52
Ashlynn
Follow You – Bring Me the Horizon
B ack home in Frisco, Anthony and I instantly made a comfortable life. I have since started outlining my second book, and he continues with his competitions and looking for new riders to bring onto the team. Shortly after Santa Cruz, he brought on MaHailey Gordon as the first female rider for the Overbear team. After a week of being back, we headed out toward Greenville to pack up his things and move them to Colorado, as a final step of completely living together.
The drive takes two days to get there, each of us taking turns driving. Once we finally make it to the house, I notice a few different cars in the driveway. “There are a lot of people here.”
Right when I say that, I can see who exactly is here. The team is out back riding the ramps, and Mateo is on the dirt jumps. Pulling me out of my thoughts, I hear Anthony say, “The team is always around! Nothing new here.”
He grabs my hand and leads me toward the house. Once inside, we walk toward the kitchen, where Chase is sitting, talking on the phone and gets off quickly to greet us. “Hey! You guys made it. How was the drive?”
I reply before Anthony. “It was very long!”
After I tell that to Chase, I notice Anthony snuck away and is out back, riding with the team. I must have a sad look on my face watching him, because Chase clears his throat. “He won’t regret leaving, Ashlynn–don’t worry. He’s thought about this for a while.”
I turn to Chase. “He doesn’t have this in Frisco, though. We have the bike park, but that’s not his own. I just don’t want him to regret it down the road.”
Chase gets another phone call before we can finish talking, and I just stand and watch all the guys ride.
After about an hour of riding, everyone comes inside and says hi. Anthony and I visit for a bit before heading to his former bedroom and start packing up. He is only bringing his clothes and bikes, along with some other things. He leaves all his furniture for Chase. I am quiet as we pack up; as I am folding his shirts, he stops me. “What’s wrong? You have been quiet since we started.”
I shake my head at him. “Nothing, I’m just focused on packing!”
Setting a box down, he walks over to me and pulls me into his arms. “Don’t hide from me; what’s wrong? Remember what I said. You can tell me anything.”
I pull out of his hold and sit on the bed. “I just don’t want you to regret this. You don’t have your own ramps or jumps in Frisco. Also, you have the team here. I just want you to be sure about moving to Frisco.”
Kneeling in front of me and holding my hands, he says, “Ashlynn, you’re my home. I don’t regret anything when it comes to you.”
I rest my forehead against his; he locks our lips together for a quick kiss. I quietly tell him, “Okay!”
We stay in Greenville for a few days and visit with everyone before we leave. We let them all know that they can come visit anytime they want. Then, we are off back home.
Shortly after getting back to Colorado, Anthony had a competition to go to for the team. I decided to stay behind and work on my book, along with unpacking some of his boxes. One late night, I am in my writing room and start to open a box that is full of DVDs from his early riding days with his other sponsors. I start to pull them out and put them on the empty shelves of my bookcase. As I am unpacking them, I grab more than my hand can hold and drop a few, but also notice I dropped a notebook that I didn’t realize I picked up. I sit on the floor to organize everything before I place them on the shelves. When I grab the notebook, I notice my name on a page. Now, I know I shouldn’t be looking at this, but my curiosity gets the best of me. I open it to the first page and realize that it is a journal of sorts. The first entry is dated after the morning at the hotel.
I don’t understand what I just did. I pushed Ashlynn away, like she didn’t mean the world to me. What the fuck is wrong with me? How could I be so heartless to the one girl I promised to never be that way to?
Then I flip through a few pages to an entry on New Year’s Eve.
My drinking got out of hand last night and I blacked out. I brought a random girl to my room for a quick fuck, but luckily my body stopped me before anything could happen. I woke up feeling worse than I have ever felt and embarrassed. I texted Ashlynn. She wouldn’t like what I have become from drinking. I haven’t stopped since her attack. The guilt is killing me, but I need to stop and get my shit together. Neha told me I need to become the Anthony she wants.
