What Is Left Unsaid : An Ashley Purdy Love Story

And The Winner Is ...

TIANA'S POV :

     "Will you puh - leeze stop blinking , Sis ? How am I supposed to do this if you can't stop twitching ?" , Shannon huffs at me . "Are you trying to look like Alice Cooper , circa 1975 ?"

     "No , Shan , I'm just not used to spending this much time on my makeup . Usually , I'm just doing a bit of foundation and some lipgloss ." , I say .

     "Well , that's when you're NOT going to a big - ass awards event where you might end up on TV , hon !" , Brian interjects .

     "Oh , yippee ! Way to make me relax , dork !"

     "You might as well get used to it , T ." , Scott chimes in . "Phoebe's probably gonna be booking you spots on " The View " , and things like that before too long !"

     "Oh , nice going , Scott ! Ash is really gonna get a kick out of coming over here and seeing that his date is now a rather unhealthy shade of green !" , Shan says , tossing a makeup sponge at him .

     "I heard my name being bandied about , what did I do now ?" , Ashley's voice says from the kitchen .

     "They were just talking about whether you'll still want to take Tiana to this bash if she's turned green ." , Rick chuckles .

     "Y'know , I don't think I'll even ask ." , Ash mutters , looking totally confused .

     I start laughing and say , "Don't worry , I'll tell you later ."

     Shannon finally finishes with my face , and I get up and grab my jacket . "I'm ready to go whenever you are ." , I inform him . Then as I see the look on his face , I ask , "What ? What's wrong ?" 

     "Wow ! Just .... WOW !" , he finally says . "There is absolutely nothing wrong , Tiana , you look sensational !" 

     "Guess that answers your question , Shan ." , Brian snickers .

     He takes my jacket and holds it for me to get into , then takes my hand and we walk out to the car . He opens the door for me , closes it when I get in , then comes around and gets in himself .

     He glances at me as he starts the car , and asks , " Why are you looking at me like that ?" 

     "I was just thinking about when we dated in school , you always did that when we went out in your grandad's old truck . Truthfully , I was always surprised that he never asked why you kept a blanket in there . Although , I guess it was a good thing he didn't ."

     "I honestly don't think he ever bothered to look behind the seat , or he probably would have . Or not . He probably could've figured that one out !", he says , flashing me that devilish grin .

     Maybe not the best conversation to be having right now . That pulls up way too many memories . Some of them good , some not even close . 

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ASHLEY'S POV :

     She looks a little uneasy with the way the conversation is heading , and truthfully , I feel a bit of that myself . We need to be careful about what we say , and do , until we're on a little bit of a firmer footing with whatever our current relationship is going to end up being . I want her to know unquestionably that the same thing is not going to happen this time , that she can actually count on me to be there for her .

     So , I change the subject , and get her to explain what the hell Rick was talking about before we left , and we spend the rest of the drive talking about the pros and cons of being a "celebrity".