All I Need ✘ [Hemmings] (On Hold)

eight: Um, Happy Birthday.

In the morning when I pick up my phone from the charger next to me, I nearly fall out of my bed.

me: happy birthday !!

Ashton: thank youu ! can we hang out ?

me: ew no why

Ashton: it's my birthday. i'll be there in half an hour ?

me: only because it's your birthday ((:

After setting my phone back on the charger, I get dressed in some jean shorts and a Nirvana shirt before heading out to my driveway to wait.

When Ashton finally does pull up, I rush outside, engulfing him in a big hug. After he quits giggling, he wraps his arms around me as well, pulling back with a big grin on his face. "Thanks for hanging out with me today. The boys suck," he jokes.

I return his grin. "Of course. Shall we?" Before he can utter another word, I begin tugging his arm back over to the car. Once both of us are buckled, I take my phone out of my back pocket and look to Ashton. "Can I take a picture with you and post it?" I ask.

He shrugs his shoulders. "I don't see why not," he responds, leaning onto the middle console and into the frame.

After I've decided I have a picture I like, I log into my personal Instagram and post it, captioning: happy birthday my strange australian friend !! p.s. ur a jackass

"abbywtres has tagged you in a photo!" Ashton sings. He quickly unlocks his phone and gets onto the app, liking the photo and reading the comment.

"Thanks, Abby," he says after a few seconds, then, "What the hell? I'm not a jackass!" I snicker.

"Where are we going?" I ask when he finally turns the car into reverse and backs out of the driveway.

"Oh! I'm not telling you," he says, scoffing like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

I sigh, mumbling a response that's incoherent to the bubbly boy.

"Are the rest of the boys gonna be there?" I question.

"Later. It's just going to be us for a while."

"Like, how long?" I press.

"Do you not trust me?" he asks, his smile faltering slightly.

I shake my head. "It's not that, I —"

"You want to see your boyfriend!" he finishes, smirking when he sees the heat rising to my cheeks.

Finally, after what seems like forever, we pull into a large, brick building that seems like it never ends.

"Ashton?" I ask, opening my car door and hopping out. "Where are we?"

Ashton grins, dimples as prominent as ever. "Laser-tag," is all he says.

***

After a few hours of gaming with Ashton, I decide to take a quick break; only when I come outside, Luke and the rest of the boys are there, all of them asking the same question.

"Oh, hey guys. Ashton's in the other room," I say, taking a few steps back from Luke.

His eyebrows pinch together in confusion. "How long have you been here?" he asks and then tugs on his lip ring with his teeth.

I shrug. "I dunno, but Ashton invited me."

Luckily, Ashton appears behind me and nods. "Hey, Luke," he greets.