Just For the Summer {Cashton}

( X. ) : REASSURANCE

"You two know each other?"

It was like time froze between me and the world. What were the odds of Will Jay's cousin being Calum's ex-girlfriend? I was at a loss. I've been put in a position where it's tough choosing how to act towards the situation. I can't necessarily hate her—I had to be the bigger person and accept the fact that people can still be friends with their exes. On the other hand however, I can't necessarily like her either—because she treated me like shit even when she still dated Calum. If only he could see that. To him, Callie was still this harmless girl whom he'd simply lost interest in.

But the way that they looked at each other for the first time again in what seemed forever, it made my heart sink to the pit of my stomach. Calum looked at her with those eyes. I was almost certain it was game over for me already.

"Y-yeah, we go way back," Callie answered Jacey softly with a small smile, not keeping her eyes off of Calum. And he was doing the same thing.

The party hasn't even begun, and I was hating every minute of it already.

"I'm going to go get my phone from the car," I interjected their little 'moment' or whatever, and fast paced back to the car. Though my phone was really in my pocket this entire time, I just couldn't stand another moment of witnessing that. It was like the movie thing all over again.

While I calmly exited the backyard and headed towards my destination, I bumped into someone on accident. I mumbled an incoherent  'sorry' without having interest in who I've hit and minded my own business by just continuing to walk.

Suddenly, I felt a firm grip on my shoulder once I dismissed it. "Whoa, where are you going mate?" It was Michael's voice.

I turned my head to look at him. Luke was right beside, staring right at me. I flashed a small apologetic smile at the two. "I forgot my phone in the car," I lied. "I'm just going to get it real quick."

"But your pocket's lighting up," Luke pointed out. His index finger was directly on the small phone bump in my front pocket. God damn it, Luke. Can't you see I'm making up excuses here?

I probably had to be the worst excuse maker in the entire universe. There was this conflict going on inside my head about what to say and what not to say. What's worse was that Michael and Luke were watching me as this silence was going on. They both looked at me judgingly.

The minute I opened my mouth because I finally thought of something convincing, I was interrupted by another voice—that wasn't Michael's or Luke's. It was Calum's. He came running from the backyard and stopped his tracks when he saw the three of us out back.

"Hey, Mikey. 'Sup Luke," Calum greeted, slightly panting from running a distance. He gave them both pats on the shoulder before looking at me. "Ashton, can I talk to you real quick? Privately."

The other two must've gotten the memo, because right after Michael and Luke said their hello's to Calum, they excused themselves and went inside the party. Michael always knew it was important whenever either of us wanted to talk in private. "I'll see you all inside," he waved goodbye and smiled.

Everything was dark around us now; the crisp summer night air was a lot cooler than before. I rocked my feet back and forth throughout the awkward silence looking down, because none of us wanted to speak up. We both knew well what was going on—just afraid I guess.

"Let's talk in the car?" Calum took the step and suggested. "I think it'd be a bit warmer in there."

I let out a light chuckle. "Sure."

We both walked to my car alongside with hands deep into our pockets. Once getting there, I unlocked the vehicle and Calum opened the backseat door for me with a grin, causing me to roll my eyes and laugh. I got in the back seat and he followed right after.

"So, what's up?" I asked, making my best attempt not to sound like I knew exactly what he was going to do. We both sat on opposite ends of the backseat, unable to make eye contact. So we just had our eyes straight ahead. He was going to tell me that liking me was just a 'phase' because he missed Callie so much and is about to break up with me to be with her again. I can fucking feel it.

"It's about Callie," he sighed. It was most definitely his 'I'm sorry' sigh. He was getting closer to breaking things off, and I wasn't sure if I'm prepared for it.

I rested my head on the window and continued to stare out. "She's gotten a lot prettier since, huh? I saw the way you looked at her, Cal."

He scooted closer to me. "Yeah, but—"

"But nothing, Calum," I broke his sentence, now facing him. Our gazes were completely locked—and we weren't looking at anything else but each other. "I already know how this is going to go. And I completely understand if you want to be with her again. I'm your best friend. I'm supposed to support you."

"What are you talking about, I—"

"I've figured it out," I let out a sharp exhale. "If you want to break up with me, that's completely fine. If you want to forget what this—we ever happened, that's fine too—"

"Just shut the fuck up for a second, Ashton!" Calum raised his voice out of frustration. When silence scattered the car for a few moments, he sighed and placed a hand on my knee. "I'm sorry okay, but it was the only way to get you to listen to me." He paused for a moment. "Look. Callie's a nice girl and all, but she wasn't the one who has been with me for eighteen years, thick and thin. I don't get the same feeling I get with you with anyone else—and you should know that by now. I saw you run out. I noticed. I even called you, but you didn't pick up. So I ran after you. I wanted to tell you that you shouldn't worry because she means nothing to me anymore, Ashton. You mean everything to me."

