Late Night visit.

Ashton lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, trying his best to push away the lingering thoughts invading his mind. 'What the hell just happened back there?' His heartbeat was still slightly erratic, and no matter how much he tried to shake it off, Ashley's face kept flashing before his eyes—her sharp yet delicate features, those deep eyes staring into his, and that soft, almost teasing voice whispering so close to him.

'She's my aunt… this is ridiculous.' He groaned, shutting his eyes tightly, but the moment he did, his mind only betrayed him further, replaying the scene at the dinner table. The way she leaned in, her breath brushing against his face, her voice dripping with something almost… hypnotic.

Ashton abruptly sat up, rubbing his face as if that would somehow erase the memory. He needed a distraction. He grabbed his phone, checking for any messages. As expected, Darwin had spammed him.

Darwin: Brooooo, what was that earlier?!

Darwin: You disappeared so fast, LMAO

Darwin: who is she? Your cousin?

Darwin: DUDE

Darwin: Send 'help' if you're being held hostage

Ashton rolled his eyes and tossed his phone aside. 'Idiot…' But, of course, Darwin wasn't entirely wrong. Ashton was messed up in the head right now—but not in a way that needed saving.

Sighing, he leaned back, shutting his eyes again, forcing himself to think of something else. Gym. Work. College. Literally anything but her.

Just then, a soft knock on his door.

He tensed. Don't be her. Don't be her. Don't be her.

"Ashton?"

It was her.

Ashton cleared his throat, sitting up straight. "Uh, yeah?"

The door creaked open, and Ashley peeked inside, her long dark hair now untied, flowing over her shoulders. She had changed into a comfortable oversized T-shirt, which barely hid the curves that had already burned into his memory.

'Shit. Of course, she had to look even better now.'

"I was just checking if you were asleep." Her voice was softer now, not as teasing as before, but still carrying that natural charm.

"No… not yet." Ashton shifted awkwardly, unsure how to act.

Ashley leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms. "Your mom's asleep. We should talk more—after all, I haven't seen you in years."

"Uh…" Ashton hesitated. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to her. It was just… he didn't trust his own damn brain right now.

Ashley smiled. "Relax, I'm not gonna bite, kiddo."

Ashton sighed and patted the chair at his desk. "Fine, take a seat."

She didn't. Instead, she casually walked inside and sat right on his bed.

His entire body stiffened.

Ashley smirked, catching his reaction. "What? You scared of me?"

"No. Just… I usually don't have guests in my room." He looked away, trying to focus on anything but the fact that she was sitting so close, their knees almost touching.

She chuckled. "Still as shy as ever."

"I'm not shy," he muttered.

Ashley leaned in slightly. "Oh, really? Then why can't you look at me?"

Ashton exhaled sharply and finally turned his head toward her, meeting her gaze straight on. "Happy now?"

Her smile widened. "Very."

There was something in her expression, something unreadable yet deeply curious—like she was analysing him, trying to piece together the boy she once knew and the man sitting in front of her now.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The room fell into an odd silence, filled only by the faint sound of the ceiling fan above them.

Then, Ashley tilted her head. "You've grown up, Ash. I don't just mean physically. You've become… different."

Ashton swallowed. "Well, that's what happens when you grow up."

"I know," she murmured, her fingers absentmindedly toying with the hem of her shirt. "It's just… surprising."

Ashton wasn't sure what to say to that. So, he simply nodded. "Yeah."

"No way you've gotten taller than me."

"Hmmm."

"Remember what I asked you for at the dining table?"

"Wh-what?" Ashton tried to play dumb, even though he absolutely knew she wanted to see him shirtless.

Ashley smirked, tilting her head slightly. "Oh, don't play innocent, Ash. You know exactly what I meant."

He felt a lump in his throat, his body tensing up as she leaned just a little closer. Her perfume lingered between them—sweet, intoxicating, almost suffocating.

Ashley sighed dramatically, crossing her arms under her chest, which only made it worse for Ashton. "Come on, Ash, I won't eat you. What's with the distance? I was just teasing."

She studied him for a moment, as if enjoying the way he squirmed, then let out a soft chuckle. "Alright, I won't keep you up. I just wanted to talk a little. Guess I'll let you sleep now."

With that, she turned, her loose shirt slipping slightly off her shoulder as she walked away, leaving Ashton frozen in place, his heart hammering against his chest.

She stood up, stretching her arms slightly. Ashton, despite himself, found his eyes trailing her movements before quickly snapping them away.

Ashley caught that. But she didn't say anything. She only smirked.

"Some day I will see all those muscles you're hiding...Goodnight, Ash."

Ashton froze for a few seconds and exhaled. "Goodnight, Aunt Ashley."

She lingered at the door for a moment before walking out, shutting it behind her.

Ashton collapsed onto his bed, running a hand down his face.

'I'm so screwed.'

He stared up at the ceiling, willing himself to think about anything else—but his mind betrayed him. No matter how hard he tried, the image of Ashley's body, her teasing voice, her intoxicating presence, and those huge curves refused to leave his head.

With a frustrated sigh, he shut his eyes tight. 'No. She's my aunt. She used to babysit me. She's just messing with me. She doesn't mean anything by it.'

Yet, even as he convinced himself of that, the memory of how close she had leaned in, the way her breath had fanned over his skin, sent a shiver down his spine. He groaned and pulled the blanket over his head, hoping sleep would take over.

