Teasing You, page 21
“What are you talking about?”
“He kind of ambushed me on the street while I was walking to the police station. I kept telling him to go away, but he was adamant about staying with me. He was all like, ‘I’m not leaving you. We’re in this together. I love you and I’m not leaving your side.’ And, and…”
“What?!” both her sisters cried.
She looked at them in confusion. “What?”
“He said he loved you?” Chloe asked. “And you didn’t think to mention that sooner?”
“I was a little distracted at the time!” Sitting up straighter, she kept looking at the two of them. “I’m not even sure he really meant it. Maybe it was just something that accidentally slipped out and he thought it would help get him some sympathy! I don’t know!”
“Ash, you have to talk to him!” Billie said excitedly. “This is huge!”
“We don’t know that…”
“Oh, come on!” Chloe said with equal enthusiasm. “How freaking romantic of him to be willing to stand up for you in your darkest hour!”
“But it wasn’t my darkest hour!” she argued with frustration. “Everything was fine at that point!”
“He didn’t know that! You have to go talk to him. You absolutely have to!” Chloe insisted.
“It’s not that simple. I need time to think and…”
“No. No, you don’t,” Chloe said as she stood and pulled Ashlynn to her feet. “We’re going home right now. Everything else got settled today and this needs to be dealt with too.”
Panic had her by the throat. “Just because I talk to him doesn’t mean everything’s going to be okay! Maybe we’re just not meant to be!”
“Or maybe you’re looking for excuses,” Billie said as she stood and began cleaning up the dessert dishes. “We’ve already talked about the way you sabotage relationships and run away from them. Don’t let this give you an excuse to do it again.”
“But he left first!”
“And you didn’t like it, did you?” Billie snapped but then immediately laughed. “A fight or a disagreement doesn’t mean you just walk away and give up, dammit! More people need to learn that!” And then she stormed out of the room.
“Great, now look what you did,” Chloe mumbled. “It’s only a matter of time before she gets herself a couple of cats and takes up crocheting. Good job.”
“Hey, this is not all on me, you know. You were the one who kept pushing me.”
“And I’m going to keep pushing you because you need to do this!” Grabbing her purse, Chloe pulled out her keys and faced Ashlynn. “No one’s saying that you and Reid have to kiss and make up tonight, but you do need to talk. You owe it to yourself to let him know that you’re hurt.”
Tears stung her eyes. “I kind of like being in a state of suspension. While he was gone, I didn’t have to decide if we were together or broken up. I didn’t have to look him in the eye and…feel.”
“Oh, sweetie…” Chloe moved in close and hugged her tight. “Let’s get you home.” When she pulled back, she gave her a sympathetic smile. “And then it’s up to you whether you want to talk to him or not, okay?”
Nodding, Ashlynn walked over to grab her own purse. “We’re going, Bill!” she called out and got a mumbled goodbye in return. She looked at Chloe. “Call her when you get home, okay?”
“I’m on it.”
Neither said much on the drive home, but when they were parked in front of her building, Ashlynn turned to her twin. “What if I can’t do it yet?”
“Then don’t.”
“But what if he’s up there waiting? I told him we’d talk tonight.”
“Text him and tell him you need another night to yourself.”
“And if he knocks on my door?”
“You don’t have to answer it.” Reaching over, Chloe took Ash’s hand in hers. “You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do. No one’s going to force you, so you can relax. And no matter what, I love you.”
She pulled Chloe in for a fierce hug. “Thank you,” she whispered, and it was several minutes before she felt ready to get out of the car. “I love you.”
“Love you too. Call me if you need me.”
“I will.” At the foot of the stairs, she let out a long breath and reminded herself that all she had to do was go up to the second floor and go into her apartment. That was it. She didn’t have to do anything else.
And that’s what she kept telling herself with every step she took.
At the second-floor landing, Ashlynn paused and considered her options—did she want to rip off the bandage or curl up in a ball for a little while?
Ultimately, curling up won.
She wasn’t coming.
Reid saw Chloe drop her off over two hours ago and he hadn’t heard a word from her. His heart sank just thinking of the fact that this could mean they were through. He wasn’t ready for that and he knew he was going to do whatever it took to win her back, but it still hurt knowing that she clearly didn’t feel for him what he felt for her.
Face it, dude. She’s just not that into you…
No. He absolutely refused to believe that. The last few months had proved that they had something and even when things were falling apart around them, he believed in them.
Until…he didn’t.
“Okay, so I have my work cut out for me. I know this.”
Still, he genuinely believed Ashlynn was going to call or text or even just show up at his door. But as he looked at the clock and saw it was after eleven, he knew it wasn’t going to happen tonight.
But because he still had hope for tomorrow, he’d only eaten a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner—basically saving the ingredients for his penne alla vodka just in case Ashlynn took him up on his offer.
