Ashley POV "Sweetie? We are so sorry that we have not been able to call you back until now. Jayden's parents have been in a frenzy since noon, trying to find a cheap ticket back to Beverly. We did not worry you, did we?" As it turned out, it was my parents who called me. My dad's gentle, low, humming voice comforted my ears. Truth be told, I was a little worried when they did not answer my phone calls even during lunch. I had left a voicemail that I had something important to tell them but had no time to think about it anymore because of school matters and battle plans. By battle, I mean the battle against Jayden's amnesia. "Did you know that their son had an accident last night?" The piercing voice of my mom pierced through the phone line, making me wince. She was a beautiful, strong, determined woman, and the woman I admired most in the entire world, but her voice could cut through diamonds. "Yeah," I said, holding the phone slightly away from my ear and turning down the volume
Ashley POV Not even bothering to say goodbye, I simply ended the call abruptly. But still, I could hear my mom's voice, like a spell being cast inside my skull. Her words felt coiled around me and pierced my skin, like cold metal razor wire, and I felt like I really wanted to punch one of the mailboxes around the building. Seeing that it would cause ten times more damage than I could ever hope to, so I better leaned my forehead against the cold concrete wall and tried my hardest not to scream out in anger, frustration, or whatever you want to call the swirl of emotions churning inside my stomach. Just around the same time, there was the sound of the double glass doors opening behind me and two to three pairs of feet rushing inside, probably because they wanted to get away from the cold immediately. I did not pay much attention to the faint familiarity of their voices as they promptly started whispering loudly. I did not even notice anyone approaching me until they touched my shoulde
Ashley POVI was surprised by the offer at first, but I quickly turned it down. I know it sounds crazy that I was asked to have dinner with the most popular Pop Idol Boy Band currently in the world and I turned it down. Even a lot of people out there are dying for it. But here I am turning it down.Hunter shook his head with a slight smile. "I think it's time we got to know each other. Or what do you think, Jamie?"Jamie who was standing beside Tyler, chatting quietly, when he turned around. "Did we really buy enough food for all of us?" he asked hesitantly."We did buy the usual amount," Hunter replied. "And I highly doubt that she will eat more than Jayden."It seemed Tyler wanted to open his mouth to make a remark but Hunter quickly shut him up. "You are not allowed to say anything," Hunter chimed in. "What do you think Jayden would say or do if he saw the way you treated Ashley?""There is nothing. She doesn't even like us," Tyler said in a cold voice. "Jayden told me that she wou
Ashley POV So I followed them into their apartment. Frankly speaking, I had not expected that this house inhabited by seven dudes might be the cleanest house in the world, but it turned out to be much worse than I had imagined. What used to be used to take care of the needs of a family of four or five people, had now turned into a home for seven hotties and handsome bachelors, to be frank. I could only imagine how often they ordered delivery food like pizza or Chinese food if they liked or fought over the two bathrooms that I could see at each end of the narrow hallway that spanned the apartment. Tyler was the fastest to kick off his sneakers and hurry down the hallway, with Hunter following close behind. "Hello? Is everyone home?" "We are home!" Hunter called out cheerfully. "And we have a guest!" As I tried not to stare at the floor-to-ceiling shelves full of shoes and various beauty products that completely covered the east wall of the hallway. They were lucky that there were n
Ashley POV "That doesn't make sense," Tyler said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Jayden told me that you guys don't like each other, and you can't even stand him. So tell me why?" "I just..." I was trying to find the right words. And yet, my mind was a mess, so I had no choice but to follow the second commanding voice, which was the heart and feelings of the wolf inside me. "If you were me," I started gingerly, "would you let the son of your parents' best friend lose sight of his childhood dreams? I have known Jayden pretty much my whole life - we grew up together, spent every vacation together, and celebrated everything from birthdays, life, and death together. He can be a jerk at times, you could say, but he was always there for me when no one else was. You might think that my family's wealth and good name earn me friends wherever I go, but it's the opposite. It wasn't. All my life, I have always felt like I lived by myself." To tell you the truth, I had not intended fo
Ashley POV Being stared at by him, I swallowed hard, so I cautiously unzipped my jacket and hung it on the chair, and placed my backpack under the chair. Feeling uncomfortable just sitting there, I got up to my feet while smoothing my hair with a hair tie and poked my head into the kitchen. "Is there anything I can help you with?" I asked. Jean, who was giving instructions to Jackson, stopped and looked at me over Jackson's shoulder. "No, you don't have to worry. You can just sit with the others." Well, frankly, I would not have minded sitting down and just observing their activities if it was not for Miles' lurking gaze as if I were his prey. But since I couldn't say that, I just smiled sheepishly. "I'm not used to being around so many guys," I told them. "Don't you have any cousins or brothers?" "No one." My smile slackened a little. "It's a small family." "By the way, how long are you going to stay here?" asked Jackson. He had already started washing vegetables in the sink.