I was at a loss for words. And to think I was so certain he was going to leave me. "It's just that..." I spoke up, adjusting my hat to seem collected. "I saw how you looked at her, and it... it kinda broke me inside..."

"In all honesty, who looks at an ex normally after not seeing them for a while?" he shrugged, moving his arm that was previously on my knee to around my shoulders. I scooted closer just to have our bodies entirely lean against each other. "It's going to take a hell of a lot for me to ever break us up. Pft. Can't believe you thought I was going to ditch you. And on the second day of being together, really?"

"I didn't know! I was being paranoid, alright?" I argued, folding my arms across my chest and slumping more onto the seat.

"You know what? Don't even argue with me anymore bubby," He gently traced a line down my jaw with a smile, making noses rubbing past one another. "Let's just kiss."

Before I could argue on what he had to say (or choke out), I was cut off with his lips on mine.  Now hushed, I let things fall into place and slowly closed my eyes as I kissed him back. My heart was stirring wild at this point. It was such a mesmerizing feeling—and for some reason, whenever our lips happen to find each other again, they get better each time.

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  

Deciding it'd be inappropriate to just stay in the car and make out for the entire evening, we went back to the party. Familiar faces were beginning to fill up the place, from previous Ultimate Frisbee competitors we played against to the aquarium co-workers. It was such a happy atmosphere; everyone was socializing and having a good time already.

Calum and I greeted almost everyone at the party. All of us lounged around, conversated, and ate a bit as we all waited for Will Jay to make his entrance. Jacey apparently texted him  to just dress up nice tonight because they were going to have a fancy picnic in her backyard.

"Guys, he says he's a few minutes away!" Jacey's eyes were glued onto her phone, but I knew she was beginning to panic. The DJ stopped the loud music while everyone froze. "Hide somewhere!"

Everyone began to scramble around the backyard, hiding under tables and by plants to successfully camouflage themselves in the dark. I saw Jacey scurrying over to the front to turn off the main lights so that nothing would look suspicious. I felt Calum grab my hand to take me behind the tables lined up with food, and we crouched down to hide. We took turns taking discreet peeks above in case Will Jay came in and we'd surprise him at the right time.

The atmosphere was completely quiet now. My legs were beginning to ache from crouching, but I subtly shifted positions once in a while to make myself comfortable. There were quite a few people behind the food table as well, so we were practically cramped. Calum was nuzzling onto me closely—because he claimed that it was making more room for the other people around us. I didn't mind it at all, so I let him.

Minutes later, we heard the sound of footsteps on the pavement along with Will Jay's voice. The people at the party were shushing each other now and a few of us checked on the entrance. Their voices were getting louder and louder, meaning Jacey and Will Jay could come in any second.

"No Jacey, that's not how Pokémon works. You need to—"

"Will, just give me your Nintendo DS! I have something to show you—"

There were soft snickers from everyone. Will Jay and Jacey act like a married couple all the time, and I wonder if they were actually some couple in the olden times who found themselves in their next lives.

The backyard fence creaked open, and the two stepped in. Jacey immediately turned on the lights and everyone shot up from their hiding positions to yell out a 'SURPRISE!' with a small 'motherfucker' at the end by an old Ultimate Frisbee competitor. We all laughed at the small joke and looked over at the birthday celebrant—who had his eyes wide from shock and delight.

After the surprise, everyone went back to whatever they were doing before. Will Jay came around and thanked each and every visitor for coming to his surprise party, giving them all high-fives and short hugs. He must be really proud of his girlfriend for putting a lot of effort into this event.

"Callie!" I heard Will Jay call from a few feet away. I was with Calum, Michael and Luke talking about what activities the four of us should try after today. But when Will Jay had said her name and we heard that specific voice, we immediately whipped our heads toward their direction.

"Eugh. What's she doing here?" Michael wrinkled his nose at the unruly sight. He groaned before speaking again. "Did she fuck Will Jay before or something?"

Luke was analyzing her too. "Michael, did you make up that story about her at the plaza? She looks too sweet and innocent to seem like a bitch to be honest."

"And that'd be weird if she did, Mikey," Calum added, narrowing his eyes at the two greeting each other. He then draped an arm around me. "They're cousins. Can't you see the resemblance?"

As their conversation about Callie kept going on and on, I stayed quiet the entire time. I took small and casual sips of my soda and pretended to listen to the three talk, when in reality I was thinking about whether I should see The Fault In Our Stars tomorrow at the movies or not. I heard it was sad.

"Hey guys!" I snapped out of my train of thought hearing Will Jay approach us moments later.

Up close, he was dressed up pretty nicely for the occasion (considering Jacey only told him they were going to have a fancy backyard picnic).  He had on a maroon button-up with its sleeves pushed up, pants, suspenders, and a bow-tie to finish it off. It looked like he actually knew that he was having a party.

