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CHAPTER SIX
ASH

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An uneventful week passed by and yet Ash seemed to still be blushing at the incident.

She would pass by Khael, resting on the couch of the living room, lazying around, and memories of what happened struck her as if it just happened again.

It may be her lack in the romance department but every little thing Khael did that included her, made her feel like she was on top of the world.

Every little gesture toward her, every little conversation they both had made her feel appreciated and welcomed.

Looking through the fridge, there was a lack of food for dinner. She had wanted to go grocery shopping yesterday but she thought there would be enough for the whole day.

She walked into the living room to see all three of them watching a movie - Faith on the table behind them, doing something on her laptop.

"Hey, Faith," she whispered. "I need to go grocery shopping. There's not much food left."

She looked up, looking more haggard than usual. Her eye bags deepened and were distinct on her face. It was clear that she was lacking sleep.

"Oh. Here." She opened her wallet, giving Ash some cash. "Please get some black coffee."

"Of course," Ash grabbed her phone and two shopping bags.

"Let me come with," Khael stood up from the cozy couch and walked towards her. "There might be a lot and be heavy."

Faith gave a nod and told them to be careful as they left.

When they encountered the guards, they informed them of going out for groceries. Khael walked towards the garage. With a key in his hand, he opened the black jeep that was parked in the middle of two other cars.

"Let's take the car," Khael opened the doors to the right side. Ash got in the passenger seat and thanked Khael before he closed the door and got in.

It was nine in the evening. Most of the houses have their lights off at this time, others were still going on till the break of dawn. The moonlight barely does any of the lightings - whereas the street lamps were doing the most. The roads were silent. The atmosphere between them was silent and uncomfy.

"So how are you?" Khael asked. It surprised Ash that he started a conversation, thinking that the ride would be quiet.

"Oh um, I'm all good," she responded. After a beat, he spoke again.

"Do you wanna play some music?"

"Sure, if you don't mind," Connecting to the Bluetooth of the car, she thought of playing a song of theirs.

Ash wasn't sure if they knew she knew about them. She pretended not to know them for fear of getting their trust broken. She loved them deeply that she would rather act as if she didn't know them just for them to have peace of mind.

Mindlessly scrolling through her list of songs, she opted to pick a song that people considered cool.

The music started. Ash froze.

She turned her gaze out to the window ignoring the embarrassment that coursed throughout her body.

"You like that song of ours?"

Ash didn't know whether to keep lying or just tell the truth. She cursed her thumb for not picking the one she chose and mentally noted to always check properly before she picked.

"I - uh - yeah. I like it very much," She glanced at him using the side-view mirror. Khael was lightly smiling.

Ash didn't know he could make such a gentle face. She knew her attraction for him doubled and it hurt her that she shouldn't do anything about it.

"So you know who we are?" He asked. "I mean, you've been cleaning the house, you were bound to know who we are." Ash felt herself wanting to curl up in a hole and sleep for eternity.

"Unless you already did?"

"I already did." She confessed. "But I really didn't know I was working for you guys. My cousin kind of forced me into it." She gave her excuse which was true, hoping he wouldn't come to hate her.

Khael chuckled. "It's alright. If Faith didn't trust you, we wouldn't either so you're all good."

A sigh of relief escaped her mouth. She expected him to tell her to never get near them or maybe stop talking to them - she hadn't expected that they cared less about it.

The ride to the supermarket was fun. They both talked about Khael's songs, how she had entered their first mini-concert and how she was so excited when they were contacted by their current agency.

It was surreal that she could talk to him about how she loved their songs and that Khael just took it with appreciation.

"For the next song, it still bothers us," Khael confessed. "Just like our previous songs, it's about romance or happy things. But this one's different."

"How so?"

"It's about love, true love." He glanced at her shortly. "Something none of us had experienced."

Ash didn't want to pry on his love life, the topic that seemingly stabbed her in the heart. Because deep down inside her heart, she hoped he would experience love, true love with her.

Their talk continued. Having some laughs about Khael's jokes and reminiscing their old songs.

The light stop turned red. Both sighing after a fit of laugh. She turned look at him only to notice he was looking at her too.

They stared at each other. Their eyes not breaking contact.

She started to get a good look at him. From his fluffy hair to his pretty eyes, she could see how flawless his face was. All those advertisments for their album hadn't been edited when they came out as beautiful as he was.

Her eyes dropped down to his lips - swollen and pink. How would it feel if she touched them? Would he allow it?

Unconciously, she leaned towards him. Curiosity sparked within her - wondering if those lips were as soft as she think it was. Her hand itching to reach up and touch them.

She might have stared at his lips too much because he looked away, avoiding eye contact with her.

"It's a green light now," Pointing at the light stop. After shifting the gears, Khael avoided looking at her.

Ash could see a tinge of red in his ears. He was blushing.

Returning her eyes to view the outside of the window, the car ride was now uncomfortable.

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