Ashton picked me up early in the morning and made sure to stay in his car, as my dad didn't feel like seeing his face right now. "The pool table is coming later today, dad."
"I'm not taking it because I want it, Dan," my dad snapped stubbornly. "You need bus money?"
"No, my boyfriend is going to pick me up," I told him just to see his reaction flare. My dad mumbled something under his breath before waving me off. I'm sure he'll be alright someday.
When I climbed into Ashton's car, I was greeted with a huge beautiful bouquet of flowers. Blue and red roses to be exact. It was so huge that I could barely see Ashton at all behind them."Happy first day, babe!" He shouted nervously.
"You're so extra, what am I supposed to do with these?" I chuckled taking the bouquet from him.
"Don't people like receiving flowers?" Ashton asked. "I made sure to get the biggest one, then I asked them to make it 30% bigger. Should I have gotten something smaller? They're also hypoallergenic so it won't effect you....if you have sinus problems. I don't actually know, but it won't trigger them."
I couldn't help but want to laugh at his ever growing embarrassment. Ashton might be just as clueless as I was when it came to things like this. Although this was too much, he's obviously trying so hard, how could I not like this? How could I not possibly be moved or flattered by any of this?
"I love these," I hugged the bouquet lightly and smelled the roses. "But I'll have to leave it in the car for the day. I'll put them in my room after school. I can't let my dad see these just yet. How much was this anyway? You get them at Stop n Shop? I didn't know they made bouquets this big."
I placed the roses gently in the backseat while I waited for Ashton to answer me. "It was actually a florist shop my dad frequents. He told me that he convinced mom to marry him but giving her the biggest bouquet he could find to symbolize how much he loves her. I guess it might be a little too much-"
"Didn't I just say I love the roses?" I asked making him stop doubting the advice he was given. This must be a normal thing to do where he's from....or Chip is a extra kind of guy and is passing down his extraness to Ashton. I leaned over the arm rest to kiss Ashton quickly on the lips. "Thank you."
Ashton immediately perked up and pulled me back in for a kiss. "Let's go to school then!"
"What's this about first days?" I asked.
"Sticking true to the k-drama thing, mom said they count the relationship by days. So I'm going to start keeping track."
"How long do you have to keep track?" I asked.
"Um....."
"Let's not do that, you're just going to stress yourself out, and I'm not ok with the pressure aspect of this. Can we just go with flow instead?"
"Oh thank god!" Ashton sighed in relief finally pulling out of my driveway. "This is my first time dating. I'm not sure what I should do."
"Like you said, we can figure it out together."
"I have to ask...did I wear you down with my whining? Is that why you asked me out? Looking back I see how you could see me as some kind of loser."
"No, I don't. At some point it became cute," I told him. "Ashton, if anything, I'd like it if you could just be you, that's what I like."
"Oh..." i looked over at Ashton who was trying to focus on the road. His lips were turned up and his entire face was red, but he was determined to focus on the road, even when we reached a red light. "Why do you get so embarrassed?"
"No one's ever liked me before, so I'm really happy that you do. Wh-when I first kissed you, did you like it?" He asked.
"Yeah."
"Then did you tell Vincenzo that we're dating?" I lowered my head. Ashton ruffled my hair. "I assumed you hadn't. How do you want to? I can tell him or you can. I'm not opposed to giving you a kiss in front of him...you know just so I can show you off."
"Liar," I smiled. "I'll talk to him, it's probably best not to be petty about this. I don't want any drama."
"You don't want drama from a drama queen?" Ashton asked. "I've seen you put your foot down, so I know well that you can stand up for yourself no matter what. Just remember you have me to back you up, so I'll protect you."
"I'm pretty sure that he wont hit me."
"He'll probably hit me," Ashton laughed but I could tell by his tone that he was welcoming the altercation. "Don't get me wrong, it's just the petty side of me that wants this fight. The rest of me hopes everything goes smoothly because in the end I'm still your boyfriend. Logically, I have zero need to fight him, but I wouldn't mind."
I didn't want the two to fight, but if it happened, realistically there was nothing I could do to stop it. Though I am curious who would win, and the thought of two very attractive men fighting over me was actually pretty enticing. "Whatever you decide to do, I'll be behind it."
"So can I just punch him first?"
