Emilia's POV

After doing some stretches to try and alleviate some of the soreness between my legs it still hurts a little to walk, but I endure the pain as we walk through the front door to Ashton's house and act as natural as I can.

I will admit after the second time we went at it yesterday, it started to become fun like Julia had said, but I'm only saying this because I found it fun for a different reason. Every time our skin would slap against each other, creating loud echoes in my bedroom, I couldn't stop myself from laughing and completely ruining the moment, but Ashton didn't mind at all. He just told me that I was weird and laughed with me. It's not my fault it's a funny sound and with it being so loud, how could I not laugh?

When Ashton and I sit on the couch across from Michael who seems to be the only one who has decided to come out of their room, he is the first to speak up.

"Someone smells like sex," he says, projecting his voice for the entire house to hear.

"How? I took a shower and used double the body wash than I normally use." I let the words slip out before thinking and I cover my mouth with my hand and mentally crawl into a hole to escape from the teasing that I know I'm going to receive.

"Emmie, I was just joking, but thank you for admitting it." Michael laughs and I pelt him with all the pillows on the couch to get him to shut up.

"What's all this about someone smelling like sex?" Luke asks as he descends the stairs and makes his way to stand behind the back rest of the loveseat.   

I bury my head in the single pillow that I decided against throwing at Michael and Ashton chuckles and begins rubbing my back even though it doesn't really help me escape this embarrassment.

"Oh, I get it," Luke says teasingly, and when I peek up to look at him, he gives me a wink before chuckling to himself.

"Ash," I whine. "Make them stop."

"Well it's not really a lie, Emmie. You're the one who blurted it out," Ashton jokes along with them and I smack the pillow in my hands against his face.

"You're not helping," I say.

To save me from anymore embarrassment, they all drop the topic and leave me to wallow in self-pity for actually revealing that Ash and I had sex. So much for acting naturally.  

With Julia and Calum still sleeping after being out late last night on a date, it stays pretty quiet in the house as we sit around and listen to Luke as he grabs one of the acoustic guitars that rests on a stand with a three others and strums random chords. I rarely see any of them use the guitars, but when they do, it's always nice to just sit and listen.

Luke asks me if I'd like to go shopping today since there is less than week before Christmas and we should really get it over with before I experience another Thanksgiving shopping fiasco. I humbly agree and go to give Ashton a peck on the lips before leaving, but just as I pull away, he cups the back of my neck with his hand and brings me back to him and kisses me hard.

When he pulls away, he whispers, "Call me if anything happens," against my lips.    

It isn't hard to figure out what he means by "anything." He's still not okay with me going out shopping with Luke and as much as I'd like to scold him for being jealous and protective for no reason, I can't.

I can't force him to change his irrational mindset because after witnessing something as heart wrenching as his fiancée cheating on him with his friend, how can he trust other guys around me at all? I know he trusts me, but for him to not even trust his best friends means that Natalie's betrayal took a larger toll on him than I imagined. 

"I will," I say and the paranoia in his eyes dulls from my assurance and I only wish that I could help him get over this.

Luke and I head out and from the way he constantly glances at me, I know he's curious as to what just happened before we left the house.

"So are you going to tell me what that was all about?" he asks just as he turns onto the express way. "If you and Ash didn't stop when you did, I'm pretty sure you would have just made out right then and there," he jokes, but I know that if he and Michael weren't there, we probably would have.

"It's nothing," I say, not really wanting to tell him seeing that the reason for all of that revolves around him.

"Five months that I've known you and you're still a terrible liar."

Becoming an open book has seriously become a hassle. What good is it if I can't hide things from everyone? "You know me well," I say.

"I'd like to think after this long I know you more than well. I see you almost every day and I saw you even more during the semester. I practically know the ins-and-outs of you."

"Oh yeah?" I taunt. "Prove it."

"Let's see...you don't like crunchy peanut butter because you hate the extra crunch when you eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You prefer strawberry over grape jelly because even though you love grapes, the idea of eating mashed up ones freaks you out." He checks his blind spot and switches lanes before continuing. "You wear mismatched socks all the time because you hate having to sort them out and pair them up. I'm pretty sure you don't even own a pair of black or white socks too; they're always a silly pattern. One of your life goals is to go to Texas and try to finish the forty-two inch pizza by yourself, and you absolutely hate the screeching sound that plastic makes and you cringe every time you hear it. I could say more, but I think I've proven my point."

