I woke up with a raging headache, which wasn't necessarily unusual. I often woke up with the feeling of a marching band stomping around in my head, due to crying before I fell asleep and the terrors that played through my mind as I slept.

I groaned and opened my eyes, finding myself staring at Asher Wilde. Well, not the person. There was a picture on a wooden nightstand of a young Asher - probably around the age of nine or ten - standing on the beach and hugging a little toddler girl to his chest. They shared the same black hair and blue eyes, so I could only assume it was his little sister. The grin on his face was boyish and adorable, and I couldn't help but smile wistfully.

And then, I froze. I did not have a picture of baby Asher on my nightstand. I also didn't have grey walls, or football posters, or dirty clothes on the floor.

I whirled around and saw the sleeping face of Asher behind me. His dark hair was messy and fell over his forehead and his long lashes were resting on the tips of his cheekbones. His plump pink lips were turned up a little at the corners, making me wonder if he was having a good dream.

Then, he lifted his arm and slung it over my waist, pulling my body into his. I craned my head backward so our noses didn't collide. The entirety of my front side was pressed against his bare chest, and our legs were tangled under his soft white sheets.

Asher pried his eyes open and peered at me beneath his lashes. "Good morning," he murmured in a voice even deeper than usual.

"What happened?" I grumbled.

Rubbing his eyes with one arm, he rotated so that he was laying on his back and pulled me into his left side. I rested my head on his shoulder hesitantly.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" he questioned after a moment.

I shot up and wrenched the covers from our bodies. I was wearing a large black teeshirt and Asher was dressed in a pair of grey sweatpants. 

I turned to face Asher, who was still laying down. A smirk was resting on his lips. "Why am I wearing your clothes?" I asked in an accusing tone.

Asher chuckled. "I know how uncomfortable jeans are to sleep in," he explained, "and that shirt didn't look too comfy either. You chose the shirt yourself, actually, even though I offered something of my sister's."

I scrunched up my face. "Can you just tell me everything that happened?"

He nodded but wrapped his arms around me and pulled me back down in a hug. I tentatively placed my hands on his chest and pushed him away so there was some distance between us. I stared into his blue eyes as he explained the night's events.

"Last night we went to Henry's party. I'm pretty sure the water was spiked and you had some of it. We were dancing and got separated. When I finally found you, you were crying while Henry was practically dry-humping you and sucking your neck like a vampire." Asher rolled his eyes and scoffed. "I taught him a little lesson and brought you here, figuring your parents wouldn't want to see you drunk out of your mind. You fell asleep in the car but woke up when I laid you down on the guest bed. You refused to sleep in there so I brought you here. You got changed and we fell asleep."

I bit my lip, a few scenes of the night flashing through my mind. I recoiled at the memory of Henry grinding on me and whispering dirty phrases to me.

"I don't think I'm ever going to a party again," I decided after a moment.

Asher chuckled and sat up. "How are you feeling? Do you have a headache?"

I nodded and sat up as well. Asher hopped out of bed and paraded around his room in all of his shirtless glory, looking for something. Eventually, he grabbed a pair of sweatpants and handed them to me.

"Here," he said. "Throw these on and meet me downstairs, alright?"

I frowned but agreed, taking the covers off of my legs and standing up. Once Asher left the room, I hiked up his tee-shirt, revealing that I was still wearing my underwear, which I was grateful for. I slid his dark grey sweats up my legs and fastened the strings tightly around my waist. After rolling up the ankles a little - I was only five foot two and Asher was at least six feet - I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and shuffled out of his room and down the hallway.

As I walked down the stairs, I did my best not to freak out at the dozen texts from my sister and father. I scanned my dad's messages first, noting how they went from concerned to distressed to content but angry. Checking what Olivia had sent me, it seemed as though she covered for me but was very worried.

I sighed and tucked my phone into the pocket of the sweatpants I was wearing. I wasn't in the mood to handle my family. My head was pounding, my throat was dry, my stomach was grumbling, and my eyes were barely staying open. I wanted to take some painkillers, eat something, and sleep for eternity.

At the bottom of the stairs, there were two rooms revealed. To my right was a large living room, with a huge white sectional, a loveseat, and a recliner - all of which were facing a huge flatscreen T.V. To my left was a dining room with a long table that sat ten people. Deciding that food would be nearer to the dining room, I veered left.

Walking through the dining room revealed an archway that was the entrance to a massive kitchen. Marble counters lined the walls and there was a big island with three barstools in the center of the room. Stood in front of the counter, back to me, was a shirtless Asher.

I moved closer to him and peeked over his shoulder. He was whisking some sort of beige mixture.

"I hope you like pancakes," he murmured, "because I've been craving them all week."

I smiled softly. "I love pancakes," I told him.

Asher nodded. "Perfect. You can take a seat if you'd like."

Taking his suggestion, I walked over to the island and took a seat on the far right stool. I watched Asher stir the batter, the muscles of his back rippling and contracting. He poured some into a pan before turning to the fridge and opening up one of the doors.

"Are you thirsty?" he asked.

"Yeah," I answered. "Do you have orange juice?"

He reached in and grabbed a carton. Setting it on the counter, he grabbed a glass from a cupboard. "What are your plans for today?" he questioned as he poured juice into the cup.

I shrugged. "I was planning on sleeping in and having a lazy day," I answered.

Asher handed me my drink before returning his attention to the pancakes. "We can have a lazy day," he told me. "Would your parents mind you staying here for a while?"

I turned on my phone and opened up the conversation with my dad. Scanning his texts, I noticed that he had pulled the "I'm not mad, just disappointed" card.

I rolled my eyes. "I think it's okay," I stated.

