Arranged •{ONC 2020}•

《 Chapter Eight 》

The closer they drew to the treehouse where it all began, the sweatier Ashlynn's hands became. She didn't want to talk about this with anyone, especially not him. Because saying it aloud made it all come back, and things got very ugly very fast when that happened.

Finally, they reached the tree's base, and in its bare branches sat the treehouse with the metal bucket swinging to and fro. Its walls were covered in moss and mildew, and its roof was partially caved in. The very sight of the dilapidated structure spoke of abandonment.

The silence was deafening. There was so much to be said, yet there was nothing to say.

Wesley broke the silence first. "Is there somewhere we can sit?"

Ashlynn nodded to a bench near the foot of the tree. He brushed away the leaves and twigs and sat on it, leaving space for Ashlynn to join him.

She didn't.

Instead, she bit the bullet and asked the question that cost her countless hours of sleep. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Why didn't you help him?"

Wesley dropped his gaze immediately. "I tried."

"You didn't try hard enough!"

"I did everything I could! We were only eight, what more could I have done?"

"You should've left me!" Ashlynn was shouting now. "You should've left me and dragged him to the shore!"

"I didn't know he hit his head! I saw you floundering in the water and I just grabbed you and swam!" Wesley ran his hands through his hair. "I thought he was behind us."

"Well, he wasn't. And now he's dead." The word hung in the air for a few moments. Ashlynn furiously wiped her eyes and glared at the ground, adding, "And it's all your fault."

"You think I don't know that?" Wesley shot back, the intensity in his voice startling her. "You think I don't blame myself for his death and wish I had done something differently?"

"I—"

"Because I think of it every day. Every morning, the first thing I see is the smooth surface of that lake with an overturned boat. I can hear you screaming and crying. I can feel the chill of the water." He buried his face in his hands, his voice cracking ever so slightly. "I have nightmares of him asking me to save him, over and over and over again. I take medicine to try to live a normal life. But Ashlynn, we were children. We did something stupid and paid the price for it."

"The price was too high," she said softly.

"Yes, it was. But there's nothing we can do about it now."

Ashlynn bit her lip. "I should've listened."

"Ash—"

"We should've never gone out on that boat, and if I had listened to you then Eric would still be alive. He'd be running the company and we wouldn't be in this mess. But I wanted to show you the lake and—" she choked, her chest tightening as she fought to breathe through the stifling scarf.

"Ashlynn, we all are guilty. We all played a role in what happened. But we can't change it. All we can do now is learn from it and move on, even though it hurts."

"I can't let him go." She wrapped her arms around herself. That was a lie. She could, she just didn't know how.

"Letting go doesn't mean we forget; it means we're strong enough to remember." Unable to stand the sight of her sobbing and shivering anymore, he patted the spot next to him. "Come here."

She hesitated for a few moments before stepping forward meekly. Wesley fixed her with that unreadable expression of his and she took another step. Right now, she just wanted to run to someone else for comfort, but when he looked at her like that she couldn't turn away.

Ashlynn sat on the end of the bench, as far away from Wesley as she could get. His hand brushed her shoulder and she flinched.

He withdrew his hand. "Will you be alright?"

She wiped her running nose with her sleeve. "I just need some time. I can't forgive you yet."

"I understand, but you'll have to forgive me for this, too."

"Wha—"

Ashlynn found herself enveloped in the smell of Calvin Klein. She tried to wiggle free, but her arms were trapped in his embrace.

"Sorry," he murmured, "but I'd rather we finish this before your family shows up. You can cry, I won't look."

She stiffened at first, but emotions crashed over her and she released the tears she'd been holding back. Years of frustration, anger, guilt, and pain began to dissipate. She should try this more often; it was therapeutic.

They sat there for what felt like hours. Ashlynn's tears had long since stopped, but Wesley's arms weren't budging from around her shoulders. Embarrassment was kicking in, but she was too drained to fight.

And, for the first time since he had shown up at the club, Wesley's touch seemed different.

He felt warm. A comforting, gentle warmth that, if left to its own devices, could very quickly turn into a raging fire.

Ashlynn enjoyed playing with fire.

The moment that thought popped into her head, Ashlynn hurriedly pushed Wesley away with her newfound strength and threatened to make his life absolutely miserable if he told anyone about what had happened. From his new seat on the ground, he swore that he wouldn't tell a soul.

She felt like she was burning alive inside her coat. Scrambling to her feet, she took off in the direction of the house, not even bothering to make sure Wesley was following.

Heaven forbid she ever thought that way again. Of course, Heaven had plans of its own, and Ashlynn was about to discover that the hard way.