Emilia's POV

The tender shaking of my shoulder and the soft female whisper of my name force my eyes to flutter open. I blink several times to clear my blurry vision and move my head from underneath Ashton's chin—his scruffy stubble tickling my forehead.

"Em," Julia whispers.

I turn around slowly, moving Ashton's limp arm from around my waist and facing the blonde kneeling at the edge of the bed. "What's wrong?" I ask.

She waves her hand for me to come with her and tiptoes out of the room. I groan and slide off the bed, looking back towards Ashton where he is still sleeping. His mouth hangs partially open and his hair completely covers his eyes. I'm surprised that he hasn't woken up yet. Maybe he did have a bit too much wine last night.

I sneak out of his room, shutting the door as quietly as possible and meet Julia in the hallway. "What time is it?"

"A little after eight," she says.

"And why do you need me up at 'a little after eight?'"

"Mom and Dad called," she says. "They're home, but they want us to go pick up your dogs from Aunt Olivia's and then go visit them for a little bit."

"Why couldn't they do it?"

"Because they wouldn't have been able to fit them in the car. Apparently they brought back early Christmas presents from Nana's for us."

"I hope they didn't go overboard this year."

Julia's grandparents are way too nice to me. Every year since I've known Julia, they would always get me a gift for Christmas, but when I started living with them, the gifts multiplied. They treat me like their own granddaughter and spoil me which I greatly appreciate.

Neither of my parents were close with their family and they kept their distance from them after they got married. My relatives know of my existence, but they don't acknowledge it. That's why I chose to stay with Julia's family and have them as my legal guardians. I would rather live with people who I've known for most of my life than with strangers who don't give a damn about me.

"Well, seeing how my parents managed to fill not only the trunk, but the backseat as well—I think it's safe to say that they went overboard again." Julia chuckles softly and I laugh with her.

"So what time do we need to pick up my dogs?" I ask.

"Now," she says instantly.

I blink several times, not saying a word until I finally process what she has said. I raise my voice. "Did you just say now?"

Julia puts her forefinger to her lips and tells me to shush. "Yes, now hurry and get your stuff so we can go home, change, and then head out."

"Where are you guys going?" Our heads snap in the direction of Calum's voice in the dark hallway. Calum scratches his messy hair with one hand and his bare stomach with the other.

Julia lightly slaps my arm and it takes a few seconds for me to register what she did due to my inability to process anything in my tired state.

"What was that for?" I ask, rubbing my arm.

"I didn't want to wake him up!" she whispers loudly.

"Emmie, what's going on?" Ashton's raspy voice gains my attention as he stands in the threshold to his bedroom and I just want to push him back inside and go lay back down with him so that I can hear him talk to me until we fall back asleep. Man, I really am tired.

"We need to go pick up my dogs from Julia's aunt's house," I explain.

Ashton pushes his hair back with his hand and then lets it fall down in disarray. "Okay," he says, "let me go get dressed and I'll go with you."

"I'll go too," Calum adds, walking over to stand behind Julia and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"As great as that sounds, I don't think we can fit four dogs plus two giraffes in our car," I joke.

Calum's brows furrow together. "Giraffes?"

"She means you two," Julia clarifies, pointing to our sleepy boyfriends.

"Oh," he says.

"We really need to get going, though," Julia says. "The drive is a little longer and I'm pretty sure that Mom and Dad are going to want to get lunch or something by the time we get there."

Ashton places his hand on my hip and pulls me back, leaving just a few inches between my back and his chest. "I was expecting to spend the break with you," he whispers in my ear.

I turn around and see his sullen face. "You will. We won't be gone long," I assure. "We'll be back later this afternoon." I smile and he returns the gesture.

"Alright," he says. He drops his hands from my waist and heads back into his room where he grabs the small duffle bag with all my stuff in it and hands it to me. "Come back in one piece, okay?"

I laugh lightly, taking the bag from him. "I will."

"And you can keep those by the way." He points to his shirt and sweats that I'm wearing.

"But I already have some of your clothes," I say.

"Well, now you have more."

I tug at the hem of the long shirt. "Thank you."

Even though I've known him for over four months, he still manages to make me feel that same butterfly feeling in my stomach and I love that.

Julia snaps her fingers repeatedly as a way to tell me to hurry up and leads us down the stairs and to the entryway where we slip on our shoes and say goodbye to the boys. Before we leave the house, Ashton pulls me aside and places a sliver key in the palm of my hand.

"It's a spare key to the house," he says. "That way you can come over whenever you want."

"I already do that," I say.

"Yes, but now you have a key to get in when I'm not here."

"But when you're not here, you're normally with me."

"Just take the key, Emilia," he says, laughing.

I play with the silver piece of metal in my hand and nod. "I'll see you later," I say, giving him a small wave before closing the front door and locking it with my new key.