"Don't hit anyone unless you have a reason. If you get suspended, I'll just skip school to be with you all day," omitting the rest. It was all implied anyway.
"Can't have you missing school for me so your dad can hate me more. I won't fight him....on school property at least," Ashton smiled. I laughed at his ridiculous dilemma.
When we pulled into the school parking lot, I started to get nervous once again. Starting today, people are going to find out that the rumor about me and Ashton dating is now true. And now that I'm dating Ashton, will the girls at school finally leave me alone or will everything just escalate from here? And even though I have Ashton with me, how's Vincenzo going to react to the news? I'm honestly scared of everything returning to how it was a few months ago, and that maybe I had royally messed up.
Ashton opened my door and held out his hand with an excited smile directed at me. "Give me your hand." Without a second thought I took it and let myself be pulled from the car.
"Your hands are huge," I commented. "How does this happen in nature."
"Good genetics, I guess. In middle school all i can remember was my joints hurting from growing so much," I finally noticed that Ashton's hands were incredibly rough with hard calluses, an indication of someone who uses their hands a lot. Geez, this was just supposed to be us holding hands, but this was really nice.
If I think about it, Ashton won't leave my side, so I absolutely can handle this. New things are always hard to go through with I guess. I laced our fingers together and made sure to walk as close as possible to a beaming Ashton.
"You Sasquatch."
"Don't be scared," Ashton squeezed my hand and giggled a bit as we finally entered the school building. That's right, I'm not in this alone. I can do this because Ashton is my boyfriend and he will have my back like he promised! I'm not doing anything wrong by being with him!
"I won't be," I finally lifted my head to smile back at him.
"You have super slender hands," Ashton started to draw patterns with his thumb again. "They're cute."
"No one's ever told me that before. I think the closest thing is that people say I'm as white as a ghost, I couldn't tan if I tried. I just get red and burnt," I said for some reason. Dammit, Dan, don't just put yourself out there like that!
"Colder than mine."
"Well you're a great heater."
"Heads up, two o'clock," Ashton said. I looked in the direction of two o'clock just to spot a furious looking Vincenzo. He wasn't even looking at me or Ashton, he was looking at our hands, but that didn't stop Ashton from pulling my hand up and kissing it.
"Ashton!" I whisper yelled. He just couldn't help himself could he?
"Sorry Dan, I got impulsive," Ashton laughed as Vincenzo approached us with Sam quietly in tow.
"What do you call this?" Vincenzo smugly asked not taking his eyes off our hands.
"A long time coming," Ashton looked extremely giddy. Sam looked just as nervous as I felt. In fact the tension in the air was rising second by second, luckily the hallways weren't that crowded. "You want to tell him or should I?"
"Can we go somewhere private so we can talk?" I begged pointing to the empty drama classroom. No one would be there until after lunch, so it was the perfect place.
"Good idea!" Sam and I made a joint effort to push Vincenzo into the empty classroom before he could make a scene in front of everyone. Ashton followed nonchalantly behind us, but it was clear that he was enjoying this situation.
When we finally all got in the room, I breathed a sigh of relief as I closed the door.
"Tell me why?" Vincenzo immediately said barely giving anyone a second to digest the situation that might be happening soon. Vincenzo looked up from his feet to glare directly at me. "Why can't it be me?! Why is he ok but not me?!"
"What are you talking about?" I could instinctively feel my fear rising again. I was shutting down like a scolded child again under Vincenzo's glare. I wasn't even saying what I really wanted to say! I stood up to him before, why can't I now?
I just feel like crying now.
"You're dating Ashton? This fucking loser-"
"SHUT UP!!!" I screamed shocking everyone in the room as I'd never been this loud before. As soon as he mentioned Ashton my body moved on it's own....no, I just feel the need to protect Ashton like he protects me. "Ashton is not a loser!"
"Vinny, calm it down," Sam tried to no avail.
"No! If you were going to fall for someone, why couldn't it be me? What the fuck is wrong with you wanting me?!" Vincenzo seemed to be struggling to keep himself together, but he was definitely falling apart. I hadn't seen him look like this since Minnie dumped him, but this was a thousand times worse.
