I shouldn't have gave Ashton the blowjob, I admit that.
When we managed to slip away from the party Ashton had brought me straight to his room and practically devoured me. By the time night fell, I'd lost count of the amount of times his dick had been buried inside of me. There was so much of our fluids on us and the blankets, our entire bodies were sticky. The room reeked of sex and sweat and endless need, but neither of us cared. Each time was more intense than the time before. He watched me ride him without care while he marked me all over. He watched me intensely moan and grunt under him, my feet on his shoulders as he prevented me from covering my face when he pounded into me making me climax again and again.
We remained mostly in his bed, but there were a few rounds in the shower, one in the tub, and a few on the floor when we couldn't make it back to the bed in time.
According to Ashton, I gave a new meaning to the term power bottom because I took everything he gave me and still begged for more.
Each time, I pushed aside everything but the feeling of his fit body against me, his hands in my hair and his tongue prying open my lips. I even really enjoyed his dirty words and indulged him when he pleaded to give me a spanking. It felt good when he hit me during sex, the sound, the feel of my body jolting forward with him still inside me, and to see his face turn pink with pleasure. I'm sure there was some kind of deep release of my own going on, but I ignored that and focused on the pleasure it brought him.
I wore the marks of our coupling all over my body, kiss swollen lips, angry red lines on my back, and bite marks and bruises on my neck. I didn't have to look to know they were there, I felt them.
We were both still gasping for breath when we fell to the bed. Weakened from what seemed like my hundredth orgasm, my body gave out, flattening into the mattress as Ashton continued to slam into me hard and fast until his own climax exploded throughout his body and he bit down on my shoulder to muffle the animalistic grunts. He remained on top of me until he softened up enough to slip out.
"Jesus, Dan," he said, his voice smothered by the mattress under him. "You're fucking amazing. I don't know if I could go much longer."
I did feel amazing, but my body felt completely numb from the fucking I had just received. "Neither do I."
"If we're going to keep this up, I think we need more food and water," he chuckled.
"What time is it Ashton?" I asked.
Ashton picked up his phone and looked incredibly shocked as he read it. "It's mid-Sunday babe." That means it's been about thirty-six hours since we started, and the box of a dozen condoms was long empty. "We've been going at it for a while. Can you move?"
"Be serious Ashton," I rolled my eyes struggling to feel anything below my neck. "I just want to sleep now."
"You don't want me to clean you up first?" Ashton asked.
"Don't try to trap me!" I scolded. If he brought me into the bath, we'd just end up entangled again and I don't think I'd be able to take anymore....as much as I really wanted it. I felt a blanket covering me, and I felt a cool pillow set under my head.
Time had no meaning when I was with Ashton, it might have been minutes or hours, but his soothing words and soft sighs never stopped. Neither did his caresses of my hair or the feathery kisses to my shoulder. Satisfaction seeped from my pours like beads of sweat as I lay in my lover's naked embrace. By the time I felt coherent enough to speak again, he was snoring behind me.
The longer I stayed there, in his arms, the longer I felt that I lost myself. I wasn't the same Danny who had nervously called Ashton over to my home and opened my door to find the future love of my life standing there. I wasn't the same Danny who cowered to Vincenzo, who had felt the only way to be happy was to die, or who was so extremely paranoid about everything. The Danny I am now is a lot different. I was stronger and weaker, I was harder and softer, I was braver and more scared.
But regardless of the changes, slight or major, I was still super in love with Ashton and everything he did.
As usual, I woke up before him and took in his sleeping face. Even though the curtains around Ashton's four poster bed were drawn, light still seeped through the fabric. I could tell that it must be about midmorning. Memories of the previous night came back full force. My hands were in his hair...His mouth was on my collar bone causing me to whimper...my legs were wrapping around his waist...the merciless pounding.
Somehow I obtained a sex machine.
It was the kind of sex that made me realize that I had never lived life until Ashton came along. Before him, I simply just existed in misery. I was dead on the inside. I never wanted that old life back again. I can't breathe without my Ashton. He is my oxygen. I love him so much and I want to spend the rest of my life loving him.
