Tick.

Just like the many other messages that I had received from the number, the words were often sent individually, so I waited for the wave of notifications to follow.

Tock.

I tapped my thumb impatiently on the device waiting for the next message.

But it never came.

I gulped.

With my brain going into overdrive with all of the thinking, I completely forgot about the cartoon playing.

Was it just a silly game?

How would they know anyway? No-one other than me knows...

"Holy shit you look like you've seen a ghost." Becca's croaky voice spoke.

That was it.

What if 'UNKNOWN' is a ghost?

"But Ash, they'll be back any minute n-" I silenced her by placing a finger on her full lips.

"We have time." I whispered and smirked when she began to lean back onto the mattress.

She hungrily wrapped her arms around my back as I propped myself on top of her.

In all of her hurry, she unbuttoned the shirt that I was wearing with one hand whilst pushing away the laptop with the other.

I didn't move.

Becca's beauty will forever catch me off guard. She was really something.

"What?" She asked, but I just smiled at her and shook my head.

"You're beautiful." I finished and if it were anyone else, I would have probably cringed. But with Becca, I found myself saying these sort of things.

"Ew." She stated but the grin that she was housing said otherwise along with her rosy cheeks.

"Let's put that mouth to better use shall we?" I asked and planned to pull her into a slow kiss.

But, Becca being Becca, decided to pull her lips onto mine first.

I smiled into the kiss and her manicured hands wrapped around my neck to soon deepen it.

With my shirt already lying in a crumpled pile on the clean floor, our lips continued our effortless movements whilst my hands hooked onto the clasp of her bikini top.

I pulled away, leaving my hands on her as I met her eyes.

Knowing what my eye contact was asking, she nodded reassuringly. After all, it was all that it took for me to remove her clothing and plant a trail of kisses across her chest.

In all of our intimate moments, I had never seen Becca so flustered.

With heat rising to her cheeks, her hands darted to her face to conceal her embarrassment.

Her perfect little dimples either side of her lips peaked through gaps in her hands which calmed me as I knew that she was smiling.

I gently tugged at them, wanting to know for definite if I had done something wrong, but she eventually removed them herself.

I didn't even try to hide the concern in my face as her eyes met mine.

We didn't speak.

But she smiled.

Binging a finger to my forehead, she smoothed out my furrowed brows and I finally softened my gaze to allow the tugging at my lips to form a smile like Beccas.

But no smile would ever be quite like Becca's.

"You're too good to be true Ashton." She muttered and took her finger to my arm and traced it along the muscle in small swirls.

I planted a quick kiss on her lips and pulled back so my head directly above hers.

"And you now know what I think everytime that I look at you Rebecca Brooke." I whispered, feeling extremely exposed from opening up to her like this.

She ruffled my hair and scrunched her face.

"Look at us being all cringe." She giggled.

"Only for you." I teased and brushed my nose against hers.

"So...-" She began.

"So...-" I continued, a comfortable silence filling the strange tension in the air.

Yes, It was short. Yes, I was finding it strange to see this softer side to Becca. But the butterflies in my stomach reminded me of how much that I fucking loved it.

"Let's make this quick." She said and smirked before gathering the strength to playfully roll us both over.

"Tired of me already?" I faked being offended and teased.

"I wish." She remarked and arched her back forwards so that she was pressed against me whilst straddling my crotch.

In all of its glory, that's when I realised.

There was no escaping the way Becca and I felt towards one another. We were equally addicted to the crazy drug.That drug being each other.

We never longed for a person to fill the undiscovered voids that we housed.

We never asked to be helplessly falling for eachother.

With Becca grinding on me and our lips pulling me back into reality, It took one movement to see the door handle descending towards the ground.

The events unfolded so quickly however I managed to remember every detail.

I remember the way that Becca remained oblivious to the opening of my bedroom door.

I remember the way that my eyes bulged with the sound of footsteps echoing across the carpet.

I remember the way that a smaller body haltered in the shadow from the hallway.

I remember the way that I clutched onto the sheets and turned us both around so that Becca was covered in the comfort of the duvet.

I remember the way a distinctive fist collided with my face.

Well shit. I thought.

"This cannot be happening." I groaned and pulled Ashton's shirt from the floor and buttoned it onto myself.

I was huge on me, but not my concern as my brother dragged him into the hallway and pounded into him like a mad-man.

Josie had waited for me -of course- but I couldn't quite understand why she was smiling in the current situations.

"So you and my brother huh?" She nudged me with a raised brow.

"No-No! Oh God." I paused to tug my hands over my face, like I had done not long ago when Ashton had kissed me all over. "Josie, I promise it's n-"

"-Oh give it a rest Bec's. I've shipped you two for years. I'm just annoyed that I had found out like this." She spoke with a laugh at the end of her sentence.

"I'm sorry Jo. You know that I would never dream of doing anything to hurt you in any way." I continued and fiddled with Ashton's shirt that landed mid-thigh.

"It's fine I actua-"

"-And I would love to continue this heart-to-heart Josie but I need to stop these manchilds." I tutted and she agreed before ushering me along to the front drive where both of them were throwing punches whilst shirtless in the scorching heat.

I knew that I would have to stop them. But how?

Be that cliche girl and run between both of them. I would then tell them that if they loved me, then they would stop fighting and talk it out like the adults that we are.

Grab the popcorn and watch. I mean, one has to win right?

Wait for someone else to do something because this is their problem.

Honestly, option two and three sounded the most convincing of the lot. But only one of them sat right with me.

Luckily for me, I didn't have to do it alone as Josie jumped onto Ethan's back and tried to pull him back with her petite size whilst I latched onto Ashton.

It took a while, but once they were both red-knuckles and became fatigued with the strenuous exercise, our job became easier.

They were now panting. Like literal animals, they had to be restrained in order for them to leave each other alone.

"WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?" Josie yelled up to Ethan who's eyes softened when he looked down at her.

"The prick deserved it. No-one touches my sister." Ethan grunted and I suddenly had the urge to punch him.

This time, Ashton had to hold me back.

"ETHAN I'M 19! I MAKE MY OWN CHOICES! DAD ISN'T EVEN AS BAD AS YOU ARE. I DECIDED TO KISS ASHTON ON MY MOTHER-FUCKING TERMS AND YOU NEED TO GET OVER YOURSELF" I screamed and began to wipe away the hot, angry tears that had started streaming down my face.

His eyes didn't meet mine, they didn't dare either as I was pretty sure that smoke was fuming from my ears and nose.

"I know. Look I'm-" Ethan began with his eyes fixed on the ground and chest rising and falling dramatically.

"Save it." I spat and removed myself from Ashtons hold before walking away from the driveway.

I only made it a couple of meters before Josie spoke up.

"No, Becca please wait." Josie sighed in frustration but I kept my back to them.

All of them.

"I need to tell you something." She paused and when I turned around, Ethan had his arm resting on her small waist.

"WE need to tell you something." She said and pulled my brother closer to her side.