Rule 24 (Not proofread so please ignore any mistakes - Ta!)

"Hey, sweetie," my mum cooed and I stirred, grumbling under my breath. When I opened my eyes, she was standing above me with a small smile on her face.

"What time is it?" I asked, my voice muffled by the quilt cover. She smiled and pushed on my stomach to get me to move. I sat up and moved to lean against the headboard, giving her a tired look.

"Eight. I thought you'd rather be up earlier to pack," she said with a hint of despair to her voice.

"I've already packed," I admitted, biting on my lip.

I'd had a total of seven arguments with Melinda since coming home, granted I didn't get off to the best start with the arse comment, but she still provoked me every five minutes. My dad and I had also made a point of not talking at all. I joined everyone for my first dinner since being home, but the deafening silence just made it awkward.

Ash's mother had also emailed me a job and I'd been tirelessly working to try and get the campaign ready for when I went back to live with Dev. Dev had also called the night I was taken home to let me know that his spare room was always open for me.

"I hate that you're so desperate to leave," my mum repeated and I let out a deep breath.

"I wouldn't be if he was more like you," I mumbled and moved my legs up to sit cross legged. Mum didn't say anything, but I knew she wouldn't. She loved my dad and despite our fall outs, she would never talk about him cruelly afterwards.

"This is from both of us," she said, handing me a small box. "Happy Birthday," she added and I smiled, taking the neatly packed wrapped present from her. She watched me eagerly as I tore open the paper and opened the wooden box that was awaiting inside.

"Thank you, I love it," I said, reaching up to hug her. She wrapped her fragile arms around me and sighed, her warm breath hitting my bare shoulder. When I pulled back, I grinned down at the box of new pencils and pastels, which would make my life in advertising so much easier.

"Hopefully they do you good," she said and I smiled.

"They most definitely will," I agreed, skimming my eyes over the variety of stationary.

She left me to change and went to make breakfast. I was planning on visiting the train tracks before I went back to Manchester, just to say my final goodbyes.

"Alexandra," my dad greeted when I got downstairs. I froze on the final step and he sighed, taking in my cold expression. "I don't want an argument, I just want a mature, adult conversation."

"Happy Birthday to me," I grumbled to myself as I followed him into the front room. Surprisingly, Melinda wasn't there, only two empty sofas.

"Take a seat, Alexandra," he said. I rolled my eyes and dropped onto the cushions, giving him an impatient look.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest uncomfortably.

"College," he started, but I cut him off.

"No."

"Hear me out."

"No," I repeated. He just gave me an irritated glare and breathed out deeply through his nose.

"I want you to keep this brochure," he started, handing me the brochure to the business college. "In case something with this advertising goes wrong. Your course will be paid for and put on hold for the next two years should something happen," he told me and cleared his throat.

"Brilliant, thanks," I muttered, pushing myself to my feet. Even after showing my mum my work, he still seemed to think I'd need help from home.

"I mean it," he reiterated. I nodded and pushed open the door to the kitchen.

"I know."

Breakfast passed far too slowly, leaving me listen to Melinda rant on about her work and my dad lecture us all on the importance of defence in law. I made an early break to go to the train tracks.

I left my bags at home, knowing that I'd have to either get the train up or bribe my mum to drive me, and took off for the florist before visiting the tracks.

The stones hit against my ankles as I tromped past the gate and into the terrain. The tree, where flowers to remember Daniel once rested, seemed empty and dead in the autumn leaves. A lump formed in my throat as the eerie silence settled around me. Nothing could be heard, not even the sound of a chirping bird.

I sat down by the trunk of the tree before putting the single rose down next to me and brushing off my legs with a sigh. Staring at the tracks, I felt tears rise, but I quickly blinked them back.

"All for a bloody jacket," I uttered under my breath and rested my chin on my knees. The scene still played out in front of me, even in the open light. Daniel slurring his words as he stumbled back onto the tracks for my jacket and his moment of shocked realisation when the light shone on him from the train.

The calls of the policemen, the thump of the train and the sound of my scream echoed around me. I jumped when I heard a car door shut. Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed a familiar car with a figure standing beside it. It was Dev's car, so my mum must've told him that I was at the tracks.