God, he even drooled sexy.
Now, he was lying on his stomach with his face tuned toward me. The bed sheets had shifted down to his waist leaving the bare expanse of his back exposed. His cute nose I noticed must've been broken in the past, sprinkled with a light dusting of freckles that you could only see if you were close enough or had studied his face enough, which i most certainly had. I could look at him for hours or days even without noticing the time passing. His blonde mullet was splayed wildly on the pillow behind him. He usually wouldn't allow his hair to become so wild. I actually liked him like this. I didn't realize that he could be any more handsome, but seeing him in this vulnerable state proved otherwise. In sleep, the worry lines that often creased his forehead were smoothed out. His mouth, often dead set in a scowl when he was doing anything, was relaxed and slightly open. His eyes were still closed as he continued to sleep, but I knew that if Ashton opened his eyes, that I would be met with the most dazzling shade of blue.
Speaking of, they were fluttering open right now. "What time....it is? Mornin' Lovebug."
Instead of answering him, I crushed my lips to his and I captured his surprised gasp in my mouth. Parting my tingling lips, I moaned when his tongue slipped inside my mouth, caressing my own in swirling movements as his hands skimmed down my back and settled on my hips. It was everything a kiss was supposed to be, everything I'd been missing. How could I have ever find anyone like Ashton that could make me feel so fucking alive? It was him who breathed life into me, who encouraged my heart to beat.
Only him.
With each breath we shared, my heart healed a bit more, each crack filled with moans, velvet tongues, lips brushing back and forth. I twisted my fingers into his amber hair, securing him to me physically, while my soul reached out to grasp his, leading it back into my heart where it would forever remain, where it forever belonged.
Moving from my lips, he kissed his way down my jaw. "You smell different," he murmured against me.
"We still have to shower."
"Can you move?"
"I do need some help," I confessed feeling twice the amount of fatigue and muscle ache than I did yesterday. Ashton lifted his head and looked straight at me.
I could honestly say I'd never seen another blue like the color of his eyes right then. But it wasn't their color that captured me in their stare, it was what was in them. They weren't lonely anymore, they were filled.
With pure, unadulterated love.
For me!
After all that time, all those hours we spent apart and busy, all the obstacles in our way, and all the more qualified girls who threw themselves at him, his love for me had never waned, it was as strong and powerful as ever. He was as great as I remembered, as incredible as the memory of him I had carried around daily.
"I love you," I sighed, brushing my fingers down his cheek and watching his beautiful eyes flutter closed at the tender, meaningful touch. It made me want to fall asleep a tangled mess of sweaty limbs and sated bodies, and each morning we wake up to do it again. Perhaps we were still in what people called the 'honeymoon stage' where we couldn't get enough of each other, but I didn't think that was it at all. I just felt like there would never come a day our bodies didn't yearn for the other, there would never be a day we were satisfied with what we could physically provide each other with. Our souls constantly wanted the other, and the closer our bodies were, the easier it was for our souls to walk together.
"I love you too. So fucking much," he promised.
And I believed him.
"So....."
"I forgot to tell you before, but Vincenzo joined the military," he said. "We won't be seeing him for a while. No goodbyes either, he's already left for boot camp."
If he expected this news to affect me in any way, he was really wrong. I'm okay either way not seeing Vincenzo for longer as it's already been months since I've caught even a glimpse of him. As impulsive as I was telling him to stay away from me for good, I didn't regret it. "Good for him."
"You don't care?"
"Not really. I'm yours, so why should he affect me?" I asked this way purposefully. "Don't mention him in our bed again."
Ashton's face seemed to light up at my request, revealing his underlying hate towards anything to do with Vincenzo. "Yes baby."
Helping me and my sore ass off the bed, I swayed on shaky legs and had to use Ashton for balance as I stood up the for the first time in what felt like days. He took my hand and led me through his bedroom to the bathroom. Ashton started the water and we both stepped into the glass stall. Under the spray, I closed my eyes and let the water run down over my head while Ashton moved under one of the other four showerheads and mirrored my position with his head back, letting the water rain over his face. Even after the sex, he still looked tense. I had hoped having he would keep his mind off other matters off the time being, make him relax and less anxious about our future. But by the stiffness in his shoulders and the tight line of his lips, the sex had relaxed him only a little bit.