The Next Morning

Ashton woke up earlier than usual—much earlier. He had no intention of running into Ashley again, not after last night. He grabbed his bag, slipped out of the house before anyone else was awake, and caught the earliest bus to school.

The sky was still dark, the city barely stirring as the first light of dawn crept over the horizon. He sighed in relief as he boarded the bus—it was almost empty. A rare sight. Usually, the bus was packed to the point where he never even got a seat, but today, he found one near the window and settled in.

Resting his head against the glass, he stared outside, but his thoughts refused to stay in check.

Ashley. Her lips. Her voice.

'So when will you show me your muscles, kiddo?'

Ashton shook his head violently. 'No. Stop. She's my aunt.'

To distract himself, he tried thinking about something—anything—else. That's when he remembered the girl from yesterday.

'Wait… what was her name again? Jenny? Yeah, Jenny. She was pretty…'

His brows furrowed.

'But still not better than my au—'

His whole body tensed. His eyes widened in horror.

'Oh, fuck. No. What the fuck am I even thinking?!'

He clenched his jaw, pressing his fist against his forehead as if punishing himself for his thoughts.

By the time he arrived at school, the sun had started to rise, casting a soft golden hue over the quiet campus. There were barely any students around, only a few early risers scattered about. Instead of heading straight to class, he wandered toward the ground area and found a seat in the corner, hoping the cool morning air would help clear his head.

That's when he noticed her.

Freya.

She was practicing with the school's volleyball team. Tall, athletic, and undeniably gorgeous, she stood out even among the other players. She wore a tight yellow jersey, her hair pulled up into a high bun with a few loose red strands falling messily around her face. Sweat dripped down the side of her temple, glistening under the morning sun.

Her jersey clung to her toned figure, highlighting every curve, while her loose football shorts, round at the hem rather than straight, accentuated her thick thighs and perfectly sculpted glutes. Ashton found himself watching her for longer than he meant to.

She was undeniably attractive.

'If only she wasn't such an attention seeker with such a shit personality… I definitely would've dated her. What a waste.' he thought.

As he sat there, lost in thought, the sun continued to rise, brightening the sky. Eventually, the volleyball team noticed him sitting in the distance.

As expected, their energy shifted. They started pushing themselves harder, showing off, likely hoping to impress him. Ashton smirked slightly.

Freya, having spotted him, flashed a bright smile and waved in his direction.

He hesitated for a second before offering a small smile back.

She looked exhausted—they had probably been practicing since 4 AM—but that never stopped her from putting on a show.

Ashton leaned back against the seat, watching for a moment longer before exhaling deeply.

"Oh damn, watching your beloved girl play?" a familiar voice teased from behind.

Ashton turned his head, his body shifting as he looked over his shoulder. It was his friend, Darwin.

He shot him a deadpan look. "You came early today?"

"Yeah, the girl I told you about practices here every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I come to see her practice, I got late today " He walks and sits next to Ashton.

"Oh! That's nice. Are you planning to ask her out?"

Darwin grinned slyly, like a goblin who had just stumbled upon a pile of gold. "We already fixed a date."

"Ayo! What?! Congratulations, my hoeless friend finally got his first girlfriend! Let's gooo!" Ashton exclaimed, excitement lighting up his face.

Darwin smirked, raising his hand for a dap, and Ashton eagerly met it with his own.

"So, which one is your girl?" Ashton asked, scanning the court.

"The one standing next to your girl, in the pink jersey," Darwin replied, his voice dripping with playful mischief.

Ashton hummed, giving an approving nod. "Hmm, she's nice, good cho—" But mid-sentence, he suddenly stopped, his eyes narrowing as he turned toward Darwin.

"What you lookin' at, boy?" Darwin asked, feigning innocence despite the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"You seriously need to stop shipping me with her," Ashton groaned, rolling his eyes. "Out of all the girls in this damn school, why do you always pick her?"

Darwin burst into laughter, his chuckles almost villainous.

"Don't ya like her, Ash?" he teased.

"NO! I DON'T," Ashton shot back instantly.

"Liar. You literally said yourself that you liked her."

Ashton sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Alright, fine. I did like her. But now that I know she just seeks attention from every guy she meets, I hate to admit it."

Darwin patted his shoulder, his expression softening just a little. "It's fine, bro. You deserve someone better."

Ashton nodded, but his eyes betrayed him, flickering back toward the volleyball court for just a second before he quickly looked away. "…Isn't she pretty, though?"

Darwin smirked. "She surely is, but she's not worth it. Practice is over—she might come over any minute to eat your ears off. Let's go to class."

With that, Darwin stood up just as his girl noticed him and waved. He shot her a grin and waved back.

They both started walking away when Ashton suddenly stopped, glancing over his shoulder one last time—just to catch a final glimpse of her beautiful face.

Darwin sighed, placing a firm hand on Ashton's shoulder before shaking his head. "Don't even think about it."

"I definitely would've dated her if sh—"

"Doesn't matter, I know you will reject her If she asks you." Darwin cut him off.

Darwin scoffed before turning to his friend. "Well, you called me hoeless. How many girls have you dated?"

Ashton grinned, throwing his arm around Darwin's shoulder. "At least I'm happy in life."

"Oh, shut up. I saw your happiness a minute ago."

With that, they both laughed, walking out of the ground together.