Well damn. I thought Ashton was the only one who knew all that about me, but Luke has just proven me wrong and I'm astonished by how much he actually knows.

"How did you know all of that?" I ask and keep my eyes locked on his profile.

"A little bit of observation and a whole lot of listening," he answers.

I know that he has always been a great listener, but I didn't think that he was this good. Most of what he said about me only came out once in conversation and then never talked about again. He just might have as good a memory as Ashton does and I find that pretty impressive.

"So are you going to tell me or not?" he asks again. "You don't have to. I already have a general idea of what it is anyway so it's okay if you don't tell me."

"What do you think it is?" I ask.

"Ashton doesn't want you hanging out with me," he says nonchalantly, as if it doesn't bother him at all. "Am I right?" His blue eyes stay on mine for a few seconds, watching me nod as I confirm his assumption before returning his gaze back to the road. "I figured as much. I thought that he had gotten over all that stuff with Nat when he started dating you, but I guess I was wrong."

He may be over most of it, but there are still things that linger inside him. I know firsthand how hard it is to shake off the past. The words that are spoken, the actions that are forever a part of you; it's hard to shove that all aside and leave it in the past where it should be, but it's not impossible. Ashton took his time with me and I'm going to do the same thing with him; he deserves it.

"Are you okay with him acting this way towards you?" The last thing I want is to cause tension between their friendship.

"I'm not taking it personally," Luke says. "It's just something that he needs to learn to deal with." I don't disagree with him because it's true, although I do feel bad that Ashton does have to deal with this head-on rather than easing his way through it like he gave me the chance to do, but I guess some things will have to be handled differently with him.  

It doesn't take us long to reach the outlet mall on the outskirts of town. We opted against going to the mall closer in town because when we drove past it, the entire parking was full and there was no point in trying to find a parking space.   

We start off shopping for Calum which is actually really easy. Luke and I split the cost of the game Cards Against Humanity and choose to give it as a gift from him and me. With Calum's inappropriate mind, it seems like the best gift that we can give him, plus it'll be fun to play with everyone. Julia is a bit more difficult seeing that she can be picky sometimes, but I decide to get her a scarlet red peacoat to replace the black one that she's had for a couple years. It's a bit bold, but knowing her, she'll love that.

I couldn't figure out what to get Michael until we pass by a bookstore and I find a hardcover collection of all of Shakespeare's works. Since he seemed to like Hamlet enough to memorize one of the most infamous quotes, I'm sure that he'll enjoy this, or just use it to fill up his book-less bookshelf in his room. It's going to be used one way or another.  

Luke and I separate for a bit to find each other gifts and I'm pretty sure Ash would flip if he knew that I'm shopping alone right now, but I can handle myself. Finding something for Luke is actually harder than I anticipated. I know he'll appreciate whatever I get him, but I still want it to be meaningful. I settle on getting him a couple new beanies since I never see him wear any others except for a gray one. I'm not sure how "meaningful" it is, but at least he'll be able to have options when he chooses to wear one.

I meet back up with him near a small sitting area in the center of the outlets and he tells me that he already found both mine and Ashton's gift. He doesn't tell me what he got Ash and I threaten to bring up his little leg kick that he did at the frat party since he doesn't remember anything from that day. Unfortunately, he keeps his lips shut and I don't get to see the gift, however, I do get a good kick out of him covering his ears and trying to block me out as I tell about his drunk self.

After teasing him for a little bit, we move on to search for a gift for Ashton from me. I know him inside and out and yet I still can't figure out what to get him.

"What have you gotten Ash in past?" I ask Luke as we bypass stores where I know we won't find anything for him.

"Gift cards," he says. I expect him to add more to the list, but he doesn't.

"That's it?"

"I told you he's difficult to shop for."

"You're telling me," I groan. I keep my eyes peeled for anything in the store windows that Ash would like as we pass each one and it isn't until I spot a craft and stationary store that I finally think of something for him. I grab Luke's arm and drag him into the store that has several displays of journals, stationary, and in the back, art supplies.

