Always, It's You

Chapter 44

Ashley couldn't sleep well at night.
She spent the whole night staying up under the moonlight sitting on the swing she hanged behind her backyard patio on the lake.
It gets chilly at the night with the ice-cold water even in the late autumn.

Why Taehyung came? She tried to forget him, she couldn't. But she was sure that eventually, she was going to. Every time he smiled, she couldn't but feel a strange pain in her chest. She has long forgotten these feelings. And she didn't want to feel those again. These were all lies.

She has to stop him. She won't let him crushing down her fort just like that. She built her world bits by bits from the wreckage of the memories.
No, she can't let him destroy it to the ground. It's not fair.

Should she tell him to stop coming here? But that too, she didn't want to do either.

Taehyung knew Ashley didn't want him to go to her. He knew she was trying to block him out. But he promised he won't turn his back and he was gonna keep that promise.

So now he was there, in front of her front porch, waiting for her to open the door.

Ashley opened the door and welcomed him with a nice smile.

"Didn't expect me?" Taehyung asked.

"I did expect you." Ashley let him enter.

"When is your job starting again?"

"Next week."

"So I have one week." Taehyung smiled.

"For what?"

"For annoying you." Taehyung pinched her nose, "you would be too busy after that."

Taehyung sat on the couch.
" I'd like to visit The clouds."

"Really?" Ashley was surprised yet happy.

Taehyung shrugged.

"I visit them weekly. We can go tomorrow or anytime this week. But I have to bake tons of cookies before that!"

"You can bake?"

"Oh no no no......" Ashley laughed. "I can't do anything except what I really need to do to live. But the children wanted me to bake for them."

"Demanding children I see!" laughed Taehyung.

"You have no idea. But I love them," sighed Ashley, "they can easily make you smile even when you don't feel like it."

"Did you sleep well?" suddenly Taehyung asked.
"You look tired and sleepy."

"Had trouble sleeping," Ashley admitted.

"You can take a nap now," Taehyung suggested. "I can wake you up in an hour or two."

"It's inappropriate," Ashley argued, "you are my guest here. I can't just leave you here all alone."

"I am your friend here," Taehyung corrected her.

"Yeah," Ashley nodded.

"Go, have a nap. I will just read something in between."

"You sure?" Ashley tried to smile.

"Damn sure." Taehyung got up and went to look for a good book from her book collection on the shelves.

Ashley noticed him for few moments and laid down on the couch. She was not gonna go anywhere but here.
She was almost drifting away when she felt a soft hand landing on her hair.
She looked up to see Taehyung stroking her hair slowly while reading something in his hand, sitting on the couch near her head.