Half Hearted

Chapter Fifteen

| Teresa |

"You want me to do what?" I asked, appalled. This man had just introduced himself to me, and now he was suggesting that I was to be Ash's girlfriend?

"I agree with her for once, you twat," Ash spat at him, standing up and flailing his arms about in rage. I wondered if Steven and Oria were hearing our arguments; the walls were about as thin as paper mache in this building.

Peter held out both his hands in an attempt to calm us both down. It didn't work. "I'm just asking for this to be another publicity stunt, is all. Until things get settled, then you two can pretend to break up and then move on with your lives."

Horrified, I grabbed a pillow from the couch and squeezed it. Was this a nightmare? Sure, a part of me wanted to help him, but like this? "No way," I shook my head vehemently. "Even if you pay me, no way."

This struck Ash, as his face contorted with pain. I suddenly remembered why, and then wished I hadn't said those words.

Peter noticed the tension building up in the room, with Ash staring me down as if he would change everything about me if it were up to him. "It's your choice whether you want to do it or not, but I'm paying you anyways. You've done more than enough for his career."

"Don't I get a say in this? She would be, after all, my girlfriend," he found himself cringing at his words. I squinted my eyes at him in silent rage. Asshole, I'm cringing more than you.

"What do you say, Teresa?" Peter asked, completely ignoring Ash's background swearing. "Do you see yourself being able to carry off a publicity stunt?"

"Can't I get another girl?" Ash pleaded, and a part of me felt hurt that I wasn't good enough. Was it just me that he couldn't stand the thought of being with?

The fury rose within me as his voice filled my ears. This bitch, after all I've done for him, thinks he's going to be let loose that easily? It was my turn to laugh bitterly now. "I'll do it."

Peter's face lightened up in a smile, and I made sure to see Ash's look of defeat. Who's losing now?

I was going to get paid, and I was going to rub it in his face until it felt like salt on an open wound. This was payback for all the shit he made me feel.

I felt triumph when he sank down on the couch, hands falling to his sides. "When do I start?"

"Whenever you're available and willing," Peter stated, getting out his phone and handing it to me. "I'll need your personal contact info from now on. You'll have to tell me beforehand when you're up for it so that I can contact some cameras to follow you two."

"I'm not going through with this, Pete," Ash stood up, replacing his defeated look with an agitated one.

Peter gave him a glare, "like shit you won't. You took a break for two weeks. Two weeks, Ash. I'm going to get back that time one way or another, whether you like it or not."

Satisfied, I invited them to stay for a cup of coffee, but they kindly rejected. Well, Peter kindly rejected. Ash gave me the cold shoulder all night. 

They left, and shortly after, Steven emerged from Oria's room. "How'd it go?" I asked, seeing that his perfectly ironed shirt had become wet and crinkled.

"You can never guess what happened in there," He smiled, staring at the ground in disbelief.

"What, did you guys do it or something? Just tell me."

"I confessed," He was grinning like a mad man, looking down at the ground and tousling his hazelnut hair.

I caught the feeling, grinning too. "Finally! What did she say?"

"She said she needs time, but that I needed to know that she always loved me. She was just distracted by the petty things," he informed.

My head tilted, and my grin turned lopsided. "So you two aren't going out?"

He shook his head with a smile on his face.

"Then why, in cupid's name, are you so damn happy?"

"Because she knows how I feel," he stated. "And she didn't deny me. And she wants to keep me beside her. And she doesn't want me to leave for Vancouver."

"Well, in that case, are you?"

"Honestly?" He shrugged, "I don't know yet. If I did, I'd probably ask her to come with me. No offence to you or Claire or anything. I could persuade my dad to let me stay, but he's a tough shell to crack. Anyways, I'll figure it out by the end of the week. Right now I've gotta get home and deal with my parents. I completely ran out the meeting and they're going to kick my ass. Take care of her, alright?"

I nodded, watching him as he went through the door and shut it behind him. Well, he confessed, at the least. That was a start. I still didn't get why he was so happy, but it was okay.

As long as they were both on good terms, I was okay.

| Ash |

"What the actual fuck was that for?" Ash exploded, crashing on the bed.

Peter laughed, clearly enjoying the torture he was imposing on the model. "For once in my life I've finally got Ash Stymest to succumb to my need, just to avoid some girl. Tell me, why do you want to avoid her so badly?"

Ash felt Peter's eyes on him as he turned and faced his pillow. "I don't want to avoid her. She's annoying and manipulative as hell, and I don't want any more of those in my life, alright?"

"Annoying? I thought she was quite nice," Peter remarked, stripping down to his boxers and laying on his own bed. "How do you find her annoying?"

"She kept insisting she helped me," Ash scowled into his pillow. This only raised an eyebrow from Peter.

"She's annoying because she wanted to help you?"

"She wants something from me, is why she wants to help me. She knew from the beginning who I was, and used that against me."

Peter took a look at the young man who'd grown up before him. He was about twenty nine when he'd first met Ash. And now the boy had grown into twenty-four, and he thirty six. Sadly, Ash had experienced so many things a teenager should not have experienced. The world turned him cynical. And every nice deed someone did for him, he thought everything bad of it.

And somehow, the encouragement built up within him, and ideas flew out with ease. 

Peter was going to set them up.