How Not To Fall In Love

Chapter 20: The Talk

It is a normal day for Lily and Ashton. Or they thought it will be. Thursday morning, the day after her meet up with Vivian, Lily felt the need to ask Ashton for the talk but Miss Sanchez has been keeping up with her filling her with work. She had the usual coffee with her to the office and when she went home it was already midnight. Ashton was already asleep and it's bothersome to wake him up just to talk. Friday was usual except she didn't go to the office since she was asked to go in search for fabrics. By the time she went home, it was earlier than expected and Ashton was still up. It may have been a good time but her deadline dictates her otherwise. Ashton stayed in for more days. Lily wondered what he is really doing the whole day without going out. He kept on asking Lily if it's okay with her that he'll stay for more days. And Lily answered him the same thing, assuring him that she understands if he needed more time.

Lily opened her laptop Saturday morning to check for any mails or reminders. But she got none. All is clear. Lily felt relieved for the break that she needed from work. She shoved her laptop on her nightstand and rolled back in her bed. It's pretty early to even get out of bed. She closed her eyes trying to get back to sleep. She heard the load banging outside. She groaned. Lily slipped in her slippers and walked out from her room. She peeked where the sound came from on one eye and she saw Ashton squatting on the chair with a thick book on his hand. She fully opened her eyes and yawned. "Sorry. Did I wake you up?" Ashton spoke with a strain in his voice. "I was already up. Just trying to go back to sleep. What's with the book?" Lily asked sleepily. 

He held down the book in his hand and eyed the surroundings. "Uhm. There's a – there's a – uhm – Oh crap there it is!" He shrieked. Ashton held out the book in the air again and stepped down from the chair. The flying creature steadied and made a buzz sound with its wings. And before it can even move away from its spot Ashton whip the book in its direction. He let out a deep breath, feeling relieved. Lily just stood there on her door frame wide open as Ashton freaked out over a flying cockroach. He looked at Lily who's laughing loudly holding her stomach and leaned over her door frame for support. He turned red in embarrassment. 

"I didn't see it coming." Lily said in between laughs. "You really looked pale as ghost." "Whatever." He shrug and cleaned up the thing. "It was one of the smallest creatures in the world. And the big guy here is scared of it." She teased. "I'm not. I only need to protect myself from its germs" He retort. Lily could see his face flushed in red and she continued to tease him. "So you're a germaphobic?" "No. I just hate its being." Lily chuckled at her new discovery about Ashton.

"So do you have any plans for today?" Ashton asked while beating the pancake mix. From the day he started staying at Lily's he has been volunteering making breakfast for them. Lily agreed since she barely eats a proper breakfast. "None that I know of, do you?" "Well, no. I uh think we really need to talk." Ashton said. Lily raised her brows, surprised that he opened the topic. "Yes I believe we should." She replied and went to the fridge. Ashton cooked the pancakes in the pan and it send amazing aroma over the kitchen. Lily waved the syrups over the fridge's door. "Strawberry, Maple, Chocolate?" "Strawberry." Ashton replied and filled one of their plates. 

"Just curious. What did you do all day when I'm out? I noticed you didn't go out at all." Ashton placed Lily's pancakes in front of her on the table. "I did some research, watch TV, and mostly sleeping." He smiled. Lily rolled her eyes and grabbed the chocolate syrup. "Seriously speaking, what happened to you? Aside from being kicked out in your apartment." Lily asked. She seemed to start the talk. Ashton was silent for a moment while eating a sliced pancake. "I shouldn't really be here in the first place." He started. "In Venheighs and now in your apartment." Lily looked at him intently while speaks. "Why?" She asked. "Because I made a deal with the devil. Remember day we went to Tenerife?" Lily nodded. "That place for one is off limits, and so is the helly we used. Garvin, my father (or not-so-father, he thought), and I made a deal back when I was in college that I can stay in Venheighs and proceed the degree I want but he will not support me in everything. Everything. He has an image to uphold being one of the top 5 richest men in the world. And he doesn't want to send me back in our hometown to be recognized as an outcast. But in the end it still looked like I became an outcast." He paused, drinking water.