He was already anxious again.
I curved my hand around his neck and forced him to look at me. His eyes fluttered opened, wet lashes clumping together, and he gave me a small smile. "Ashton, why are you so nervous? Is this about us moving in together?"
"It's because I want everything to be perfect," he admitted softly. I was slightly distracted from his words by the way the water ran in rivulets over his cheeks, nose, and especially his lips, making the swollen, pink flesh enticingly shiny.
"It's me, Ash. I'm very used to imperfection," I reasoned with a shake of my head to get the wet hair off my face.
"But I'm not," he countered, suddenly exposing the real reason for his distress.
With just three words, everything made sense; the hours he'd spent pouring over recipes looking for the right one for our first day there, the days of nonstop cleaning crews just to make triple sure everything is pristine even though the maid had come twice that week, and the need to be glued to my side even more than usual. I reassured him over and over, telling him with touches and whispers how much he meant to me, how happy I was, and that this is what I wanted.
Dragging my thumb across his lips, I watched them purse and kiss the pad of my finger before I spoke again. "And you think my dad is going to judge you again?"
He didn't have to answer, I already knew I was right. I remember how shaken he was when he thought my father hated him. His lids fell over his worried blue eyes. "No. Maybe. Yes...fuck, I don't know," he sighed.
"Ash, trust me, he's not going to care about anything unless I'm unhappy," I offered. "And he'll give you shit regardless of what good you do. That's just how he is."
After seconds of just standing there under the hot spray in silence, Ashton pulled me into his arms and kissed me softly before turning me around so the water was now hitting my chest. I tiredly leaned back, wanting to stay against him since my entire body felt exhausted, but Ashton stopped it and held me up right, grabbing the soap bottle from the ledge and lathering his hands until they turned bubbly. I closed my eyes again as Ashton's hands roamed over my body and got us both clean. Those big hands worked against my shoulders and massaged my waist, the soap and my worries falling away with the water. I felt every bit of stress fade away with Ashton's hands on my skin. He made sure all the soap was gone before moving on to my hair. The shampoo smelled fresh as he ran his fingers through my scalp. I leaned back again, this time Ashton let me. After my hair was done being covered, he put a little more onto his hands and scrubbed at his own hair. He slowly turned me associate back around to face him before gently pushing my head back into the water. The soap fell out easily with Ashton's hands running through it, making sure to not get any in my eyes. Once finished, he got the shampoo out of his own hair. I leaned back against the wall as Ashton soaped himself up and washed off.
Ashton shut off the water, pulling back the shower curtain and stepping into the steam filled room before he grabbed two towels from under the sink, wrapping one around himself before picking me up in his arms to dry me off with another towel. After successfully getting me dry and wrapping a towel around my waist, he walked me over to the bed and set me down gently.
"How're you feeling?" He asked.
"Like a hard jelly," I admitted. I was at the point where my body still felt incredibly stiff, but could still move in small movements.
"I'll massage you some more later."
He was still resting comfortably on me, then suddenly, he was gone. I lay there watching as he walked across his bedroom to his closet.
"Holy shit," I murmured when he flicked on a light.
The finely polished dark wood was illuminated by fixtures set in the ceiling. There were two selves covered in the same colored boxes that ran along the top. Under the shelves on the left were poles set at two different levels with color coordinating jackets, dress shirts, and pants hanging on them. On the opposite wall were the two shelves with one pole under them, and then more staggered shelving and drawers. The last wall was set up like the others, only there was a large three way mirror with a platform on it as well. I could see shoes lining a rack on the floor, and ties, also sorted by color, hanging above them. In the middle of the room was a leather ottoman.
It was the nicest closet I had ever seen.
I casually admired his ass as he stretched up to one of the shelves, pulling down one of the cream colored boxes. Once he had it, he rejoined me on the bed. Sitting with his legs crossed in front of him, he handed me the box.
