Just For the Summer {Cashton}

( VIII. ) : FIRST?

“Let’s do it then.” 

I choked on the air I took in. The shade of pink plastered on my cheeks grew hotter and brighter the minute I had heard him. This is when I felt like running and jumping straight into the ocean—letting myself drown into oblivion and never be heard of again. “What?”

“Just close your eyes Ashton,” he said softly.

Naturally I’d question him and argue on what he had to say, but I was completely exhausted. So I closed them. I could hear the shifting of seats and the crinkling of plastic wrappers from the empty snack bags on the floor. Calum suddenly grabbed the hem of my shirt and tugged me towards his direction, until his lips captured mine. I felt my heart skip multiple beats, and there was that same feeling at the pit of my stomach again as we molded perfectly together.

Yep, there was definitely something there.

He suddenly pulled back moments later. I looked at him with an unread expression, and he only grinned at me with that smile of his I cave in to. I tried smiling back—but my smile resulted into some awkward thing that only made Calum laugh and leave the car. I hopped off as well in embarrassment, and we met up at a specific side as the two of us walked in the house, his arm wrapped around my side.

Not to sound like a teenage girl or anything, but what does this make us now? I couldn’t ask him. This would’ve been a lot easier if it was someone I had met someplace randomly, not my best friend. It’d be best if I just let this happen naturally. See where it goes from here.

Once we entered the house, I noticed that there was something different about it. It was clean. The mess that everyone made from the movie day to the blanket forts—they were all cleaned up nicely and gone. What’s even more obscure was the fact that it actually smelled nice. It didn’t smell like sweaty teenage boys anymore, but the ocean and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

“Mum?” I called out as we walked inside more. Calum and I exchanged glances because our parents didn’t warn us that they were going to pay a visit. We were just on the phone with them a few days ago, and they said they were busy with work and all to do so.

“Mum? Are you there?” Calum called out this time. There was no response for either of us.

We looked around for a few seconds until the two of us stumbled into the kitchen. The aroma of cookies was stronger than before in there, and we noticed a figure running back and forth wearing the apron that my mum wears whenever she’d cook something. But it didn’t look like my mum—nor did it look like Calum’s. The person turned their head to face us (probably heard us coming in) and immediately squealed. It was Jacey. I almost forgot that I gave her a copy of the house key for emergencies.

“Hey guys!” she greeted cheerily, removing the oven mitts she wore and gave Calum and I a hug. “You came at the right time, I made cookies!” She pointed at the tall stack of cookies on a large plate on top of the counter. Calum immediately sprinted towards the cookies and practically stuffed his face.

I chuckled at the sight, and looked back at Jacey with my arms folded. “You honestly didn’t have to clean the entire house for us and then bake cookies, short stuff.”

“Yeah, I know,” she looked up at me and shrugged. “Will’s at work, and I had nothing better to do. Plus, don’t your parents teach you that a clean house is a happy house? When I came in, it was like a pig sty! How are you able to live like that? Gross.”

I groaned and rolled my eyes. “You sound like my mum, Jacey.”

She only responded by pinching my cheek. “Only worse, right? Besides, you guys need a feminine figure in your life this summer… Or maybe I could hold a cleaning boot camp… But never mind that, I actually have a favor to ask. For both of you. It’s sort of urgent actually.”