Ashley POV“The idea has crossed my mind,” I admitted coldly, ”but I don't see any logical reason how or even why. He didn't care about me before the accident, I know he didn't. So why not make this easier for everyone involved, and get Jayden off the hook with something like an arranged engagement?"He tilted his head slightly to the side. “That's selfish, and you know it.”My eyes widened. “How is that selfish?” I accused, trying my hardest to keep the tone of my voice low. “I'm trying to make it easier for him to get back together with Blair, to make things with you guys like they used to be. I'm trying to do the right thing here.”“I can see that,” Miles said softly, which surprised me. “But for you to take that choice away from him, that choice is the truth about your relationship and his, especially after seeing the way that both of you are with each other... that's selfish.”“What do you mean, ‘the way that both of you are with each other’?” I asked, somewhat bewildered. My min
Ashley POVBy the time I came back to my senses after that, I was hiding the engagement ring in my pocket, having almost forgotten to come back with the bowl I was originally going to bring. While the rest of the boys were still glued to the projector screen, mesmerized by the thrilling scene that was unfolding, I knew that Jayden was looking at me in his peripheral vision. He then glared at Miles intently, a glare that Miles ignored as he passed out drinks to everyone before Jayden got to his feet and came to meet me in the middle of the living room.I was arranging the glass bowls in my hands as I stepped onto the couch. “I can handle it,” I whispered as I detected Jayden coming closer, my voice slightly strained.“Now it's your turn to stop being such a hero,” he told me sternly, then picked up half of the bowls, piling them on top of his injured arm.“Hey!” I hissed as quietly as I could. “Think about your arm, idiot!”He snorted before turning around and walking over to the coffe
Ashley POVEven Jean had stopped eating at that point, and Tyler stopped chewing frantically shortly thereafter. I bit my lower lip so hard that I lost the taste in it, tormented by the tension of the atmosphere, and I held the cushion half an inch below my eyes, ready to pull it up if anything in the movie jumped out at the audience. Second by second passed as I kept getting closer and closer to Jayden, who by then had crossed his left leg over the other. Taking a deep breath to muster up what was left of my courage, I sneaked a hesitant peek over my shoulder and looked at Jayden.In an instant, his piercing caramel brown eyes shifted from the screen to me.I swallowed nervously, but before I could open my mouth and ask Jayden about the exciting offer he had made earlier, he simply nodded. My eyes widened as he separated his legs, and once again let me into the space between his legs. He grabbed the cushion that was previously discarded during the movie, and placed it again over his
Ashley POVI started chuckling along with the others but stopped abruptly when I caught Jayden's response. He stiffened, his face frozen in either amusement or bewilderment.He almost looked... pissed off.Tyler stared intently at Jean. “Dude!” he barked. “Why'd you have to tell her that?”“He already has.” I stared at Jax in disbelief as he let out a long breath and held his forehead with one hand. “I caught him practicing while washing dishes.”“So it was like that?” Miles raised his eyebrows. “I thought you were practicing acting.”Tyler's eyes widened. “Dude, stop it!”“He did it in the middle of the night, twice,” Hunter grumbled. “He slept right next to me, I thought he was in a trance or something.”“Same,” Jamie said and shuddered dramatically.Tyler wasn't really blushing, but he was close. “Why should I have to live with you guys,” he muttered as he stepped into the elevator.Miles snorted, and the others joined in the laughter.“Jayden, I'll send you the address of our danc
Ashley POV “Jayden?” I croaked. “Hmm?” There was a small chuckle. “No, sweetie, it's just your old man.” I almost thought I was still sleeping when I opened my eyes to find my dad smiling serenely from where he sat on the edge of my bed. The panoramic window in my room was still covered by a curtain that blocked the sunlight from pouring in, the only light in the room was the table lamp that I assumed my dad had turned on. Jayden's bed is empty. He must have carried me inside while I was asleep, I thought. “Good morning,” my dad greeted, smiling. “Dad, why are you home?” I asked as I rubbed my eyes, forgetting for a moment that my dream wasn't just a dream. “Is mom here too? And where's Jayden?” “She's still in London,” my dad replied. “I'll be back to see her in Manchester after lunch, but I thought I'd check up on you first.” “You mean you're going back to headquarters to pick up some important documents or something,” I corrected a little more crisply than I intended. He sm