"I got this for you as a good job for graduating," he said quietly. I looked at the bracelet on my arm questioning what it was if not a gift. "You can receive multiple gifts from one person, Dan."
Glancing at him, I lifted the cover off the box. The first thing I saw was an original 1978 Dawn of The Dead DVD. Pulling it out, I smiled and ran my hands over the red letters on the cover, remembering all the hours I had spent looking for this movie on a computer and not finding it.
"Can we even watch it?" I asked and he nodded.
"Sure, but there's one more thing," he said, motioning to the box. Setting the DVD down, I looked inside again and saw a book. I reached in and ran my finger along the cover. "You can take it out."
"It looks so old," I murmured.
"It is very old. It's okay."
Lifting it, I took it out and set it on my lap. "The Castle of Otranto," I read aloud.
The cover was mostly a royal blue with bright gold letters. Under the title was a golden chandelier design with two columns and a half snowflake design on the spine.
The book looked old and gorgeous.
My Ashton sure knew how to give a gift.
"It's beautiful," I sighed, looking up at Ashton.
"It's a first edition that was passed down from a cousin of mine. The retail price is insane for one of these. And I just thought you spent too much time looking for Dawn of The Dead because it's not on any streaming platform, so maybe you'd like this too."
I traced the golden intents of the book. "I didn't even know there was a first edition to this book."
"Really? Baby, it was written in 1749. It put the horror genre on the map, of course people will pay lots of money for it."
Shaking my head, I opened the book and smiled when I saw the nice drawing of a lady in a white corset dress and a man in old clothing. When the tears pricked my eyes, I let them fall, making sure they didn't land on the pages of the book.
"I hope those are happy tears," he whispered.
"They are," I answered, giving him a smile. "I love it. It's really good."
We spent the rest of the day watching Dawn of The Dead on repeat, eating popcorn and recuperating. The next morning I woke again up before Ashton, but I felt a lot better. Not wanting to disturb him, I reached for the book on the table and opened it up. After flipping through a few pages of pictures, I began reading it, savoring every interesting word. When I looked over at Ashton sleeping next to me, I let a guilty sigh out for everything we will have to go through in the future because of me. Each second we were together healed a bit more of the pain, and I knew, realistically, that we had a long way to go. Like the book was telling me "Don't be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart".
In time, both our anxieties and insecurities will disappear. The warm summer sun is upon us after all.
It wasn't until the next day when I was packing my bag for a trip to Georgia with Ashton's help that he spoke up on one of them. He seemed to be worrying that we would fight like Sam and Soyoung. I told him in return that we don't fight like they do and we could always talk things out as long as there's honesty. Ashton didn't say anything, but he smiled and kissed me.
"Think Sam will be nervous to ask Soyoung?"
"Pft, I doubt he'll be nervous. Why is Soyoung bringing him again?" he whined completely lost on what I was talking about.
"He's bringing Soyoung over to help me pack," I corrected. "Soyoung has business in Korea to start handling and they'll be leaving next week to start entrance exams for university. Soyoung wants to wait but Sam wants to start making babies while they're still in school. They had a huge fight and are somewhat estranged now."
"So they're not a couple anymore?"
"They're not broken up....but they're not exactly together. Though probably not for lack of Sam trying," I chuckled. I'd gotten many frustrated texts from him telling me his dick was raw from all the self love since Soyoung was icing him out. "Plus, he's my first client!"
Ashton's smile dropped. "That's crazy."
"Are you jealous, Ash?"
"No," he answered immediately, and then shrugged. "Maybe."
"You're adorable when you're jealous," I told him, hungrily licking my lips. "But you've got no reason to be. Except for tonight, I will barely see him alone for a while. This is also something your dad asked me to do. He's going to work out contracts with a few companies, and meet with your dad. We just have to set it up before we go to Georgia."
I remembered it was the first time this morning that Ashton had bothered to figure it all out. We were sitting on his bed inhaling French toast, refueling for our trip when Ashton asked about my new job and now he was asking me again.
"What is it you do exactly?"
"I'm a booking agent for now. I match clients up with locations for their meetings, get-a-ways, press conferences, shit like that. I scout out the places, arrange caterers and stuff."