"Dev?" I called, glancing back at the tracks. When I stood up, I noticed a mop of hair that definitely wasn't Dev's colour.

"Bye, Daniel," I whispered and gently placed the rose next to the trunk.

Ash was sitting on the bonnet of the car when I closed the gate behind me. The sun was shining on his hair, making it shimmer when he ran his hair through it. When he looked up, his stubble appeared more prominent and his beautiful eyes were smirking.

"Happy Birthday, Love," he greeted when he jumped down from the bonnet and leaned against the side of the car. I smiled and rested my forehead against his chest when I reached him.

"Thank you," I whispered. He gently stroked my hair and pressed a kiss to the crown of my head.

When I opened the door, the false spider that he'd been using to make me jump was waiting for me on the front seat. I jumped and scowled at his grinning face. Throwing it over the top of the car at him, I raised an eyebrow.

"And you said the chilli powder was getting old," I commented, lowering myself into the car. He dismissed me with the wave of his hand and dropped into the car.

"You should be expecting this guy," he said, wiggling the hairy toy in my face before throwing it onto the backseats.

I took one last look out at the tracks and Ash sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"I didn't want to..." he paused and I smiled.

"I know, thank you." He offered me a curt nod before putting the car into drive and slowly pulling away to go back to the house.

When we got there, Ash shuffled from foot to foot as I opened the door. I gave him a curious glance before remembering the fall out that he and my dad had before I moved back for the week. He must've met my mum, otherwise he wouldn't have known where to find me.

I walked into the kitchen, grabbing Ash's hand and dragging him with me.

"Mum, this is Ash," I introduced and my mum looked up, grinning.

"I met him about ten minutes ago. Nice to meet you," she said with a warm smile. It dropped from her face when my dad came through behind us and practically growled.

"I don't want you in here," my dad sneered.

"Andrew," my mum interrupted and shot him a look. "He's Alex's boyfriend, I want him here," she countered and offered Ash a drink. He politely (shockingly enough) declined and followed me upstairs to get my bags.

My dad's eyes followed Ash as he walked up the stairs, following behind me.

"He hates me," Ash hissed and I chuckled, pushing my door open.

"You did kick him out of your flat," I justified. He just rolled his eyes and looked around my room at the various drawings and paintings I'd done.

"For good reason," he grumbled in response. I checked through my bags and followed Ash's eye line to a few photos on the wall. There was one of Daniel and I, one of me and my old group of friends and another of my mum and I.

His eyes further scanned a drawing I'd done and he smirked, scratching the nape of his neck.

"Your dad must be blind. Those are incredible," he murmured, putting his hand out to help me up from my crouched position.

"They're alright." I reached up to grab his hand, but last minute, he yanked it away and I fell back down on my arse. I narrowed my eyes at his amused expression and used the bed to get to my feet.

"Rule twenty four, be nice on birthdays," I said with a pout. He kissed my lips gently before gripping my hips and pulling me closer.

"I'll be very nice to you later," he whispered and kissed me again. My arms wrapped around his neck. He pulled away and looked to the side, where Melinda was leaning in the doorway.

She didn't say anything as Ash grabbed my bags and silently took them down to the car. He whispered that he'd wait for me down there.

"Not got your innocence anymore then," she chided.

"Lost that two years ago today, actually," I sniped and grabbed my handbag. She sneered as I skimmed past her and started down the stairs.

"You're not giving yourself a very good representation, you know," she added. I shrugged.

"I don't really care. I was in love and for my sixteenth, I had sex." My simple statement made her pause from behind me, but eventually she caught up and joined me in the kitchen, where I was going to be saying goodbye to my mum.

I didn't say much to my dad, nor did he say much to me. Melinda said a simple 'bye' with a startling lack of emotion and my mum hugged me so tightly, I was worried that she'd cut off my circulation.

Ash was waiting patiently in the car, tapping out the tune of the radio on the steering wheel.

"Alright?" he asked. I offered a nod and a short 'yep' before getting in the car and putting on the seatbelt.

We'd been driving for a few minutes when Ash finally got onto a main road, rather than smaller country roads.

"How did they find out?" he asked. I sighed and shook my head. I'd asked that question the minute that my dad had calmed down.

"He said someone called Nathaniel at the college, my art tutor, had called and said that I hadn't been attending," I explained and Ash rolled his eyes.

