*ASHLEY'S POV*
I lean my head against the plane window. It sucks to live so far away sometimes. Then again, an ocean isn't the only thing stopping a relationship in this situation. It's even worse that I don't know if he knows or not. I mean, I confessed to liking him on Tumblr, but… I'm not sure how often he checks that, or if anyone tagged it, or if he was looking to find things about me… so many things I don't know, and all of them are things I really need to. It feels like everything is speeding up and we're gonna either crash and burn at ArcadiaCon or everything will go amazing and we'll be together and it will be wonderful.
I mean, we are a hashtag after all. That makes it official, right?
Wrong. So, so wrong. Hopelessly wrong. Everything I tried to get him to notice me has failed. Always being there for his streams, even when I had school the next day. Trying to be there if he just wanted to talk. Wearing makeup in every call with him. Always laughing at his jokes, even if they weren't funny. Especially if they weren't funny.
And what did I get for it? A prank. Oh sure, I was laughing on the outside, but I was dying on the inside. It was his idea. Hey Ashley, let's be in a relationship! Except it's not actually a relationship, it's a joke! Haha, isn't that hilarious? Are you okay? Your laugh wasn't as giggly as usual. Was that a bad idea? Yeah, probably. I'm sorry. I just thought it would be funny.
No, Mitch. You're fine. I'm just tired. That's a great idea. Let's do it! Let's mess with our fangirls' feelings! Hell, let's mess with MY feelings! Yeah!
No. But I did it, and we shared a good laugh. I did enjoy it a little, once I got past the whole insides-wasting-away thing.
I've been in the air for… four hours now? Five? I don't know. What I do know, though, is that it's already been a long time and I have even longer till I get to Galveston for the convention. I don't know if that's good or bad. I'll have a lot of time to prepare myself, but I'll also have a lot of time to freak out.
I try to settle more comfortably onto the window. Might as well sleep while I can.
-oO0Oo-
*MITCH'S POV*
I lean my head against the car window. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Now that Ashley's gonna be here in ten minutes or so, I can't stop thinking about the April Fools prank we did. I don't know why I suggested it. She clearly didn't think it was funny, her laugh wasn't real. I didn't really know how else to tell her that I liked her without actually saying it. I almost didn't want to say it was fake. I would rather it wasn't fake, actually, but I don't think she likes me like that. At least we got a kick out of it.
"You okay, biggums?" Jerome asks. We're driving to the airport now to pick her up 'cause her flight lands in a few minutes. When we left, Jerome told everyone to write it down that we were actually gonna pick someone up on time for once. We're making history for her.
"Yeah, fine," I say, picking my head up off the window and smiling. My stomach is churning. I'm getting more and more nervous. We pull into a parking space and head in to the baggage claims.
At this point, her flight landed… check my watch… fifteen minutes ago. Luckily, she already got her luggage. She walks toward us with a huge smile on her face.
"Hey guys!" she says. Her purple hair is distractingly shiny. She hugs Jerome first, then me. I can't help but notice that she hugs me for just a little bit longer.
Maybe I have a chance…
We start walking back to the rental car. I almost reach for her hand, but I don't.
And then she does. She grabs my hand and squeezes. I look at her and smile, a bigger smile than I've done in a long time. We swing our hands all the way out to the car. As we're getting in (Ashley called shotgun), Jerome gives me a weird look. I shrug and plop into the car, unable to keep another smile off my face. We drive back to the hotel, taking time to catch up.
Maybe I have a chance.
-oO0Oo-
*ASHLEY'S POV*
I don't know why I did it. I think it worked, though, by the huge smile that he shot my way when he squeezed back. It almost felt like we were a real couple for a minute there on the way to the car. I had to restrain myself from skipping.
Maybe I have a chance.
We get back to the hotel after about a half hour drive. It's nice to get back with the boys and just catch. Then again, it's also the start of being "surrogate mom" for a few days. I don't mind, really. It's fun to boss them around sometimes.
I grab my stuff from the trunk and head for the elevator. He grabs my hand this time and my heart does a little flip in my chest. They leave me alone to check in, heading off to someone else's room where everyone is supposedly hanging out. By the time I've hauled all of my stuff up to my room, showered, and put on fresh clothes, an hour has passed. I grab a key and leave the room, heading down the hall to the elevator. When the doors slide open, Mitch is inside.
"Hey," I say, surprised.
"Hi," he replies. "I was just coming to get you. We're gonna go out for pizza and I was wondering if you wanted any." The doors slid shut already, but neither of us has pressed a button.
"Yeah. Of course," I say, smiling.
"Great," he says. He still doesn't push a button. I don't say anything, though; I take advantage of the time to study his face, the one I'll miss most when I go back to England.
"What?" he says. My cheeks flush red as I realize he caught me staring.
"Nothing," I say. "I just want to remember exactly what you look like when I go back." I reach out and stroke his face gently (oh my God, that sounds way creepier than it actually was) without any conscious thought. He grabs my hand to keep it there, leaning his cheek into my palm. His thumb draws circles along my fingers as we stare into each other's eyes.
Not in a creepy way, though. More like an I-don't-want-this-moment-to-end-EVER kind of way.
He lets go of my hand and I withdraw it, bringing my arm back to my side. He presses the button for the ground floor, and we start moving.
Maybe I have a chance.
-oO0Oo-
*MITCH'S POV*
I don't know why I hit the button. Or why I let go of her hand. I could have stayed there forever with her hand on my face. It felt nice; like home. We only have a couple seconds.
I'm about to do something I'll either regret forever or never regret less.
Maybe I have a chance.
And I'm about to find out.
I grab the back of her neck and pull her into a kiss. She's surprised at first, but soon enough responds. I start feeling tingly all over. The elevator door dings open, but I don't stop. I only break away when I hear a phone drop to the floor.
All of the guys are staring at us, openmouthed. It was Jerome's phone that fell to the floor, apparently.
"Oh, shit," Ashley and I say simultaneously. The elevator door slides shut again. We look at each other, and I press the button for her floor.
-oO0Oo-
*ASHLEY'S POV*
"How about room service?" Mitch asks, smiling his adorably dorky smile.
"Sounds like a plan," I reply. I sling my arms over his shoulders and pull him in. We kiss all the way to my floor, then to my room, then to my bed.
Let's just say the room service didn't get ordered right away.
A/N: Hey guys! QD here with a Mashley one-shot for y'all! I wrote this in accordance to the results of the poll I currently have up on my profile. I am a Mashley shipper, but obviously I like Merome as well *cough cough CHECK OUT MY MEROME STORY SHAMELESS PLUG cough*. I hope you guys enjoy it! Ashley, if you're reading this, hi! You're awesome and I hope you like this story :)
-Quiet Defiance