"I'm guessing you thought of something?" Luke says as I let go of his arm and search the shelves full different sized sketchbooks.

"He told me that he only brought one sketchbook from home and the last time I saw him drawing in it, it looked almost completely full so I thought I'd get him a new one."

"There's kind of a reason as to why he only brought that one," Luke says, but regrets the words once they leave his mouth as he pulls his lips back and diverts his eyes away from me. I ask him what the reason is and he sighs and rubs the stubble on his jaw before saying, "It's the only one that didn't have a single picture of Natalie. He didn't want to be reminded so he just left the rest behind."

"Why didn't he just get rid of them?"

He shrugs and pulls out a spiral sketchbook from the shelf and asks if I like it, but I shake my head. "I would imagine that it was just too hard for him to toss them."

He must have worked hard on whatever is in those other sketchbooks. To just throw them away would be a waste even if the girl who haunts him lies between the pages.

I return to scanning the shelves until my eyes lock on a black leather-bound sketchbook on the top shelf. With Luke's help, he pulls it down for me and as I flip through the empty pages, I know that this is the one. The cover is smooth to the touch and the paper is thick enough to be painted on and he can easily tear the pages out without having a jagged edge from the spiral rings like his other one. I also grab a gray portfolio for him to store his work in before heading to the cashier.

"He may have the one that he brought over here, but this one will symbolize a new start for him," I say and the cashier thinks I'm talking to him for a moment but then ignores me and continues scanning the items. "Everything that he and I have gone through has been new for us and this sketchbook will add to that. It will act as a blank slate for him and I think that's just what he needs." I pay for everything with my card and Luke helps me carry the bags out of the store.

"Ashton really picked the perfect girl for himself," Luke says and I have to crane my neck to look at his smiling face. "He's going to love your gift."

I return his smile and just as we start heading in the direction of the parking lot, I turn around and head into the nearest clothing shop and grab a few pairs of the only thing Ashton actually asked for. When Luke gives me a confused expression, I show him the black fabric and he just shakes his head and laughs. He asks if I need to get anything else before we leave, like a pair of normal socks for me, but I tell him not to judge my choice of socks and we head over to the car and begin our drive back home.

I'm relieved that we are able to get all of our shopping done in one day without much trouble and we don't have to worry about it anymore. It was fun hanging out with Luke today. It was nice to be able to talk to him without feeling the need to restrain myself with certain topics. Talking about Natalie with Ash only makes him irritated and upset and even though he gets over it quickly now, I still wish I could help him vent about it.

"Hey, Luke? Can I ask you something?" I say as I look out the window towards the oncoming traffic.

"Of course."

"I noticed that you keep calling Natalie, Nat. Why is that? I thought only Ash called her that."  

He scratches the back of his neck and struggles to speak the words that are on his mind for a moment. "Well, she's family."

My eyes widen and when I turn to look at him, his eyes are already on me. "What?"

"Yeah, she's my sister-in-law's sister. Didn't Ashton tell you?"

I shake my head. "This is news to me. Ash hasn't said anything about that." I had no idea that Luke is related to her. This really would have been a nice detail to have known before.

"She's the reason Ash and I are friends in the first place."

"Are you on good terms with her?"

"Hell no. After what she pulled, I lost respect for her. She may be family, but I won't forgive her for hurting Ash the way she did which is really going to make an awkward tension between the two of us when I go to the wedding."

"Wait, you're going to the wedding?"

"Yeah, she's still family and my brother wants me there. I just need to find my invitation and RSVP."

I didn't expect for any of the guys to go to her wedding and even though Luke doesn't like her, he's still willing to go. I wonder if Ashton even knows he's going, or any of the guys for that matter.

"Can you tell me about her? I don't know much about her, only what she did to Ashton," I say and I watch as his Adam's apple bobs as he gulps.

"I'm not sure if I should be the one to tell you, but knowing Ash, he'll never say anything." He sighs and turns down the radio that I didn't even hear playing. "What do you want to know?"

I think carefully about what I want to ask and even though I have a line-up of questions, the only one that takes precedence is, "Can you tell me about their relationship?"