I flip through the pages, reading the entries one after another. This is showing me a glimpse of what Anthony was doing during that time we were apart. I wasn’t happy reading the few parts of him bringing girls home, but I knew he did that since he told me back in Santa Cruz.
I get to an entry that is right before we reconnected in Santa Cruz and this one catches me off guard.
She was there at the Reunion Tower. I have never run so fast in my life to make it there and try to catch her. So close, yet still so far away. I may have missed her by minutes or an hour.
The last entries are from Santa Cruz…
Today is the first day of the new Santa Cruz competition and she is here. As soon as she threw her arms around my neck, a wave of relief washed over me. She was back to where she belongs, in my arms.
The last entry is short and sweet…
She came back to me.
Anthony
2 Months Later
The team and I have been on a Pacific Northwest competition circuit. We hit Burnside, along with other skateparks. We also just cruised around Portland and Seattle, finding anything we could ride on. It’s been a fun competition, and we end in Seattle. We included Nick on this circuit as the only skateboarder riding with the Overbear team. Today, both our girls fly in for a special occasion.
Everyone is gathered at Nash’s parents’ house for the big day. As I am sitting in the guest room that overlooks the deck and water, there are a couple of knocks on my door.
“Hey man, it’s me! Is it cool if I come in?” Nick says from the other side of the door.
“Yeah, come in.”
As Nick pushes the door open, he has a goofy smile on his face, “How are you holding up–you nervous? You guys have only been back together for two months.”
I shake my head at him and smile. “Slightly nervous, yes. However, I have also never been so sure about anything in my life. It's always been Ashlynn!”
Coming up next to me and looking out the window, Nick pats me on the back. “I’m happy for you man!”
After my talk with Nick, it is time for me to head downstairs. Our only guests for our wedding are the team along with Nick, who at this point is an extension of the Overbear team, and Ashlynn’s closest friends Neha, Heath, and Cora. Valerie and Barrett are here as well and were overly excited when we asked if we could have the wedding at their property. Valerie quickly took full control of helping Ashlynn out while I was on the road. They both did an amazing job with the decorating, and Valerie put in a lot of time to be the full caterer; she even went as far as going to Leavenworth and getting our wedding cake made at the bakery we previously visited. The day is slightly cloudy, with a low fog hugging the water and Mount Rainier peeking out above the clouds.
As I am standing at the deck railing, Valerie and Nash come over to me. “It’s time, Anthony. Are you ready?”
I blow out a breath and turn toward them both. “Let’s do it!”
Valerie gives me a quick hug, then walks to take her seat. “I am glad I get to witness this day for you! Congrats,” Nash tells me before he turns to take his seat as well.
As soon as the music cues up, my heartbeat picks up along with it. My hands are starting to shake slightly. I am the only one up on the altar. Neither of us could choose who would be the best man and maid of honor. So, we decided to not have any. I look down really quick to gather my thoughts, but once I hear the back door open, I quickly look up and Ashlynn is standing there, with my favorite smile on her face, that lets her dimple peek out. She kept her wedding dress simple yet elegant, and it hugs her curves. Once she gets to me, she is still smiling. “Hi!”
I lean over and kiss her on the cheek, “Hi, baby!”
From there, I hold her hands, and we get married. As soon as I am told I can kiss her, I grab her upper arms on each side and slam my lips to hers. I kiss her with such force it pushes her head back slightly, and our noses smash together. After I pull back, I look down at her.
“Holy shit! We are married!”
With a big smile on her face, Ashlynn says, “Yes, we are!”
We turn to our friends, who all stand up to clap, when suddenly Ashlynn and I are squished together from behind. We both look over our shoulders, and it is Nick who is hugging us and yells, “It’s about damn time!” After Nick steps away from Ashlynn and I, everybody starts to enjoy the evening and cocktails.
I grab Ashlynn's hand and go inside for our first private moment as a married couple. Gently kissing her forehead, I look into her eyes that have unshed tears.
“I can’t believe I get to spend my life with you.” I tell her. She smiles so big, gives me a gentle kiss and says, “I love you always.”
Our eyes lock and I tell her, “Always, Always.”