"And you do this for my dad's company?"
"Yeah, he hired me on the books as soon as I got my diploma. He going to start paying me well."
"And why didn't he pay you for working all those other months?"
"Internship?"
Resigned, Ashton nodded, knowing he couldn't fight the logic behind my statement. "It's going to be shit knowing you're working with dad every day. It's bad enough you talk to him so much."
"Ok, honestly, I'm paying him back," I admitted.
"How come?" he mumbled around a chicken finger.
"I was paying him back for expunging Mickey and my dad's records and for letting me give Mickey a no show job. I've paid off nine thousand with the work I've done so far. I didn't really need money when I was living with dad either, so I just gave him a thousand a week, but he insisted I save some too, so helped me open a bank account. Turns out your dad put all the money I paid him into a savings account account for me anyway," I really hope he didn't mind that I didn't tell him that I used a position to help my uncle or that his bio dad was helping me learn to be financially responsible....but it wasn't like he asked.
"You don't need my permission to help your family. Just be smart about it. You know what they say about family and business," Ashton warned me. "Lovebug, maybe we should talk about how we want to set up the house. I love your mom and my mom but sometimes they get a little overexcited when it comes to decorating together, so it would be better if we knew what we want. Have you thought about it yet? I know that house will be more on the classical side. Dad didn't like modern architecture and wouldn't have gifted us such house."
"Oh, that's good," i sighed in relief. "I'm not a fan of it myself. Too much glass and hard angles. I like classical elegance and country house style. I want to feel comfortable at home and walk around in my sweats without feeling out of place."
"Seriously?"
"No, Ashton. I don't care what the house looks like."
Ashton was looking at me with a strange expression on his face. He seemed to be thinking about something, hard, before he nodded. "Oh, I can understand that, I guess that's not important. Okay, that's good but there will be no pastel colors in our house. That's a hard line for me. Oh, and no flowery wallpapers. I absolutely hate them."
I had to giggle at that because he looked so disgusted. "Don't worry. There won't be any distasteful wallpapers in our house but there has to be a great kitchen and a huge and comfortable couch. Oh and a library is a must."
Now it was Ashton's turn to laugh. "Of course, there has to be a library for you, you already saw it when I got suspended, remember? You'll get your library as long as I get a gym."
"And you're going to workout for me? That's for sure. I love the way you think," I sighed and saw that Ashton was smiling before he promised me a private show. "We still have to christen the home officially later."
"Wait another day to heal up, baby. The color just returned to your face." Ah, that explains why he hasn't been touching me as much the past two days. "Plus we still have to wait for everything to arrive and be done."
"Where will we sleep?"
"Our room at the hotel, then when we come back from Georgia, it'll all be ready for us. I should let you know, the house has undergone a complete transformation so we can do as we please with it."
"But you said it's the same place!"
"Same location."
"Why?"
"So it can be a new house and it's a nice area."
That wasn't fucking normal....but neither was the family I was entering. So I guess it made sense in some crazy nonsense way. "Ok."
"We've got mostly everything packed up in boxes already, so let's let those two work out their problems lifting boxes," Ashton suggested. "I say we drive over to the house now before our mom's decides everything on their own."
I immediately agreed. The drive overall was great. The Aston Martin DB12 nearly seemed to fly over the streets and Ashton wore a huge smile. He really enjoyed driving a luxury sports car. We spoke a little more about what we wanted for the house before Ashton slowed down and pointed to the left.
"We're here, Lovebug. These are the gates to the estate."
Estate?
Surprised, i looked out of the window as the security opened the gates and we drove along the long driveway. You couldn't see much of the premises because it seemed to be surrounded by a wonderful iron fence and old trees and bushes were blocking most of the view. After about 20 yards we saw our new house and, for the first time in a long time, i was left speechless. It was absolutely beautiful. The three story super mansion was built with red bricks and high white windows, giving it an older western movie feel. The garden, from what I could see, was huge and well tended to. There were roses, rhododendrons, hydrangea and many other plants that i couldn't name, but i knew they look amazing in bloom.
