She could feel his breath. She was positive that when he said those few words, she felt them beat across her neck.
“Ash Jennings,” Mrs. Cohen repeated.
Ashlyn jumped and raised her hand. “Here!”
Tripp shook his head. “Wow.”
“What?”
“Something about you seems off,” he pointed out.
“First of all, library, yes,” Ashlyn said, remembering that she was in such of a daze that she had forgotten to answer his question. “Secondly, you don’t know me, so I don’t know what that comment is about. Lastly, personal space.” With that, she pushed at his arm to make him go back to his half of the table.
She wished that she wouldn’t have touched him. Through his button down she could feel his arm tense and it felt harder and more muscular than she had imagined.
Tripp was sad that their banter had to end once class started. It didn’t have to. There had been times that they made stupid comments to each other during the lesson, but today was different. Tripp could tell that Ashlyn had a battle going on inside. She had the strangest combination of looks running across her face. Anxious. Hopeful. Disappointed. Confused. Her thoughts seemed to be a million miles away from earth science.
Unknown: I loved your outfit today. You looked amazing.
Ashlyn sat at a secluded table near the back windows of the library and read over and over the text. Her heart raced as she pondered her response. She had to do it. It drove her crazy all weekend thinking about it.
She didn’t care who it was, all she had to offer was friendship anyway. She hated that the thought crossed her mind. She had a boyfriend. She felt like every time in the past few days that this person text her, she had to remind herself of that fact. The person behind the screen, whoever they were, was so easy to talk to. He was fun, caring, and very complimentary. Did she wish that Eric was more like him? Or did she wish for something entirely different?
Ashlyn: Please tell me who you are.
Unknown: Sorry. I’m enjoying us getting to know each other.
Ashlyn: That’s not fair. You have a name and a face to put to everything I say.
Unknown: What if I’m really ugly?
Ashlyn: If you know anything about me, then you’ll know I’m not that shallow.
Unknown: If I tell you who I am, will you spend one day with me outside of school.
Ashlyn swallowed heavily and looked around the library. She knew Tripp had athletics at the end of the day, but could he possibly take any longer?
She went back to her phone and reread the message. Her skin felt like it was on fire. Butterflies rode rollercoasters in her stomach. As much as she didn’t want to send the next message, she knew she had to. She had already felt pangs of guilt over the last few days.
Ashlyn: I have a boyfriend.
Unknown: Which is why I didn’t use the word date or anything to imply that it would be more than two friends hanging out.
Ashlyn: But you’d want it to be.
Unknown: Wouldn’t any guy? I’ll take what I can get though.
Before Ashlyn could think of how to respond, Tripp fell into the chair next to her, startling her so much that she jumped.
“Whoa,” he laughed. “Calm down.”
“Don’t sneak up on people,” Ashlyn huffed.
Tripp watched her carefully as she took out a folded piece of paper and her pen. Her breathing was heavy and rushed. Redness made its way from her cheeks down to her neck.
He had an effect on her. He knew it. Well, maybe not him so much as his words, masking him behind the screen as a stranger.
“Okay, I’ll try to make this quick,” Ashlyn began.
“It’s all good. Take your time.”
Ashlyn rolled her eyes and went to ask the first question, but before she could get one word out, “How was your day?”
A question so simple practically fried her brain. “Excuse me?”
Tripp chuckled and leaned back in his chair. “I asked how your day was? Terrible? Great? Just okay?”
“Umm. Good. Yeah, good.”
Tripp watched how flustered she became. He wanted to know why. He wanted to know a lot of things. Instead, “Anything interesting?”
“Not out of the usual,” Ashlyn answered. She felt strange with him being so normal. He was being normal, right? Or was this a tactic of some sort?
“I saw your write-up about Saturday’s game. You take really good pictures.”
Now Ashlyn was intrigued. “How so?”
“It’s hard to explain,” he began.
Ashlyn knew it. He didn’t care. He was just looking for something to compliment her on. It was clearly one of his flirting devices, just like when girls pretend to like sports for a guy but don’t know the difference between a touchdown or home run.
“I guess,” he continued, much to her surprise. “I know you didn’t just go out there with a camera, click it a few times, and pick whichever one turned out the least blurry. Some of the photos you have symmetrically balanced, but with others you clearly wanted them the opposite, like the one after Byron scored the last run. You had everyone on the left of your photo, but on the right, you had the opposing team’s pitcher on the mound. It was strangely balanced even though it wasn’t. It was a good picture.” When Ashlyn didn’t say anything, and looked at him with her mouth slightly agape, Tripp awkwardly ran his hand over the back of his neck and fiddled with the bill of his ballcap. “I know I’m not saying it right, but–”
“Thank you,” Ashlyn interrupted. Strangely he was saying everything right, since the moment he sat down. “Anyway, on to–”
“You like photography more than the journalism aspect, am I right?”
Ashlyn couldn’t help but smile and shake her head. “There isn’t a photography class here, but yes. I like taking the pictures; however, oftentimes, like with the games, that means I’m stuck writing the articles too.”
“And the painting?”
Ashlyn put her pen down and eyed Tripp skeptically. “We’re wasting a lot of time talking about me and you not answering these questions.”
