No Rules To Love

Chapter Fourteen:

When I composed myself, I got the apartment ready for Ashley's return. Though, to be honest, I didn't have to do much. I only used it as an excuse to get away from Hunter and the stifling tension filling the air. I was glad that I didn't have to do much around the apartment because I couldn't think straight. All I had on my mind was the moment in the hallway.

Not long after I sorted everything out, Ashley came dancing through the door. She seemed happy and content with her life. She always seemed to get delirious with happiness whenever she went on a date with Michael. As I said, she was still in the honeymoon phase.

Because she was so happy, yet tired at the same time, she went straight to bed. She thanked me on the way out for sorting everything out. I was thankful for this and breathed a sigh of relief when I heard her bedroom door shut. The usually observant Ashley didn't notice my changed demeanour and frantic thinking patterns.

I went to bed myself, as there was nothing else left to do and I was feeling exhausted after the long day. After completing my nightly routine, I got into bed. I closed my eyes, but sleep refused to join me, as I was still thinking about what happened earlier. Sleep evaded me for a few hours, mulling it over, and I annoyed myself with my overthinking. I mean, I bet it meant nothing to Hunter. But it was the way he carefully brushed a strand of hair away from my face and looked deep into my eyes as if he could read my innermost thoughts...

And there I went again, over-thinking and over-analysing things...

I finally fell asleep during the early hours of the morning. I was glad that I didn't have to be at Hunter's until noon, which meant that I could have a little longer in bed.

I woke up around 10:00 in the morning and I was thankful that Ashley let me sleep in that long. After crawling out of bed, my feet found my comfortable, fluffy slippers. I stood up and stretched out all my limbs. Then I grabbed my dressing gown from the hanger behind the door. I slipped it on before tying the strings at the front, making sure they were tight.

My hand opened the door, and I scuffled into the living room, dragging my feet as I did so. A yawn tried to escape from my mouth when I reached the kitchen area and I stifled it, covering my mouth as I did so.

Ashley was already in the kitchen, with her back towards me. She stood at the stove, with her hands flying around as she tried to keep all the pans straight. She was fully dressed and prepared for the day ahead.

It was a shame I couldn't say the same thing about myself.

I slid the chair back from the dining table, causing a piercing, screeching sound to fill the air, making me wince. Ashley heard the sound and she turned around as I sat down. She had a bright smile on her face, which didn't dim when she saw me sitting there.

"Morning!" She grinned at me.

"Morning," I replied, noticeably less chirpy than Ashley. It was still the morning, so my behaviour was understandable. "How long have you been up?"

"About twenty minutes." Ashley shrugged before turning back to her cooking. She thought she was Delia Smith. "I'm making a good ol' English fry-up with bacon, sausages, egg, the lot, if you want some?"

"Of course, I want some!" I said. Did she have to ask?

When Ashley and I were in a show, we tried to steer clear of unhealthy food. This was so that we could be at our utmost fitness during the period of rehearsals and performances. But now that the show was out of the way, we could eat as much fat as we wanted. And we were going to make the most of our precious — and rare — time without performing. Don't get me wrong, I loved performing, but this was a fantastic treat for after all the demanding work.