Ashley POV"Wh-what?"Then I looked down at the tiny silver band of gold metal between Miles's fingers. I could not believe what was exactly going on. How could Jayden's ring be in his hand?"It was a simple question." He cut me off before I could reply. "And don't try to lie to me. I can see through that kind of shit." He sneered at me, his voice full of accusation. What was wrong with him anyway?"How did you know?" I asked while gripping the handles of my duffel bag and laptop bag. "Did he tell you?""Not really," he answered dryly. "I happened to overhear his argument with his parents a while ago, about his intention to cancel his 'marriage'. Though to be fair I'm not sure who he had to marry against his will..." Miles stared sharply at my now ring-less finger. "I briefly saw the ring on your finger yesterday at the stadium and at the healing center when you were with him. It makes perfect sense given the two of you's strange relationship and the timing of the accident, as if it w
Ashley POVI was putting on my shoes when a door almost slammed into my face. My bad, it had become a bad habit, but as I dodged, I could not help but yelp in surprise. Jean came stepping out of the bathroom, strangely wearing a jacket and looking at me with a quizzical gaze."I was just wondering if maybe I could help carry these things," he told me, then he gestured towards some canvas bags lying on the shelf. "Those are Jayden's favorite shoes. You should probably bring them too since he buys them all himself." Then I simply gave him a nod.In the elevator going down, Jean and I stood as I texted David to pick me up. But as the two of us walked out of the building carrying Jayden's belongings, Jean unexpectedly asked if he could carry more, an offer which of course I politely turned down. Shortly after, I already spotted David who was outside waiting for me."Thank you for your help," I said to Jean and David after they finished loading the luggage into the trunk. "I had no idea ho
Ashley POVIf my brain wasn’t so clouded with exhaustion and alcohol, I might’ve reacted properly to what he just said. But right now, I was way more drunk than I wanted to admit. I pushed aside every thought fighting for space in my head, whether real or not, because his body heat and the scent of white musk, soap, and just him made something inside me shiver with longing. I didn’t trust myself in this state. I didn’t trust myself when my lips were this close to his neck, where his scent was strongest.So instead, I focused on one thing— holding on."Ash, I have a question."He had already reached the second floor, adjusting his grip on me. I glanced at him, curious, urging him to continue. "Shoot.""I was wondering if you’d come to our show at the end of May," he said quietly as he stepped onto the last staircase. "I know it’s around finals, but..." I felt him swallow hard. "I want you to be there. To see us, to see me... perform."I pretended to think about it for a second, but hon
Ashley POVAll the attention from seven pairs of expectant eyes suddenly weighs me down. I rub my palms together, trying to shake off those stares, and then it hits me.I give Jayden a simple smile and bump my head against his. "Something embarrassing from your childhood, Jayden."He narrows his eyes, snorting. "That’s like a double-edged sword you’re playing with, Ash."I shrug. "I’m not the type who can’t tell the difference between fairies and dwarves in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.""Seriously?" Jax asks."Plenty more," I reply."Ash," Jayden says, his tone carrying a warning, yet there's a hint of embarrassment and worry in his caramel-brown eyes."If we drink, we’ll figure it out," Jean says flatly, not at all impressed by my suggestion. "That’s a bad bet, Miles. Don’t even think about it.""Not at all," I replied coolly. "I can handle my drink better than anyone at this table, I promise. So you’re not gonna get something from me that I don’t wanna share.""Sounds almost like
Ashley POV“Hey,” I said as I sat down beside Miles— the seat that had indirectly become my choice simply because it was the closest to where I had been standing near the door. Besides, I felt like I knew him better than anyone else here— except for Jayden, of course.Jayden had just taken a seat across from me when an argument broke out between him and Jean over what to order and how much. Miles set his half-empty drink down on the table and was forced to lean in closer to me just to be heard over their rapidly escalating banter— or rather, a full-blown dispute.“Did something happen on the way here?” he asked.“Just the usual traffic,” I said with a grimace. “For some reason, today felt unbearably long.”“We started without you two.”“Yeah, Jayden already told me. It’s fine.” I rubbed my arm. It wasn’t surprising that Miles smelled faintly of beer and food, but that scent was only temporary, merely clinging to him. This close, I could pick up a mix of coconut, aftershave, and the fr