I really hope she takes me up on my offer…
For another hour, he flipped through the channels but couldn’t find anything he wanted to watch. By midnight, he shut everything off and padded into the bedroom. He stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed, but it took almost an hour to fall asleep.
Reid had no idea how long he’d been asleep when he heard his phone vibrating on his bedside table. “What the…?” Groggily, he reached for it and did his best to keep his eyes open as he swiped the screen.
Ash: Are you awake?
As things came more into focus, he noticed the time was 2:15.
Is she serious right now?
Reid: Barely. You okay?
Ash: Can’t sleep
Forcing himself to sit up, he propped his pillows up behind him.
Reid: Do you want to come up and we can talk?
Ash: Not really. I’m in bed and just couldn’t sleep
Reid: Can I call you?
Ash: I know it’s late
Ash: And I don’t even know why I’m texting
Reid: Because we agreed that we’d get together and talk
Ash: Yeah. Sorry about that. It was a long day
Reid: But a good one, right?
Reid: I mean, at the end of the day, you got to publicly proclaim your innocence
Ash: I know and I’m definitely relieved
Reid: But???
Ash: But things just feel weird
He yawned loudly and scrubbed a hand over his face before typing again.
Reid: It’s going to get better. I promise.
She didn’t respond right away and he wondered if maybe she fell asleep. But two minutes later, she was back.
Ash: I want you to know that I realize we need to talk about…everything, but I’m not there yet. This was pretty much all of my triggers, Reid. People leaving is a huge issue for me and I need a few days to let the dust settle. I hope you understand.
He wanted to say he didn’t, but unfortunately, he did. After all, he took off because he needed a few days and didn’t really take Ashlynn’s feelings into consideration. She was at least letting him know where she stood right now, which was a lot nicer than what he’d done to her.
Shit.
Reid: I do. I really wish it weren’t like this and that I hadn’t screwed things up so badly. I wish you were here with me right now. I miss lying in bed with you and just talking
Ash: I do too
It would be easy to push her for more, to remind her that they could be doing that exact thing in less than five minutes, but he didn’t. If a little extra time was what she needed, she could have it. He could wait.
Reid: I know I hurt you and I want you to know I’m sorry.
Reid: And I’ll be here waiting whenever you’re ready
Ash: What if…
He already didn’t like where this was going.
Ash: What if I’m never ready, Reid? What if I can’t move past this? What happens then?
His heart squeezed hard in his chest as he typed.
Reid: Then we go back to being friends
Reid: I’ll always be here for you, Ashlynn. Always.
Now certainly was not the time to remind her that he loved her, so he kept that to himself.
Ash: Thank you for saying that.
Ash: I think I’m going to try to get some sleep.
Ash: Take care. Goodnight.
Reid: Goodnight
Like he was going to get any sleep now…
Eventually he must have fallen asleep because the next time Reid opened his eyes, the sun was up. His phone was still in his hand and when he tapped the screen he saw it was after eight. He still had two days to himself and had no idea what he was going to do to pass the time.
And he desperately needed a distraction.
“A run,” he murmured as he rose from the bed and stretched. A little physical activity was a great way to clear his mind and keep him from sitting in his apartment, obsessing about his late-night conversation with Ashlynn.
Dressing quickly in sweats and a hoodie, he put on his sneakers, drank a glass of orange juice, and grabbed his phone, earbuds, and key. He jogged down the three flights, and once in the common area, he stretched a bit before taking off at a slow pace.
After a few blocks, he picked up speed, and before he knew it, he was at his optimum speed and heading right into downtown Sweetbriar. It was a Saturday morning so there weren’t a lot of people out and about yet, and it was the first time in a long time that he was able to simply savor the scenery and appreciate the fact that he was back in the only place he ever really considered home.
He loved this town.
He loved most of the people here—with a few obvious exceptions.
And he saw this being the place he wanted to settle down, get married, and raise his kids.
With Ashlynn.
It was too soon to really be thinking about that, but it didn’t make it any less true. And yeah, they definitely had some major stuff to work through, but he wanted to because he wanted her—all of her.
Her insecurities.
Her wicked sense of humor.
All her smiles and sadness.
He wanted to share all of his days with her.
But in order for any of that to happen, he had to get her to actually talk to him. Of course he’d be patient. And, just like he told her last night, he’d always be her friend.
Please don’t let us only end up as friends…
Jogging past the charred remains of Lavish Locks, he shook his head. If it hadn’t been for that place and all the drama that came with it, life would look completely different right now. It pissed him off that people could be so mean and destructive and basically have zero concern for the carnage they leave behind.
Turning the corner, he was coming up on Books & Beans when a car slowed beside him.
“Reid!” Leo called out from the car.