"We can hang around here and watch movies or something," Asher suggested.

I smiled. "That'd be awesome."

He flipped the pancake and put it on a plate. Once he poured more batter into the pan, he passed me the plate as well as a fork and knife. "Here, eat this before it gets cold."

I didn't have to be told twice. I quickly cut up the pancake and ate up the fluffy deliciousness.

"This is incredible," I informed after swallowing my mouthful.

Asher smirked. "I know, I'm quite the chef."

I rolled my eyes but continued to eat. After a few bites, I cleared my throat and asked him a question. "You said you have a sister?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Brooke. She's fourteen."

I took a sip of orange juice. "Is she here?"

"No," Asher said, flipping another pancake, "she went over to a friend's house last night. She'll be back later tonight."

"That's cool," I responded. "Are you two close?"

He smiled, sitting beside me with his food. "Yeah, we're pretty close. Our parents aren't around too often so we've bonded over the years."

"That's kind of like me and Olivia," I told him.

"Really?" he questioned. "Do your parents work a lot?"

I bit my lip, trying to come up with an answer. I finally settled on a very casual, "Um, yeah."

Asher nodded. "Same with me," he stated, taking a bite of his food.

We continued to eat our breakfast in comfortable silence. Once we finished, I helped wash the dishes while Asher put away the ingredients he had used.

"Why don't we watch a movie?" he said.

I shrugged. "Sure."

I followed Asher through the dining room and over to the living room. I tentatively sat down on the corner of the plush white couch as he grabbed the remote and turned on the T.V.

The sectional was tucked into the back right corner of the room. Asher laid down on the side pressed against the right wall, and I was next to him, sitting on the part where the couch split in two directions.

"What do you want to watch?" he asked me once he'd settled in.

"Whatever is fine," I said.

Asher perked up. "Didn't you say your favorite movie was The Matrix?"

I nodded, flustered that he had remembered. "Yeah, I did."

He began typing in the search bar and pulled up the movie. "I've never seen it, so let's watch that."

I smiled and relaxed into the couch as he pressed play.

~~~~~

Precisely two and a half hours later, the ending credits rolled. I sat up and stretched out my arms, fairly sure I had dozed off once or twice. Beside me, Asher did the same, swinging his legs off the couch and onto the floor.

I checked my phone and noticed that it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon.

"I should probably go home," I announced.

Asher glanced at the clock on the wall before standing up. "Alright, I'll go grab your clothes and then drive you to your place."

"I can get them, it's fine," I said, standing up as well.

"Okay, they should be on my dresser in my room."

I nodded and walked out of the living room and up the stairs. As I made my way down the hallway, I admired the family portraits lining the walls. Even though Asher mentioned his parents not being around much, the four of them looked very happy together in each photo.

I took a left at the end of the hallway, opening up Asher's bedroom door. His room was just as I had imagined the stereotypical boy's room to be - neutral grey walls and comforter, clothes all over the floor, sports posters and trophies decorating the walls and furniture, and an Xbox hooked up to a T.V.

Spotting my blue top and black jeans on the dresser, I quickly shut and locked the door behind me before heading over to grab my clothes. As I tugged Asher's black shirt over my head, I couldn't help but pause and inhale the comforting scent. He always seemed to smell so refreshing, almost like citrus, and his clothing had the same scent.

I shook my thoughts away and continued to take off Asher's clothes and put on my old ones from the night before. Once I was dressed, I ran my fingers through my snarly hair and tied the blonde strands up into a messy ponytail to keep them away from my face.

I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the black screen of the T.V. and recoiled. The mascara Olivia had convinced me to wear was smudged horribly under my eyes, making me look like a raccoon. 

Leaving Asher's room, I checked for a bathroom as I wandered back down the hallway. Spotting one, I rushed in and wet a tissue with some water. I did my best to remove the makeup from my eyes and as soon as I deemed my appearance mediocre, I threw away the tissue and left the room.

I ran down the stairs and through the dining room to the kitchen. Passed the kitchen was the entry room, where Asher was tying his sneakers. He had found a hoodie and was now wearing that instead of just being bare-chested.

I slipped my feet into my black Vans as Asher stood up and gave me a quick once over.

"I like that shirt on you," he said after a moment.

My cheeks flushed. "Thanks," I muttered.

The jingling sound of keys filled the room and I noticed the handle of the door rotate, seemingly on its own. The door swung open, revealing a young teen girl. Dressed in sweats and a crop top with a messenger bag across her body, she was about my height. She had flowing, pin-straight black hair and piercing blue eyes which looked at me critically.

"Hello there," she said in surprise.

I waved awkwardly. "Hi."

Asher cleared his throat. "Brooke, this is my friend Lindsey," he introduced, turning his attention to me. "That's my demon of a sister."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Says you," she mocked, nudging him with her shoulder. "You better have remembered protection, Ash, because I am not babysitting for you. No glove means no love, you know this."

I opened my mouth in shock. "We did not have sex!" I squeaked.

She shrugged. "You've had a large amount of alone time," she justified. "What do you want me to believe?"

Asher laughed although the tips of his ears were turning pink. "Get your mind out of the gutter," he said to his sister.

She cackled, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. "It was nice meeting you, I suppose. I'm going to go, though."

"Later, loser," her brother shouted, ruffling her hair as she passed him.

She raised her middle fingers before disappearing from our view.

Asher gave me a look. "That went better than expected, to be honest."

"She's very forward," I voiced, transferring my gaze from the spot she last stood to the man in front of me.

He nodded. "Yeah, I know, but it seems as though she likes you."

I smirked. "I'm a very likable person."

Asher threw his arm over my shoulders and guided me out of the house. "Indeed you are. Let's get going, Miss Popular."