Together

(My dad, uncle, and brother went to see it today and I was so mad! I'm jealous. :( )

Ashton laughed and nodded slightly. "Does that mean that I can rely on you to be my drinking buddy as well?" he asked with an arched brow as he looked down at her. "I mean, I might need somebody to keep me from drinking too much or making poor decisions. And who better to help with that than the person who's dubbed me as their drinking buddy?"

---

"I just... If Danielle finds out about our past together and realizes I'm your manager, it might cause problems. I don't want to cause problems for you, not when you're happy," Aria explained before she let out a sigh, realizing that her drink was empty. "And, I'm not sure spending so much time with you guys would be a good idea, either. It'd just hurt us both."

@ momentai.
(it was so amazing. My boyfriend took me to see it and I literally cried more than six times. So perfect)

Davina smiled at his words, nodding happily, "Of course. Though, if you're more of a drinker than I am, I might be a bit of a downer. During the year, I try not to drink a lot, but I will happily be your wingwoman and talk you out of bad decisions. Unless your bad decisions involve me. Then I'm all for them and will peer pressure you into doing them." She joked with a smile.

---

Luke crossed his arms at her words, "Danielle isn't going to care, Aria. If she even notices that I'm not hanging around her that is." He said honestly and then sighed when she spoke again, "We're both only going to get hurt if we let it come to that. You do remember that we were friends before we dated right? I haven't forgotten because you were practically my best friend. Why couldn't we just go back to that?"

(Aw, man. I'm beyond jealous. I'm dying over here, ugh. D: )

"Oh, I'd be all for being pressured, in that case," Ashton joked lightly, though a part of him was being genuine with his words. It wasn't like he could even imagine saying no to her, now that he thought about it. It was weird, since they'd only met that day, but he was way more interested in her than he expected was possible. "Though, would the pressuring only happen when we have alcohol in our systems?"

---

Aria sighed quietly in response and ran a hand through his hair as she avoided looking at him. "We can't just go back to being best friends, Luke. You know it's not that simple, especially after everything we've been through with each other and because of each other," she told him, though she chewed on her lip, because it was painful to explain.

@ momentai.
(sorry for the delay. I was at playoffs for softball and then I was going to post last night, but my night took a turn for the shitty so I just went to bed.)

Davina laughed at his words before she shrugged, "It doesn't have to. Though, I am a lot more daring when I have alcohol in my systems." She said, "There are a lot of things that I normally wouldn't do while sober." She explained with a small smirk. She was definitely showing that with Ashton more than she had with any other guy that she had met.

--

Luke frowned at her words, "I'm not saying go back to being best friends again. I'm saying that we be just regular friends. That is something that we could do. I want to be friends with you again, Aria. I want you back in my life, and I can't have you in my life as my girlfriend. So, why wouldn't I want to have you as my friend again?" He questioned, not understanding why they couldn't go back to being how they were.

(Sorry this took so long! Also sorry this is short; I wanted to get a few replies out. x.x)

"Does that mean you wouldn't flirt with me if you were sober?" Ashton asked in a joking tone, though he would admit that he was a little curious. He tried not to let it be too obvious, though, since he didn't really want to make things awkward at all or anything near that. "If so, I may have to up my game a bit."

---

"Because even regular friends would be really difficult with our past, Luke," Aria quickly said, a frown on her features. "I want you back in my life, too, Luke, but... I just don't see how that would work at all." Not only could it cause problems for his relationship, but she was sure that even that would hurt.

@ momentai.
Davina smiled at Ashton's words, "You're just going to have to find out tomorrow when you see me." She replied back with a smirk. He was different. Davina liked that about him. She really liked that he seemed to be taking an interest in her as well. She looked over when her friend, Lizzie, walked in to refill her drink and looked over at Davina with a laugh before looking at Ashton, "You might want to watch this one. She looks like she's about one drink away from being all over you." Lizzie teased before walking out of the room. Davina smiled and nodded slightly at Ashton, "It's true. Maybe even only half a drink and I might end up kissing you or something." She admitted with a grin. Of course, Davina wasn't against the idea at all. Her eyes wandered to his lips, that truly looked very kissable before she looked back up at him and batted her eyelashes at him with a smile.

---

"I know plenty of people who are friends with their exes. I don't understand why we can't just try." He grumbled with a frown before she spoke again, "You're not even trying, Aria!" He defended with a huff. He took a long swig from his drink and frowned. He knew he was being a bit dramatic, and he could see where she was coming from, but he hated that this was now twice that something could work out for the best and she wasn't even going to try to make it happen. He knew that her excuse for not wanting to upset his relationship with Danielle was bullshit and Luke wanted to call her out on it, but he wouldn't because he was trying to be her friend not piss her off.

Ashton was mildly surprised by both Davina's and her friend's words but his gaze settled on Davina and he offered a small grin in response. "That so?" he asked with an arched brow before he tilted his head slightly. "I guess there's no point in trying to stop you from drinking, then. Do you have to drink for me to be kissable, though?" He, admittedly, was a little curious. Would she find him attractive or even worth noticing if she didn't have alcohol in her system? He tried not to think about it.

