Romance in Italy

Romance in Italy - 22

"Are you ever going to talk to me?" Ashton demanded, smoothly intercepting my path to the bathroom. 

I looked up at him with hollowed eyes. He flinched and stared back down at me sadly. I shook my head as a way of answer and pushed past him; he didn't try to stop me this time. I grabbed my necessities on the way and closed the door softly, letting out the breath I was holding in a gust. 

A wave of fatigue washed over me and I dropped the items in my hands. They clanked on the tile floor and laid askew. I slid down and with my back against the door placed my head in my hands, feeling exhausted and weary. 

When I closed my eyes, the events of opening night rushed back into my head, filling my brain with unwanted memories. I've been deferring the moment where I'd have to face my memories and so far, it was working wonderfully. Of course, not seeing Ashton helped; I've been trying to avoid him and up until now, it was a success. 

But one glimpse at his sorrowful eyes and the downward pull of his lips pushed me over the edge. Now, sitting on the cold floor, I let my memories engulfed me, surrounded me until everything else disappeared. With a sharp intake of breath, I realized that the only way to fully process what had happened and come to accept it was to face it. So, with eyes wide open, I took a step forward and could almost feel the bathroom dissipate into nothingness. 

...

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" As Ashton addressed Samuel directly, I saw Judith winced and bit her lips. Against my better judgment, I couldn't help but felt smug. She deserved it. I'd only wished it'd happened how I'd planned. 

"Happy to." Samuel grinned, his brilliant smile dimming as Ashton continued to glare at the twenty-something young man. "I'm her husband, Sam. And you are?" 

At a loss for words, Ashton just stared. All around us, more people joined the fray, eager to hear some juicy gossip before their departure. John realized that so he shooed them away before ushering us into the main dressing room, closing the door with a loud slam, a clear indication that we not be interrupted. I folded myself down on the sofa, crossing my arms over my chest.

I glanced over to where Eddie and Max stood, arms crossed in the same manner as mine, looking somewhat intimidating. They were standing by the door, one on each side, as if they were guards. Max met my eyes and gave me a wicked grin. I couldn't help but smile back. After everything she's done to me and my relationship with Ashton, I was glad to see her fall but the hurt that would follow was inevitable. 

Feeling someone staring at me, I raised my gaze upward and was startled by the intensity of Ashton's gaze. "Grace, I-"

I arched my eyebrows and stood up, head cocked to the side, hands planted on my hips. 

A flash of regret flitted through his eyes and was immediately replaced by anger. "I can't believe you would do this!"

Surprised, I said, "Excuse me?" 

"How the hell did you rope him into doing this?" Ashton seethed, eyes narrowed into barely discernible slits. 

I took a step forward and fury churned deep within my irises. "I can't believe you." My voice shook with uncontrollable rage and I realized that I'd never been this angry in my entire life. It was one thing to not believe me but entirely another to accuse me of something I absolutely did not do. It infuriated me that he thinks he has power over me, that I would back down instantly. I hadn't noticed that I was trembling until John took a step forward, eyes dark with concern. "Do you really think I planned this? T-that I hired him," I pointed at Sam. "to play her husband? If you did, then you're a bigger asshole than I thought." I spat, not caring if my language was too harsh.