A Promise To The Beloved (Completed)

16. A Dinner meet...

They both sat in the car as the driver brought the engine to life and started moving the car through the streets of Brooklyn. The duo lost in their world. With thousands of questions arising in their head, they were busy answering them.

Even though during their first meeting she had found Ashton to be cold and threatening but now looking at his behaviour towards Sam and how he was treating her nicely at least so far, she now started to have a change in her opinion about him. He was pretty charming and knew how to crack jokes and make any situation comical or erotic depending upon his mood, she smiled.

She remembered the previous night when they had talked about the full moon, just the thought of the conversation brought the heat to her cheeks and true to his words he had stayed to his side, she smiled but then composing herself once again she remembered the mantra she had repeated to herself a million times.

Ashton king was not someone she could fall for. All the people she had loved so far were snatched by the fate so cruelly that now she was scared to love anyone else. After her parents and sister, Sam was the only one she was left with and now she couldn't afford opening the door of her heart to anyone else.

She was done with people entering her life and leaving all of a sudden and Ashton king was not someone who needed or wanted her love and he was certainly not someone who could return her love. There was no chance that she would ever fall for anyone at least not in this life. But what about Ashton, a voice questioned.

Maybe there will come a day when he will fall for someone...What would he do then, this was a question she didn't want to answer but then her brain and heart answered together.
'He will leave, of course.' And the thought of him leaving made her feel uneasy. Why? She didn't know but it did. She turned her head to look at Ashton and found his seat empty.

"Where did he go?" she frowned and the door to her side opened and she found Ashton standing in front of her stretching his hand for her to take.

He gave her a small smile, "Come, we have reached our destination."

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even realise they had already arrived at the venue. Placing her hand in his she stepped out of the car. For some unknown reason the feel of her hand in his bigger one felt good, she unwillingly acknowledged.

"Today we are going to meet two of my best friends," Ashton said interrupting her thoughts.
"So remember one thing, we have to act like a real couple."

"You didn't tell them that this marriage is just a sham?" She questioned.

"There are some things I like to keep to myself and this marriage is one of those things."

"Even though they are your best friends?"

"That's the reason. They are my good friends and I don't want them to worry about my problems."

She looked at him as he gazed straight ahead. So he is someone who keeps his heart so tightly shut that even his best friends would have no idea what's going on in that heart of his, Lilly noted.

"Come on, now it's showtime. If we succeeded in making these two believe that we married for love and this marriage is real then there will not be any problem in making the rest of the world believe in us especially Elsie."

"Hmm... I'll do my best." she tried to smile and look confident of what they were doing but Ashton still noticed the nervousness that crossed her face and gave her hand a little squeeze. A small gesture to reassure that they were together in this. A small gesture that didn't go unnoticed on Lilly's part.

As they entered the restaurant, the manager took them to the reserved area where two other couples were already seated.
As Ashton and Lilly reached the table the two men got up, smiling at Ashton.