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I move to his side and rest my hip against the counter, taking my glasses off and setting them down to wipe my hand over my face. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”
He picks up my glasses and starts cleaning them with one of the microfiber cloths that sit in a bowl on the counter. He finishes one lens as we sit in silence and I watch him. My fingers start twitching against my leg and I catch a glimpse of his smirk as he begins the other lens. “You could start with answering my question.” There’s a teasing quality to his tone that lowers my guard. My shoulders drop as I chuckle to myself. I should have known better than to try and keep up the façade with Ash.
I tilt my head back and forth as I debate how to answer him. Do I regret it? The kiss that I can’t stop dreaming about. The kiss that rocked me to my very soul. Only to break my heart all over again as I watched her run away from me.
If I could go back, would I push her away? Or would I do my damn best to hold her tighter?
I squeeze my eyes shut because I know damn well my answer. Just as well as I know it is the wrong one.
“No,” I whisper. “I don’t regret it.” I open my eyes to find him nodding.
“Would you kiss her again?” I force myself to hold his gaze. His light hazel eyes simmering with as many emotions as I'm struggling with. I could never lie to Ashton.
“I want to say no.”
“But you can’t,” he finishes for me. I don’t bother to give him an answer, he already knows. He leans up and puts my glasses back on my face, making me smile. He’s still the same Ash he always has been. A warmth cascades through me from where his fingers brush against my cheek. I hesitate, unsure why I want to lean in and take more comfort in my best friend’s touch.
I dip my chin to my chest as he drops his hands from my face. He leans his head against his arms on the counter as he looks up at me through his eyelashes. “What if I told you I felt like more was going on?”
Unease shivers down my spine. “I thought we all agreed there was nothing more to it than her choosing Carson.” My response is firm and I tense as I wait for him to drop it.
“What if Carson gave her something that we couldn’t?” he pushes.
“Apparently not good dick,” I mutter quietly. Apparently not quietly enough based on the look Ash throws at me.
“I’m being serious,” a note of whining entering his voice. “What if she needed something that only he could provide her?”
I close my eyes as I take several deep breaths, letting the words sink in. But as much as I want to give Ash what he wants, I can’t. “I can’t figure out a single reason why she would need Carson for something we couldn’t get for her. We have more money combined, more resources, more prestige, more connections.”
He shakes his head slowly. He’s not going to let go of this idea easily. I don’t know why he’s so convinced there’s something larger at play, but I just can’t agree. I change the subject. “Why didn’t you rat me out to the guys? You obviously thought I should have told them.”
He sits up from his slouched position over the counter shrugging his shoulder, but a light blush colors his cheeks. “I’ll always have your back, E.” His words hang in the air between us as he looks around the kitchen, everywhere but at me. His eyes meet mine and he lifts one shoulder casually. “I trust you enough that I can always have your back without ever turning my back on them.”
Warmth fills my chest, giving me a light feeling I haven’t felt in months. I can’t help but smile as I start to respond. But before I can, the front door crashes open. Hudson and Zaide both walk back into the kitchen, less tension between the two of them now. The sweat on their brows leads me to believe they must have worked out some of their aggression before coming back. The two have always been as quick to forgive as they are to anger.
I turn to face them as I watch Ash stand from his chair at the counter. “Are we all calm enough now to discuss moving on? We still need to decide her bet.” They both nod as Hudson starts to open his mouth, a piece of paper in his hand with a wicked grin on his face. Before he actually says anything, Ashton launches himself across the room and slams his fist into the side of Zaide’s face.
My expression mirrors Hudson’s as my mouth drops open in shock. Our wide eyes meet each others’ as we stare at the pair in disbelief. Zaide brings his fingers to the side of his face as he spits blood into the sink.
He looks Ash up and down appraisingly. I get ready to throw myself in between the two of them if I have to. There’s no way I’m allowing the two of them to brawl. My worry for Ash would never allow it.
“You can hate her, but Brielle is not some fucking faceless whore. Don’t ever speak of her that way again.”
I shut my mouth, not knowing what to say. I mean, he isn’t wrong. Hudson raises his brows as he looks back and forth between the two of them. Clearly just as shocked at Ashton’s rage as I am over Z’s control currently.
Zaide nods in acquiescence and my mouth pops open again. A small chuckle of surprise escaping past my lips.
“Okay, I’m calm now,” Ashton says, turning back to me. Alright, guess we’re just moving on like that wasn’t one of the most unexpected turn of events I’ve ever witnessed.
“Right,” I drag the word out, still looking at him out of the corner of my eye. “I have my own confession,” I admit.
Hudson groans, “Please don’t tell me you ate Brielle out in biology.”
I snort and shake my head, trying to rid the image that just conjured up in my mind. “Not exactly. It was just a kiss and it was in the library.”
Thick silence hangs in the air around us. I can’t help but fidget as I wait for them to respond.
Hudson throws himself down in a seat, rubbing his fingers against his temples, abandoning the piece of paper he had on the counter. “Do you think she’s playing some kind of game to get us to leave her alone?”