Teresa and Amanda were already there, as a car was already parking in front of the house. I didn't wait for Ashton to open my door as usual because I was too excited to explore the house.
"It's great, Ashton. Come on, I want to see the inside of the house," I said grabbing Ashton's hand and dragging him with me. He apparently found my behavior quite funny while he was letting himself be dragged inside, if his chuckling was anything to go by.
"Danny, Bubba, welcome. How are you liking to house so far?" Amanda said as she hugged us both. She and Teresa stood around what seemed to be the only table in the house so far. It was buried under heaps of cloths, catalogs and wallpaper-books. Teresa was carrying a tablet with her and was looking a little hyper.
Maybe she should stay away from caffeine.
"I thinks it looks very good."
Ashton kissed his mother's cheeks before he said, "The house and garden look great but I'm sure it'll be even better once you're done with it. I know you too well. And you seem to be well prepared and with help."
Teresa laughed at that and pointed to the table. "Of course, we are. That should be everything we ought to need. Come on, we'll show you the rest of the house."
The grand tour confirmed what I had already known when we had driven up. The house was perfect and offered more than enough space. The rooms were generous and light. On the first floor was enough space for the gym and the library. The living-room had an amazing view over the extensive gardens. On the second floor were the six bedrooms, each with their own bathrooms. There were only two rooms on the third floor which would most likely be used as junk rooms or something. The only thing that was really needed was some color or wallpaper and furniture and the house would be ready. Oh, and a new kitchen. Teresa and I were the ones who decided to plan the kitchen together as neither Ashton nor Amanda could cook or were really interested in it. That was the reason why they'd decided to go upstairs and look at the Master bedroom and office. Teresa understood perfectly what I wanted as I only requested blackout curtains and it was very easy for us to complete the plans.
"So are you sure about your decision, Danny?" Mom asked. "I'm not protesting you moving in with Ashton, I just need to know a few things first for my own peace of mind as your mother."
"Ok."
"Is it serious?"
"I love him, mom."
"How often can I see you?"
"When I have time."
"Everyday?"
"Mom, you can't expect to see me everyday. I do have a job now at a very important place. You can't wrap me up for yourself."
"Have you had sex?"
"Mom!"
"Two horny seventeen year old boys. Anything could have happened and it looks like something did." She looked a bit distraught. "Just promise me you'll use a rubber."
"We already do," I lied.
"Ok...you're eighteen, and you're healthy, you can look after yourself now. Don't you think you're moving a bit too fast? It feels like I just met you two yesterday and you were both still single."
"I have thought about this long and hard, for longer than you know. I am not going to change my mind now especially when he's the most excited."
"When a couple is living together, they're caught up in the middle - they face common couple issuesas would a dating couple have (such as time, friends, jealousy, commitment), and at the same time, face common problems married couples experience (such as bills, in-laws, children, etc). Living with your partner can affect how you respond to seemingly larger relationship issues than when you weren't living together - sometimes in a negative way. Because you're under one roof, a choice you might make is to just keep grievances to yourself and bring it to the table some other time. However, as these concerns accumulate, it increases the discord and disruption in the relationship, and may bubble to the surface during an argument. These situations can sometimes blow out of control easily because of unvoiced grievances from the past."
"I'll be keep that in mind."
"Your compatibility-"
"Is very high, mom. We have a lot in common."
"I hope you aren't petty with him."
"No need to be. Communication and compromise is key, right?"
"Your non-romantic relationships are just as important as your relationship with your partner. Living under one roof doesn't always equate to separating from everyone else. Maintaining a good lifestyle with your partner is maintaining your connections with your family and friends, too."
"I've been doing that. I've recently helped out Uncle Mickey and dad. You guys can travel out of the country together now," I offered.
"In any relationship, your partner's silliness may seem more cute than annoying. But when you see that silliness everyday of your life? It may actually become annoying."
"I'll live. Are you trying to get me to change my mind?"
"No, these are just important things to think about. I love you, Dan and I just need to know that you're making the right decisions for yourself. This is a big step after all. It can't be taken lightly."
"Why do you think I'm not getting married yet? Because I'm taking this very seriously. I promise you that I want to be with Ashton."
