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 POVWith my eyes wide open and my mouth agape. I just could not believe my eyes or my ears - to tell you the truth this whole situation made zero damn sense. The day was still as clear as the sky, and Jayden seemed so cool and casual that he let Blair kiss him. I had even hinted, if not outright told him, that Blair was someone he was very much in love with before the accident happened. In fact, I had tried to make the ring - my ring - seem as if Jayden had chosen it for Blair before the case of amnesia. You could say that I had told Jayden that she was his future fiancée, and Blair was still wearing the necklace that was the graduation gift I had bought for Jayden.So, what the hell was he doing?Then Jayden pulled himself away from Blair, paying her no mind as Jayden glanced at the healer. For a few moments, I watched Blair's frozen expression. She looked even more dumbfounded than me. However, it was not long before her eyes soon became teary as Jayden muttered a loud order.
Ashley POV On the way back to Jayden's room, I did not find Clark, although that might as well have been the case. The pain in my head was slowly getting the best of me, creeping up from the back of my skull. Over the past twenty-four hours too much had happened to me. Not only dealing with his cheating, the sudden shock, then even more shocking surprises, the lack of sleep, a school day full of battle plans, a dinner with the band 'BHB' that led to a threat that gave me a heart attack, Jayden's ridiculously rude attitude, and now, like the cherry on top of the cake, I had most likely become the enemy of the most famous model and actress in the whole city, Blair freaking Anderson, despite my best efforts. What a hell of a shitty life. Before walking into Jayden's room, I sucked in a deep breath. It took all the strength I had left to ignore the pain in my head and the soreness in my legs and instead, I tried to crack a smile as best as I could. "Sorry," I said to the healer again,
Ashley POV"What's going on?" A male voice whispered almost directly behind me. I had no idea that Jayden had stood up and started to approach me, and I almost bumped into him out of sheer surprise. Instantly I was shocked to see his shadowy form, though luckily my reflexes were fast enough to keep him out of harm's way."Do you always have to punch things?" he asked in an irritated tone after he had successfully dodged my fist."Don't you know any better than sneaking up on me?" I retorted. "I gave you a nosebleed when we attended a Halloween event a few years ago with our parents and you freaked me out."Then, he furrowed his brow. "I don't remember that," he stated.There was a slight waver in his tone, but it was enough for me to understand that the constant dread of not being able to remember something was eating away at him again. I pursed my lips, reprimanding myself for my lack of tactfulness, then shook my head. "I have the pictures, I guess. I can show them to you later.""W
Ashley POV"Where's your jacket?" I was suddenly astonished when I saw Jayden wearing only the clothes that I had packed for him. The temperature outside was very cold, probably below zero degrees Celsius, and his skin looked very pale due to the chilly air."I wonder," he said. Both of our breaths came out in white gusts. "Amnesia, you know."I let out a sigh, "I would offer mine," I started, "but it might be a bit small.""No, keep it," Jayden said in a rather calm tone. "I don't want you to catch a cold because of me."I snorted, despite the fact that I could feel my heartbeat picking up. However, it was probably just because I was exercising, an action that I was trying to convince myself to do more often. "What a gentleman.""Anything for you," he said sarcastically, even with a slight smile that disguised the impact of his tone.Even if I realized that it was just the most ordinary and light-hearted joke, nevertheless I could not help but smile. And even though it should have fe
Ashley POV Well, "almost" is the key word here. But still, he couldn't seriously walk into the kitchen, where he knew full well that I would be there. And even an idiot like Jayden Ronan Keller wouldn't be able to ignore the fact that, hell yes, I was a woman who had shown some interest in the opposite sex during her childhood. And we were both adults now, moreover, we were both mated and it could make the wolf in us, the beast in us get pulled into that. And yet, he has no reason to get close to me with his appearance and he doesn't even realize the bond we have. His dark brown hair was even darker due to the dampness. No matter how Jayden ruffled his hair to dry it with the towel draped over his shoulder, water still dripped from the ends of his hair. Small droplets dripped in the crooks of his ears and neck, following the shape of his strong shoulders, muscular arms, and well-built body due to the force of gravity. There was a white towel loosely wrapped around his hips - thankf
Jayden POV23.02 - Fine, I'll go get your stuff. See you in five minutes?23.02 - Perfect! Hey, baby, you're not mad at me, right?Rolling my eyes, I replied with the word “No”. To be frank, I'm not mad at her. I'm just tired of her. Blair was prettier than most, very talented, and kind despite being more of a loner than Jean and overall she was a very nice girl. She is the kind of girl that guys dream about, because of her sweet and lovable nature, her graceful and slender figure. In fact, she was exactly what I wanted when I first laid eyes on her. I used to think I could finally fall in love, and it would be with her because she's almost perfect in every way. I mean, how could a guy not like a woman like Blair?At first, it was fun and exciting. I had never had someone... someone who I knew was definitely interested in me and talked to me for twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. She made me break down my walls, to the point where I felt I could trust her. I thought I could
