❝I want us to take a moment of happiness. Even if it's brief.❞
ASHTON BRUSHES HIS FINGERTIPS along the freckles across Ria's face. The afternoon sun dances over her tan skin and provides a golden-like perfection to her complexion.
Every day, he's made sure she gets at least eight hours of sleep. Whatever she doesn't get at night, she gets in the afternoon with a mandatory nap. She complained at first, about this and all the other rules he laid upon her, but there was no fighting the obvious fatigue in her body.
They both need sleep.
Losing the ones they trusted and cared for. Living with the pressures of death lingering around every corner. It's exhausting.
Ashton trails his fingers along Ria's stomach, feeling the warmth emitting from it as if he can feel their child living inside. He doesn't believe it's worth it, but he can't make Ria change her mind. Her head is as hard as a bull's despite her heart being as delicate as a flower.
The connection she feels for this unborn child is unfathomable.
What are the chances? Her odds?
I can't lose you. I just can't.
"You're not sleeping," Ria whispers and places her hand atop his.
"Neither are you."
A smile cracks across her lips and her eyes lift in a languid manner. "So why are you watching me not sleep?"
"Cause I'm thinking about things."
"Like?"
"You. Us. The baby. All the shit we're caught up in."
Her smiles wanes and her other hand shifts to caress his cheek. "We just have to wait three more weeks. Your men will invade his mansion, get Camilla out safely, and kill Vincent. If they fail, you'll just have to."
Hearing the word kill slip from her lips so casually still manages to make his heart ache. "And you're okay with that?"
Her eyes grow vacant and she nods. "He's the only one. Just him. No one else ever again."
"I know," he whispers.
"After that, we're getting new therapists."
"I know."
"And baby classes?" she inquires with a fragile hopefulness.
"Yeah," he breathes.
"I want you to be happy about this, Ashton. Be a little more optimistic."
"It's hard to be happy if I know there's a chance of losing you." He intertwines their fingers and kisses the back of her hand. "But I'll have all the hope that I possibly can for you and this baby."
She smiles and shuts her eyes. Auburn lashes brush against each other. "Thank you."
Ashton places his lips against her knuckles before mumbling breathily, "I've actually been thinking about something." His pulse jumps at the idea lingering on his tongue. A spontaneous idea, but one that he can't help but desire more than anything right now.
"What is it?" Ria tangles one of her legs between his, managing to bring them closer like souls touching and teasing each other.
"I want to get married."
Ria giggles and removes her hand from his cheek to show off her engagement ring. "What do you think this means?"
"I mean I want to get married now. As soon as possible."
Her brows lower in confusion and she presses her lips together.
"I was thinking maybe we could elope." He chews on his bottom lip while trying to decipher her shifting expression.
"Why does it feel like you're doing this because you think I'm going to die?"
Her words rip into his heart and shove a reality he does not want to believe into his face. "I don't want to waste any time, Ria. Neither of us know what tomorrow or even today brings. I just...I want to celebrate that with you. I don't want to wait."
The heart of her hazel eyes dance across his face. A battle wages wars inside her head.
If they were like everyone else, they'd wait a year or so in order to plan the most perfect and romantic ceremony. Though Ashton's come to realize that nothing in his world will ever allow perfection or happiness if he just waits for it.
He wants this. Needs this more than anything right now.
"I want us to be happy just for a moment. Just you and me and...the little girl or boy growing inside you. Just the three of us. I want us to have some sort of solace. We can't wait for happiness. Not in this world. We have to take it and that's what I want to do with you."
She smiles a teary smile and shuts her eyes for a moment. "This feels so sad."
"Everything about us is sad." He laughs, strained and weak. "But I want this moment to be ours. I want to put ourselves first for once. Before we worry about Vincent or anything else, I want us to take a moment of happiness. Even if it's brief."
"Okay." She nods vigorously. "Let's do it. Let's elope."
"Really?" He laughs and pulls her close.
"Yeah. I want to do this." She laughs along with him and tangles herself in his arms.
They laugh and he kisses her face, her cheeks, her nose, her lips and eyes. They laugh like two foolish children, drunk on love and bad decisions. A reckless idea, they both know, but what is their love without recklessness?
"Where should we get married? We should still tell everyone, right?"
"Of course." He grins and tangles his fingers in her soft hair and draws in her fruity scent before kissing her smiling lips again. "I was thinking of something a little crazy actually."
"Like what?" she hisses with childish wonder. She stares up at him with star-littered eyes and love-stained lips.
"Why not go to Italy for a week?"
Ria stops breathing and her childlike wonder becomes childish hopes and dreams. "C-c-can we do that?"
"We can do anything, Ria. Let's go to your hometown and get fucking married." He laughs at her astonishment and the pure amount of eagerness radiating from her flushed skin.
"Ohmygoodness, yes!" she cries and grabs his face and kisses him fiercely. "Yes. Yes. Yes!"
"It's settled then." Ashton chuckles against her lips and shivers as her skin leaves traces of fire over his. "We're getting married in Italy."
"We're getting married in Italy," she agrees.
Just like that, the happiness he thought they had lost returns. An ephemeral moment, fleeting, but a moment of pure euphoria.
"You two are reckless children." Dea grins at the two of them and folds her fingers over her heart. "Are you sure about this?"
Ria nods vigorously and Ashton joins along. "Ria's parents funded for her to move back to Italy. She has money from her contract with the gallery. I have money. We can do this."
"I know you can financially." Dea rolls her eyes and flips waves of dark hair over her shoulder. "I mean...you want to do this so fast? What about family and friends?"
