My note…WOW, the response to this story was overwhelming, to say the least. Thank you all so much!! The story itself , will progress a bit slowly, but there is a lot to tell and I really love writing Jimmy and Ashley's scenes together, so I add a lot of fluff. I misspoke last chapter, when I said the major plot hasn't been revealed, I really meant to say major plot twist, the main plot IS, of course, Jim and Ash's relationship.
IMPROPRIETY
CHAPTER 2: STARTING NEW
Ashley slowly rolled over, reaching her left arm out for Jimmy….only to find his side of the bed empty. She sat up and looked at the alarm clock, it was barely seven am. Surprised and still a bit sleepy, Ashley stretched her arms over her head as she stood up, and headed for the bathroom.
"Are you decent?", she called jokingly, softly knocking on the slightly opened bathroom door.
"Partly", Jimmy answered with a laugh.
Ashley opened the door fully and walked inside, Jimmy was just hanging his bath towel on a hook. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at Ashley. She smiled a back, eyeing the freshly showered and half dressed Jimmy.
"Yeah, you might wanna put those on", Ashley chuckled, nodding to the disheveled pair of jeans, laying on Jimmy's lap.
"Already tried…wasn't going so good", Jimmy grinned up at her. "It's much easier on the bed, but I didn't want to wake you".
"Well then, you should've just stayed in bed with me", she replied enticingly, moving the jeans over and taking a seat on his lap.
Jimmy sighed and pulled her closer, "I wish I could, Ash…but I have a schedule to follow…".
"Yeah, a schedule you had when you needed to get to school by eight am", Ashley argued playfully. "Jimmy, your first class doesn't start 'til nine thirty".
"And nine tomorrow and ten the next day….", Jimmy stated. "Do you know what it would take to rearrange my schedule just a little?", he asked frustratingly.
"But you don't have to worry about doing everything on your own anymore, I can help", she answered sweetly. "That's what I'm here for".
"Really?', Jimmy asked incredulously, nudging her off of his lap. "Because I thought it was to go to law school, not be my personal nursemaid".
Ashley stood beside him in shock. "Excuse me?", she gasped.
Jimmy turned slightly to face her. "I've had the same routine for almost three years now, I think I can handle it on my own", he stated angrily, grabbing his jeans from her hand.
"Jimmy", she called pleadingly as he quickly wheeled into the bedroom. Ashley stood there for a few seconds, thinking about what to say next. She didn't want to argue with Jimmy, but she had to defend her intentions.
Ashley marched right into the bedroom to find Jimmy, propped up at an awkward angle, struggling to get his jeans on. "Here, let me…", she offered quietly, walking toward him.
"I said I got it", he spat bitterly, finally forcing his left leg through the pant leg.
" Okay", Ashley whispered as she turned and retreated back into the bathroom.
Jimmy threw his head back, onto the pillow and let out a heavy sigh, too tired to wrestle his other leg into his jeans.
Ashley stepped into the hot shower and let the water fall on her tight shoulders. It was their first morning together, alone, in their new town house and it started off with a fight. Ashley sunk down onto Jimmy's shower bench and held her head in her hands, finally letting a few built up tears escape.
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Ashley took her time getting ready, trying to build up the courage to face Jimmy again. She cautiously walked into the living room, to find most of the discarded clothing from last night, had been picked up.
She knelt down to pick up a lone sock, then reached over to get Jimmy's shoes, remembering she'd kicked them underneath the coffee table. She tossed the sock into the basket in the laundry closet then walked into the kitchen.
Jimmy was sitting quietly at the table, preparing his breakfast. Ashley placed his shoes on the floor, next to his chair, determined not to make the mistake of offering to help him with them.
Jimmy's eyes caught hers as she started to rise. "Peace offering?", he stated questionably, pushing a mug of coffee, prepared just as Ashley liked, one scoop of sugar and just enough of her favorite flavored creamer to give it that soft caramel color.
Ashley silently sat across from Jimmy and took a sip of her coffee. Jimmy finished smothering the other half of his bagel with cream cheese and placed it in front of Ashley. She gave him a small smile and took a bite of her bagel.
"Listen Ash, I'm sorry about the way I acted. It really wasn't directed toward you", he apologized sincerely, placing his hand on top of hers. "I guess I just have some first day jitters I need to work out".
Ashley smiled at him and entwined her fingers with his. "I understand Jimmy, I'm nervous about today, too", she replied sincerely. "It's so scary...ya know, different school, different friends, different teachers...".
"...different country", Jimmy chuckled, giving her an alternative ending to her sentence. Ashley giggled at his joke and nodded. Jimmy lowered his head and turned serious. "But that's still no excuse for how I treated you earlier, I'm sorry".
Ashley walked over and stood behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I know I sometimes try a little too hard to help you, and I shouldn't do that", she stated, hugging him gently. "So, I'll promise to stop forcing myself on you...". Jimmy's lips broke out into a huge grin, and Ashley immediately caught her mistake.
"...I mean, stop forcing my help on you...", she corrected, smacking him playfully on the shoulder and rolling her eyes. "...but only if you promise to accept that help, every once in a while. Okay?", Ashley offered sincerely. Jimmy nodded in agreement, the slightest hint of a smirk, still evident on his face.
Ashley stood up and gently pulled Jimmy away from the table so she could sit on his lap. "I need you, just as much as you need me, Jimmy...if not more", she stated, kissing the side of his head. "We don't have our parents and friends here, to fall back on", she added, her throat clenching a little.
Jimmy could tell that Ashley was the teeniest bit homesick. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tight. "We've got each other, Ash...", Jimmy replied, with a kiss to her lips. "...that's all we need".
Ashley cocked her head to the side and raised her brow at him questionably. "Okay, so yeah... we do still need them too", he conceded. "But not in the ways we think we do...we can do this, Ash", Jimmy added, trying to build up his own laging confidence, as well as hers.
Ashley nodded and placed a few tender kisses on his cheek. "What do you say, we get going?", Jimmy asked, returning the kisses.
Ashley looked over her shoulder at the clock on the stove. "Jimmy, it's only a quarter to nine", she chuckled as she stood up.
Jimmy shrugged. "I know, but since it's our first day, I thought we'd walk to campus...it's only about four or five blocks...", he offered with a smile.
"I'd love that", Ashley replied excitedly, grabbing her messenger bag and purse and following Jimmy out. Once outside, Jimmy stowed his backpack under his seat, he took Ashley's bag from her shoulder and hung it over the back of his chair.
Ashley smiled happily at Jimmy and took hold of his upper arm, so they could 'hold hands' as they strolled together, down the block toward campus...for their first day of university.
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Okay, maybe the ending left something to be desired, but I liked the mental image it gave me, so I left it there. I had some extra time today, so I hurried to get this chapter up. Next chap. should be up sometime this weekend(hopefully).
I would soooo like to go in-depth and personally thank each reviewer, but then this chapter would be like 1000 extra words, so I'll make it breif. Samitiny...I'm so glad you love it, hope I don't disappoint. Luvluv...yes we're done with the high school angst, but get ready for the college angst,.there will definitely be some. Raina-Bess...thanks for the great review, and I look forward to keeping you entertained. Sunshyne08...thanks for the praise. We will definitely see more struggles with independence...and their parents. Lilfiftyfour...yes, this will be a longer fic. I'm not sure of how long exactly, but I have at least ten chapters planned. Jashley-fan...I hope this story steals you're heart, JimAsh has certainly stole mine. Thanks all, please continue to let me know what you think!!!
As always, Degrassi does not belong to me.