Close As Strangers » (Ashton Irwin a.u.)

Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Unwanted Company

- Ashton's POV -

I wake up and notice Grace is not next to me. I then hear the shower running. I look around the brightly lit room and notice two shirts and pairs of jeans in the floor. Last night comes flooding back. I smile to myself and fall back down onto the pillows.

It was totally unexpected. I mean, after talking about where the limits are I didn't expect anything for a long time. I had been scared to kiss her lips because I didn't want her to feel weird. But I'm glad she broke her own rules.

As I hear the water running and her faint singing, I think about the most random thing that ever happened.

I was doing something in another room. I can't recall what it was now, but I heard Grace scream.

"Ashton!" she yelled.

I ran into the bathroom to find her wrapped in a towel. She ran into me, and I held onto her, wrapping my arms around her.

"What's wrong?" I asked, panicked.

"There's a huge spider in the bathroom!"

"Oh my god," I said with a laugh.

"It's not funny, Ash! Kill it!"

She pointed it out to me, and I stepped on it. She had held on to the back of my shirt with a death grip the entire time.

"There," I said. "Happy?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"It was only a spider. I don't see why you freaked out."

"It was the size of a quarter!" she said in a higher pitched voice. "Besides, you made me kill the last spider."

"It was actually on me. I had an excuse to freak out."

"Yeah whatever."

"Hey," I said, grabbing her wrist as she walked away. She stopped and looked at me with a smile. "I was only kidding."

"I know." She had kissed my cheek and went to change.

As little as that memory is, I don't think Grace will ever remember it. But I do for some reason. It's almost meaningless, but I guess I found it funny and remembered it.

The water turns off, and Grace walks into our room a minute later wrapped up in a towel.

"Good morning," she says as she notices me. I sit up.

"Good morning to you," I reply with a rough voice.

"What's got you all happy?"

"Don't act like you don't know."

"You got me there. I haven't stopped thinking about it."

I swing my legs over the side of the bed and sit there for a moment, watching Grace look through her drawers of clothes. She finds what she's looking for and places it on top of the vanity.

I walk over to her and wrap my arms around her waist. I kiss her neck, and she sighs.

"Not right now," she says.

"Please."

She laughs quietly. "Slow down a little." She turns around and kisses my lips quickly. "And put some clothes on."

I laugh and search for something to wear. She retreats back into the bathroom to dry her hair.

I settle on a t-shirt and a random pair of jeans. I walk into the living room to find clothes still scattered there. I laugh and pick them up, tossing them in the laundry room.