The Dating Deal

Ch. 3: The Act

Kris

Ashley led us down the hallway towards the party, still hand in hand.

Behind us, I caught one last glimpse of Dylan grinning like a toddler watching his favorite cartoon before we turned the corner.

Oh, hell! He'd now expect me to be thankful to him. But he should sleep with an eye open from now on. I could already think of a hundred ways to get back at him. Starting with the video games he loved so much.

I leaned closer to Ashley as we walked.

"I'm sorry for all this and for your top," I whispered. "I'll make sure the guys face the consequences of their actions."

Ashley smiled up at me. "It's alright. I was shocked in the beginning, but the rest...wasn't all that unpleasant."

Was that a lie? Maybe she was still committing to the act.

As we were making our way through the crowd, I noticed one of Bethany's friends staring. After she cheated on me and tried to get in bed with Dylan, she was officially banned from coming to the hockey house. Of course, that didn't stop her from having her friends spy for her.

I locked eyes with Bethany's friend and saw her gaze trail down to my hand entwined with Ashley's.

I should have let go of Ashley's hand. I should have created some space between us, but for some goddamn reason, I did not. Instead, I tightened my hold on Ashley's hand and met her gaze head on.

She could go and tell Bethany whatever the fuck she wanted. I didn't care anymore.

When we got to the kitchen, it was almost empty save for the two women sitting at the table drinking straight from the bottle and giggling to themselves. I knew April because she worked with the media team and I assumed the other one was Ashley's other friend.

"Aww you guys really did wait for me," Ashley cooed and they turned towards her, blinking as if they couldn't believe she was here.

"Ash!" the other friend squealed, standing up so fast that she had to brace herself on the kitchen table to avoid falling. "I almost fell down!" she giggled. "I thought... I thought you got lost."

"I missed you so much, Ash!" April declared, her bottom lip wobbling and eyes turning glassy. "I missed you so much."

"Hey!" The other friend tried swatting April on her shoulder but missed every single time. "I missed her too."

April nodded. "Nicole missed you too." Then her gaze turned to me and a bright smile appeared on her face. "Happy birthday Kris!"

"Happy birthday Kris!" Nicole said, joining her. "I don't know who you are though."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Thank you. I see you have enjoyed yourself."

Ashley snorted beside me. "A little too much. It's going to be so much fun to watch them hungover tomorrow."

"How are you guys going home? I can drive you there if you want," I offered. Having been the only sober person in the group one too many times, I knew how difficult it could be to get everyone back in their rooms safely.

"I have my car. But I could use your help to get them inside it," Ashley said.

We escorted her roommates to Ashley's car parked on the other side of the road. In that short journey, April told me how much she loved coffee and Nicole tripped thrice, almost taking Ashley down with her twice and bursting into tears once. It was wildly entertaining and concerning all at once.

Once they were safely settled at the back of Ashley's Corolla, we both heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for that. Hopefully they'll come to their senses after a little nap," Ashley said, gesturing towards her roommates who were now sound asleep in the back seat. "And about what I did inside—in front of your friends—I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable. After what you told me, I just thought it was a great way to get them off your back for a while. But I'm sorry if I upset you with that."