If You Dare

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Ashton

I held her close to my chest and let her cry into my shoulder. I had no idea what was wrong or why she was here but I didn’t care. Maybe she’d remembered maybe it was something else. All I knew was that she was with me. We were together.

I stroked her back gently and chuckled when she did. She looked up into my eyes and I smiled down at her. Zarah opened her mouth to speak but laughed instead.

“I’m so happy to see you right now Ash.” She whispered. “I wanted you to stay but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. I wish that I hated you, but I don’t.”

I smiled softly. “That’s good because I don’t hate you either.”

She rested her head on my shoulder. “I can’t believe it.” She whispered. “What happened last night…I felt so convinced that it was a mistake but now…”

“I don’t regret it.” I replied gently wiping away her tears. “I wish it could happen again and again.”

She frowned at me and all of a sudden I felt as if I’d said the wrong thing. “Is that the only reason you’re being so nice to me now?”

I scoffed and grabbed her hands. “Of course not, I feel the same way. Come on, we’ll catch a bus into town and we can talk about it.”

She smiled and didn’t refuse, just let me walk her down the rest of the stairs and outside. We walked in silence all the way down to the bus stop and when the bus arrived I bought our tickets and we walked together to sit up the back of the bus.

She looked at me expectantly.

I smiled and hugged her against me. “I’ve never felt like this before Zarah. You’ve changed me.”

She snuggled closer. “I know what you mean. You’ve done it to me too.” She sighed. “I just sort of wish you hadn’t taken advantage of me while I was drunk.”

I frowned and looked down on her. She had her eyes closed and she looked really relaxed. “I would never take advantage of you Zarah. I didn’t make you say what you did.”

Her eyes opened and she looked confused. “Wait, what? What did I say?”

“What did you think I meant?” I asked her feeling my eyes bulge a little. “You told me you loved me.”

She didn’t look away from me. “And how did you react.”

I grinned and kissed her forehead. “I said I love you back.”

Zarah

I felt happier than I ever had felt before. I had forgotten every bad thing Ash had ever done to me and focussed all of my energy on those three words. Before today I had thought it was proving to be impossible to hear him say it but now I had heard it, and I believed.

Ash took me into town and took me to a small café where we sat down to have lunch. It was a little late by the time we actually got it but in the end we barely touched it.

Afterwards we went for a walk on the beach and just like any couple we held hands and talk and laughed. It was amazing how great it felt just to be with him without having to sneak around or hide.

We sat down together on the edge of a pier and he put his arm around me.

“So what’s going to happen when we go home?” He asked me staring out at the waves.

I shrugged and breathed in his amazing scent. “I have to talk to Cleo, she gets back tonight and I need to tell her what happened.”

I felt his body tense and his arm tightened around me. “It was nothing right?”