"WILLIAM JAY!" Michael said enthusiastically, hugging the latter's side. "Happy Birthday, mate. Eighteen's a pretty fucking big deal."

"Yeah, I wanted to  get you some strippers, but Jacey didn't let me," Calum laughed, patting him on the back. "She'd definitely tear my insides me if I do. Happy Birthday though!"

"I'd take those strippers if you didn't want them," Luke said with a grin. "Happy Birthday, mate."

"Little Will Jay is a big boy now!" I ran over and gave him a tight hug, ruffling his hair after. "Next thing you know, you're going to be doing your taxes and shit. Happy Birthday, lad."

The four of us huddled around and gave the birthday boy a four-way hug. We were all laughing throughout the entire thing; I knew that we enjoyed it. It felt like one big mush of friendship.

The party continued on, and everyone still seemed like they didn't want it to end. Calum dragged me towards the dance floor at one point because his favorite Chris Brown song came on, and I shamelessly danced with him. In front of people. Michael was so lucky to have Luke who wasn't a dancer, so they just sat around eating plates and plates of food together.

Because I've tired myself out with my awkward dancing, I went to the table where the drinks were to get myself something. Calum was still out on the dance floor busting his moves, so I went by myself because I didn't want to ruin his moment. I scanned all the bottled sodas in front of me, pondering on what to get.

"Hey Ashton," I heard someone say, a familiar one at that. Turning my head, it was Callie. She was standing right next to me, pouring herself lemonade onto her plastic cup.

I felt my jaw tighten. Right when I thought I was going to spend my evening without having to look at her. I was trying to take this maturely. "Hey, Callie," I greeted calmly, pulling a small smile.

"It's been a while, huh?" she  placed the pitcher of lemonade back on the table before looking up at me. "How've you been?"

"Good," I shrugged, now pouring myself some soda. My eyes were entirely focused on the objects on my hands, unable to make any means of eye contact with her. "Uh, what about you?"

"Fine," she replied simply. "Hey—um, I was just wondering... is Calum seeing anyone at the moment? Like, at all."

My heart stopped beating for a second. "Uh..." I rubbed the back of my neck. "I think you should go ask him yourself. He hasn't been keeping me posted about this kind of stuff so..." I had to be the worst liar in the entire universe. What kind of a response was that?

"But he's like, your best friend," she chuckled, sipping into her drink. "I think I'm going to go ask him later on once I get on the dance floor with him. And listen... I'm sorry for... being such a bitch to you when Calum broke up with me. I just didn't know why, so I blamed you and Michael for it. I really want to be with him again. After seeing him today, I figured it's my chance."

My mood made an instant drop after those words entered my ears. She wanted to be with him again. "I don't know... I mean, I forgive you and all, but what if Calum's completely over you?"

"That's why you're going to help me," she put her hand on my arm. "I want you to help me get Calum to fall in love with me again."

My head was spinning at this point. What the hell was going on? I couldn't just tell her that I was the one Calum was seeing—not even Michael knew about us yet. "I'll think about it," I sighed, feeling more shitty than before. "I'm not promising you anything, I just have to really think about it." I began to take steps back to hopefully escape from her. "I'll let you know, alright?" Sooner or later, she was out of my sight.

It sucks being too nice sometimes.

I kept walking backwards until I ran into someone on accident. They wrapped their arms around me from behind. "Where've you been, bubby?" Calum's voice crept in. "You missed all of my dance moves!"

I can't even hear Calum's voice without thinking about what just happened.  I let out a forced laugh to ease my mind a bit. "I was getting thirsty from all that dancing, so I got myself a drink," I answered, holding up the plastic cup for him to see.

Calum let go of me and immediately took the cup out of my hand. I turned to look at him, and he was already downing the rest of my drink with a grin. "Hey, Jacey's hosting a game in the living room, wanna join?" He used his arm to wipe some of the soda that spilled out of his mouth.

"What're they playing?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Dunno. But I saw her bringing out alcohol and shot glasses, so it should be badass. We should play. C'mon. Michael and Luke are inside already."

Soon enough, I agreed and we walked inside the house and towards the living room. There were a handful of people already sitting around the coffee table, looking at the shot glasses filled with alcohol. I immediately swallowed a lump in my throat because I wasn't a drinker, and if I did tonight, I wouldn't be able to drive home.

"Ashton! Calum!" Jacey exclaimed, grabbing me and Calum's hands and dragging us to an empty spot on the floor. "We're just about to start—you came right on time."

The game was called 'Never Have I Ever.' Jacey explained the rules, and basically, a person goes up and asks a 'never have I ever' question. For example, someone could say: 'never have I ever ate pizza.' And if anyone participating have eaten pizza before, they take a shot glass from the middle of the table and drink. If they haven't however, they stay put and not take a glass at all. It was pretty simple.

