Ashley POVIt was no surprise that he was already eating oatmeal when I woke up and walked into the kitchen, his wet dark brown hair left to dry naturally. He pointed towards the second bowl on the kitchen table, and I took a seat in front of him, gingerly grasping the protruding spoon while trying not to think about what had happened the day before.In the most logical yet irritating way possible, I had agreed to marry his brother. And despite Jayden having agreed to forge a friendship with me and put his emotions aside, I was ninety-nine percent sure that he had lied. Why? Because I could feel it. But I didn't know the extent of his lies.“Your parents went to the gym,” he said in a tone of voice that sounded just like normal, snapping me out of my morning reverie. “They said they have something to take care of at the office, and won't be home until dinner.” He tilted his head curiously. “Are they always working? Even during the weekends?”“Yeah,” I muttered, using one hand to suppo
Ashley POVFear crept into his voice at the end of his sentence. I tried to give him a reassuring smile, but Jayden didn't look up, his face slowly stiffening into a rigid line. Knowing that I simply couldn't follow my instinct to do more to comfort him more closely, with touch or closeness, I braced myself in my seat. I was just about to make a joke when my cell phone vibrated in the pocket of my pajama pants.It was Eva.“What's up?” I asked as I answered the call, immediately drawing the attention of Jayden who was sitting near me.“Ash... You won't even believe what I'm about to tell you...” Eva sobbed loudly into her phone, her voice barely audible between her strangled cries.“Hey,” I said, trying to remain calm even though my heart was starting to get wary. “Snap out of it. Where are you? Are you hurt?”Jayden glanced at me in confusion. “Parents?” he asked hesitantly.I shook my head, my voice turned to a whisper. “Eva,” I replied, ”She's crying.”I winced as a horrible wail c
Ashley POVThe song ended, and Jayden played another music video, staring intensely at the TV screen. I gave a sigh and leaned back as far as I could on the couch. There was an invisible weight resting on my shoulders, and I felt like it was about to get heavier. I had managed to put this whole task aside until then, having spent a relatively smooth week with hiding Jayden's identity. But seeing all those headlines, realizing that the world knew about Jayden's accident and that there were people like Eva who, without them knowing, were relying on my efforts and hard work, really made me feel small.After dinner, I went to study while Jayden took his seldom-used tablet and watched the old BHB show. He was already asleep by the time I finished and I fell asleep shortly after. The next morning, he informed me that my dad was making an emergency trip back to London for an unspecified amount of time, and my mom would probably follow on Sunday.For the next three and a half weeks, nothing h
Ashley POV“Don't even try,” he hissed. "You and your family have more than enough money to buy a small town. Why can't you use those resources to piss me off?”“Because I'm a good person?” I was tempted to turn on the wall lamp behind me, but as much as I wanted to see Jayden acting irrationally, I didn't want to see his expression which was definitely harsh and cold. He was too good at it.After a horribly long pause, he broke the silence with a small laugh. “Never been an optimist, have you?”It took a while before I came to my senses as to what was really going on. I groaned in annoyance. “Have you been joking all this time?”“Yes,” he said cheerfully.“You idiot!”He laughed out loud. It had been a long time since I'd heard him laugh like that, and the happy sound warmed my heart, sinking into my bones. “Well, can you really blame me? I want to see how much dedication you have. Besides, I also wanted to see if I could still lie to you if I needed to.”“Sadistic bastard,” I grumbl
Ashley POVIt was during lunch the next day that I decided to make a rather critical phone call. Sneaking into the bathroom at the coffee shop where Eva wanted to have lunch, I left her with Sarah, who was studying at a nearby art university. We had only met Sarah a few minutes earlier but already felt comfortable sharing a table with our cell phones in hand. In fact, I felt a little relieved to be there with Sarah, despite the many things to take care of related to BHB and the ongoing discussions about an upcoming sleepover. Just hope that Eva hadn't noticed that I'd gone to the bathroom for longer than usual.After taking care of the usual business, I found myself in an unexpected dilemma. Biting my lower lip, I stared at the familiar names on my phone screen. Which member would be the most appropriate to talk to?I really had no idea. For almost a minute, I read the names over and over again, trying to remember the details of the dinner at their apartment. This decision wasn't easy
Ashley POVI gulped again, not responding. I didn't know what to say to brighten the somber mood that had suddenly enveloped this phone conversation. As much as I had witnessed Jayden's behavior over the past few weeks and realized how much his condition had been getting worse, both mentally and physically, despite our best efforts, I had never really thought about how the other BHB members felt about this situation. And really, why should I? They had nothing to do with me personally; they were just celebrities that my best friend happened to worship.But really, who am I kidding? I knew the reason why I felt so bad for them, even just over a phone call. Why did the hurt in their voices and answers evoked such great feelings of sympathy in me?Because of him. Because of Jayden, I started to care even for his group mates. What has he done to me?Silence fell over the conversation again, albeit shorter this time. Jamie's light, relaxed voice finally broke the silence. “We will be there,
Ashley POVClasses went by quickly that day, probably because of the sudden, harsh cold. The last class was canceled, so I was able to leave almost an hour earlier than I expected. However, to my surprise, I didn't find Jayden practicing dance with a sloppy style or delving deeper into his past life as an idol.Instead, I found him sitting cross-legged on the newly cleaned wooden floor of my parents' living room, right under the smart TV hanging on the wall. All around him were scattered cutouts of news articles, pictures, and thick photo albums almost equivalent to the size of his calves, poking out of rolled-up sweatpants. In front of him, just an arm's length away, was a large white box, filled with more photos and documents.I leaned against the doorway that connected the living room to the hallway, watching Jayden who was still engrossed in hunching over an old photo album that was open on his lap. "Snooping around, are we?" I teased.Jayden smiled slightly, still looking at the
Ashley POVI sucked in a deep breath, trying to find the right words to respond, but before I could open my mouth, he cut me off again.“They will be here soon,” he said quickly, his tone of voice firmer now. “We should probably order some food soon, and I should get dressed.”“Fine,” I said quietly, following his cue to change the subject. It was clear he didn't want to talk about this further, and even though I wanted to know more about what he was really feeling, I knew that this wasn't the right time. The rest of the Boyz Hits Bullets would be arriving in less than an hour, and I could feel the terrible pressure building up on my shoulders. They were the key to helping Jayden recover his memory or at least help him return to his dream as a famous singer. I knew I had to stay calm, but the closer the time got, the more nervous I felt like I was taking a college entrance exam.Though the other BHB members were usually nice people, or at least most of them weren't bad, I had no idea
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