Hell of a Greeting.

The next morning, Ashton woke up to the soft rays of sunlight filtering through his bedroom curtains. His long hair a falling on his face , he groggily rubbed his eyes before dragging himself out of bed, following the same routine he did every day.

A quick shower. A simple breakfast. A silent nod to his mother before grabbing his backpack and heading out the door.

As he walked to school, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

Aunt Ashley.

She would be arriving today.

His peaceful home—his sanctuary—was about to be invaded by her endless chatter, her overbearing nature, and worst of all, her uncanny ability to make him feel like a child all over again.He exhaled sharply, pushing the thought aside. Just get through the day. Worry about her later.

With that, he stepped through the school gates, blending into the sea of students, hoping to distract himself—if only for a few hours.

And as usual all the attention towards the most handsome guy in the school. As Ashton steps in his school he is not the same Ashton who he is with his mother. He becomes very introverted and a minding-my-own-business type of person. He straight away walks in his class and gets seated on his desk.

Just when he gets seated, a girl from his behind walks to him and sits on his desk, without asking or greeting him. The desk wasn't long enough for two people to be seated but since Ashton always sits leaning on the window, there was plenty of space left on his desk for her to be seated.

Ashton turns his face towards her. The girl had a bright smile on her face. She wasn't a 10-on-10 girl but she was pretty decent looking girl. She had long, lightly-red dyed hair which was let loose with a middle part. She had pretty eyes with long lashes and thin lips. She was wearing a black sweater-like jacket with a white t-shirt inside. She wasn't particularly chubby but still pretty thick with nice curves.

"Heya." The girl said in a very playful tone with a bright smile. Ashton blankly stares at her pretty smile for a few seconds with a faint grim on his face before replying to her. "Hi." Ashton replies with his smile slowly widening.

The girl before him was Freya Rahaale. A well-known presence in their class. Charming, flirtatious, and always surrounded by boys. She had more male friends than she had strands of hair on her head—a walking red flag. Freya thrived on attention, basked in it, and craved it like oxygen. She had a bad reputation among the guys, but since she looked good her looks carried her.

"If you are done with completing the practical work, could you please…. give me your notebook?" Freya asks sweet-honeying her words trying to seduce him, her tone almost sickly sweet.

Ashton smiles and replies maintaining an eye contact, "I am done with it but, Darwin asked for it first so I have to give it to him. I can make a pdf document for you if you want."

Freya pouted dramatically, tilting her head just so, attempting to appear innocent. "Umm… could you not send the document to Darwin and just give me the notebook instead? Please?" She clasped her hands together, batting her lashes in an exaggerated display of cuteness.

Ashton's thoughts were ruthless. 'What a manipulative little— please don't make it hard for me Freya…'

"Yeah, fine. You can take it," he muttered, his voice low and reluctant, making it painfully obvious that he had no desire to hand it over.

"Oh. My. Gawd. Ash, you're such a sweetheart!" Freya squealed, leaning in far too close, her fingers wrapping around his arm in a deliberate touch. Her scent—overly floral and suffocating—lingered in the air as she pressed in, clearly trying to fluster him.

But Ashton instinctively leaned back, his body recoiling as a strained, uncomfortable smile stretched across his face.

While all this was happening, the other girls in the class—most of whom harboured not-so-secret crushes on Ashton—glared at Freya, resentment practically radiating off them.

Unfazed by the tension, Freya continued, "Ash.. do you know about this new manhwa I am reading, it's a romantic one let me tell you the plot..." Freya starts to babble some manhwa's plot in which Ashton isn't interested at all and now Ashton is pretty uncomfortable, he was uncomfortable since she sat with him, but now that she's doing too much he can't handle it anymore. He's thinking about how he can get her leave him.

"Oi Ashton, you coming to company me ?" a similar voice was heard from the other side of the class.

It was Darwin.

"And you know then what happens the main chara-"

"Uhh, Freya," Ashton cut in, seizing the opportunity. "Darwin's calling me. We can talk about the plot some other time."

Freya huffed but smiled. "Oh, okay. I'll wait." She shifted in the seat, giving him space to move.

As Ashton stood up, she suddenly called after him. "Wait! What about the notebook?" He barely glanced back. "I'll give it to you after lectures." And with that, he walked away, finally freed.

Darwin smirked as they stepped out into the hallway, heading toward the washroom.

"You owe me for that one, bro," Ashton sighed. "You're a lifesaver. Should've come earlier, though."

Darwin let out a hearty laugh, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Oh, I saw everything. I was just testing you."He then shot Ashton a teasing grin. "By the way, you two looked kinda cute together."

Ashton rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

"No way you said that after you know that secret of mine." Ashton compiles in frustration.

"Just kidding bruv."

After the lectures, Ashton handed his notebook to Freya, and before she could launch into her usual babbling, he swiftly excused himself. Claiming he would miss his bus if he lingered any longer, he made a quick but calculated escape, ensuring it didn't seem too obvious that he had no interest in entertaining her any further.

