Chapter 12
Ashley's POV
"So, what should I do if Preston does anything sneaky?" I asked Mitch.
"Well, you should just think of anything about him that you know"
"Have you done anything about it?"
"Well, I blackmailed him and said, if he comes anywhere near you, I'll reveal his deepest darkest secret."
"That is?" I asked, my voice trailing off. He gave me the signal to come closer. I leaned in and he whispered it in my ear. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"Holy." I placed my hand over my mouth.
How could Preston hide this? And get away with it....
"Yeah." He said with disappointment.
"Who else knows?"
"Kenny, Rob and me. Now you. And I know that he'll try to be the sneaky cactus he is, he will want to get what he wants"
"And when did this happen?"
"A few days ago. You can't let him know that you know that. He'll just hurt me or you"
"Okay. I promise" I said crossing my heart. "How could he hide this?"
"I don't know. And he made the stupidest decision telling us."
"Yeah. But anyway, I gotta take a rain check" I said standing up.
"Where you going?"
"The girls want to meet me at Starbucks" I said grabbing my purse. "Annie is picking me up"
"Oh okay. Have fun!" He said cheerfully, kissing my cheek. I smiled and kissed his cheek back.
"Thanks!" I said waving and walking out of his room. I walked outside and saw Annie outside in her convertible. I walked up and hopped into the front seat. Annie stretched her arms out and I slid into them.
"How have you been Ash? It's been months!" She says happily.
"I've been good. What about you?" I asked back.
"Great!" She says starting up her car. We started to drive off, but Annie likes music. Who doesn't? She turned on the radio and we jumped in the middle of Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke. We started singing/shouting the lyrics as we went. At every stoplight, we would get stares, but we didn't care. After a while of singing along to a few songs, we arrived at Starbucks. Louise, Jocelyn, Alesa, and Maddie were outside at a table talking to each other. Annie found a parking space and we hopped out of the car, walking over to them. They looked up at us, a smile spreading across their faces. Jocelyn got up and wrapped her arms around me, as I did the same with her.
"It's been too long Ashley!" Jocelyn said. "Sorry I wasn't at your party, I was out of town for some business matters and all that BS"
"Yeah. But at least you have time to relax!" I said.
"True. But only a month and then I have to fly to Chicago for MORE BUSINESS BS!" She said angrily sitting down. I sat in the seat beside Maddie and Alesa. "It's just too much. And I just got back today and I can barely spend any time with. Ty!"
"I'm sorry Jocelyn." Alesa said, rubbing her arm.
"It's okay. It's not your fault. It's my bitchy boss's fault!"
"Why don't you quit?" Louise asked.
"Because, I met him in the past and I sold part of my soul to him. And I can't get it back" She said sadly.
"Why don't Ty help you?"
"You don't know what my boss is capable of...." Her voice trailing off
"You should get Ty involved. He could help you!" I said.
"Maybe I should..."
"Guys, can we stop talking about the depressing stuff and just talk about what girls normally talk about?" Alesa asked.
"Our guys?" Annie asked.
"Exactly!"
"Okay then. Well, we better get Ashley and Annie her drink." Louise suggested.
"It's okay. I'll get it" I said getting up and going inside.
"Well. Okay." Louise said.
"Annie, what do you want?"
"I want their Strawberry smoothie please!" Annie said with a smile.
"Alright, give me a few minutes!" I said going inside. The chatter inside was always loud, like the one in England. I walked up to the counter where the lady looked back at me and walked towards me.
"Welcome to Starbucks. How may I help you?" She asked.
"One strawberry smoothie, and one cotton candy frappuccino please!"
"Coming right up!" She said and started getting to work. I stood at the counter and waited. But I couldn't stop thinking about Preston's secret.
How does he think that he can hide this? Why did he even tell Rob, Mitch and Kenny? And how could he do such evil? Questions started in my mind.
Why Preston? I thought I knew you. Just why?
I was snapped out by the lady who handed me the drinks. I payed her and I went back outside. I went outside to the girls, but. I have to tell them about my Preston problem. I sat the drink in front of Annie, she thanked me and started to drink.
"Guys, can we just talk about something real quick?" I asked. They all looked up at me with concern on their faces.