I don't want to feel bad about dating Ashton! I don't want to feel bad for being genuinely happy with my decision for the first time in a long time. Vincenzo's problems just can't be mine to try and solve anymore. But most importantly, Ashton had feelings as well. Those feelings matter to me more than calming Vincenzo down because he was having a tantrum.
"Because, it can't be you, Vincenzo," I stated firmly to him. I made sure to look into his eyes so he knew how serious I was. "It could never be you. It really just wasn't meant to happen. You're like family to me and nothing can change that. Even if I did care about you like that before, it could still could never be like that, and I can't force myself to think about you that way anymore!"
"Then why'd you accept the food? You led me on!"
"No I didn't! You said to give you a fair chance while I think about my decision. That's what I did."
Vincenzo let a few tears escape from his angry face. "One more chance. I'll give you one more chance to choose correctly...do you like me or Ashton?"
"I like Ashton, and don't threaten me."
"Who's more important to you?"
"Ashton, because I asked him out."
"You're lying!" Vincenzo took a step towards me but Ashton quickly got between us two.
"It's true, so you should calm down," Ashton said calmly. "You're only going to-"
"Shut the fuck up!" Vincenzo eyes frantically jetted from me to Ashton, something he only did when he lost cognitive control. "You think I need your pity? You're just the same as my parents, selfish people who only cares about themselves! You don't even consider other people's feelings, yet you shamelessly ask me to understand you?!"
"Ashton isn't your mom or dad! Neither Ashton or I have ever harmed you, so why are getting pissed off at him for this?!" I snapped.
"Never harmed me? Ever since this guy showed up, have you paid any attention to my feelings for you? Or did you forget about just brushing them off like nothing?" Vincenzo yelled back.
"How is he selfish?" I asked. "You can't yell and scream and be like this every time something doesn't go your way! I never once brushed you or your feelings off like you're nothing since I've known you! Never in my life have I asked you for anything!"
"I won't accept it! What about me?"
"Isn't that a selfish thing to ask?" Ashton chimed in. "He's lived his entire life for you, but as soon as he tries to live for himself, you can't accept it?"
"You can't love him like I can!"
"That's not up to you, it's up to Danny, and he made his choice," Ashton said. "Just remember who's fault it is that he didn't choose you. You made his life hell for loving you. You used him however you please. No one at school knows his name, because of you. You made him sick so he couldn't enjoy his own life at school or at home, you made him cry all the time and you broke his heart on a consistent basis, but he still did his best to make things better for you and fixed the root of your problems. If you were just going to act like this when he finally did something for himself, why did you make it sound like you would be ok with his choice?"
"Ashton, please," I tried but Ashton gave my shoulder a few taps to assure me that he knew what he was doing.
"Look, Dan, the tears have stopped," Ashton pointed out a seriously red faced Vincenzo. Honestly, the last time I had seen him that angry.....was at me a few months ago. But this time, he was clearly upset at Ashton. "I had my suspicions because you acted like you did a 180 overnight. People like you don't change who they are at the core overnight though. You put up an act all this time because you say you felt bad, but in reality, it was just your little scheme to try and manipulate Danny back to doing what you want."
"No, I wasn't!"
"If you really love him, why can't you accept Dannys decision?" Ashton asked. "You've been acting so much, you don't even know what you believe. But how could I forget, you said sorry, that should make up for everything you ever done to Danny, null and void in your little world right? Well have you noticed that you make Danny scared and uncomfortable? You haven't stopped the bullying you started, so i don't see where you could ever be sorry. I would be scared of the guy who almost killed me on multiple occasions as well. What's the point of a hollow apology like yours?"
Vincenzo looked at me in shock but he didn't try to refute so Ashton didn't press further. "You're scared of me?" I gulped and felt immediately intimidated under his skepticism.
I froze suddenly not being able to say a thing. He was looking me directly in the eye. I'm not sure myself if what I was feeling was intense pity or fear."I'm not afraid, but everything you do makes me anxious. You make me uncomfortably anxious, especially now that I can see how you've been trying to manipulate me still."