Ashley POVMy vision became blurry, and I almost burst into tears. I tried to say something, to admit that I was grateful to him and Mom, that I wished I could have helped him, that he should have told me earlier, that I was sorry, but he silenced me with a gentle squeeze of my hand.“Don't cry,” he said softly. “It will only make my conscience even worse.”“What?” I tried, my voice breaking even on a single word.“The fact that you were dragged into something against your will, it's all because of me...” He gave a sigh and looked down at my hands. “I'm sorry. I hope... I hope the choices I made back then won't make you too stressed, unhappy, or sick. Or make you hate me.”“Of course not!” I snapped, almost furious. I clenched my fingers around his hand and shook it in frustration. “I never will. Never.”He breathed a sigh of relief. “I'm glad to hear that. And are you sure of your decision? Your mom and I, both of us are not going to force—"“I'm sure,” I interjected, feeling more ce
Ashley POVOnce I finished washing the dishes, I went back to my room and picked up the cell phone that was recharging its battery on the table before sinking into bed. Knowing that Jayden was practicing with them made me contemplate giving Miles a call in person, so I decided to send a text message. It took a while to string together words that didn't sound awkward. Or so I hoped.10.32 - Hi, this is Ashley. I was wondering if you had time to meet up and talk about Jayden's past in private. You guys probably forgot to write down something on the master list of notes that could still help him recover his memories.I quickly erased the smiling emoticon I had added to the message, then clicked the send button. My heartbeat quickens as I wait, despite my efforts to ignore it, and it gets even faster when my phone vibrates after a few minutes.10.35 - Sure, I have some free time now. Want me to get there right away?Well, that's actually better, but I know I can't risk Jayden finding me w
Ashley POV“Anyway...” I took off my jacket and bag and hung them on the armrest of the couch. “How long do you guys usually do dances for?”“Anywhere from four to ten hours. Depends.”“Must be hard,” I said while giving a sympathetic smile. Mentally, I gathered the information I had, both from Eva and from general rumors, I knew an idol pop star's schedule could be much worse than that. Especially at the beginning of their career.Miles lowered his cup to his lap. “You'll get used to it,” he said. I couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or not.“What about today?” I asked. “Now they're with Jayden, who doesn't know anything.”“They'll probably go easier on him.”"I don't think he'll let them," I said frankly.He let out a small laugh. “I don't think so. Who knows, you might not see him until dinner.”So, I still had time. Still, I would do my best to get back home as soon as possible. I couldn't risk Jayden, or any of his other friends, knowing about my meeting with Miles.“Speak
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
Ashley POVHis perspective reminded me of how Miles would explain things. It felt like he was making a valid point, yet there was one crucial element he was missing. And that was...“My convictions,” I said honestly.Jared’s expression remained unchanged, surprisingly, but I thought I caught a flicker of surprise— or maybe even admiration— in his eyes. Then he blinked, and whatever it was, it disappeared. “I see,” he said. “But I stand by my intentions. One day, I want to love you.”I felt my cheeks heat up. Jared carefully placed a hand atop my head, and as he smiled at me, there was a shyness in his expression that I never would have imagined coloring anything he said or did. The weight of his gaze remained steady, yet it was mingled with such earnest determination that it left me almost incapable of looking away.Oh, how my heart raced wildly when he spoke his next words.“And hopefully, you’ll come to do the same for me.”Before I could react, Jared stepped away, glancing at Sylvi
Ashley POVI frowned at him, but he simply turned his focus back to the row of displays on the shelf. My pout deepened. Even though we had spent over a month getting to know each other, the true nature of his personality as well as his past was still shrouded in mystery. Sure, I see tiny details of his differences, but I don't feel that I've gotten any deeper than just his façade. His default neutral expression and often unreadable demeanor indicated he wasn’t someone easy to approach. Yet, since he had influential and wealthy friends, I knew there had to be more behind his rigid and stoic exterior.I wondered when— or if— I would ever get to see that side of him. With time, perhaps.Maybe.“What about this one?”While my mind wandered, my body followed Jared around the jewelry store. He stood in the center of the store when he caught my attention, his gaze fixed on a set of rings that appeared slightly more special than the others due to their placement in a separate glass cube.“Whi
