All Chapters of What if We Drown : Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Catching her foot on a chair leg, Ashlyn stumbled against a table, several pieces of dinnerware falling and shattering against the floor.Derek glanced up at the sound, his gaze turning to meet her widened gaze. At that same moment, a closed fist cracked against his cheek, his head recoiling beneath the force.Slapping a hand over her mouth, Ashlyn whimpered, her legs buckling beneath her.As suddenly as it happened, everything snapped back into full motion.Derek stumbled back, falling to the ground when the other man shoved him again. Regaining the strength in her legs, Ashlyn pushed off from the table and ran outside, falling to her knees beside Derek.Barely a glance was cast in the direction of the man now laying on the pavement, his arms secured at his back. The glint of hatred that she did catch was enough to turn her stomach to lead.She turned away, focusing again on Derek as she drew a shaky breath.Leaning back on his elbows, Derek was the image of defeat. His brow w

Confliction had seized her every waking thought, and the horrors they'd crafted in sleep had carried into her waking nightmare. Salty kisses, split lips, and haunted gazes had been her only comfort in sleep. The desperate glances she stole over her phone were a subconscious reaction to her need to know that he was okay. Trapped within this nightmare, only one person who could wake her from it. The same person who'd refused to acknowledge her messages, or answer any of her calls.In an attempt to clear her head the following morning, she'd decided to go for a run, only realizing the direction her feet had carried her when she found herself on the corner of Main Street, gazing up at his apartment.Sat on the dusty pavement across the street, her stare had focused on the shadows that moved within, a mental battle ensuing. To go, or to stay away as he'd wanted? Ashlyn's world had flipped on its head in a matter of words. Up was suddenly down, and love had twisted into an unnamed fear.

"...maybe he's no Romeo, but he's my lovin' one-man show..."Ashlyn pretended to sing along with the radio into the end of the paintbrush, stomping her foot and swinging her head to the side with the change in the beat. Feeling the rhythm course through her soles and up into her hips, she danced her way across the deck towards Coley, who sat in the dining room window. Pointing the makeshift microphone at her cat, she giggled when Coley let out a sleepy meow in place of the next line.She planted a kiss on Coley's forehead and scratched behind her ears, before returning to the job at hand.The brush glided over the weatherboards, the fresh coat of sunshine yellow she applied popping against the aged mustard beneath it. With the sun high in the sky, and the melody of scents that washed over her, compliments of the gerbera daisies and lobelia planted in her garden, it was the perfect day to work on the exterior. Besides, she could have used the fresh air after three days cooped up, an

A duck quacked, startling Ashlyn. Releasing Derek's hand, she twisted her fingers into the hem of her shorts, her feet rooted to the patch of grass where she stood.Guilt flickered across his features as he turned to look back at her, his mask not covering it quick enough. Turning back, he stopped in front of her, his hands awkward at his side. Had it been any other day, she would have taken his hands and sat with him there by the pond. Feather soft fingertips would have traced the lines of his palm and caressed his fingers as they curled around hers. But today wasn't that day.Swallowing back the acidic regret that burned its way up her throat, Ashlyn sank to her knees in front of Derek. Tucking her legs beneath her, a hairsbreadth stood between them. Neither of them dared to cross that invisible line.Twisting her fingers in her lap, Ashlyn watched her hands, afraid of what looking at him might do to her heart. Those few seconds it took to cross the street, her hand clasped in his

Grief rose and fell between them with each expelled breath. Evidence of their mutual heartbreak and pain danced upon dewy lashes, sinking into the cracked facades of contorted features.Ashlyn's hands continued to massage his arms, gently rocking him to the lullaby of her steady beating heart. His words had moved her, the wounds of his guilt raw and inflamed from the attention he'd paid them. She saw his hurt, and she saw his pain, and she wanted nothing more than to take that away from him. But all she had were her assurances, and they'd proven futile against the rigid walls he'd erected around himself.Pulling back from her embrace, Derek reached up to cup her cheeks and pressed his forehead to hers. His breath was a gentle caress upon her tight cheeks, the last of her tears running from the warm breeze."I couldn't save my best friend, but I can still save you." He spoke much too softly for the swift jab delivered to her stomach at his words.Leaning back, Ashlyn shook her head