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
Ashley POV I didn't know where to start. Then, remembering the list I had written and the master list Jackson had compiled from working with Boyz Hits Bullets, I took them both out and placed them on the table. "Can you look through these?" I asked. Jayden glanced at my paper first. "Is this some kind of wish list of yours, or?" he asked as he pointed at it. His gaze turned suspicious as he looked at the master list. "I don't know what the person who wrote this meant. It's just a list of events." "How do you know this is mine?" I couldn't hold back my astonishment. "Your handwriting is pretty crappy, Ash." "Oh my," I muttered. "It's gotten better over the years." "Apparently not, because... the letters look the same as always." "It's not a wish list, you know," I said, rolling my eyes at his scorn. "It's a list of things you and I have gone through over the past five years." For obvious reasons, I had intentionally not written down the day of my engagement with him, and anythi
Ashley POV So, despite being only a few steps away from the handsome face of Jayden Keller, I knew that I had to stay away. Before he or I did something really bad, something that I couldn't do or even worse, that I wouldn't be able to deny or take back. "I have to go to school," I said as I straightened my body position. My two hands were clenched at my sides and I felt my cheeks start to heat up. "I'll take care of the dishes. You rest or whatever. When I get back, we will start piecing back together the memories you've lost." "No," he said quickly, getting up from his bed. There was nothing - not even the slightest hint of redness in his expression that suggested that the moments that had just occurred, where the two of us had shown affection and intimacy. And perhaps it was best if we both forgot about it. "Let me do the dishes since you're already cooking." "Don't be silly," I said as I picked up the dishes and started washing them, still feeling the heat on my cheeks. "What
Ashley POVSchool went on like any other Tuesday. Only Eva almost pulled out her hair in the second period and had probably aged about ten years by the end of the last class. She was a gentle girl, but her dedication to Jayden's boy band could make a mother's dedication to her firstborn seem cruel by comparison. She was trying to get various information from me, getting anything from the various features I displayed surprisingly, but I didn't budge. All I could tell her was that Jayden was in a car accident but not dead, which she probably already knew. She kept trying to convince me that the two of us should meet him at the healer's, but I was used to her trying to use me to meet him. It wasn't anything aggressive, it was more often taken as a joke for me and her, but now it was as if she was really worried that day.Not that it worried me, because I knew that Jayden was fine and I knew Eva would get over her overreaction soon. Eventually. Besides, I bought her food for the rest of t
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