"Despite whatever might be thrown at you?"
"Yes."
"Even though you get annoyed easily."
"I'll find a way to deal with it."
"If he pisses you off, promise me you'll take a bat to that nice car he has," Teresa demanded. "And by that I mean make sure it can't be traced back to you."
"I can definitely do that. Soyoung taught me a few tricks. Three tires so he'll have to pay out of pocket."
"Don't help him too much in the future, especially if what he's doing sounds illegal," she warned. Too late for that to happen. A no show job isn't very above ground in the first place.
"How was it when you first moved in with dad?" I asked.
"it was like two huge forces of nature slamming together," Teresa shook her head and smiled nostalgically. According to her, when she moved in, the bathroom became invaded, the sink was crowded with hair spray, perfumes, even a new type of toothpaste, and the cabinets suddenly full of medicine, feminine products, and extra razor blades. Dad and her had never truly meshed in that respect; he'd put his cologne in one place only to return the next day and find that it had been replaced with a hairbrush or a cream out of spite. It was like a never-ending fight for supremacy that, although it was taking place throughout their entire relationship, centered in the bathroom.
The kitchen was more affected than anything else; she said that dad used to spend his free afternoons at home with her father, and that the only people who had been there was her father, who was severe-looking and stricter than the nuns at the seminary school she attended, but was damn good at his job and willing to teach him. So, dad had learned how to cook, and had brought in new utensils with him. Teresa had nearly lost her mind as she'd watched dad fill cabinets with "cooking devices" she'd never even seen before and pondered whether he had lost his mind.
She'd been a little worried, because he enjoyed his fast food too much to switch to healthy eating every day, but dad made meals that tasted pretty good, and the best thing was, as long as Teresa didn't ask what was in them, he could even pretend they weren't healthy and thus she had no reason to complain. They usually ate on the couch together, watching TV.
But it wasn't just the cooking, either. It was coming home to a full refrigerator, not just full of health things but her own favorites, beer and chips and even Ruben sandwiches that were supposed to be for lunch but she always ate the moment she caught sight of them. Before, she'd go and look to see if there was anything she wanted, and if there wasn't, she'd have to just settle for leftovers or maybe even frosting from cans. "Sometimes the food I was thinking about all day would be good enough as well, but your dad wouldn't hesitate to make me something better. We had our ups and downs, but at the end of the day, it was one of the best times of my life. Not everyone is like your dad though."
"That really sounds like Ashton though. If I want something, he'll do whatever it takes to get it. If I'm unhappy he'll do anything to turn my mood around and make me happy. If I'm anxious, he makes sure that I feel secure, and he's really easy to talk to," I said.
"I'll be more blunt then. You had a hard time and he was there for you. Now that things will be a lot easier for you, will your feelings stay the same now that you're happy and healthy?"
I could understand that concern. "They won't stay the same. As time goes on I just start loving him more and more. I don't think the feeling will go away that easily."
"Fucking gross."
"I know, I've become awfully mushy because of him. It's disgusting."
"Yeah, I feel like I'm going to throw up. You're smitten and it's really cute but I can't stand to watch it. What do you like most about him?"
"He's hot and muscular."
"And he's not taking advantage of you?"
I couldn't help but be a little angry at that question, but I understood her concern. "Ashton's a lot of things, but he's not a user. I'm also really excited that we'll live together. I promise that if anything goes wrong, I'll run back to you and dad right away and cut all contact with him."
"I guess we're done here then. Let's go upstairs and see what those two are up to," Teresa suggested after she'd made a note of the paint.
When we reached the upstairs, Ashton and Amanda were arguing in our future bedroom.
"Red is a great color for your bedroom, Bubba. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about," Amanda argued and showed him something on her tablet but he didn't seem to agree with her.
"No, Mama. No red in my bedroom. I want dark furniture and cream paint. I've shown you how I want it," Ashton said and his tone made it clear that the discussion was a repeated one.
"But this looks better!"
"I disagree."
"What does Danny think?"
"He doesn't care about the paint color! But it's not going to be red."