As much as he hated to stop so abruptly, that’s what he did as he bent down a bit to look at his friend. “Hey,” he said breathlessly.
“Sorry to interrupt your run but I was just going to grab some breakfast at the coffee shop. Can you join me?”
Looking down at himself, he frowned. “Um…I’m a bit sweaty.”
“You’re fine. Come on. I really need to talk to you.”
Great.
“Yeah. Sure. Okay. I’ll meet you over there.”
Leo parked the car and met him at the door of Books & Beans. When they stepped inside, Reid was slightly self-conscious, but he’d deal with it. Billie spotted him and her gaze instantly narrowed and turned hostile.
Crap.
“How are you doing? I heard you went to see your folks for a few days. Is everything alright?” Leo asked.
“Dude, if you know I went to see them, you obviously know why.” He shook his head. “I’m fairly certain Avery must have told you everything.”
“Fine. She did. But my question still stands, is everything alright? I heard they arrested Becky.” He let out a long breath. “My mom was freaking out about the whole thing last night.”
“Yeah, well…” It was on the tip of his tongue to say “I told you so,” but he opted not to.
“How’s Ashlynn doing?”
“Not sure. She’s not really talking to me.” Then he gave Leo the side-eye. “Which I’m sure you already know too.”
“Actually, I didn’t. Uh…Avery’s not speaking to me right now, so…”
“Really? Why?”
“Next!” Billie called from behind the counter.
And she was definitely throwing some major hostile vibes his way.
“Hey, Billie,” Leo said, stepping in front of him. “Can we get two coffees and two blueberry muffins, please?”
All she did was nod.
“Maybe you should go and grab a table?” Leo murmured. “She looks like she wants to throttle you.”
Rather than stand there and discuss it, he did exactly what his friend suggested and found a table in a far corner so he was completely out of Billie’s line of vision. It made him feel like a coward all over again. Hanging his head, Reid considered just getting up and leaving.
When Leo joined him a few minutes later and put their food down on the table, he sat with a loud huff. “If it makes you feel any better, all that anger wasn’t just directed at you.”
Snapping his head up, he frowned. “Seriously? What did you do?”
Groaning, Leo slouched down in his seat a little. “Avery and I were talking a few days ago, and I told her I was the one who suggested you putting some distance between you and Ashlynn. You can guess how that went over.”
“Wow…I don’t even know what to say.”
“I had no idea Ashlynn had abandonment issues. I mean, why would I? And besides, this was a completely different kind of situation! I was looking out for you because you’re my best friend and I’ve seen how hard you’ve worked to get where you are.”
Then he paused as if in deep thought before shaking his head and chuckling.
“What’s so funny?”
“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but…as I sat here saying how hard you’ve worked, it also hit me how that’s not exactly true.”
“Excuse me?” he snapped. “What the hell does that mean?”
“First, relax. What I meant was that things always came easy for you. You were a good athlete, a good student, and even when you joined all those junior firefighter things, you aced everything. That’s not to say it didn’t require effort, but…” He shrugged. “It always looked like things just fell into place for you, that’s all.”
He took a sip of his coffee before responding. “Okay, I get what you’re saying and…yeah, things did come easy for me, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have to put in the work.”
“Reid, I’m sorry. I never should have said it.”
But…he did have a point.
“No, it’s really okay, but I’m not sure what that has to do with anything.”
“Well, I was going to say how you were entitled to be upset and take some time for yourself because there was a real chance you were going to lose everything you worked so hard for. No one should fault you for needing some time.”
“But…?” Because there was always a but.
“But…I think this situation with Ashlynn is going to require a level of work you’ve never done before. That is, if you want to work things out with her.”
“I love her. I love her so damn much and I hate that I’ve ruined this for us. Hell, I can’t even get her to come and talk to me.”
“To be fair, it’s only been like…a day,” Leo reasoned before taking a bite of his breakfast.
“I know, but…how can I prove to her how sorry I am or how I feel about her if she won’t give us a chance?” Raking a hand through his hair, he let out a long breath. “I hate this. I hate that all of this crap happened with the damn salon.”
He was about to say more when Billie Donovan pulled up a chair and sat down beside him.
Uh-oh…
“Did you mean what you just said?” she demanded.
“Um…” He looked nervously over at Leo before meeting Billie’s angry gaze. “Which part?”
“Are you really in love with my sister?”
He nodded.
“And do you swear that this whole running away thing was a one-time action?”
“Reid never runs away from anything,” Leo chimed in. “Trust me. He’s the most loyal guy I’ve ever known. Loyal to a fault. He always has everyone’s back.”
Billie glared at his friend. “Your opinion doesn’t mean a whole lot right now. Avery’s pretty upset with you and your crappy advice, so maybe just stay out of this.”