"Why?! Didn't you say-"
"I forgave you so I can move on with my life! Since the beginning of my life, everything revolved around you! I put my feelings away and lied to my father to cover your ass, and I'm done with feeling bad for that. I never once got to live for myself! In fact, you ruined every chance I had at being ok because you felt like it was your place to punish me for existing! I just want to be happy for once without worrying if I'll be insulted or be deprived of my medical equipment because someone was mad at me! If I keep living in the past, it's going to kill me one day! And I'm terrified of you being the one to kill me! That feeling didn't just go away especially since I know first hand that you're very capable of it!" I confessed. It honestly felt good to vent this to his face. With every word I felt I was more confident. With my sudden confidence boost I went on to spill my guts. "I guess I am afraid of you, only because I feel like you'll kill me one day over something stupid. Fear and intimidation is the only thing you've ever used to control me all this time, how could I ever trust that? I'm not physically capable of fighting against it much longer! My hair is falling out, my mental health is failing the more you stick to me. At the end of the day, I understand you, so I can forgive you for everything, but I'll never forget what you did to me, Vincenzo, and that'll never change. I don't want to be afraid of happiness anymore. That's the truth."
"I wasn't trying to kill you..."
"You spiked my drink and you knew that I'm allergic to ingesting alcohol. You took my inhalers and medicines from me, Vincenzo. If I had an athsma attack from freaking out about it, not even sticking my head in a freezer would save me. I very likely could've died in that room, shit, I almost did die in that room! How do you not expect me to remember almost losing my life when I see you?"
Vincenzo looked absolutely gobsmacked, as if I told him something he didn't already know. As if he didn't know how many times he had put me in the hospital with his antics. I truly wanted him to argue with me, but he just stayed opening and closing his mouth. In the end he had nothing to really say to what I had just said except a timid "I'm....I'm sorry."
"I already said I forgive you. I'm going to class with Ashton now. Please don't do something stupid." I sighed not being able to recall exactly what I actually saw in this manipulative guy except for his handsome face. But I did the right thing and rejected him without stomping on his feelings. Best of all, I felt as if a heavy weight had finally been lifted from my chest.
This must be closure, because I've definitely said everything I wanted to say. Vincenzo made a move forward but stopped when I instinctively flinched. Was he about to hit me now just now?
"What if I can be better? I can be better than him-"
"No, I can't imagine us getting together ever happening. I gave up on that idea a while ago, Vincenzo. Get better for yourself and go back to counseling. You need it." I said. "Just don't do anything stupid."
"How do you expect me to do that myself?"
"You'll think of a way."
The warning bell for first period rang. "Do you need more time to talk to him?" Ashton asked.
"I pretty much said what I had to say," I said.
Ashton took my hand again and walked me out of the drama classroom, in the direction of our classroom.
"I'm really proud of you for confronting him and forcing him to see your side of reality," Ashton said joyfully. "How do you feel?"
"A hundred times better," I said. "I'm surprised that even after I fixed things for him, he was still just trying to manipulate me. No wonder you got so mad. Now I actually feel like things are looking up for once. It just feels good to be honest about it. I'm more surprised how you handled it."
"What did you expect?"
"A brawl."
"I'm not an animal, I learned to handle my pent up aggression through healthy channels when I was a kid. I always planned on talking to him, I just said what I said because it's hard to talk to hostile people....and I do truly want to punch him just once but that's because he's an asshole." Ashton looked a bit offended by my thinking.
"Whatever."
"You handled that with real class, Dan. How bout a kiss?" Before I could answer, He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and bent down to kiss my cheek. It was only then that I could hear an uproar of whispers. "What a bunch of nosy people, ignore them babe. Let's enjoy day one together."
"Ok, then let's have lunch in the pavilion," I jumped on this idea.
"Not there. Luckily, I have a lunch pass, so I'll be taking you out for lunch," Ashton said. The lunch pass was something basically all the seniors who had cars or who appeared on the honor board consistently.
"It's a date!"
"I'll sign us out later." Ashton blushed a bit.
"Ashton, thanks for everything!" I couldn't help but get a nice look at him. He left his hair down instead of slicking it back. Is it because I said I liked it? "Why do you get rid of your accent?"
"If city people hear me talk like that, they'll automatically assume I'm racist or homophobic. Or uneducated. You should've heard the names i got called back then."
"That's stupid."
"It's the sad reality we live in, where everyone judges you on how you look or speak, especially those stuck up rich kids," Ashton rolled his eyes. "Let's get to class then!"