---

Aria wasn't sure how to reply to his words and she found herself staring at him for a few moments. A frown soon formed on her features and she glanced away. "You want me to try? Why? When I'm not over you and you're over me, why would I put myself through that?" she asked before she settled her gaze on him again, her eyes narrowing. "As if it wasn't painful enough having to break up with you when I left, now you want me to watch you be happy with somebody else?"

@ momentai.
Davina shook her head with a smile, "I could sober up right now and you would still be very kissable." She stated and set down her drink, to show she was serious, "I noticed how attractive you were from the moment I sat down next to you in class." She added. It was true, she wasn't going to deny it at all. Ashton was hot, there were not doubts about that.

---

Luke frowned, wanting to admit that he wasn't over her, but he did have a girlfriend and even he knew that would be wrong, "What can I do to make you come back into my life, Aria?" He questioned. He wanted to do whatever he could in order to get her back into his life. Thing had never felt the same after she left. Luke was different because of their break up, and he really was just different because of Aria in general.

"Oh? That's interesting information," Ashton said with a small grin. For a moment, he ducked his head, taking in her words as he couldn't help but to enjoy hearing them. Sure, he knew girls found him attractive and such, but he happened to like this girl in return, so it was a little different. "In that case, you should have gone ahead and done so that first day. I certainly wouldn't have had any objections then - and I wouldn't now, either."

---

Eying him, Aria wasn't sure what to tell him or how to answer his question when any answer she came up with didn't seem like a good enough answer at all. "Just... Give it time, Luke," she said after a moment before she sighed quietly. "Either we'll fall back into the original friendship routine or we'll just forget about each other. We can't force ourselves to be friends with each other and we can't force each other to do that, either."

@ momentai.
Davina formed a huge smile on her face when he said he wouldn't have any objections to them kissing, but decided to play hard to get since she was feeling ballsy, "Well now that you're expecting it, I'm going to have to wait until you're not." She replied with a smirk. She picked up her drink again and took a few more sips before she sat the cup back down and took Ashton's hand, "Come on. Let's go somewhere private." Davina said before pulling him out of the kitchen and to the back porch. There was not a lot of people out there, and Davina eyed up a nice outdoor sofa that the two could sit on.

---

Luke's face formed a frown as he listened to Aria's words. He sighed and nodded, "Alright." He said blankly. Luke had no idea how to respond to this, but he supposed that she had a point, though he wished she didn't, "Well then now what?" He questioned. He didn't want to force her to be in his company for the night because that literally went against everything she just said, but he also didn't want to leave because he would rather spend his time with her even if it was awkward.

A chuckle left Ashton's lips but he nodded slightly in understanding. "I'll be anxiously awaiting it, in that case," he told her, though he idly thought about being the first to kiss her. He doubted she would expect it, considering they were only talking about her kissing him. He'd have to wait for the right moment, though, which was why it was so easy for him to allow her to tug him away. "At least the party's not as loud out here," he mentioned with a grin as he sat next to her.

---

"Now, I'm going to get wasted, because that's definitely the only way I'm going to survive the night," Aria said with a sigh as she glanced down into her empty cup. She doubted he'd be able to stick around for too long, since it was probably only a matter of time before his girlfriend would come to find him. She cringed at the thought but offered a smile up at him. "Besides, it's my first college party. Might as well go all out," she joked lightly before she turned to go refill her cup.

@ momentai.
Davina smiled at his words, the sentence actually causing her to blush a little bit. She quickly sat down on the couch she had spotted. She nodded in agreement at his words, "Much more quieter out here...more prettier." She said as she looked up at the sky, smiling at how many stars were out and how bright they were that night. Davina always loved the stars, and her being drunk wasn't going to take that love away, "I was always an astronomy nerd in high school. The whole thought of space just fascinates me." She said randomly.

---

Luke frowned at her words, not liking the idea of her getting drunk at a college party, but knowing that he couldn't stop her. He sighed and nodded before he looked around to find Calum, hoping to get him to watch over her. Luke would try his best, but knowing his girlfriend, once she found him, she wasn't going to let him get far again. He needed Calum to be able to watch out for Aria and make sure that no guys tried to take advantage of her, "If you need me, find me."

Ashton watched her as he listened to her talk, though his expression softened while he watched her watch the sky. "Astronomy, huh?" he repeated after a moment, "Is that what you're here for?" He, admittedly, was curious. He didn't know much about her, he realized, but he wanted to learn more about her. He wanted to get to know her. Before now, he just hadn't had the chance to do so. "I don't think the sky and space compare to you, though."

---

"Hm? Of course. I wouldn't be able to depend on anybody else to get morons to leave me alone," Aria mentioned casually, though she soon refilled her cup and took a sip before she glanced around a bit. "Though everybody else seem pretty absorbed in their own things, so I doubt there's anything to worry about." For now, anyways, but she didn't want Luke worrying over possibilities or anything.

