Ashlyn hasn't spoken a word since the age of eight, and her heart's never felt more protected. But, when the confident and ever so charming Derek stumbles into her quiet little world, her emotions-and forbidden desires-have never been so loud.
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For the next two weeks, Ashlyn and Derek continued to meet after work to work on his sign language skills. Derek was picking it up quicker than she'd thought he would. He'd even admitted to doing his own study each day because he wanted to be able to communicate with her. His tenacity in that regard was to be revered.
After the intensity of that first night, Ashlyn made sure to establish some clear boundaries with Derek to prevent it from happening again. With that in mind, they'd made sure to study in public places; the library, the park, Salt. Anywhere that people's watchful eyes would keep her from acting on the foreign thoughts she'd been having.
If it hadn't been for Kass disturbing their moment that night, then things would have been a lot more difficult to claw back. At least now, it was just her impulses that she had to keep in check, and not an act itself.
The nights that she could wrangle Kass or Abel into helping were even better. Often, however, they made a last-minute excuse, and she was left to instruct Derek on her own.
Ashlyn's mind had been a fruitless place since the almost kiss. When Derek was near, she was torn between running closer or running in the opposite direction. Her nerves were absolutely shot, and her thoughts could no longer be trusted. The mental tug of war was more turbulent than ever, an endless cycle of pulls and pauses. Her mind was exhausted, and her heart was marked with rope burn, but still, she could not let go.
Outside of their classes, Ashlyn wanted nothing more than to take a break from seeing Derek everywhere. She needed that time to clear her head and process everything that was circulating in her mind.
But those moments when he wasn't around, he may as well have been with how much he circulated in her thoughts.
The more time they spent together, Ashlyn found herself warming up to him and everything that he represented. Just the thought of seeing him made her giddy with excitement and dizzy with doubts. But those mixed feelings aside, she found herself relaxing more into the complicated friendship they had. It was beginning to feel right, and she felt that soon enough she'd be able to tell him everything and truly let him in.
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