Just as he stepped out of the school gates after bidding Darwin goodbye, a voice called out to him from behind.

"Hello, Ashton..."

The voice was distinctly feminine, unfamiliar yet commanding enough to make him turn around. His gaze landed on a girl he had never seen before.

She stood taller than most girls, her slender frame accentuated by her height. Waist-length, dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, with bangs framing her face along with a black rectangle spectacles emphasizing her thin, arched eyebrows and captivating eyes. There was an effortless elegance in her plain white shirt, untucked, with the top button undone and her sleeves casually folded.

Ashton offered a polite smile. "Hi, do I know you?"

For a moment, she merely stared, her eyes locked onto his. It was as though she was studying him, mesmerized by his sharp features. Ashton felt a flicker of unease as the silence stretched, but he didn't break eye contact. He had always been confident, but her unwavering gaze made the moment oddly intense.

"Uh... hello?" He finally snapped her out of it.

The girl blinked rapidly, her focus shifting from his eyes to his lips before she lowered her gaze altogether. She seemed momentarily lost in thought.

"Uh… you don't know me, but I know you very well," she admitted, her voice slow and deliberate, as if she were carefully choosing her words.

She lifted her face again, her eyes flickering to his lips before she hesitated, rolling her own softly.

"Oh really? You seem like a senior. How do you know me?" Ashton asked, intrigued yet maintaining his composed demeanour.

"Yeah, I'm Jenny. I am a final-year student. My cousin is your classmate. I was in your class this morning before lectures started… so that's how I know you," she explained, her words trailing off, her voice growing quieter as she spoke.

Ashton smirked. "Oh, I don't think I know your cousin, but anyways. I am Sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry. I might miss my bus. Let's catch up tomorrow, okay?"

"Uh, okay… I'll come to your class tomorrow. Bye."

"I am sorry, jenny. I promise I will meet you tomorrow." Flashing a bright smile, Ashton walked off briskly, leaving her standing there. He was kind-hearted to a fault, always engaging in conversations even when he had no interest in them.

'What a sweet girl she is' Ashton thinks as he walks towards the bus stop.

After catching his bus home, he arrived to find the front door unlocked. His instincts kicked in, and he hurried inside, only to find his mother kneeling by the shoe rack, meticulously wiping it down.

"You're home early, Mom," he noted.

"Yeah, honey. Your aunt is coming today. I had to cook and clean, so I took a half-day from work," she replied, her hands working deftly with the damp cloth.

Realization dawned upon Ashton, and a sense of impending doom settled over him. His peace was on the verge of annihilation. With a sigh, he retreated to his room, changed his clothes, and left for the gym to clear his mind.

Upon returning, he downed his protein shake, spent some time on his computer, and then booted up an FPS game with Darwin. The match was intense. There was only four enemies left to win and Ashton had managed to get three of them. Only one teammate remained alive—Ashton. Victory was within reach. He steadied himself, preparing for a final push, when suddenly—

Something soft enveloped his face. His headphones tumbled to the floor as warm arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him into an unfamiliar yet oddly plush embrace.

"Awwww, my Ash has grown up so much! And you've let your hair grow out! Oh my God, my baby looks so cute!"

Ashton was frozen. Half of his vision was being covered by the soft plush. His screen displayed his defeat, but that was the least of his concerns. He sat there, unmoving, like a puppet being played with. After a few seconds, the person pulled back, and Ashton turned to look at them.

It was his aunt.

The last memory Ashton had of Aunt Ashley was a stark contrast to the woman standing before him. The Ashley he remembered was awkward and nerdy, with braces on her buck teeth, perpetually unkempt hair, and limbs covered in unshaved fuzz. She had always smelled faintly of something unpleasant and had the habit of forcing him into ridiculous, girly outfits.

But the woman before him now? She looked like she had stepped straight out of a Hollywood movie.

She was tall—above-average in height—with luminous, porcelain skin and a strikingly sculpted figure. Her long, dark hair was styled into a bun, with stray strands artfully framing her face. Her eyes were large and expressive, accentuated by thick, fluttering lashes and elegantly arched eyebrows. Her lips, naturally pink and full, curled into a dazzling smile, revealing perfect white teeth. A smile that looked like an angel smiling.

And then there was her figure—a sheer hourglass silhouette. Her waist was impossibly small, making her proportions look almost surreal. The plain white t-shirt she wore clung snugly to her form, and the tight jeans she sported only emphasized her curves.

Ashton found himself staring. For the first time in his life, he felt an odd sensation wash over him after looking at a woman. His gaze slowly shifted downward from her face—and stopped.

Right at her chest. It was huge. Huge rounded boobs which streched the t-shirt.

It took him a moment to realize he had been staring for far too long.

His breath hitched as he realised his face were buried in her boobs just a few seconds ago.

"What the hell?"