@ momentai.
Davina shook her head, "Actually no. I'm a journalism major." She said with a small smile. His following words caused her face to turn a deep red and she couldn't stop the smile on her face, "Cheesy, but I'll let it pass." Davina stated with a small laugh. It was clear it wasn't that cheesy because it still made her blush, "So what are you here for, huh?"

---

Luke sighed at her words and shook his head, "I can get Calum to stick by your side so people don't bother you...or I could stay with you..." He suggested, not wanting to push anything. He looked around, not seeing his girlfriend anywhere, so he decided he wouldn't go looking if he really didn't care in the first place.

​"Journalism, huh?" Ashton asked with a small grin, "So, do you want to be a journalist or a news anchor or something?" Against, he was still very curious about her. He felt like there was so much to learn about her and, since he wasn't sure that he'd get an opportunity like this again, he wanted to learn as much as he could about her tonight. "Even if it was cheesy, it seemed to affect you," he teased as he nudged her, though he shrugged slightly. "Right now, I'm undeclared. I'm hoping to find something that interests me enough, though."

---

A huge part of Aria wanted to agree to him sticking around. She'd always loved spending time with Luke and had missed being around him when she had moved away. In all honesty, she'd give anything to just be able to spend a while longer around him, but she knew that was selfish. She'd been selfish enough, she knew that, because she'd broken up with him and yet she was the one making things difficult and mentioning she'd missed him. "You don't have to," she assured him, "I don't want you to get in trouble with your girlfriend."​

@ momentai.
"Journalist. I don't think I would be able to be in front of a camera. I get stage fright pretty easily." She replied. When teased her, the shade of her face deepened even more, "I could see you being a music major." She stated as she leaned against the back of the couch and looked at him, "You just look like a musician." She explained.

---

Luke shook his head at her words, "She's probably with her friends. I'm not really worried about it. I'm not a huge fan of her friends anyway." He admitted. He knew it was a bad thing to say, but her friends were so bitchy and he hated being around them. Plus Danielle was always so much different around them and treated him like shit when they were around, but when they weren't, she was clingy and always begging for attention. It pissed him off to no end.

​"Be sure to let me know if anything you write gets published," Ashton told her with a small grin, though he nodded to her words. "I do love music," he admitted before he rubbed the back of his neck. "So many stories can be told through music. A couple of my friends are really into music, too, and we occasionally play together."

---

There was quite a bit of relief that showed on Aria's features once she heard his words, but she was quick to force it away and she offered a small grin. "You sure? Dealing with drunk me isn't always fun, you know," she joked lightly, though part of her worried that drunk her would flirt with Luke. She didn't want to make things awkward.​

@ momentai.
Davina nodded, "Will do. I plan to write about music so if or when you get into the industry, I might end up writing about you." She said and then smiled, "What do you play?" She questioned. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but she had always had a guilty pleasure for musicians. They were her weakness. She loved music so much in general and so any guy that would be able to just sing or play an instrument was instantly attractive in her book.

---

Luke nodded, "I can handle it." He said with a laugh. To be honest, he just didn't want to leave Aria. If she was drunk, then she was drunk, at least he would be spending time with her. Luke figured that drunk Aria was still probably more enjoyable to be around then Danielle sober and way more enjoyable than Danielle drunk, so he would prefer to stick around with her.

"I play the drums," Ashton told her, though his grin broadened and he nudged her again. "Guess you should keep an eye out for me when we get famous, huh? I'm sure you'd be able to find a lot to write about when it comes to us," he joked lightly. Mostly, he was just trying to maintain her attention. If she was so interested in writing about music, it meant he might get to see her after graduating from uni, if he continued his interest in his and his friends' makeshift band. "You'll come to our concerts and stuff, right?" he asked.

---

"You say that now, but you won't be saying that when I'm trying to steal your shirt because it looks soft and fluffy," Aria joked with a small grin, though she shrugged slightly as she finished off her cup. It wasn't entirely a joke, though, and she was sure they both knew that; she'd stolen his shirt before when she got drunk, but it had always been because it smelled like him and helped her sleep when the alcohol was making her feel like the world was swirling around her.

@ momentai.
Davina smiled when he said that he played drums, "That's a new one. Usually guys I meet that say they're musicians say the play the guitar, but the drums. I don't hear that one often. To be honest I always thought the drums were the best instrument." She admitted, "Anyone can learn to play guitar, but you have to have a certain patience and talent to be able to play drums." She explained. When he said she would have to keep an eye out for his band, she nodded, "I certainly will." Davina replied with a smile, "I expect a ticket for me at every show."

---

Luke shrugged, "You've done it before. You act like I've never handled a drunk you before." He teased before he filled up his own cup. He didn't plan on drinking a lot in order to make sure that no one fucked with Aria, but he also didn't want to say something stupid while drunk to her, so he figured he would play it safe and make sure that didn't happen, "But you know I would give you my shirt if you asked for it."