The first half of the day seemed to fly by, even though everyone was looking at us with a magnifying glass. The girls who usually approached me daily to insult me or try and push me around didn't bother me at all, in fact a few of them even smiled at me, though I wasn't sure why. My things, although replaced, remained untouched throughout the entire day for once.
Most of all there was no trace of Vincenzo anywhere.
"Hey, Danny," someone called out to me. I turned to see Sam Kim not in his usual seat. This is one of the classes I didn't share with Ashton, so I was indeed anxious now. "Ashton asked me to sit with you, can I?"
Immediately I relaxed. God, that guy is always three step ahead. "Knock yourself out, Sam."
"Um, congratulations on your relationship," Sam put his stuff down on the desk next to me and slumped into his chair. "Also, Vincenzo went home after you and Ashton left, so you can relax."
"How was he?"
"Quiet. I think he's in shock," Sam said. "Even I was speechless though. I was as shaken up as he was to be honest. It was honestly the first time I saw someone successfully stand up to Vincenzo and not get taken down. Nothing short of amazing."
"He's just a kid like us, how hard could it be to stand up to him?" I raised a brow.
"I'm not sure, but no one has done it. It's social suicide, you should know that better than anyone," Sam said. I did know that very very well. "Um, did I contribute to almost killing you in anyway?"
Sam looked genuinely freaked out when he asked me this. Was he feeling bad about it? "You've never done anything to me, so no."
"Thank god," Sam breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did. I can be a bit of a bully, but I don't want to kill anyone being like that. I've got too bright of a future to have a stain like that on my life. At least you're ok now. Do I scare you too?"
"No."
"Good."
"You're not going to try and convince me about Vincenzo?"
"Ashton already warned me not to get involved a while back. I see why now, there's a lot of messy history that nobody knows about. Plus you're in a relationship already, who am I to tell you someone else is better?"
"Aren't you two friends?"
"Friends don't have to agree on everything, and he was only Martins friend until recently." Sam told me. Ashton said something similar to this before, so I could believe it.
I was grateful that Sam was actually someone who was really easy to talk to. This guy came off as a hardcore guy but he was actually extremely nice and very intelligent. I learned that Sam was someone who was great at reading people like his parents taught him to be. After all, he was the heir to a big company fortune back in South Korea, so he had no choice but to do well, but he was going to have fun on the side no matter what. When he observed others doing well, he had noticed that they had gotten targeted, so to avoid that, he stuck close to Vincenzo. They didn't talk at all until recently, but just being in close proximity made everyone leave him alone.
"So it is proportionate?" Sam asked.
"Is what?"
"Ashton."
"What do....oh!" I finally understood what Sam meant. Ashton was indeed a bit more than proportionate, but I wasn't going to let that fact get out there. "I-I don't know that yet."
"Really? You look like you've been getting healthier so I thought you were getting some," Sam said.
"Healthy?"
"Yeah, you don't look gray anymore and your dark circles are gone. You skin doesn't look translucent either anymore, you have red undertones now like you got sunburnt." Sam told me. "You've also gained weight. You're like a girl who just broke up with her boyfriend and started to thrive."
"Really? I never noticed," Sam and I continued to talk through the entire lecture, so we didn't end up learning anything new that class. Still I couldn't help but feel like I made a new friend as we exchanged numbers.
"How was class, babe?" Ashton said approaching us as we left our classroom.
"Good," I told him. "Sam said I looked healthy."
"Yeah, you do," Ashton pulled me close into a longing hug pinching my belly. "See you have belly fat now. I couldn't do this before."
"Ashton," I giggled from the tickles.
"Ugh, this is too much to watch, have some respect for the single people here," Sam groaned watching our sweet exchange.
"Then get a girlfriend," Ashton continued without moving his lips from my cheek. "It's lunch time. I've signed us out already."
Ashton and I said goodbye to Sam and went to his car hand in hand. Without a second thought, I checked on the flowers to see if they see still alive. Hopefully they won't die quickly in the car.
While I looked at them I spotted a notebook that had some scribbles on the cover on it. I picked it up just to see to admire his clean penmanship but was more taken aback by what was written. He had wrote our name together multiple times on it.
Danny Belle...Ashton Cunningham...Danny Belle-Cunningham....Ashton Cunningham-Belle. I guess, having our names hyphenated sounded so much better. I couldn't help but blush as I pictured him writing this down like a love sick girl does when she likes a singer a lot.