Ashley POVI rolled my eyes and used my other hand as a barrier to block my vision from seeing something I didn't want to see. “You'll never know,” I stated. “Better to be safe before you regret it.”“I'll go change in the bathroom,” he said with a grunt. “I just wanted you to know about the appointment.”His figure disappeared, and I let out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding. The allure of his scent was too strong for me, for some reason. “Why?” I asked without turning around.“Would you like to come along with me?”I frowned. “I can't,” I said quietly. “I'm going to see Jared that day. He and I... we're getting a ring.”It wasn't my idea, nor was it Jared's idea to do that. The first week in April, my parents returned here for a short break and to meet up with Jared before they were forced to return to London. According to my mom, their business venture there hadn't been entirely successful, and still needed more time before they came to a final agreement. Despite the bit
Ashley POVAs time ticked by, March ended and April slowly turned into May, I found myself and Jayden drifting further and further apart. It wasn't a deliberate move by either of us, or at least not a deliberate effort. It just happened.Jayden was spending more time at the dance studio, and he started coming home with a sore throat some days when he decided to hum along to the choreography. He started singing and reading the lyrics whenever he had time in my apartment, and despite me pretending not to notice, I actually did. I loved his voice, pleasant and velvety like that, soothing my mind and body. And he kept showing drastic improvement with each passing week. Also, when he wasn't dancing or singing or memorizing song lyrics, he went and exercised.“I'm getting fat,” he told me as he read comics on the extra bed one night.I was editing an essay at the time, and didn't think much of it until he mentioned it. “I guess not,” I replied bluntly with a shrug.“I've gained almost five
Ashley POVHe didn't speak, but he didn't need to. His silence was enough. However, the stubborn part of me wanted to push him to bring up the topic... more specifically, how he had been affected by his father.“What about you?” I continued cautiously.His eyes narrowed slightly as they scanned my face. “You know about Jayden,” he pointed out.I averted my eyes.“How long have you known?”He didn't sound accusatory, or angry. No, instead, there was something more familiar, something I also felt related to his... childhood.“Too long,” I replied stiffly. I didn't like being reminded of my mistakes, so I replied automatically, defensively with, “You?”“Me too.”And when my eyes locked with his, I saw that it was there. The endless shame, regret, and guilt. It reflected a part deep inside me, so much so that I could hardly bear to look at it.But I forced myself to do so. Because if I hated it, so did Jared. Yet he was brave enough to stick to his stance.Dinner ended shortly after that.
Ashley POVLooking at the menu, I already knew what I wanted to order. My mom's favorite dish at The Monarch was pasta with a sauce made from roasted oysters, so I went with that. By the time the waiter returned with our drinks, Jared and I were ready to order. She took the menus from us, and as I watched Jared pour himself a glass of dark red liquid, I decided to strike up a conversation that would hopefully shed some light on our upcoming wedding and Jayden. It took me a few precious minutes to gather my courage and organize my thoughts, but I finally went ahead with it.I started the conversation with a light topic. “How was Europe?”Jared quietly observed the interior design of the restaurant and kept doing so as he answered. “Warm,” he said, “and dirtier than I imagined. But also incredibly beautiful in moments I didn't think possible.”“How so?” I asked.“I often hitchhike with my group of friends,” he told me as he raised the wine glass to his lips. He took a slow sip, his eyes
Ashley POVAs Jared and I walked out of the building, I spotted David parked and waiting in the car. But instead of going over to him, Jared stopped at the end of the concrete steps and pulled out a small red cardboard package. It was an automatic action, I could see that, from the way he pulled a lighter from the same pocket and pointed it at the cigarette already tucked between his lips.“Wait,” I chided, ”You can't smoke in here.”He glanced at me. “Why not?” he muttered, stroking his cigarette.Peeking over my shoulder, I glanced at the security guard outside the entrance. “That's illegal,” I said after making sure they weren't watching us.He didn't speak, but his lighter stopped halfway to his lips.“I'm not joking,” I continued. “It's illegal in almost all public places.”“I see.” He hurriedly lowered the lighter and stuffed the cigarette into his shirt pocket. “Where else can I go?”“Er.” I scratched my cheek and looked around for the smoking booth shyly. I didn't find one. “G