No Rules To Love

Chapter Eighteen:

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I muttered, playing dumb, stepping forward, and dumping my bag on the sofa.

"Yes, you do." Ashley persisted. After she stood up, she crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't angry. She knew I was lying, and she was desperate for the truth. "I suppose you're going to tell me that kiss on the cheek was nothing, as well, huh?"

I grimaced, knowing that she had caught me out. "You saw that?"

"Of course I did!" She exclaimed. "I was wondering what was taking so long, so I took a peek out of the door and there he was, kissing you on the cheek."

"It was a friendly thing." I defended, shrugging.

"If that was a friendly thing, you've been hanging around with the wrong friends, honey." Ashley mused, rolling her eyes. "Plus, when I came out onto the balcony, you two jumped away from each other. Like I had caught you doing something you shouldn't be."

I rolled my eyes and wafted my hand. "That was nothing!"

Ashley nodded her head. "Uh-huh." She hummed; the sarcasm was strong in that brief sound. "Talia, I may be a little tipsy, but I know what I saw."

"Whatever."

"Okay, so we're going to both sit down and you are going to tell me everything that happened tonight." She walked forward and grabbed my hands. Then she dragged me down to the sofa and plonked me down so that I was sitting next to her. "Now, spill."

And that's exactly what I did.

Ashley stared at me, open-mouthed and in shock when I had finished my story. I couldn't quite decipher what she felt about the whole situation. But judging from Ashley's twitching eye, she wasn't far away from blowing up.

3

2

1

"OH MY GOD!"

See, did I know my best friend well or what?

I winced at Ashley's loud screech and felt sorry for the neighbours. I bet her sudden outburst had awoken them.

"Geez, Ash," I said, grimacing. "Can you calm down for, like, a second?"

"I'm sorry. But my best friend — who has never had a boyfriend before — told me she and the guy that she likes almost kissed! Excuse me if I'm freaking out a little because this is a lot to take in!" Ashley exclaimed in one breath. It's an excellent job she had a singer's lungs.

I didn't even have time to respond because Ashley went off on one.

She got an excited glint in her eyes, and she bounced up and down on the seat. "I knew it! I knew you were going to get together soon! You know, I should give up on my musical theatre career and become a fortune-teller or something!"

I couldn't take much more of this.

"Ashley, will you calm down?" I requested, chuckling. "We aren't even together! You seem to be forgetting that we didn't even kiss."

"But you would have done it if I hadn't walked in?"

I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "I don't know, maybe?"

"So, you two will eventually talk about it. And then you'll realise that you both like each other and then you'll get together, and it will be as simple as that!" Ashley ranted.

"No, it isn't 'as simple as that'," I told her. "I'm not going to bring it up, so if Hunter doesn't bring it up, I guess we won't be talking about it."

"That's ridiculous! You have to talk about it!" She exclaimed, outraged at the very thought of Hunter and me not airing out our feelings.

I chuckled, shaking my head, before standing up off the chair and stretching out my limbs. "Okay, you think whatever you want to think. I am going to bed; I have a monumental day ahead of me tomorrow."