Ashley POVIn the end, they won the award. I found out about it as I was stealing glances at Eva, who was watching the live broadcast in one of my classes, and almost cried when the winner was announced. She was so overjoyed that even when Jayden called during lunch to update me with the situation there, she was even bold enough to congratulate him, albeit timidly, which amused me. Since he was in a hurry, he hung up as soon as he told me about their victory... Needless to say, I had to mention it though, and as much as it left a bitter taste in my mouth, my mood turned to joy as I recalled Friday.The rest of the week passed by in a blur and before I knew it, it was time for me to meet the band members of Boyz Hits Bullet on May 26th.Four days left until the show began.Four more days until everything I had been putting in would come to fruition.Four more days until my place in Jayden Keller's life would be wiped out.It was between half past seven and eight in the evening, with tr
Ashley POVAfter hearing the sound of the front door key, I nearly snapped the pen in my mouth out of sheer frustration. But I didn’t. Instead, I put the pen down and took a long, deep breath. Pushing the pain in my heart out of my mind— something that felt both easier and harder to do each time.Easier, because I knew I could suppress the pain with sheer willpower, and willpower was something I rarely lacked. Harder, because a part of me, the part buried deep within my wolf, actually wanted the suffering to stay. It was masochistic, purely so, but the act of stitching my shattered heart back together was starting to feel comforting, even satisfying.Anything to fill the void Jayden left when he returned to the apartment he shared with his friends.Days turned into weeks. News about Jayden and Blair’s relationship swept through the entire city and the international world— Hollywood. The night their Instagram post went viral like wildfire. Before long, fans of both pop stars gathered u
Ashley POVFor a while, it was eerily quiet. The weather had changed, from cloudy to sunny, and a gentle breeze caressed my cheeks. As I sat there, I couldn't believe that I had told Eva everything. Nevertheless, an overwhelming sense of relief filled my chest as I reflected on my decision. For two and a half months, I had kept my thoughts and actions to myself with no one to talk to... and now, finally, I had her to share them with.I couldn't help but wonder, would I feel relieved by making a decision with Jayden after everything was over?Out of the blue, Eva got up from the bench, rubbing her back simultaneously. “Get up,” she demanded. “Why don't we grab some lunch?”“We should probably call the professors first and tell them about why we skipped class,” I replied as I looked at the campus building, guilt weighing on my shoulders.“Fine, do that while walking. I'm starving.”As I made the call, she took me to a cheap Chinese restaurant near the university. The restaurant was too
Ashley POV“...and now we're here.”Swallowing hard, I checked her phone, which I kept holding on to for some reason. I saw that it was getting close to lunch time. We had been talking nonstop for almost four hours, and I could feel it physically. My throat and mouth felt as if they were chewing and swallowing sand, but I was almost too scared to take a moment to breathe in between sentences, let alone to go and buy some water. Because if I stopped talking, I don't think I could start again. It was an unbelievably long, strange, and emotionally exhausting story to tell. I almost didn't even realize that I had skipped class.“Now we're here.” She leaned back on the bench and looked up at the gloomy sky. Her face showed a serious expression that was a bit of a cross between amused and surprised. I couldn't blame her. If the roles were reversed, I would most likely laugh or deny it altogether.“You trust me, right?” I asked, or rather, muttered.“Of course,” she replied quickly. “I just.
Ashley POVThe next day on the way to the first classroom, Eva abruptly lunged at me outside the main building. Although I had expected it, she still managed to catch me by surprise as she pulled me to the side of the road.“Is it true?” she asked, her voice trembling with anticipation. She was wearing a light midnight blue coat with a hint of red on her lips and nails. “Are they really going out?”“Yes,” I replied simply, trying to release her grip on my wrist, but her grip was strong, and alas, so was she.“Do you have any idea what this means? For them as celebrities? For the industry as a whole?”“Eva,” I scolded sternly as several passersby looked at me curiously. “Our class starts in less than five minutes. Do we really have to do this now?”“Now or later during class, you decide.”“You're a nasty friend.”“Say it for both of us then.”Realizing that she wasn't going to give in, I gave up on getting away from her with a loud groan. Instead, I pulled her further out of earshot an
Ashley POVKnowing that Jared still had office work to do, while I still had college work to do, we decided to go our separate ways after that. As we waited for David to arrive to pick me up, Jared went to the nearest secluded area where he could smoke a cigarette, while I checked my phone to see if there were any notifications.To my astonishment, Jayden had sent me a picture of his bandage-free, pink-colored right arm, with a text.16.45 - Freedom! They told me not to worry too much about the arm, but it was technically healed and functioning again. Time to see if I can get you in a wrestling match again.I gave a small snort in reply, but the smile that appeared on my face was lighter than air.17.58 - I never lost when we were kids. Don't try to trick me. I'm not going to strangle your freshly recovered arm either, you idiot.His reply comes shortly after.18.00 - Come on! Live up to your nickname, Miss Violent! When are you coming home?It seems like he's in a happy mood, but I c