Ashlei #3
And not in a good way.
“You look like shit,” I say, letting myself inside his apartment. He’s still standing at the door as I survey the space — dishes piling up in the sink, clothes strewn everywhere, trash overflowing. “So does your apartment.”
“What do you want, Ashlei?” he asks when the front door is closed again. “You already go all of Skyler’s things out of here.”
I nod, eyes softening a little as I take him in again.
Poor sap. Skyler sent me back the day after she’d left his apartment in a hurry.
She wouldn’t tell me why she couldn’t go back, and I tried my best not to pry.
Still, he looked shitty that morning, his questions aimed at me like bullets as I gathered up her things.
But now? He just looks… void. Void of light. Void of happiness.
Void of life.
“I came to check on you,” I say with a sigh. “I figured if you were half as bad as Skyler, you’d probably need me to force you into the shower. Which is kind of what it’s looking like right now,” I add, eyeing his dingy clothes.
Kip glances down, but doesn’t respond.
“Kade says he never sees you anymore,” I continue. “And you won’t talk to anyone. You can’t hold yourself up in here, Kip.”
Kip blinks, but other than that simple, automatic body reaction, there’s nothing.
“I can do whatever I need to do to get through this, Ashlei,” he finally says, voice hoarse as he gestures to his messy apartment. “And this is part of the process.”
I shake my head. “I don’t understand, what exactly happened between you two? Skyler won’t talk about it, and you’re both acting like you still want to be together… so why not just be together?”
Kip swallows, his eyes sad. “It’s complicated.”
“Sounds familiar,” I murmur with a roll of my eyes. “Listen, the KKB formal is on Saturday. Come with me.”
That gets a reaction.
Kip cocks a brow, his eyes wide. “Are you serious?”
“Not like that,” I clarify. “I know Skyler wants you there, but she’s not going to ask. Maybe if you come with me, you can talk to her and figure this shit out. You’re both making yourselves sick, and it’s not healthy.”
He crosses his arms, seemingly considering the offer. “Is she going with anyone?”
“Bear,” I answer. “As friends.”
I know I’m overstepping, putting my nose deep in Skyler’s business when she asked me to just drop it.
But, I know my girl, and she’s in love with this kid.
She’s trying not to be, trying to just let him go and be the tough bad ass she always has been, but she can’t help it.
She’s head over heels, and from what I can tell, he feels the same about her.
If I’ve learned anything, it’s that life is too short to let stupid games get in the way of love.
Kip is quiet, thinking. After a moment, he shifts his weight, eyes finding mine. “It’s Saturday?”
I nod.
He watches me for a moment, like he’s checking to see if I’m setting him up with some kind of trap. Finally, he sighs, running fingers back through his hair. How he manages to get them through without getting caught in a tangle is beyond me.
“Okay.”
I smile, feeling more victorious than I should, considering I have no idea what will happen once he’s actually at the dance. “Wear something nice, it’s formal attire. And for Pete’s sake, take a shower. You smell like complete ass.”
Kip chuckles.
“We don’t need to ride together or anything,” I add. “Just meet me at the venue. I’ll text you the address.”
Kip nods, moving toward the door as I make my way that direction. But once it’s open, I pause, holding one hand on the knob as I face him.
“Skyler loves you, you know?” I say, watching how those words wash over him. His face breaks, his fist clenching at his side like it kills him to know it. “Whatever is happening between you two, I can see that hasn’t changed.”
I watch him for a moment longer, but when he doesn’t respond, I decide my job is done for the day. I got him to agree to come to the dance, and that will set up his chance to make things right. So, I smile once more, close the door behind me, and jog back down the steps.
“All good?” Brandon asks when I slide back into the passenger seat.
I take a moment just to stare at him before I reach for my seatbelt, taking in his smooth skin, his soft, crooked smile, his relaxed posture as he grips the wheel with one hand, the other already reaching for my thigh.
Swoon.
“Yep, all good. At least, for now.”
“Do I even want to know what you’re getting yourself into now?” he asks once my belt is clicked.
“Probably not.”
Brandon just smirks, throwing the car in drive and cruising down toward the dock.
With the semester coming to a close, we planned one last day on the yacht to relax before my finals kick into high gear.
I’ve been looking forward to this day all week, but now that it’s here, I can’t help but feel a sinking in my stomach.
It says with me all the way to the dock, and well into our day on the yacht.
I feel it niggling at me as we lounge by the pool, let it keep me from eating much when we sit down for dinner, and barely manage to fight past it to get an orgasm when Brandon takes me from behind on the top deck, my chest hanging over the railing, hair swinging.
But when we’re back in bed, curled up together and softly running our fingers over one another, I can’t ignore it anymore.
Now that the cat’s out of the bag and we’re no longer keeping our relationship a secret, I can’t help but wonder what we are. It seems like the most juvenile thing to ask, even before the words make it from my brain to my mouth, but I have to ask.
I have to know.
“Brandon,” I whisper, fingertips dancing on his bare chest.
His eyes are closed, a sleepy smile on his face as he plays with my hair. “Mmm?”
“Can I ask you something?”
“No, I’m not ready for round two yet.”
I smack his chest playfully before lightly running my fingertips over the skin again. “I’m serious.”
“So am I,” he says, still smirking.
I roll my eyes, finger stilling as I swallow down the nerves.
“I was just… I was thinking, about us. About how we don’t have to hide anymore.
And, well… I just, I don’t know how it works at your age, but at mine, everyone plays all these games.
It’s like, you can be dating someone but not actually dating them, like not just them.
It’s all this open-ended are we, or are we not nonsense and…
” I pause, forcing a breath. “I’m rambling. ”
Brandon finally opens his eyes, cocking one brow. “What’s your question, Ashlei?”
I frown, biting my lower lip. “Are we… are we exclusive?”
He watches me a moment, his brows tugging inward. And then, he laughs.
Laughs.
And not just a little laugh, but a full on, head thrown back against the pillow, one hand over his stomach laugh.
“I’m serious!” I say, rolling away from him defensively. But he snags my wrist with one hand, tugging me back into him and wrapping both his arms around me.
“I’m sorry,” he says, still laughing as he kisses my hair. “It’s just, it’s so ridiculous that you think I have even done so much as think about another woman since the day I met you.”
The stiffness I held against his hold melts in an instant, my entire body molding to fit his as I let out a sigh of relief. My cheeks flush, and Brandon pulls back, returning my smile.
“Are you saying you want to be my girlfriend?”
I shrug, keeping my eyes on the fingertip I run over his chest again. “Do you want me to be your girlfriend?”
“Honestly,” he says, thumb brushing my cheek until I look at him again. “I kind of thought you already were.”
That earns him a wide smile, and the corner of his mouth pulls to the side before he leans down, pressing that smirk to meet my smile in a perfect kiss.
And just like that, I have a boyfriend.
One who actually cares about me, who wouldn’t hurt me, who wouldn’t use me. And, most importantly…
One I don’t have to hide.