Teresa went inside and looked at the tablet. "Oh, you're nearly done. I think this red will look good, but so will a cream color. Amanda try to remember that this is their house and not yours. You have to learn not to push it so much."
Amanda pouted but yielded. "Fine. I'm doing it how you want it but I still think my design would look better. I am the expert in these things after all. People line up for me to decorate for them but my son just thinks I'm useless. Are you done downstairs?"
"Yes, we're done and now it's time for another room," i said and together we all went to where Ashton's gym would be, which was, in my opinion, the best room in the house. Like most rooms, the room was rather generous and had huge windows that overlooked the beautiful gardens. The adjoining bathroom was also great. As soon as i'd seen it, I knew it was perfect. Quickly, i told them how I would like this room to look. The walls should be blue and cream colored and lots of mirrors so Ashton could clearly see his workout.
And so I could see all the best angles on him. Oh yeah!
"Are you two free later? I'd like to have a dinner with Ashton's parents at your father's house," Teresa asked.
"I'm not. I have to work some things out with Sam later and tomorrow, we have to set things up completely. I probably won't be free until Ashton and I come back from our trip," I theorized. Teresa and Amanda frowned at me at the same time. I could tell that they were both trying to make me feel guilty by the disappointed looks in their eyes.
"You can't make time for us?" Amanda asked. "Your mothers?"
Shit. "I'll make some time, after I get back from the trip. I'll eat with you guys then, until then i have to work."
"Are you still doing tattoos?" Teresa suddenly asked.
"Sometimes....not as much as before, but that was bound to happen anyway. I can just pick it back up after college and when it's not peak season." I said annoyed that she was really going to take this route. Something tells me that dad told her to say whatever she could to convince me not to move out so soon. The thing is, Dad had tried this same tactic when I had informed him of my plans days ago.
"You really-"
"I really am going to choose the work over a meal. It's my first real job so I have to take it seriously. I have a big business to learn how to run flawlessly and I already have a lot of responsibilities as the Manager and booking agent. Aren't you happy for me?" I threw the guilt right back at them.
Teresa glared at me while Amanda looked taken aback.
"Of course we're happy for you. We'd be happier if you wouldn't cut us off so quickly though," Amanda tried again.
"We can see them before we go," Ashton said bending to Amanda's will as usual. "If Sam is helping, it should be done tonight."
"How do you know?" I tried to hide my distaste of him not catching on. Dammit Ashton!
"He's a lot more connected than I am, so naturally things get done quickly."
"Good, then let's look at the kids rooms next!" Amanda immediately perked up. When she heard this, Teresa dropped her iPad and looked absolutely flabbergasted.
"Kids? What kids? You can't have kids! What kids?" She clutched her shirt and went pink in the face.
"Nothing now, calm down."
"What the fuck do you mean calm down? Why are you thinking about kids?"
"But not now," Ashton insisted to Teresa.
"And you're not going to have biological kids?"
"I can't do it with women."
"Then how-"
"We can get one through a surrogate, but that's years from now, Miss Teresa."
"Do you think you have to have kids because you're in a relationship?" She snapped.
"Well, yeah. Socially, there's a lot of pressure on me to get married and have kids. I hate it, but I also can't just escape from it. The hassle is unavoidable honestly," Ashton explained.
"So...I'm just a hassle?" I asked him.
"It's not what I meant! Ugh, why are you teasing me now?"
"I was just thinking how you're way overthinking it when you could just make up something and be with someone. It's normal to want children when you're in love anyway, i just can't get pregnant." Though I'm sure if Ashton fucked me hard enough, it might become possible one day.
"Yeah, I guess it is," Ashton agreed. "Anyway it's not right now so there no need to freak out about anything. I'm certainly not ready for any brat running around."
"Yeah, we won't make you grandparents just yet," I added for Teresa's sake, just so she knew to expect a baby to pop up one day.
"Mrs. Kim is going to be a grandmother sooner-"
"Amanda, that's not true. Soyoung doesn't want kids yet either," I interjected. "Just don't worry about any of that because it's not happening right now. We have more important things to do."
Teresa sighed but stopped pushing the issue. "You better show up for dinner, or I'll break your legs, Dan."