Just how much does this guy really like me?
"What's this?" I asked holding up the notebook.
"Um.....just some writings when I was waiting for you this morning."
"I like our last names hyphenated," I admitted.
"Me too!" Ashton smiled. "I thought you would think I was creepy."
"Not at all, I like it," the overwhelming feeling of Ashton being into me so much made my stomach do flips. "Cunningham-Belle."
Ashton leaned over the arm rest to plant a quick kiss on me. I could feel the heat in my cheeks, knowing I was probably bright red and looked at my shoes. I suddenly felt a jolt of electricity, realizing Ashton's finger was under my chin raising my face to meet his.
Hey," he whispered. "Don't be embarrassed." He moved his hand from my chin, and settled it on my hip. I inhaled sharply. "Danny, please believe that I am really attracted to you so..." He trailed off, I knew he was distracted because I could feel his thumb rubbing circles over my hip as he stared at my face, and then all of a sudden his whole body became stiff. "Babe, I think we should get going to lunch. I am very much trying to be a gentleman right now...but..."
"Ok," I couldn't help but feel disappointed from the lack of kisses I had received today. But if he had to do this gentleman shit, then I will go along with it. I guess it was really a really effective thing, not to mention sexy, when Ashton become a gentleman. But I won't deny that a part of me hopes he throws me in backseat and fucks me on top of that huge flower bouquet. "Are you going to tell me where we're having lunch?" All I knew was that we were going off campus.
"Nope." He responded while laughing. "It's a secret." I laughed as well, and then decided to ask about his family so we wouldn't be trapped in silence. He told me how he had a cousin named Rosalie was his friend, a mechanic, who is loving, bitchy, loyal and fierce all wrapped in to one package. He told me how the guy courting her, someone named Earl, was perfect for her. He was loud, caring, playful, a jokester, and loved Rosalie more than anything in the world. He told me how he was excited to be an uncle if they work out and he was determined to be the best uncle ever. He was just finishing up telling me about Rosalie as we pulled into a restaurant which was located on the beach not far from the school.
I remember this place was shown on TV a couple of times as a place only the elite could afford. The food at this fine dining establishment will be of the highest quality, made with luxurious ingredients, and served in unique and beautiful presentations. The quality of the dishware and cutlery is also higher, and often the décor and even the architecture of the restaurant building is notable. It was a mansion on a beach!
"Ready?" He asked. I nodded and hopped out of the car quickly immediately smelling the waves from the water and the food cooking inside. He walked around to my side of the truck and poured at me. "You should have waited for me to open the door for you."
"It's ok, Ashton. To be honest with you, I have never been on a date before. And I am not use to someone treating me this way, it's throwing me off." Ashton walked over to me and leaned in to whisper in my ear.
"Well, you better get used to it, because I was brought up to act like a gentleman." I gasped and Ashton seemed pleased with my reaction. "Ready?"
"This is an expensive place, Ashton."
"I went cheaper to make you feel more comfortable with it though," Ashton bit his lips nervously. This place is cheap to him? I guess people who are born are just really built to think differently. "I wasn't going to let you pay."
Stop getting in your head, Danny! Ashton probably put an extra amount of thought into this and he most likely doesn't know what cheap actually is. Next time, I'll show him what it's like to be lower middle class.
"Shhhh, I was just caught off guard!" I put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm ready."
We walked into the extravagant place and Ashton told the host that we had reservations, as we walked to the back of the restaurant Ashton followed close behind with his hand on my lower back guiding me. His hand made me shiver, in a good way. "Are you cold?" Ashton whispered in my ear causing me to shiver again. I shook my head no and looked to see him smiling while looking back at me. We were seated right on the water and while we were looking over our menus, which had no prices next to the meals, we discussed what kind of foods we liked and didn't like.
"What do you mean you have never had crab cakes?" Ashton asked me looking shocked.
I laughed gently shaking my head. "I mean exactly that Ashton! I don't think I have ever had crab cakes. The ones from the store look too artificial to eat as well. Don't even get me started about how the one from Red Lobster smell."
The waitress walked over just then and Ashton immediately asked for an order of crab cakes as an appetizer. When she asked me if I wanted something from the bar, I simply asked for an iced tea and Ashton asked for one as well. We placed our lunch orders with her, Ashton got steak while I got chicken.
