Ashling

Chapter 21

It was late at night, you could tell by the darkness in the sky and the moon shining so bright. It was silent; everyone sleeping to wake up for the next day and do their daily work.

But not Tyler and Cassandra. They were sitting on the porch of her house; a two-story bungalow which looked spacious and lonely from the outside, but something told Tyler that it was small and cozy from the inside. It had small patches of grass on either side of the pathway that led to the stairs on the porch.

"I like your house." He told her.

She smiled and said, "Well, thank you. But you haven't even been inside."

"You didn't invite me."

"Alright, Damon Salvatore, you're welcome inside." She retorted and he laughed out loud.

"Seriously, Cass? Get outta here."

She shrugged and said, "You asked for it."

He chuckled lightly and hit his knew with hers, which caused her to hit him back. He smiled and looked sideways, and found her looking at him, waiting for him to answer her unspoken question. He ducked his head and said, "I did want to go inside but.. Not yet.. I will, one day, but not now. I don't know... I, uh.."

He raised his head back up and looked at her cautiously. He wanted to tuck the loose strand of her hair that was hanging on the side of her head. He swallowed and clenched his jaw, reminding him to control himself. He took a deep breath and continued, "I kinda.. I wanna wait for the right time.."

She was silent for a while. Then she asked softly, "Have you ever waited for the right time with any other girl you've been with before?"

"No." It didn't even take him a fraction of a second to think about his answer. He had never waited for a 'right time' with a girl before. All he had to do was charm her and the next step was the bed. He never wanted anything else from them, he was just with them for the fun of it. But her.. Cassandra.. He knew it wasn't just fun and sex that was alluring him, it was something else, something deep and hidden. He couldn't go inside her home.. He just thought it was all too early, too soon to discover her fully. He wanted to take things slow with her, to feel the impatience and the control. Because she was worth it all. So here he was, sitting on the porch with her beside him.

"You amaze me, Tyler.."

Her voice made him stop what he was thinking and he frowned. She had spoken so quietly that he wasn't sure if he heard her correctly. He amazed her? Was that even possible?

"I amaze you? We both know you're the amazement here."

She took a deep breath and smiled. She looked at him and said, "I'll tell you later."

He didn't understand what she was trying to say. He needed to know now, at this instant. But just as he opened his mouth to speak, he heard her say, "Wake up, Tyler. Wake up."