Calum and I sat on the floor next to each other. Michael and Luke were sitting right beside me, and Will Jay was next to Calum. Will Jay was up first. Everyone looked at him with eyes of anticipation as he stood up and cleared his throat to speak. "Never have I ever..." he trailed off, trying to think of something to say. "Had sex."

Majority of the people reached in to grab a shot glass. Calum and I took one at the same time, and most of the people around us did too—including Michael. There were only three glasses left on the table after the question, and when I looked to see who were the people that didn't get one, it was Jacey, Will Jay and Luke. Of course, they were the younger ones.

I wanted to get it over with quick, so I made a quick swallow in one go. I let the alcohol settle in and burn my throat, and it immediately reminded me why I wasn't a drinker to begin with. It was horrible thing. But I had to pretend I didn't care, just for the sake of the party.

Since we were going clockwise, Calum was up next. He slowly stood up from his seat while Jacey refilled the shot glasses we put back with alcohol. The moment he was going to say something, Callie came into the room. Everyone around the table looked up at her, and she smiled, shyly making her way to an empty spot across from Calum.

"Okay, who allowed bitches in here?" Michael whispered (maybe a little too loud because the people around him have heard too, and they began to snicker) to Luke. I did my best not to snort at this time, so I casually cupped my mouth and tried not to think about it.

Once the laughter died down and all the glasses were filled, Calum popped a question. "Never have I ever... watched porn."

As grotesque as it sounds, I slowly slid my hand across the table and took a shot glass. I saw a few people like Calum, Michael, and Luke grab one as well. Actually, most of the guys around the table took one. There were a few girls, like the one who sat across from Luke and Callie. Jacey refused to get one because she said that 'mature yaoi managas' don't count, when it's literally the same deal.

I downed the alcohol again and did my best attempt to withstand the disgusting feeling. It was my turn to get up and say something, so I waited a few seconds for everyone to return the glasses and have them filled again before I asked.

Once they were all ready, I stood up from my sitting position and took a deep breath before talking. "Never have I ever..." C'mon Ashton, think of something good. "Had a lap dance."

Only Calum and Michael took one off the table. They both drank their drink and placed it back while everyone looked at them wildly. There were a few guys who were even applauding them for experiencing a lap dance, and I just looked at Luke who was shaking his head from being embarrassed for them.

When Calum sat back down, he whispered something in my ear. "I can always give you a lap dance if you're curious."

I groaned and shoved him on the shoulder, laughing right after. "I prefer experienced and sexy dancers, okay? Not... amateurs." I rolled my eyes playfully at him.

The game went on pretty smoothly from that point. Each person asked really intriguing questions, and most of us had to grab a glass all the time. On some, I'd pretend I didn't experience it, just so that I'd stay sober enough to not make a fool of myself for the entire evening. There were a few people who were already almost surpassing their sane phase and edging towards their drunken one.

It was Callie's turn to ask a question. "Never have I ever..." she began, looking directly at Calum. "Regretted breaking up with someone."

Well, wasn't this fucking awkward. There were a handful of people who grabbed a shot glass up front. I couldn't necessarily grab one, because the girls I've been with in the past broke up with me first. Jacey and Will Jay didn't grab one. Michael and Luke didn't grab one. But most of all—Calum didn't grab one. Did that mean he didn't regret breaking up with her? I felt his arm snake around me and settle around my waist.

A few more questions played on, and it was Jacey's turn. It was probably the last question of the game because there were some who were already slurring their words, and it wasn't a good idea to keep going after an hour of playing. Otherwise, no one would have safe rides back.

After she finished refilling the glasses from the previous question, she stopped for a moment and thought of a question. I was proud of her for not drinking much in order to keep the party in control. "Never have I ever..." she began, looking at all of us. "Fell in love with my best friend."

No one took a glass with the exception of four. Will Jay, Jacey, Calum, and me. Everyone watched us closely as we grabbed a glass and drank. I peered over at Callie, who seemed to have a confused look on her face. I shouldn't be afraid—right?

The game officially came to an end, and everyone went back out to rejoin the others who didn't play. Michael and Calum went straight for the dance floor, slightly tipsy I might add. Jacey even gave them permission to have the leftover alcohol from the game. So, they came out to the dance floor with large sized cups filled with the alcoholic beverage.

Luke said he wanted to speak to me for a second, so he pulled me aside as everyone went back out. We leaned on the sliding glass doors that led to the backyard. He didn't even bother saying anything else, and just went straight to the point. "Ashton, are you and Calum together?"

He was definitely a good observer. He must've picked up the tiny hints throughout the night. I played it off though by inventing my reply. "What? No. God, are you drunk mate?"