Julia and I throw our bags in the backseat of her car and head off to our apartment. Once we get there, we quickly shower and change before heading back on the road. Aunt Olivia lives about half an hour away from Glendale and with it being Black Friday, there's more traffic on the highway than normal, making this road trip a little longer than I would like. Not to mention that almost every station on the radio is playing Christmas music and I'd rather listen to people's road rage than listen to that, but Julia insists to keep it playing so that we can be festive and get into the jolly spirit.

"So how are things with you and Ash?" Julia asks, steering onto the exit ramp.

I fumble with the house key he gave me and finally put it on my key ring. "They're good."

"From what I've seen, it seems like it's a little more than good," she teases. "Don't think I didn't see that hickey you were trying to hide from everyone. No one else may have noticed, but you couldn't fool me. The sweater that you were wearing a few days ago slipped off your shoulder a bit so I was able to see it and all its glory. It's a good size too. Has is faded yet?" She reaches over with one arm to the collar of my sweatshirt, tugging it to the side to try and get a glimpse at the almost healed mark.

I swat her hand away. "Hands on the wheel, woman!"

She giggles to herself. "Fine. I'm surprised you even let Ashton do that."

"I was too, but I'm okay with it."

She's quiet for a moment. "So he loves you?"

I turn my head to face her while she keeps her gaze focused on the road. I forgot that she and the other guys know that. "Yeah," I say.

"And you're not scared?"

"No."

"Do you love him?"

I turn my head away from her and stare at my lap while I continue to fumble with my keys. "I think so," I say. "It's weird."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean it doesn't feel like anything has changed between us other than the fact that I want to be with him all the time."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"Yeah, I didn't want for anything to change and I'm glad it hasn't. He's become a central part of my life and I don't know where I'd be without him."

"Probably stuck in your room or hanging out on campus getting angry at all the stupid people there," she jokes.

"It's sad to say but you're probably right. I don't think I've been this happy since before my parents died."

"You haven't." She stops at an intersection and then makes a left turn into a gated residential area. "It's like you're living life now instead of just walking around aimlessly in it."

To think that all it took was for someone to spill my drink all over me to make me the happiest I've been in years.

"Thank you for encouraging me to be friends with him," I say, smiling. "I remember you telling me how you thought that he would be a good thing for me and you were right."

"I'm always right," she says.

"You're so modest," I tease.

"I try," she boasts and we laugh together.

It's been a while since it's been just Julia and me. I mean I see her every day, but we haven't had a conversation like this in a while. I'm always spending time with Ashton and she's with Calum, so we don't get to really have this 'girl time' like we used to. It's nice to get away from the boys every now and then and spend some time with the one person who has stood by my side since I was a kid. She's done more than what a friend should do and has gone above and beyond for me. If anything ever happened to her, I don't know what I'd do.

"I forgot to ask," she starts, coming to a stop in front of a two-story, pale green house, "did you tell Ashton you love him?"

I shrink into my seat. "Not technically."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I'm able to say it in my head, but I can't say it out loud. The day before yesterday we were making out on his bed and whatnot-"

"Wait, did you guys have sex?"

"What? No. He just touched my boobs."

"Bra on or off?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

I sigh and shake my head. "It was on. I made him stop there because I didn't want to go too far, now can I continue?"

She nods with a smile.

"Anyway, after all that, he told me he loves me and I mouthed 'I love you too.' That's as far as I got. I just can't bring myself to say it yet."

"Well, don't force yourself to. Cal told me he loved me before we started dating. I don't know if it's just a guy thing, but they always seem to fall in love faster than girls."

"That's actually a fact," I say. "Apparently studies have shown that men actually fall in love within four months while with girls it can take up to six. I learned that in my intro to psych class back in community college. And why didn't you tell me he loves you? Do you love him?"

Julia turns off the car and unbuckles her seatbelt. "You were going through a lot with Jared, so I decided to keep it a secret until things calmed down. And I don't know yet. I'm kind of struggling with that too."

"Love is confusing. It's too much of a hassle," I say, getting out of the car.

Julia follows my actions. "Can't argue with you there," she replies, chuckling.

We make our way to Aunt Olivia's front door ring and the doorbell. When the short brunette answers the door, she gives Julia a wide smile followed by a warm hug, while she gives me the smallest smile that I have ever seen and pats my shoulder. After inviting us inside, I am immediately tackled by all four dogs. Mila knocks me backwards, causing me to fall onto the hardwood floors and Laila and Lilah come prancing over to my head and begin licking my cheeks. Link decides to walk all over my stomach and plop down and his heavy weight almost knocks the breath out of me. I love these dogs, but I think they need some extra training.

