Ease [Cashton/Muke]

Chapter sixty six

By the time they got back to the office they had already decided to make an offer on the house. There was nothing they could fault about the place, it ticked every single one of their boxes. Calum had learnt in business that it's important to trust your instinct -and his instincts had a very good feeling about this place. Not to mention he was already excited about the prospect of a bigger garage. Calum texted Belinda and told her to get him the property for the best deal she could -and that he could buy it with cash regardless.

"I'm curious..." Ashton drawls on the way home from his first runway 101 session with Harry. "Exactly how much is our current house worth?"
"When I bought it, end of the year before last, I paid $21million for it." Calum winces a little as he speaks, worried for how Ashton will react.
"$21 million?!" Ashton screeches. "What the fuck? Why do you live there? Why do I live there?"
"I'm not really sure what you want me to say to that." Calum says unsurely.
"I just- that's a lot. Someone could be on a six figure salary for fifty years and not even have a quarter of that." Ashton replies.
"Well when you put it like that... you know what, I think I need to put all my employee's pay up." Calum says definitively.
"What?" Ashton asks confusedly.

"There always seems to be a bigger purpose for why our soulmate is who they are. The universe put us together so that you could teach me these things. Humble me. Help me address wealth inequality. You couldn't work out what you were providing me with, it's that. And it's so important. I love you and I'm so grateful to have you in my life." Calum explains, squeezing Ashton's hand a little tighter on the middle console at the end.
"I'm so grateful to have you. I love you. If this is my purpose, I'm looking forward to it." Ashton smiles fondly.

Considering their new late arrival time back home in the evenings, they get food delivered from a local Italian restaurant for dinner. When they go to bed Ashton is already talking excitedly about where everything will go in the new house, how everything will fit. Calum laps it all up, happy to bask in his submissive's excitement.

The following morning Calum walks into his office with a new sense of purpose.
"Maggie, I want a meeting with a couple of people from payroll, a couple from the accounts team, Franco, you, me and Ashton." He tells her as he walks into his office and picks up the coffee waiting on his desk.
"Oh? What's this grand financial overhaul you came up with? Need I remind you that you're in the process of buying a house?" She raises her eyebrows.
"Ashton. He found out how much our current house is worth and had a bit of a freak out. He's humbling me. I'm too rich and something needs to be done." Calum says decidedly.
"This smells like a pay rise. I'll get on it." Maggie replies cheekily as she heads back to her desk.
"This is about addressing wealth inequality Margaret!" He yells.
"Call me that one more time and I'll wire transfer everything in your accounts to me." She warns.

"Speaking of that, have you heard from Belinda?"
"It's 7:40am. Normal people don't start work this early." She deadpans, causing Calum to just pettily stick his tongue out and start working without another word. Maggie snorts in amusement as she walks out of his office.

"Oh Calum." Maggie sing-songs less than an hour later. "I have an email from Belinda." She chimes.
"A- really? So soon?" Calum scrambles out of his office.
"Did you want to look any more desperate?" She laughs loudly.
"What does it say?" He huffs.
"Yadda yadda yadda, the house is yours for $8.6million."
"I'll take it. Done." Calum replies instantly.

"Have you discussed this with Franco?" She asks.
"No."
"Calum." She purses her lips.
"I know I have the money." He shrugs.
"Ashton was right, you do need humbling. Anyway, I'll sort this and try and get you a settlement ASAP. Why don't you go tell him that you got the house?" Maggie finishes with a nod down the corridor towards Ashton's office. Calum grins and seems to momentarily have the urge to kiss his assistant in gratitude but instead he settles on walking down the hall.

"How are you going?" Calum asks as he slowly opens Ashton's office door, unable to keep the shit eating grin off his face.
"Good... you look very happy." Ashton comments.
"I just got good news." Calum says slyly, stepping around the desk and pulling Ashton to stand up so they can be in each other's arms.
"Yeah?" Ashton breathes out with a smile.
"We got the house." Calum whispers.
"We- what?" Ashton is completely shocked.
"We got the house!" Calum shouts and it's undoubtedly a good thing that Maggie's the only other person on this floor.

Ashton's at a complete loss for words. The house is perfect. He just hugs Calum as tight as physically possible and buries his face in his dom's neck.
"That makes me so happy." He mumbles quietly.
"Me too." Calum replies softly, equally content in staying in the current position.
"When do we move?" Ashton asks as he pulls back just a little.
"Not sure yet sweets, we're working those things out. Hopefully it's before our trip." Calum chuckles.

"That's so soon! We wouldn't have time to pack." Ashton exclaims.
"In the past when I've moved I've paid people to do that. How does that fit in with your 'humble me' plans?"
"Well," Ashton giggles, "you're feeding the economy so I'll allow it."
"Then it's settled. We'll move at the earliest opportunity." Calum nods.

Maggie texts Ashton, considering she still has Calum's phone, as soon as she gets updates on their purchase of a new home.

Maggie - Ashton: Hi lovebirds. The house is empty, yours on Saturday week.

A/N: the house is a definite! Cashton are cute! Y'all are boosting and supporting this story all the time so much and I love it it's insane. Thanks always, love you heaps :)

-Grace Williams xo