"I had a feeling you would ask that. I'm really stepping over my boundaries by telling you this; I hope you know that, Emmie."  I nod and he removes one hand from the steering wheel and rests his elbow on the middle console. "Natalie and Ashton were friends basically from birth since their dads worked together. They started dating when they got into high school and they were together for five years. Nat is the exact opposite of you and loves going to social events and she always dragged Ash along with her. To be honest, I thought they were the perfect couple. They knew how to communicate with each other and they were always the happiest when together."

I fidget in my seat and look down to my hands in my lap. Even though it makes me a little jealous to know this, I deal with it because I want to know about it regardless. I know I'm probably not being the smartest by going behind Ashton's back, but I'm only curious.

"Do you want me to keep going?" Luke asks, moving his hand to my shoulder and rubbing it softly. I nod and he continues. "They had always planned to work together and I really believe that they thought they were going to spend their lives together. I remember when he came to tell me that he was going to propose to her and I was all for it. I even tried to get him to choose me as the best man. A few weeks after they got engaged, we all went to a party to celebrate the end of the semester.

"Ash went to go find Nat after she didn't come out to the backyard like she said she would and he found her having sex with our old friend, Nathan. That's when everything turned to hell for Ash. He went into a depression and it wasn't until earlier this year when he started acting somewhat like himself. Before I left the country to come over here, I talked to Nat and she gave me her engagement ring. She said that she didn't want to be reminded of her mistake, but that was all bullshit. There wasn't a single moment when I believed her because she showed absolutely no remorse and instead, had Nathan hiding in her closet until I found him.

"When I gave Ashton the ring back, he went to a nearby lake and threw it in the water. I would have rather him take it to a pawn shop to get his money back, but I let him do what he wanted to. It was his way of trying to cope. Two years later and here we are. He's dating a girl who is a hundred times better than Natalie. She's perfect and it's hard not to smile when they're together. I've seen the way Ash has looked at Nat, but it's nothing compared to the way he looks at her—she's his future and I don't think either of them know that yet. I hope you know that I was referring to you on that last part."

I laugh and it only makes my cheeks hurt from I'm smiling so hard. Laughing is the last thing that I imagined I would be doing after hearing about Ashton's past and I'm grateful that Luke went as far as telling me what he thinks of mine and Ashton's relationship because now I don't feel as jealous as I did before. In fact, I don't feel any jealousy whatsoever.

"I got that," I say. "You were supposed to tell me about their relationship, not mine."

"I did, but I also just so happened to mention what's more important than Natalie; you." His icy blue eyes gaze into mine once he brings the car to a stop at a stoplight and then winks at me.

"How is it you're single?" I ask jokingly. "I'm sure any girl would swoon at what you just said."

"Jeez, Emmie, that's rude," he says while chuckling. His foot presses the accelerator when the light turns green and he turns onto the familiar street that leads to his house. "Haven't you ever thought that I'm single for a reason?"         

"The thought didn't cross my mind to be honest. What's the reason?"

"There's a girl that I like but she already has a boyfriend so I'm just trying to get over this crush." He pulls into the driveway and turns off the ignition.

"I'm not really good at giving advice especially when it comes to relationships and affection, but I really hope things look up for you," I say with a smile and it's cute how he bites his lip and nods, almost as if he's thankful to hear that.

We grab all the bags and head inside the house where everyone is gathered inside the living room. Ashton is the first to get up and he tries to give me a hug, but I make him say a few feet away so that he doesn't see what's inside the bags in my hands. The last thing I want is for him to see what I got him and spoil the surprise.

"It took you two long enough," Ashton says sassily. "I was able to go out, do my shopping, and still have time to get this tree and decorate it before you got home." He points over by the fireplace where a large Christmas tree stands tall.

White lights are tangled between the branches and red and gold round ornaments are scattered about, and the lights make them almost glow. A white ribbon with a glittered red trim spirals around the tree, perfecting its simplicity and elegancy and I can't help but to stare in awe at it. Even the presents that Julia and I brought back from her parent's house as well as a few others are sitting on the red tree skirt beneath it.

