Faint Memories

Chapter 16- Guy to Guy

Note- The picture above is what the garden would look like when you first step out the back door. The song, must be played when told to. It's like mandatory because it really gives it the effect.

"He's not my boy toy." I mutter.

Ashton, very rude like, pushed me through the back of the cafe, out the door to the garden I proudly grew out the back of it. My dad helped out too, because it's a lot.

The back door was part of a trail I made with gravel. The trail was pretty packed with plants, a Japanese maple was towards the curve of the winding trail and ferns would stick out on the higher parts of the sides. Pine trees were all down the path and still had simple Christmas lights. As you go down the trail, there's a fork in the path with an oak tree that took forever to grow, with a bench swing that my dad hung years ago. The second path leads another Japanese maple draping over a table, and near the table was the exit of the garden.

When taking the first trail towards the oak tree, there's another fork that, leads to a lone bench with bird baths on either side and a little pond right in front. Since I was little, my dad and I worked on it and finally finished it about two years ago.

During spring and summer it was beautifully full of life, but during the winter, all life was sucked out the trees and plants.

Now the whole garden was covered with the recent snowfall and the gravel crunched under our feet as we walked through it. I hugged my sweater trying to take in any warmth I had left. I should probably go back inside and get a coat before lashing out on Ashton.

We walk through the garden, following the path heading towards the oak tree.

"Why can't we go inside?" I ask. Ashton ignored me instead.

I pull out my phone from my back pocket and quickly check the temperature. It was 27 degrees.

27 degrees. As in colder then it needs to be to freeze water. The water in my body could freeze.

"Screw it." Its too cold for this. I hate February. I turn back around and run to the backdoor, ignoring Ashton's calls. The door slams behind me as I run back through the hallway, only to get pulled back by Arden. He grabbed me by my waist and held me against him. He peered over my shoulder, towards the cafe and then looks back at me, awkwardly letting me go. Where his hands were, was now cold without the warmth of his hands.

Oh.

Arden clears his throat and stuff his hands in his pocket before looking back at me.

"What were you doing with Ashton?"

My eyebrow perks up and I smirk teasingly. "Jealous much?"

Arden rolls his eyes and smiles, "I'll never be jealous of him."

The sound of the back door opening, made Arden push me into the kitchen. Ashton passed by in search of me. Oh well.

"So what happened?" Arden urges. My attention snaps back to him and my mind takes a second to process the question.

"Oh, he kinda just took me outside but it got too cold for me, so I ran back in here." Now that I think back on it, Ashton and I hadn't really talked, he kind of just lead the way.

"That's it? You guys didn't talk? You're not covering up some rape scene?" I chuckled and softly punched him in the shoulder.

"No you idiot. We didn't talk and that's all that happened."

Arden smiled and pulled me into a hug. I felt him sigh of relief right into my hair. My arms quickly go around him, slightly missing his comforting hugs.