"Of course! What do you need?" Annie asked.
"Well guys, you know I'm with Mitch, and things are going perfectly," I started. "But,"
"But?" Jocelyn asked with curiosity.
"I have an admirer" I said.
"Well, it's good that someone really does like you. But what's the bad news?" Alesa asked, starting to sip her coffee.
"It's Preston" I blurted out. Everyone slammed their drinks down, but Alesa sprayed her drink out of her mouth and it landed on Maddie. Everyone else whipped their head around at us.
"You guys payed for your drinks, right?" I whispered to Louise.
"Yes why?" She whispered back.
"RUN" The girls ran after me, me and Annie jumped in her car, the others going to the same place we were.
The Team Crafted house.
~
We made it to the Team Crafted house after we dropped Maddie off at her house. We all got out of our cars and hurried inside. I knocked on the door, and waited for a few moments. Quentin answered the door, a smile appeared on his face when he saw Annie. We all got inside and I saw Mitch coming down the stairs. He walked over to me and gave me a peck on the lips.
"What happened? I thought you weren't coming back until late." He said.
"Well, yeah but, Alesa kinda spat her coffee, all over Maddie so we came home"
"That sucks"
"Yeah. But oh well. We couldn't stay away from our guys" I said. Mitch gave me that warm smile of his. Annie and Quentin went upstairs. Me and Mitch went upstairs as well. Mitch went into his room and I went into mine. I changed into my short pajama pants, and a baggy t-shirt. Mitch walks into my room.
"So, looks like your turn to sleep in my bed tonight" He smirks.
"Yeah" I say, holding my arm. We walk into Mitch's room, I plop down on his bed, and Mitch lays down next to me, pulling the covers over us, me snuggling up in his arms.
"I love you Mitch" I said.
"I love you too Ash"
~
I wake up at around 2:00 AM, in Mitch's arms. I slip out of his arms and walk downstairs. I turn on the lights in the kitchen, look around in the pantry and find a glass and I start to fill it up with water. I gulp it down and head to the bathroom. I just turn on the faucet and make a bowl with my hands and fill it up with water. I wash my face with the cold water and dry my face. I look at myself for a few seconds and walk out. As I step out of the bathroom, I feel some hands wrap around my waist. At first I thought it was Mitch, but I turn around to see Preston standing there. Not Mitch. I wiggle out of his grasp, him having a confused look in his eyes
"What the hell are you doing Preston?" I shout, on the verge to screaming.
"Shhhh. Just quiet now and everything will be okay" He says, holding my hips again, his grasp tightening. I stood there frozen. I didn't know what to do. I slip out of his grasp.
"Are you kidding me right now?" I shout angrily.
"Just stay quiet and everything will be okay..."
"No! I'm with Mitch now! And you have to understand that!"
"I can't hold back what I feel"
"I don't care what you do to me, I will always stay with Mitch and nothing can change that"
"You must be confused"
"I'm not confused."
"Oh come on Ashley, why can't you understand,"
"I don't care what you have to say!"
"Ashley Aresment"
"I'm not an Aresment, someday I will be a Hughes. I can be an Aceti, and I will never be an Aresment, or have kids with the last name of Aresment!"
"Whatever you say"
"Get the hell away from me!" I scream running upstairs. I run back into Mitch's room and I slide back in his arms again. It jolts him awake, with worry on his face
"Ash, what happened?" He whispered in my hair.
"It happened again" I say on the verge of tears. "He called me Ashley Aresment."
Mitch's POV
No one should ever call Ashley an Aresment. Soon, she'll be a Hughes.
"Ash, this time, I won't leave your side"
"I hope so," She says starting to cry in my chest. I hold her tighter in my arms.
"Listen, you will not be the wife of that cactus. I promise, someday, you'll be a Hughes"
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. It's okay, you can cry all you want" I whisper. She starts to cry in my chest, and I stoke her hair and kiss the top of her head for which seemed like hours before she fell asleep. I held her in my clutch.
Preston called her an Aresment.
That
is
it.
CLIFFHANGER! Just cuz :P
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I will try to post the next chapter in a few days, so don't worry!
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Keep calm and read on
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~Nat 💕😊