rode back to your place. But by the time I arrived, you were gone. I don’t know how long I stood there, banging on the door.”
Great, now my eyes are filling with tears. I try and look away from his eyes, but I can’t.
“Who are you trying to protect?”
My voice cracks. “I don’t know … Ash, please , just let it go.”
“Who?” he whispers, stepping closer.
“Myself.”
“From who? Who did this to you?”
I pull my hand out of my pocket and look down at the ring.
“You’re not serious. You’re not back with him, are you?”
I shrug. “It’s easier this way.”
“Easier?”
“Y–yeah,” I stammer, “easier.”
“Just because it’s easier doesn’t make it right.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do this right now, Ash. Just forget about it. Forget about what you heard. I was overreacting. I was being crazy. I’ve got issues.”
“Issues? Laura, who doesn’t have issues? Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
“No, I’m not. I had to go to a psychologist for years to get over them. Even now I still have flashbacks.”
“Get over who?”
“I lost my biological parents, okay? They died in car accident when I was a child, and from there, I went from foster home to foster home. If it weren’t for my parents adopting me and Hugo and his family taking me under their wing, who knows what would have happened?”
“Why are you only telling me this now?”
I shrug. “I dunno. I come with a lot of baggage, that’s all. And you don’t want to get caught up in that.”
“I don’t care about your baggage, Laura. We’ve all got it—that’s just part of life.”
“Goodbye, Ash.”
“But what about us? It wasn’t a mistake. I know what I felt; I know what I feel. That doesn’t just happen.”
“I’m engaged. I’m supposed to be getting married this spring. My fiancé was there for me through many tough times, and I know he’s made some mistakes—some really horrible ones—but he’s human.”
“Human? Have you looked at yourself in a mirror? Can’t you see what he did to you? No man should ever hold a woman against her will, let alone lay a hand on her. And your fiancé did both.”
“He knows that, and he’s sorry.”
“Is he though, Ra? Or is he just saying what you want to hear?”
“Please, just leave me alone. I made a mistake being with you. I hope we can just forget all about it.”
“Forget this?” He leans in, pulling my bruised and battered body into his arms. “I know you feel it. I know your heartbeat is racing now that you’re against me. And I feel it too. I can’t get you out of my mind. You’re all I think about.”
“I’m engaged. Don’t you see this ring? That’s his promise to me and my promise to him.” Ash puts his hand on my heart, and I flinch. I can’t stop it from racing—I can’t stop myself from reacting to his touch. I look up, my eyes locking with his. “Ash, please,” I whimper. “I want you to forget about what we did. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“So what were you thinking?”
“I was thinking of myself … of the lust I felt for you. Not of the future.”
He shakes his head, his hand still resting on my heart. “I’m hearing a whole other story.”
“So what are you saying, Ash? What do you want me to do?”
His thumb trails down and over my cheekbone. “I’m saying that I’ve fallen in love with you, Laura. And what you do with that is completely up to you.”
SEVEN
I don’t know how I got back to Mel’s that afternoon. I cried the entire way home. I could hardly see where I was going, but I kept driving. Without a plan, without music, without my yellow daisy car to keep me safe.
Laura Hemsworth in a Lexus. How is that even possible? Laura Hemsworth with a ring so big that women glare at me in the lights, like, fully give me
Great, now my eyes are filling with tears. I try and look away from his eyes, but I can’t.
“Who are you trying to protect?”
My voice cracks. “I don’t know … Ash, please , just let it go.”
“Who?” he whispers, stepping closer.
“Myself.”
“From who? Who did this to you?”
I pull my hand out of my pocket and look down at the ring.
“You’re not serious. You’re not back with him, are you?”
I shrug. “It’s easier this way.”
“Easier?”
“Y–yeah,” I stammer, “easier.”
“Just because it’s easier doesn’t make it right.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do this right now, Ash. Just forget about it. Forget about what you heard. I was overreacting. I was being crazy. I’ve got issues.”
“Issues? Laura, who doesn’t have issues? Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
“No, I’m not. I had to go to a psychologist for years to get over them. Even now I still have flashbacks.”
“Get over who?”
“I lost my biological parents, okay? They died in car accident when I was a child, and from there, I went from foster home to foster home. If it weren’t for my parents adopting me and Hugo and his family taking me under their wing, who knows what would have happened?”
“Why are you only telling me this now?”
I shrug. “I dunno. I come with a lot of baggage, that’s all. And you don’t want to get caught up in that.”
“I don’t care about your baggage, Laura. We’ve all got it—that’s just part of life.”
“Goodbye, Ash.”
“But what about us? It wasn’t a mistake. I know what I felt; I know what I feel. That doesn’t just happen.”
“I’m engaged. I’m supposed to be getting married this spring. My fiancé was there for me through many tough times, and I know he’s made some mistakes—some really horrible ones—but he’s human.”
“Human? Have you looked at yourself in a mirror? Can’t you see what he did to you? No man should ever hold a woman against her will, let alone lay a hand on her. And your fiancé did both.”
“He knows that, and he’s sorry.”
“Is he though, Ra? Or is he just saying what you want to hear?”
“Please, just leave me alone. I made a mistake being with you. I hope we can just forget all about it.”
“Forget this?” He leans in, pulling my bruised and battered body into his arms. “I know you feel it. I know your heartbeat is racing now that you’re against me. And I feel it too. I can’t get you out of my mind. You’re all I think about.”
“I’m engaged. Don’t you see this ring? That’s his promise to me and my promise to him.” Ash puts his hand on my heart, and I flinch. I can’t stop it from racing—I can’t stop myself from reacting to his touch. I look up, my eyes locking with his. “Ash, please,” I whimper. “I want you to forget about what we did. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“So what were you thinking?”
“I was thinking of myself … of the lust I felt for you. Not of the future.”
He shakes his head, his hand still resting on my heart. “I’m hearing a whole other story.”
“So what are you saying, Ash? What do you want me to do?”
His thumb trails down and over my cheekbone. “I’m saying that I’ve fallen in love with you, Laura. And what you do with that is completely up to you.”
SEVEN
I don’t know how I got back to Mel’s that afternoon. I cried the entire way home. I could hardly see where I was going, but I kept driving. Without a plan, without music, without my yellow daisy car to keep me safe.
Laura Hemsworth in a Lexus. How is that even possible? Laura Hemsworth with a ring so big that women glare at me in the lights, like, fully give me
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