Manual of The Forbidden ➡ Irwin

Chapter 16.

"I want to see them too," announced Ashton who was paying attention to my conversation with his girlfriend.

"Mmm... Wait a second," I ran to my room, slamming the door behind me, not even waiting for their answers.

I sat in a corner of the bed and set the yellow envelope in my legs, I opened to reveal the pictures inside of it, admiring that surreal face and how it's presence made the picture so alive, he was beautiful in his own way, his smile always bright and stunning.

I checked the photographs over and over.

"Damn it!" I murmured.

Of all the thirteen pictures I took only three of them didn't have Ashton's perfect complexion on them, but the problem was that Sharon had noticed how big the envelope was, and showing her only three pictures would be illogical.

Sighing I took the other ten photographs and stored them in the desk under a pile of papers that weren't mine.

I walked out of the room with only three photos in my left hand trying not to face another sucking-eachother's-faces scene, it seemed that they were done with it, but now Ashton was playing with the fingers in Sharon's right hand.

I tried hard to ignore the hard feeling next to my heart that was now killing me.

"This is it," I showed the three photos to my best friend and her boyfriend.

"Only three?!" asked Sharon looking a bit confused.

"I told you they weren't that great," I shrugged, "besides I didn't take too many pictures."

It was all a lie and Ashton could've thrown me into the waters of my lies if he wanted to but he didn't, he knew how many times I flashed my camera, he was now looking at the photos I brought with me.

I wanted to change the subject before I received another interjection from Sharon.

"Hey, did you know Ms Montórfano's got a nephew?" I asked looking for a glass in the

kitchen counter.

"I know, it's Michael, why?" she inquired. I felt satisfied because I had committed my task.

"I met him this morning," I said pouring chocolate milk in the glass I found also in the kitchen.

"Really?"

"Yes, I bumped into him in my way out this morning, but he's really cute."

Finally Ashton attention came back to us, when I pronounced those last words his head turned to face us, to face me.

_~_~_~_~_~_~_

It was now Saturday morning and I needed to kill time so I accepted Michael's invitation for a coffee.

We were now in a cute café near to the restaurant Ashton took me to few days ago, but I didn't feel the same.

"May I ask why you came here to Venice?" he asked when the waitress finished setting our coffee cups in the table.

"You may, well, the main reason to come here was Sharon, she's my best friend and I missed her, and the second one is that I needed a little break from my life," I explained taking a sip of the cappuccino I had ordered.

"So you live with your parents, and you wanted to get away for a while," he assumed.

My heart stopped but I had to answer "My parents died a couple years ago,"

"Oh I'm so sorry I should've never ask that," he looked at me with concern.

"You know, my parents also died," he said staring at the dark liquid on his cup.

I didn't say anything to push him, so he would've talk about it, I knew exactly how he felt.

"My mom died while giving birth, and my dad, well he was a drunk so when my mom told him she was pregnant he ran away, and I've never seen him, and I don't even want to," a little bit of bitterness was felt in his last few words.

"Oh," I murmured again.

I really didn't know what to say, but we now had another thing in common, we didn't have our parents with us.

"And you've been living with your aunt since then?"

"Yes and she's done an amazing job this last 19 years!" he said proud of his relative.

That's when I realised Michael was still in the glorious age of the 19 springs.

"That's nice," I laughed mentally because I remembered the first impression that old woman had gave me and how I called her : "grumpy lady" but I couldn't laugh because she raised him it'd be rude.

He gave me a huge smile, and it reminded me of Ashton's, if I had to give one of them an award for the best smile I wouldn't know who would get it, but a little whisper inside my head said that Ashton's would.

The evening next to Michael was amazing and what I liked the most was his personality, he was a really outgoing guy but he was really nice to me, besides he is REALLY handsome I would never deny that, and when I looked at the time it was 7:17.

"Michael I had a blast with you I hope we can repeat this sometime, I really thank you," I told him while I stepped out of the elevator, and when I raised my gaze I saw the owner of my thoughts, but I Immediately rejected that thought, he couldn't be the owner of my thoughts, that's ridiculous.

"Well I'm up to it just call me, you know I'm next door." he offered himself.

Michael turned his attention to Ashton, who was looking at us, Michael nodded as a way to say "hello" and Ashton replied with a little smile.

"See you later." Michael said kissing my cheek.

I felt Michael's lips making contact with my skin, but there was no incoherent thoughts, no stupid smiles on my face, not even a slight blush on my cheeks, it felt like nothing.

But Ashton's gaze... I could feel that.

~_~_~_~_~

A/N:

I know Michael is still 18 it's just that he needed to be a little bit older for this story.

The same happens with Ashton, I know he just turned 20 but here he is 23.

If you're reading this I really appreciate it.

Love you guys, comment and vote.

;)