“Yeah. Because that was some stupid shit I did when I was drunk and messed up. You know how much stupid shit I’ve done in my life?” He growled like he was too frustrated for words.
Then he grabbed my hand, and pulled me into the hotel with him. Into the enormous, sprawling lobby. There was an open lounge nearby with music playing, and people were wandering around.
Ashley sat me down in a big armchair and stood in front of me like he was about to put on a show. Luckily, the music was pretty loud, so no one was listening to us. I had a feeling this was about to get ugly.
“Here you go,” he said. “Here’s a whole shitload of stupid-ass things I’ve done in my life, and these are just off the top of my head.”
“Ashley, you don’t—”
“Let’s see,” he cut me off. “I let my band fall apart, way too fucking slowly, when I should’ve known sooner we were doomed. I let my dad stop me from finding my mom until it was too late and she was already dead. I convinced myself that maybe my best friend could love me when he couldn’t.”
“Ash. You really don’t have to—”
“Ikissedmy best friend,” he went on, “as if he was gonna suddenly change his mind, oh, and his sexuality, and we’d live happily ever after. I pretended I didn’t want to be Elle’s boyfriend when I did. I told Summer I didn’t love her anymore when I did. Oh, and here’s a good one. I told you I was never gonna fall in love with you. Are you noticing a pattern here? Every one of those stupid things was because I let myself love someone, and then I made the mistake of acting too late, or acting too fucking stupid. Honestly, I should’ve kissed you the exact second I found out you weren’t Daniella, and made you mine.”
I smiled a bit. “I mean… Madeleine was standing right there. It might’ve been awkward.”
“Fuck it.”
He grabbed me and pulled me to my feet—and kissed me, thoroughly. Until my toes curled in my shoes and I was almost out of breath.
When he broke away to catch his breath, he told me, “I’m sick of doing stupid shit and screwing up and missing my fucking chance and pretending I don’t feel what I feel.Thisis what I feel, and fuck you if you don’t want it.”
“I want it. Do you hear me? I want you, Ash.”
We kissed again. And as our bodies entwined… it definitely felt like a swoon-worthy movie moment.
Then I gasped for air, clinging to him. I was starting to feel a little dizzy, in the best way. “Did you just tell me off?”
“Probably. Sounds like some stupid shit I would do.”
“You also tossed away the ring I gave you. My great-grandfather’s ring.”
He stared at me. “You said it had no value.”
“Well… it doesn’t, really.”
“Danica,” he growled.
“I gave it to you because I knew it would look great on you,” I told him. “And I wanted you to have it. Not so you could toss it away. If you don’t want it, you could’ve just said so.”
“I didn’t toss it away,” he said. “I gave it to your sister to give back to you.”
“Do you want to wear it or not?” God, were we really arguing about this?
“Give it to me.”
I slipped it off my thumb and pushed it into his palm. He put it back on his middle finger.
“There,” he said. “You happy?”
“No. I’m still annoyed with you.”
He kissed me, and when I tried to pull away to give him more shit, he kept kissing me until I gave in.
When we finally broke apart for air again, I asked him, “Who was that girl? In the bar, with Summer. The one you were talking to before you left. You know… the pretty blonde.”
His eyes narrowed a bit, like he was reading my interest for what it was. God, I was transparent.
