eyes.

"No," I replied with a smile. "It doesn't."

"Did you have a good sleep?" Ashton asked, a gentle tone of voice. I felt my eyes widen slightly as memories from last night came flooding into my mind. For the most part, last night was fun and relaxing, until the very last minutes before I fell asleep. My mind seemed to crack with every word that came out of my mouth last night. A small crack, but definitely something. I looked down to my hands that was clasped together in my lap, thinking about the horrid state Ashton saw me in. Ashton's seen me at my worst, which is a given, but I felt stupid, knowing I had completely broken down about absolutely nothing.

"I'm sorry..." I said. "About last night. I was being weird, I know-"

"Brooke," Ashton said softly. I brought my gaze back up his, and he just looked at me with so much understanding in his eyes. "I was pretty fucked up too."