"My mother secretly deposit cash in my account to sustain me but Garvin has eyes, though he didn't do anything about it. I graduated without being recognized as his kid. He wanted me to follow his footsteps in the multinational corporation he founded. Like those cliché stories seen in the movie, I, his only son, wants to pursue a different path in life." He notice Lily has finished eating but her eyes are still focused on him. "So where's the part that you can't be here in Venheighs?" She asked. "Yeah, that part. Since I have totally no right to access in his properties and assets, when I asked a friend that's running his jets and planes when we had our mini trip I was breaking rules." Lily opened her mouth, still a bit confused and tried to sink in the information. 

"He eventually found out about the trip and asked to do my end of bargain. I should leave Venheighs and quit my photography career." "But?" Lily asked, as if she presumed there is still more than that. "But I can't leave because first, I don't want to leave my mom at her condition. We never talked in person after 7 years. Like I said, he still made me an outcast. Second, because I love photography." Lily was about to say something but he spoke right away. As if he know what she was about to say. "Yes, I can still do photography outside Venheighs but it will only complicate things between me and Garvin. He already made my life a living hell. And the last reason is – you." Lily was dumbfounded. She leaned on the back of her chair and stared at Ashton expecting for further explanation. But he did not. "I don't get it." She finally speaks. It wasn't as awkward as it sound as Ashton's sudden confession per se. Or which she thought it was. "The part that I can't be in here with you because he background checked you and threatened me that he will cut you out of Prada if I will not leave." "Oh." That was all Lily could compose to say. Ashton's face fell. "I'm sorry." "Wait. Can we rewind a bit? You say the place where we had our mini trip is off-limits. Why?" She sipped in her glass with a loud gulp. She tried to push back the thought of her being out of Prada. "Because that's where my ex-girlfriend lives. And her family used to made business with Garvin then they had a disagreement that ended up in court." Asthon explained with a croak in his voice. "Oh." Lily sipped again in her glass. "I'm still trying to figure out how to face him. He'll be enraged when he find out that I'm still here in Venheighs." "Living with me." Lily chimed. "Yeah." Ashton sighed. They stayed silent. Aston finished his food quietly. None of them moved away from their seats. As Ashton decided to clean up and do the dishes, Lily stood up. She felt the need of a good bath.

~

The rest of the day they did not speak to each other. Lily cannot think of anything good if she will start to talk to Asthon. She is not angry, she hated Ashton for what he made Lily go through. But then Lily understands where his coming from. His love and passion. Except for the part he almost confessed his feelings. Or if there's really, Lily thought. She made a little research of Garvin in her room and the information consumed her so much. She closed her laptop and went out. Ashton is sitting on the couch like the usual days, watching TV. Lily walked past, sitting beside him. "What will happen if will not leave Venheighs?" She asked staring at the television. 

"I'll take over the company." Ashton answered promptly. He looked down to his hands absently rubbing against each other. "So what are you gonna do?" "I don't know." She looked at him and he caught her gaze. Lily reached for his hands and smiled. 

"You'll get through it. You're an adult now. You'll figure out what's needed to be done." She said coolly. Ashton opened his hands and placed Lily's hands in between his. "How can you stay clam about all of these? Of what I put you through?" He asked. "I understand that you can't just give up on your dreams, doing what you love to do, and for your mom." She slowly detached her hands, suddenly felt a bit awkward. "But you do know you really need to see your father. Eventually he'll find you're still here." "I think I need to look for a job." Ashton said. "I know I just can't stay here freely. And I'll just ask this clearly. Can I stay here for like a month or something, just until I can figure out how to face Garvin?" Lily bit her lower lip, as if she was thinking. "Yes, I guess. It would be rude of me to kick you out when you already got yourself kicked out." She joked. Ashton chuckled. "Seriously, you can. You know what I think we can do a little spring cleaning this afternoon." She beamed eyeing the spare room. "Thanks." Ashton muttered, and hugged her.