"Have you been here a lot?" I asked spotting a black and white picture of Amanda and Chip on the wall next to various opulent looking people.
"No. I came here once for a party, but the other kids were so....boring and arrogant. They kept looking down on the farm work I liked and didn't really want to talk to me."
"That's stupid."
"They're just upset that I had more than them, and parents who dote on me. A lot of them were raised by maids their entire lives."
"That must suck!" The waitress returned with a plate crab cakes and gently set it on the middle of the table. I tried to thank her but Ashton stopped me by shoving a forkful of crab cake into my mouth. "Oh. My. Fuck. These are so good!" I exclaimed after taking a bite of the crab cake.
"I'm glad you like them." Ashton responded while stroking the back of my hand that was resting on the table. It felt so good to have someone actually paying attention to me like this. Ashton looked deeply into my eyes. "Are you ok with this, Dan?" I nodded as he continued to stroke my hand.
"It feels nice Ashton." I whispered. He slid his hand under mine and intertwined our fingers with one another. I sighed and closed my eyes.
"Tell me what's on your mind." Ashton whispered.
I opened my eyes and could tell he really did want to know. "Ashton, I am completely fine with PDA's, it doesn't bother me at all." He smiled and squeezed my hand. "To be honest with you, you're the only one I've experienced that with, but it is something I have always wanted myself, especially after watching a Thai drama. Just promise me that I can pay for the next meal we go to."
"Is that really all?"
"Well...there's something I wanna do, but I'll let you be a gentleman." I said hoping that he would catch on and he did. Ashton licked his lips while he looked me over causing my face to heat up again. He smiled and pulled my hand up to his mouth giving my palm a soft kiss causing my traitor dick to throb painfully in my jeans. He knew what he was doing. "You're no gentleman, just a tease."
"I can't help but be affectionate with you. And I don't give a crap where we are," He gave my hand another soft kiss, this time a little longer while staring into my eyes. The waitress came and dropped off our food, smiling when she saw us holding hands. We kept the lunch conversation light. I talked about my dad, we told each other about our middle school experiences, and discussed who our celebrity crushes were.
"No way!" I said. "How can you even say that? Daniel Radcliffe is way hotter than Roman Reigns! Are you sure you are gay?" Ashton was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes.
"That's unexpected! Harry Potter over The Big Dog? Why do you think I was inspired to wrestle?" He asked.
"That wasn't your anger outlet?"
"God no, reading is. And I've read Harry Potter, the visuals painted aren't as good as Roman Reigns."
"You're delusional. Did you see him in the fourth movie? Daniel Radcliffe is better. How can you not choose The Boy Who Lived?" I insisted.
"Because Roman Reigns looks like he can take a lot more than Harry Potter."
"Shut up!" I laughed in disbelief. He's so stupid!
"Dan, can I be honest with you?" Ashton asked seriously breaking the light mood. I nodded. "You are seriously the most beautiful person that I have ever seen in my whole entire life. I fell in love with your personality and I cannot believe that I am the lucky guy that you agreed to come to this lunch date with." I took a deep breath and reached across the table. Ashton's eyes shot to mine as I gently played with his fingers. I think he was assuring me in case I had any doubts about this. I saw his eyes darken, and his sharp inhale as I brushed my thumb lightly over his knuckles.
"Ashton, I..." my voice cracked. I cleared my throat and started again. "Ashton, I feel like the lucky one. Oh, and by the way, you are the most beautiful person in the world." We sat and stared into each other's eyes for a couple of minutes while our fingers and hands continued to brush and play with each others. I couldn't help but wish for this moment and feeling to last forever.
I was wrong, the feeling was just as romantic and light as it always was.
"Danny? Do you want to get out of here and maybe go for a walk on the beach? We still have time before we go back to school." I smiled and nodded. Ashton insisted on paying the entire check since he was the one who made the date and he already agreed to let me pay next time.
"Well then, next time I am taking you out, so forget your wallet. I'll let this slide." Ashton's whole face lit up at the prospect of a second date. He definitely didn't hear anything I really said. As we were walking out of the restaurant Ashton had his hand on my lower back again and even threw my clothes it felt electric. So far it was the most perfect date, and it wasn't even over yet.