A piece of Ashton shatters upon realizing he has no one besides Dea and Vivian if he wanted to have a traditional ceremony. Daniel surely would have been his best man if he hadn't tried to destroy his life.
Now he has no one.
That's not what matters. He shoves those thoughts aside and focuses on now. He and Ria are all that matters right now.
Sophia strides into the living room and offers Ria a glass of water that she thankfully takes. "You know your parents are going to kill you, right?"
Instead of answering, Ria gulps down her water and glances at the ceiling over the edge of the glass.
Sophia rolls her amused eyes. She flops next to Dea and practically sinks into her like their bodies belong together. Their naturally lit apartment provides a warm glow, making the environment almost seem free and safe from the outside world.
"Their only child is getting married in another country where they probably won't be able to reach you."
Ria smacks her lips and sets down her glass. "They'll understand."
"Will they?"
She bobs her head and grabs Ashton's hand as if that's enough of an argument.
Sophia rolls her eyes again like she's dismissing two silly kids. "You guys are a mess."
"A cute mess," Dea gushes. "Ashton, you grew up so fast. I can't believe you're settling down before me."
"I can't believe my little brother and best friend are settling down at all." Sophia's sea-colored eyes graze along Ashton's.
His heart stops and he stares at her as if horns just popped out of her head. Am I hearing things?
Sophia clears her throat and he could swear there's the faintest tinge of pink along her fair cheeks. "Yes, I called you my little brother. Even though things are still a little weird, I want to accept you in my life. I...I think when you guys get back, we should talk to our parents...together."
"That's fine." He bites his bottom lip to keep from smiling, though fails miserably as a grin cracks the boundaries of his face.
Sophia ruffles up her cloudy blonde hair and glances away. "I mean, I really don't want to meet your mom...my mom, but I can't avoid her. I can't avoid my dad. We have to close this chapter in our lives if we're going to move on to the next one."
"I totally agree." Ashton beams and shifts forward. "I-I think we could build a great relationship. I've always wanted a family and you're honestly the best part of it so far."
"Y-yeah. Okay."
"What Sophia is trying to say," Dea chimes in and leans into her, "is that she is more than thrilled that you think so highly of her. She can't wait for all the brother and sister bonding time you'll have when you get back from Italy."
Sophia lifts her narrow shoulders. "Or what Dea said."
"I think that's a great idea." Ria claps. "When we get Jared and Vivian back, we should all hang out. It'll be great! Like a throuple date."
Dea snorts and covers her mouth. "I mean...if you want-"
"Ah!" Ashton holds a hand up before she can say anything inappropriate. "I think you mean triple date."
"Oh." Ria blushes and ducks her head. "What did I say?"
"Throuple, which is a relationship involving three people." Sophia snorts. "I'm sure Dea would just love that."
"I'm only kidding, honey." Dea leans over and smacks a kiss on Sophia's reddened cheek.
"I think it'd be a great idea if we all hung out. Like a celebration of making it through everything." Ashton interlocks his fingers to keep from fidgeting with joy.
"I agree." Dea rubs her suddenly tired eyes. "We could all use a break from the drama. Especially you two. Once this mess is cleaned up, we'll be one big happy group of tortured people."
A foreign glow spreads meticulously through Ashton's chest. He's never had a group of friends or a real family. He hasn't had a lot of things that are suddenly barreling into his life simply.
Hell. A single word that describes his past. Hell seems to define his current life as well. Yet he and Ria manage to capture pockets of happiness and bliss.
They've been betrayed by the people they care about the most but find strength in others who care about them. Not only did Ashton learn to love again, but he learned to love with his soulmate.
Despite the world crashing down around them, they find chambers of solace. A wavering road of recovery. Marriage. Family. Friends. Things Ashton never thought he would get.
He never knew he could smile or laugh so much. He never knew he could be so happy despite the devastation.
In the past year, his life has gained so much more value than it ever has before.
Value.
His life has value.
His heart stops and the fabric of time seems to slow. Never in his existence has he ever thought about his life having a purpose. Slowly and surely, value is being embedded in it.
Ashton has to live for more than just Ria or revenge for Vivian. Soon he'll be living for their baby. He has a half-sister to develop a relationship with. He has a friendship with Dea. One with Vivian. Maybe even Jared. They're all interlocked in his life.
He's connected to so many paths. Endless journeys await for him to discover. Who knows what other anomalies will enter his world. He has a purpose to discover for himself.
Suddenly he wants to. He wants to be happy for a million different reasons.
Sure, his life is pretty fucked up, but maybe it can get better. With Ria by his side, Ashton can conquer the world. He knows he can.
Ria leans into him, continuing a conversation with Sophia and Dea that he's long lost track of. He slips an arm around her and pulls her close, letting her soul brush against his. His lips arch and he finds himself smiling. Despite hell, he can smile.
So much has been lost, but so much more lies in their future. He can feel it.
You guys have no idea how much the last half touched my heart.
Ashton as a person who's never valued his own life and has been suicidal, finally begins to find it by himself. It didn't take Ria forcing him to see or a therapist trying to figure him out, he just sat back and took a moment to see what he has rather than what he's lost and he realized his life has more purpose than just loving Ria.
AshRia plans on eloping in Italy...and it means so much that they're taking their happiness and not waiting anymore cause we all know bad stuff is coming! (Even if it's super spontaneous)
I SWEAR the next few chapters will be sweet, okay???? TRUST ME!
There's always a calm before a storm!
-bri❤