After calming them down and giving each dog some attention before putting on their harnesses and leashes, I thank Aunt Olivia for watching them and accept her eye roll as a 'you're welcome.' Getting them all out of the house and into the car is the easy part, but listening to all of them bark and run from one side of the backseat to the other while Julia drives is the hard part. The Christmas music on the radio actually becomes enjoyable as it helps drown out the high-pitched barks until we make it to Julia's house.

When Julia parks in the driveway of her parents' house, we let the dogs out and let them run up to Julia's dad who is outside on a ladder putting up Christmas lights. They circle around him and bark until he climbs down and acknowledges them before letting them inside the house.

"Was it a hard driving with them?" Hugh asks, giving his daughter a hug and kiss on the head.

"No, it was hard listening to them," Julia says, laughing.

Hugh walks over with open arms and gives me a hug and kiss on my head as well. "And how's my second daughter?" he asks.

I chuckle at his lame reference to me. "Not too bad," I say, smiling at the graying chestnut-haired man.

He guides us away from the frigid air and leads us inside the house where we meet up with Julia's mom in the living room. She greets and hugs us tightly before telling all of us to go into the dining room so that we can eat the lasagna that she just finished making for lunch.

"So how was your Thanksgiving?" Candice asks, placing a bright yellow plate with a slice of lasagna in front of me as I sit down at the table.

"We spent it with Ashton and his friends, so it was actually really nice," I tell her. "Loud, but nice."

"You and Ashton worked things out?" she asks, placing a plate in front of her husband before sitting down with us.

"Julia didn't tell you? I thought she was keeping you updated with everything going on in our lives."

She shakes her head. "No, Jules hasn't told me anything lately."

I turn my head to the blonde sitting next to me and she keeps her eyes fixated on the piece of pasta on her plate. I guess the information broker has decided to keep silent on our relationships.

"Ashton and I are dating now."

"Wait," Hugh says, his mouth full of food. "Who's Ashton?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Candice scolds him. "And I told you about him, remember? He's the guy that Emilia has been friends with for a while."

"The curly-headed boy?" Hugh asks.

I guess that's one way to describe him.

"Yeah, him," she answers.

"He's the one that spilled your drink on you, right?"

I laugh, thinking back to that day. "Yeah, he's the one," I say.

He nods and takes another bite of his food. I've never had to deal with Hugh being overprotective or anything. Although I wish he was whenever I was with Jared. However, by the way he's looking at Candice with his eyebrows furrowed, I can tell that he's a little apprehensive about it now.

"You don't have to worry about Ash," I say. "He's nothing like him. He's a good person, Hugh."

He nods again.

"Well, I'm happy for you, Emilia," Candice says, smiling.

I return the gesture and finish off the lasagna on my plate quickly. Just as I take my last bite, I feel my phone vibrate against my thigh. I pull it out and grin when I see that it's a text from Ashton. I open up the message and in it is a picture of Luke, Calum, and Michael in the kitchen, cleaning up some sort of red sauce or something off the walls and floor.

"This is what happens when you leave the house," the message reads.

I laugh and show Julia the photo to which she only shakes her head at. Another message comes through with another photo attached. This time the boys are in the living room and standing on the couches. The loveseat it turned on its side and the pillows that normally sit on the couch are scattered across the room. It honestly looks like this photo is staged, but I laugh anyway.

"They won't stop."

"Send help."

"Or come home. That would work too."

I giggle to myself. I haven't been gone that long and the boys are already driving Ashton insane. I wonder if this is how it was before I came into the picture.

"I had to seek refuge in my room."

"All I have is a bottle of water and a pack of Reese's."

"If I don't survive by the time you get here, just know that I love you."

The next message I receive is a mixture of several emojis ranging from the winking smiley to the heart-eyed one.

I look up from my phone and notice everyone staring at me and the smile that I didn't even know I was wearing drops in embarrassment. "Save one of the Reese's for me. I'll be there later," I type and send with a little heart emoji. I shove my phone back inside my pocket and ignore everyone's smiling faces.

"So anyway, what about you Julia?" Candice starts, "Any guys in your life?"

Julia shifts around in her chair and licks her lips. "Uh, yeah, actually, there is."

Candice squeals and it feels like I lost my hearing in my left ear from the high-pitched sound. "Who is it?" she asks excitedly.

"Calum," Julia says. "He's one of Ashton's best friends." She plays with the leftover pieces of food on her plate with her fork.

Candice gasps loudly. "I want to meet him! You should bring him over the next time you come over! Emilia, you can bring Ashton too. I'd like to meet him as well."

Julia and I turn to look at each other. I now see why she kept our relationships a secret from them. She knew her mom would react this way. I thought Julia was energetic, but her mom is twice the firecracker she is.

"I don't mind and I'm sure Ashton wouldn't either," I say to Julia.

She sighs. "We'll bring them over during winter break."

The squeal returns and Hugh rolls his eyes at his wife.

