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 POVPinching the bridge of my nose, I pondered the real purpose of coming here— to find out more about Jayden and Blair's relationship. But all I got was a glimpse of the circumstances surrounding it. Even with the fact that Blair and Jean could have been a couple if not for Jean's decision to back out, or whatever the male actor did to her, I still didn't know much about how Jayden and Blair's relationship was before.However, from what I know now, does their relationship really sound good? If it wasn't for the brief encounter I caught between Jayden and Blair after the concert, if I had only heard a few but crucial details about their relationship, would I still feel so opposed to following my desires the way I do now?“This turned out to be a lot harder than I thought,” I breathed out wearily.“Did you really come here expecting me to have all the answers?” Miles asked.“No,” I admitted, albeit a little sadly. “But I was actually hoping to get something that didn't require m
Ashley POVFor once, Miles seemed dissatisfied, and he quickly explained the situation in the most blunt way possible, the speed of his words being the only indication that he was at least a little embarrassed. I blushed even after the woman headed into the kitchen after she took our order, and I made sure to change the flow of the conversation to something that wouldn't bring up the two of us.So, I talked about the only thing we had in common, which was the one and only, Jayden Keller. It was fun. We traded embarrassing stories about Jayden from childhood for outrageous stories about him during his teenage years, which Miles seemed eager to provide the most brutal details about. Frankly speaking, it had been my goal all along to find out more about how Jayden acted with his boy band mates, and I was even a little excited about it. Ever since I found out that Jayden was very different when he was with his friends compared to when he was with me, I wanted to know how that happened, ho
Ashley POVSeeing how much clarity Miles gave on the Blair Anderson and Jayden situation, I would have thought that I would have seen it differently. And I do. Just not the way I expected to see myself a month ago when I hadn't yet gotten to know the amnesiac Jayden, and maybe even Jayden around his friends, his bandmates.Maybe even like when he was with Blair.No, I wasn't mad at Jayden. Despite his previous attitude toward me, I felt sorry for him.But I wasn't acting on those feelings.In fact, I couldn't deny the feeling that there was some sort of barrier between the two of us. Ever since that night with his bandmates, when I was shocked by the fact that my presence would become something pointless in Jayden's world, the first few figurative bricks had been laid. And while I remained as stony-faced as he was, I couldn't help but feel him gradually slipping out of my reach.And making his way to his dreams.Almost a week had passed since I met secretly with Miles. Jayden went to
Ashley POV“I mean, it's not every day that someone I know gets married. At least out of all my brothers."“Then why are you waiting?” I asked.He didn't answer for a while. I just sat in the back of the latest model Audi, cussing with my quick tongue, but I had to admit I was also waiting, expecting... something.“Don't worry,” he said finally. “I'll see you later.”“Okay,” I said without guilt, despite knowing we had both crossed the unclear boundaries of our relationship. “See you later.”“Yeah.”He hung up before I did, and I dropped my phone into my lap. I needed to calm my feelings, and I needed to do so before arriving at the airport. Despite feeling tired after a long day of work, my racing heartbeat was pumping adrenaline into my body.Adrenaline, caused by the tension of meeting my new fiancé, and against the backdrop of my father's incident and Jayden's reluctance.Jared Owen Keller. Apart from the age difference, he and I never became very close. Jared had always kept his
Ashley POVHis eyes didn't move a centimeter from mine during that short but significant span of time.“I hope you don't have to wait too long,” I said as I shifted in my seat. The Audi wasn't big, it was sleeker and built for style and luxury, so I was no more than an arm's length away from Jared. “Did you... have dinner?”“Yes.” He turned away from me, directing his attention out the window.I almost let out a sigh of relief. “Ah, well. Do you have a place to stay?”“I've booked a room at a hotel near here. David will drive us there right now,” he added before I could dig up any more information to give David a hint.“We won't get there until ten at night, at least,” I said and, before I could stop myself, I continued, “Though later, if you want to meet Jayden first...”As much as I respected Jayden and recognized that the complicated relationship the two of us had didn't need any more pressure, I felt as if I owed it to his brother to meet him. Besides, Jayden, with his amnesia, pr
Ashley POV"Of course," I replied in an irritated tone. I stepped out of the car, desperate for some fresh air despite the smoke, and slammed the car door behind me. I turned away from the curious look I was getting from David, as well as the familiar look of two hazel eyes.“Good. That's good. How was the report?”I leaned against the car with a frown. “'Report'?” I repeated.“Yes, report.” She sounded annoyed. “Is the connection bad?”"No, I heard you clearly," I replied, still puzzled. “But why are you asking me that?” The crease between my eyes deepened. “Wait, how do you know he's working on something like a report?”“He—” Mom cut off her own words, but I heard her voice, muffled as if she was hanging up the phone or pressing it against a cloth, talking to someone else. It took almost a minute before she returned, her voice now a hundred times softer. It didn't take a genius to figure out who she was talking to.“You made me wake your father,” she said. “He's very restless right
Ashley POVBy the time I got home, with the two bags of food I'd bought in the evening from a famous fast food restaurant, it was already eleven o'clock at night. I was exhausted, even with the little rest my body might have enjoyed while dozing off in the car on the way home from the airport. Hot showers and beds had never been as appealing as they were that night, even with the scent of deep-fried food drifting into my nose and teasing my rumbling stomach. After all, sleep was the only bodily state in which I could forget about all my real life problems.Despite Jared's coming into my picture, Dad had suffered a heart attack. Despite my mom's warnings, I couldn't stop thinking about him and worrying about him. He could have died that very day. A chill ran down my spine at the thought.“Jayden?” I called as I lifted the bags onto the counter, a little surprised that he didn't come to see me. “I got dinner!”Sharpening my ears, I heard the midnight news in the background. The reporter
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