Everything about this reminds me of Christmas with my parents. My mom always had a blast decorating the tree and she always hung personalized ornaments on it to give it more of a "homey" vibe and my dad was always the one who wrapped all the presents since my mom was terrible at it and he somehow had a natural talent for it.

"When did you do all of this?" I ask, completely awestruck.

"When you and Luke left, Julia and Calum woke up and she wanted for us to get a tree," he explains. "We had to go and buy all the decorations so while they did that, I took it upon myself to get my Christmas shopping out of the way. It didn't take that long to decorate the tree, but that's just because Julia ordered us where to put everything."

"And it wouldn't have turned out as nice if I didn't," Julia hollers from her seat next to Calum.

"Nobody sees the back of the tree. It's pointless to put ornaments back there," Michael argues, and I have a feeling that he tried to put ornaments only on the front half of the tree and was scolded by Julia to do it over.

We're only a few days away from the holidays and it's really starting to feel like Christmas in here. There may not be any stockings hanging from the mantle or garland wrapped around the guardrail of the staircase, but all of that doesn't matter—not even the tree (even though I love it so much). I normally get a little down during the holidays because it just hasn't been the same without my mom and dad, however this year I've forgotten all about that. I have good reason for years of depression to be shoved aside and forgotten and those reasons are all in this room with me.

"I love it," I finally say and after hours of not seeing his smiling face, it's almost like an honor to see it now.

"I knew you would," Ashton replies and holds his arms out, welcoming me to a hug. I hide the bag with his gift behind another bag and walk straight into his arms. He kisses the top of my head, leaving his lips to linger before he stretches his neck to look at my side. "So what did you get me?"

I move the bags behind me and take a step back. "It's a surprise. You have to wait a few more days."

"Oh, come on," he whines. "Just a peek?" He tries to snake his arm behind me but I spin on my heel and head towards the staircase.

"No!" I shout and scurry up the stairs, laughter spilling from my mouth as I hear Ashton trail behind me rapidly.

"Please, Emmie?" he begs childishly.

"No, I need to wrap them first." I hurry over to his bedroom, giggling to myself the entire way over, and shut and lock the door before he has the chance to catch me.

"So how're you going to wrap those if you don't have wrapping paper in there?" he asks from outside the door and if I know him as well as I think I do, he's smirking right now.

Well, shit.

I really should have thought about that before I ran up here. With no other options, I toss the bags on his unmade bed and silently unlock the door before opening it just enough to peek my head out. "Can I have some wrapping paper?" I ask in an unintentional childlike tone.

"Only if you give me a proper greeting this time," he says and softly pushes the door open.

With him towering above me, I push myself up on my toes and wrap my arms around his neck and his hands grip my waist. "I'm home," I whisper before attaching my lips to his and I can almost taste the peppermint as we work against each other.

"Welcome home," he murmurs once he pulls away and leans his forehead against mine, giving me the perfect view of his almost green eyes. "So is my gift better than everyone else's?"

I laugh and roll my eyes. "I don't know...socks are pretty hard to top according to you," I tease.

"So you did get me socks," he sings.

"Not if you don't get me some wrapping paper, I didn't."

He narrows his eyes and kisses my nose quickly before heading down the staircase and yelling, "Do you want the green one with little reindeer on it or the one with red and silver stripes?"

"Surprise me!" I yell back and go sit on his bed until he comes back.

To think I'm in love with this man-child, but I don't think I'd have it any other way.

_________

A/N:

Binge writing is so much fun. Okay, there is probably going to be two chapters left of PYW if I plan everything correctly. I was going to make it one more chapter, but I didn't want to end it on an odd number because that would drive me nuts.

Also, I want to apologize to anyone who was uncomfortable with the previous chapter. I was only trying to show the progression of their relationship, but in an intimate way. Remember that these are fictional characters in a college AU. Sex was bound to happen.

Okay, I'm done. I hope you guys enjoyed this! Also, I'm going to need a cover for the sequel (Painting Flowers) and I don't have the time or patience at the moment to make one myself, so I am taking any volunteers who would be interested in making one. Just PM me or leave a comment to let me know!

Also, let me know what your favorite chapter has been in this book so far! :)

I love you guys and thank you for reading! –Rebecca xoxoxoxoxo