We finish eating lunch and catch up with Julia's parents for the rest of the afternoon. It always feels nice coming home. Whether it is for a few hours or a day, it feels like so much time passes while I'm here. It's like the day just flies by. I guess sitting in a living room and watching the dogs chase each other in circles is entertaining enough to make Julia and I to stay here well past the afternoon and into the evening.

"-and then your grandpa got his hand stuck in the pipe-" Candice rambles.

"Mom," Julia stops her mother in the middle of some story about her grandfather trying to get a rare nickel that fell down the drain in the sink or something. I don't really know. I wasn't paying attention. I'm too busy finding humor in Link spinning in circles trying to catch his curly tail. "We should probably go. It's already past eleven," she says.

"Is it that late already?" Candice asks and turns to Hugh who is already asleep on the recliner. "Alright, I'll just have to tell you the story later." Oh, joy. "Be safe on your way home, okay?"

"We will," Julia assures. "We'll be back soon." She gives her mom a hug and bypasses her dad to the front door since he won't be waking up anytime soon and I follow out with her. "You drive." She tosses me the car keys.

"Fine," I say, unlocking the doors and rushing inside the car to turn on the heater. "You seem a little pissy. What's wrong?" I wait for her to put on her seatbelt before backing out of the driveway.

"I wasn't expecting for us to be here all day," she says.

"Well neither was I but you don't see me all grouchy."

"Why aren't you grouchy?"

"Because I have a Reese's cup with my name on it waiting for me back home."

"Is that a euphemism for something?"

"Yes, it's a euphemism for there is a piece of chocolate filled with peanut butter waiting to be eaten by me."

She laughs. "Do you want to just go straight to Ash's place?"

"I was kind of planning on doing that." I have a key now so if he's sleeping, we can still go inside. I probably should have let him know that we're on our way back. Oh well.

It doesn't take us long to get to Ash's house partially because I was speeding, but that's beside the point. When I pull into the driveway, all the lights in the house are off except for the porch light. As quietly as we can, we make our way to the front door and I use the key that Ash gave me to unlock the door. The idea of using the key seemed simple before, but now that I'm actually using it to get inside, I feel nervous.

"Em, you kind of have to turn it to unlock it," Julia whispers.

"Oh, sorry," I say, turning the key.

"It hit you, didn't it?"

"What hit me?"

"The fact that he gave you a key."

I didn't think that it would be a big deal. I've been to his house more than I have mine. I walk in and out of this door all the time. Having a key shouldn't make a difference, but yet it feels like it does. "I guess it did," I say. I push open the door and let Julia inside first before following her into the pitch black house.

We use our phones as light to guide us through the house without bumping into anything or tripping up the stairs. Julia and I separate from each other when we reach the top of the staircase. She wishes me a good night before sneaking into Calum's room and shutting the door behind her. I make my way over to Ash's door and slowly creep inside.

With the small amount of light coming from my phone, I can see him sleeping on his back with one arm spread out and the other resting on his stomach. I slip out of my jacket and hang it over the chair by his desk where the wrapper with the Reese's cup inside sits. As much as I'd like to eat it right now, I'd rather go to bed. I leave the candy behind and crawl into Ash's bed where I lay against him with my head resting on his chest.

He stirs in his sleep and his arm that was sprawled out to the side is now resting on the small of my back. "Welcome back," he says groggily, keeping his eyes closed. "I saved you your Reeses's."

I chuckle lightly. "Thank you. I see that you survived."

"Just barely."

I snuggle up impossibly closer to him and tangle my legs in his. "Julia's mom wants to meet you."

"Does she?"

"Yeah, both you and Calum."

"Okay," he says. "But you have to do something for me before I do that."

"What?"

"Meet my mum."

I've always wondered what his mom would be like. He told me once that I remind him of her because of my stubbornness. I've never seen a picture of her so I have no idea what she looks like or what to expect. Will she even like me? Will she compare me to Natalie?

"Deal," I say.

"Good, because I already told her that I'd Skype her tomorrow to meet you," he says.

"Did you have a Plan B if I said no?"

"I was going to eat your Reese's if you didn't."

"That's just mean."

He laughs. "It's tough love."

"More like harsh love," I mumble.

"Tough love, harsh love; it's still love."

"Yeah, yeah. Go to bed."

"Hey, you're the one who woke me up."

"Sorry, tough love." I giggle and he kisses my forehead.

"I'll take it whatever love I can get from you."

__________

A/N:

Here is a shitty filler for you guys. I'm sorry for not giving you something good, but I am literally on the verge of hitting my wits end and I just wanted to post this chapter because even though I think it's shitty I thought it was cute.

Thank you so much for 54.5k reads! I can't believe PYW hit 50k. I seriously can't believe it.

Yeah, I really don't know what to say in this author's note...

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I love you! –Rebecca xoxoxoxo