Jayden POV—Flashback a few hours before the accident after the concert in NY in February—“Good job, everyone! That's a wrap for our concert in NY!”Clark escorted the seven of us from backstage to one of the leather couches in the dressing room before darting off somewhere. Some of the other coordinators and managers who had been with us for a few months to a few years came next, all with smiles on their faces. I poured the last contents of my water bottle over my head to cool down as I sat next to Jax. The liquid dripped down my face, neck, and back, soaking the black T-shirt I wore at the end of the concert, and though it felt relatively warm, I was still able to breathe a sigh of relief.“There's a place called the bathroom.” Tyler leaned over to my right and tugged gently on my sleeve. “Man, you're soaked.”“You too,” I retorted as I stared intently at his hair stuck to his forehead.“I'm starving,” whimpered Jean as he fanned himself frantically with someone's magazine. He plop
Ashley POVJayden was checking himself out in the massive mirror, eyes trailing from head to toe. His dyed light brown hair was a mess, and he had just enough makeup on to cover the small scar on his left cheek. Titanium earrings dangled from his ears, and rings wrapped around his fingers. He wore a red bomber jacket over a teal patterned shirt, paired with tight— very tight— black skinny jeans and branded sneakers to complete the look.“Hey,” he greeted, locking eyes with me through the mirror.I pushed a rolling clothing rack filled with expensive-looking shirts and jackets. “No white tees? What’s going on?” I asked.Jayden let out a small laugh. “Sorry to disappoint,” he replied, adjusting his collar. “Anyway, where have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”“I was at the mall,” I lied, trying my hardest not to rub my wrist. “I’m actually feeling kinda sick. I don’t know if I can stay for the whole concert.”He immediately turned to me. “You have to,” he said, a hint of
Ashley POVChugging his water bottle, Jayden turned his attention back to his friends. Miles, however, kept sneaking glances at me, his expression unreadable. I gave him a small smile anyway, hoping to reassure him that I was fine.A lie, of course. I was fine. I just had no idea how.“Are you and Miles having a thing or...?”My jaw practically hit the floor, and I gawked at Blair in disbelief. “What?” I blurted, unable to hide my shock. “Of course not!”She tapped a finger against her chin, flashing me an apologetic smile. “Sorry, that was kind of fishy.” She came closer, the scent of her strawberry perfume stinging my nose even more. “Come on, we’re friends. You can tell me.”I was this close to telling her that friendship didn’t work that way. Hell, I wanted to punch her square in the jaw. But I managed to hold back and just shook my head. “No, really,” I said, sneakily shifting away from her. “There’s nothing going on between me and him. Or anyone else in this group, for that matt
Ashley POVAs Clark and I stepped out onto the empty stands on the east side of the arena, the music was blasting.He left me alone when a female staff member hesitantly approached us, wanting to talk to him about something backstage. He apologized for having to leave so suddenly, but I assured him I’d be fine. Honestly, he could’ve walked away without me even noticing.Because there were seven guys dancing in the middle of the brightly lit stage, I couldn't take my eyes off them.Or, more specifically, the one wearing gray sweatpants, a loose white T-shirt, and yellow-branded boots.Jayden Keller.The last time I saw him dance, I was honestly shocked. Not because he was bad— far from it. It was just… before, I’d seen him dance like there was nothing else in the world except the stage, the audience, and the rhythm of the music. When he performed, he became someone entirely different… No, he transformed into something more than just a regular person. His singing and dancing wove togeth
Ashley POVMonday was chill. I spent the day wandering around the area near my hotel, snapping pictures of the city. Somewhere along the way, I stumbled upon a hobby store packed with all kinds of trinkets and ended up buying some dolls and tiny figurines for Eva before heading back. I also swung by a small shop to grab some snacks.A hot shower melted away my exhaustion, and soon enough, I was lounging on the bed in a ridiculously oversized bathrobe, binge-watching N*****x for hours. I meant to change into my pajamas, but I crashed before I even got the chance.For a moment, I floated in darkness— no real-life drama, no danger, just peace.Then, a buzzing noise across the room yanked me out of my sleep. Still half-asleep, I clumsily rolled out of bed and made my way to the desk where I'd left my phone charging. My eyes fluttered as I tried to shake off the drowsiness. It was bright outside, but I didn’t really stop to think about it.Not until I, still groggy, picked up the call and h
Ashley POVIt wasn’t jealousy or some masochistic urge that led me to my newest idea. No, seriously, it wasn’t. Honestly, I just wanted to know more about her, because she was the reason behind everything that happened that night at the stadium back in February. Because I could swear she had planned every single one of those so-called coincidental meetings between me and Jayden, which eventually led to the accident and his amnesia.I mean, I had no solid proof, but judging by the way she acted and spoke… something felt off. My gut just told me so.I didn’t think Blair had planned for Jayden to go on a drunken rampage afterward and get hit by a car— especially judging by how damn annoying she was in the Silvercross Healing Center parking lot— but she sure as hell wasn’t innocent, either. But I also knew she hadn’t known about my engagement to Jayden at the time, which was obvious from Jayden’s own words and what she said to me after he kicked her out of his hospital room.Besides, I st
Ashley POVThe streets weren’t exactly empty, but David had been circling the block for the past half hour, worried about my safety. That’s why he managed to pull up right where he had dropped me off just a few minutes later. Before getting into the car, still a little tipsy, I waved goodbye to the BHB band members— except for Jayden and Jamie, who were still upstairs looking for something they’d left behind.Even though it felt kinda weird leaving without saying goodbye to everyone, maybe it was for the best that I didn’t see Jayden again. At least, not that night.I had to wipe my eyes more than a few times on the way home. Not even the alcohol could numb the sharp ache in my chest.The moment I got back, I collapsed onto my bed and passed out.The next morning, fighting off a pounding headache, I came to the conclusion that my trip to Milan needed to be about more than just Jayden’s concert. I had to make this trip for myself too. And since Eva was too busy to come along and Jared
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