As soon as we stepped outside of the restaurant Ashton turned toward me and held out his hand palm side up. I grinned and quickly took his hand feeling the electricity pass through us as our hands were intertwined together. We walked over to the edge of the parking lot, where there was a railing separating the beach from the parking lot.
"Hey Dan?" I looked over with one hand on the railing smiling. "I have to grab something out of the trunk."
"Oh, ok. Do you need any help?" God he's so fucking sweet. I'm the lucky one.
He squeezed my hand and shook his head. "No, just stay here. I'll be right back." I nodded and watched as he took off in a light jog to get to his car quickly.
I leaned forward on the railing in front of me and was looking out at the water. I don't think I've ever been to a beach with no litter. Geez, even the air smelled rich.
My phone buzzed slapping me out of my stupor. I reached into the back pocket of my pants and took out my phone, it was from Sam. He was wondering if I was having a good time. The best food I had ever tasted and a walk on the beach? Yes I was I having a great time. I quickly texted back that I was and to have fun being single.
I felt a hand placed my back causing me to jump a little. "Is everything ok Dan?" My eyes went wide and a wave of anxiety hit me when I saw Ashton standing there with a blanket and a basket.
"It...It's just Sam." I stuttered then quickly held up his cell phone so I could see. His reaction was strange and he looked a concerned. I continued on not being able to shake the stutter off. "H...he just wanted to make sure I was having a nice t...time. I'm s..sorry Ashton, it was r...rude of me to check my ph...phone."
Ashton put the basket down and laid the blankets on top of it. I turned my head to the ground trying to figure out why I had suddenly gotten so anxious. But doing that just seemed to make me more anxious. Ashton placed one finger under my chin and tilted my head up so we were looking eye to eye. His other hand rested on my waist pulling me closer into an awkward hug. "It's ok, Dan, breathe."
"I am sorry for ruining the date."
"What are you talking about Danny?" He looked confused and to be honest I really was confused. Isn't checking your phone on a date taboo? I'm sure I read that in a magazine! "Dan-"
"I shouldn't have checked my phone, it was rude..." he cut me off by placing his thumb on my lips while the rest of his hand cradled my face; I took a deep breath and tilted my head into his warm hand. His thumb started rubbing lightly on my bottom lip and then moved to my cheek where it rubbed lightly back and forth.
"Baby, you didn't ruin anything. I don't care that you checked your phone and you certainly don't have to tell me who it was. I want us to be honest with each other and just trust each other, ok. Breathe for me, ok." Ashton told me. I put my hands down around his waist so I could hold him a bit closer to me.
He was looking at my eyes then at my lips and back to my eyes again. Fuck I hope he still wants to kiss me. I couldn't help but lick my lips in anticipation. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, it was the sweetest most caring kiss that seemed to melt away my panic. I sighed and he started to pull away, but I wouldn't let him. My hand went to the back of his head and I held his head in place so I could kiss him again. This kiss was needy and full of desire, I moaned when he sucked on my bottom lip and I pulled harder on my belt loops making our bodies flush against each other.
Kissing Ashton now was different to me. I could literally feel the energy between us and I had never felt so whole and complete. I pulled back from the kiss feeling like jello, but the anxiety had definitely passed.
"Do we still have time to go walk on the beach?" I asked.
"Of course Dan, we have time left. Here take this." He picked up the blankets and put them in my hand then reached down and took my hand in his. We walked hand in hand on the beach until we found the perfect spot in some shade. We laid the blanket on the sand right in front of a large boulder, giving us a little privacy. Ashton set the basket off to the side and when I finished putting the blanket down I looked at him. He was standing there with a small smile on his face looking at the water, his thumbs in the back pockets of his jeans. Fuck, he's so hot under the sun. Ashton turned away and walked up to me and snaked his arms around my waist, his chin rested on my shoulder and I could hear and feel him sigh.
Ashton hands rubbed lightly over my stomach and I could feel my muscles contract under his touch. "Is this ok, Baby?" He whispered in my ear, i nodded. He tightened his hold on me and kissed my neck lightly, causing me to shiver. I loved that he was so into me and the feeling was mutual. "Danny, are you cold?" He asked me.
How could be cold when I had Ashton to warm me up, "I am anything but cold, Ashton. Happy first day Ashton!"