"Dev and Sid finally got together," he offered and I grinned, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye.

"About time."

Ash took a turn onto the motorway but turned off about half an hour before we were supposed to. I gave him a strange look, but he just smirked at me and looked at the road.

"What?"

"Where are you going?" I questioned, but he just ignored me.

"Ash!" I'd said his name a good dozen times, but he merely turned the radio up and started singing along in a god awful voice to the song.

When Ash finally pulled into one of the side roads, I saw a sign for Manchester. We never got that far, though.

We ended up at a small house on the outskirts on Manchester, where Ash just grabbed my bags and then took them inside. He didn't come back out, so I followed him inside.

It was only a small, one bedroom bungalow with a confined kitchen and tiny bathroom. I found Ash in the bedroom, with a stack of my favourite films on the bedside table.

"Come on, we've got somewhere else to be," he said and twisted me around.

"Where?" I pushed, but he didn't tell me anything.

We walked alone some quiet pavements, until Ash stopped and ushered me into a small building. When we got inside, he flicked the lights on, revealing a wall full of art. I raised my eyebrows and looked around at the room. Each of the walls contained a certain artist and the middle of the room featured with several sculptures.

"All of those are..." I started and he smirked, pulling me against him.

"Your favourites, I know." I looked at him in shock and he smiled. "Mum had a spare gallery that she didn't fundraise or want like the others. We pulled a few strings and this is your gallery," he explained. I couldn't physically put any words together to thank him, I was too shocked.

"Ash... I," I started and he grinned, kissing me softly.

"You're welcome," he said simply. We walked around and Ash followed me patiently, watching me take in the artwork, the sculptures and the private studio to the right hand side where all my stationary and sketchbooks were waiting. A few of my paintings already adorned the walls.

It wasn't until I got to the final wall that I recognised my own work.

"You're absolutely incredible," I whispered, hugging his waist tightly. "Thank you so much," I added and kissed his chest.

The chuckle vibrated through to my cheek and he let out a deep breath.

"At least with you here, I won't have to live with you at home," he said, pulling away. I scoffed.

"I'll stay here purely to get away from you and your bloody spider," I retorted.

Ash and I made camp on the floor and I ordered pizza, not allowing him to pay for anything else.

"I've got something for you," I said, reaching into my hand bag. Ash watched with interest as I pulled out a chain with a small metal pendent on the end.

"What is it?" he asked, eyeing the chain.

"In metal work, when I was in school, I made a small 'A' to symbolise my name," I told him. He nodded. "Well, it's brought me good luck," I added. "I met you, I met Sid, I met Daniel and I got through life with my dad. I've always worn it," I continued to explain.

Ash gently took it and I smiled, moving around him to clasp the chain.

"Your name begins with an A too, I want you to wear this at the race," I said from behind him and he stiffened. Reaching back, he grabbed me and pulled me around him to sit on his lap. He pushed my hair back behind my ear and kissed my lips.

"Thank you," he said, offering me a small, sincere smile.

Ash and I finished our food at the gallery and then made our way back to the bungalow. We didn't pay much attention to the film, because we were too busy kissing.

I sat on Ash's waist and kissed his neck. His hands gently grasped my waist and twisted us over. He placed his knee between my legs and continued to kiss me. When it started to get more passionate, Ash gave me a small look, gently holding onto the bottom of my shirt. I smirked and whisked it off, kissing him to tell him that it was ok.

"I'd better get birthday sex on my birthday," Ash whispered after we'd finished, and pulled me to his side. I rested my cheek on his chest and closed my eyes.

"Be nice and you might," I whispered back.

We laid in silence for a while and I sighed, smiling as I looked up at his sleeping form.

"You are something else, Asher Toms," I mumbled before succumbing to the exhaustion.

To answer these two questions that have been asked a few times: yes, she still lives with Dev as it says above about him telling her the spare room is always there for her. Ash took her to the bungalow for her birthday. And yes, they did get down and dirty...

A/N: Hope you liked it, lemme know what you think. I appreciate all votes and comments, they help me write faster as I know you're all waiting on me. Hope this was ok and the next update will be within the next week, as I know what's going to be in the next chapter.

Until next time, wattpadians!