Tripp chuckled. “I wouldn’t call it a waste.”
Ashlyn swallowed heavily and took in a deep breath. “All I did was paint a stupid sign.”
“Oh, whatever! You did the bear freehanded and it came out amazing.”
Ashlyn blushed at the compliment. “Okay, I am in art. I like art and photography. Sometimes it’s hard to remember what something looks like, so most of my drawings or whatever, are just copies of what I’ve photographed.”
She continued to amaze him. “That’s really cool.” Seeing a slight way in, but not wanting to come off as too strong, “I’d really like to see some of your stuff one day.” Ashlyn’s eyes shot up and her face went flat. Before she could say something that would no doubt ruin the last ten minutes, “Anyway, what questions do I need to answer?”
Ashlyn rapidly blinked a couple times and went to the sheet of questions before her. “First question, age?”
“Seventeen. You?”
Ashlyn couldn’t stop the smile from coming to her face. “This is about you, not me. But, sixteen.”
Tripp saw her continuing to write something. “What’s that,” he asked, taking the chance to scoot his chair closer in her direction. “You didn’t ask–”
“Sport and position. Baseball and first base. I didn’t need to ask,” Ashlyn confidently pointed out. “Favorite class?”
“Earth science,” Tripp answered a little too quickly.
Ashlyn paused, her pen on the paper but not moving. Tripp waited for her to say something, to give him a deathly glare which he’d only find humor in. He was surprised and disappointed when she simply wrote the two words down and moved on to the next question.
After what seemed like an hour later, largely in part because Tripp kept interrupting to ask Ashlyn questions about herself, they were nearly done.
“Okay, last question. Where do you see yourself in ten
years?”
Tripp thought for a minute. He looked out the window and saw that the afternoon would soon be fading. The school library closed at five, so they’d be needing to leave momentarily. He hated that his time with Ashlyn would soon be over; however, he had gotten almost an hour of her time. It didn’t matter that it was only for a stupid assignment.
“Tripp?”
Tripp looked from the window back to Ashlyn. He wanted so badly to tell her how beautiful she was. Instead, “Happy.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You asked where I see myself in ten years. That’s my answer.”
“Wow. Okay,” was all Ashlyn could say as she wrote the one-word answer down.
Jokingly, “Is that a bad answer?”
Ashlyn looked up at him with a serious face. “No. It’s actually really good.”
Tripp didn’t say it to try to please her into thinking he was deep and sophisticated, but he was happy that it seemed to surprise her. She probably thought he’d say something overly cocky, like winning the World Series.
Ashlyn put the paper back in her bag and brought out her camera. “I just need a picture now.”
Tripp’s face scrunched up. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.” Noticing his expression, “Why? Is something wrong with that?”
He shrugged and stood. “I’m not really good with pictures. Plus, I just got done with practice.”
“You’ve showered. I can smell your bodywash, or whatever,” she mumbled. “You’ll be fine.” She quickly added and began fumbling with her camera settings. She did not want to think about Tripp’s bodywash.
“I’ll make you a deal.”
“This isn’t something negotiable,” Ashlyn laughed.
“Take a picture with me first.”
“Nope,” Ashlyn responded immediately. She was certain with the playfulness of his words that if she looked up, he’d have that stupid grin on his face.
“Come on, what’s the big deal?”
Ashlyn looked up and glared at him.
“Just a quick and simple selfie,” he added, like what he was asking for was so effortless.
“On your phone, I presume?”
Tripp nodded.
“Why? What will you do with it?”
Tripp shook his head and held up his hands. “Whoa, it’s just a picture with you. Nothing sinister about it, but I get it.”
Ashlyn clutched her camera and crossed her arms. “What do you get?”
It was low. He knew it was, but he went there anyway. “I’m sure your boyfriend would be pissed if he ever found out,” Tripp said with a cool shrug. Immediately he saw flames dance across her eyes that often mirrored the ocean.
Ashlyn set her camera on the table. “Get your phone,” she growled.
Tripp tried to hide his excitement over his win, but inside he was doing the most ridiculous happy dance.
Ashlyn stood in front of him and he stretched out his arm with his phone so that it was in front of the both of them. That’s when Ashlyn grabbed the wrist of his hand attached to the phone and his whole body tensed from her innocent touch.
“It’s too dark. Turn,” she instructed. “Face the window. Ugh. Now there’s a shadow from the phone. Just a little more. Move slightly to your left. There! What’s so funny,” she sighed.
“Nothing. I didn’t mean for it to be a big deal.”
Though Ashlyn had her back to him, he saw her eyes fall from the screen in embarrassment. “It isn’t.”
“On the count of three,” he asked.
“Sure.”
“You’ll smile?”
Ashlyn took a deep breath in annoyance. “I don’t have all day, Tripp.”
“One…Two…”
Just as Tripp got halfway through the count, he snaked his free arm around Ashlyn’s stomach and drew her in until her back collided with his chest. She held her smile for a second more, until he hit the screen and she knew the moment was captured.
Her head screamed for her to move, to step away, but his warmth around her kept her feet frozen in place. A second or two more and a chill rushed over her when he dropped his arm and stepped away.
“Not bad, right,” he asked showing her the picture.
Ashlyn couldn’t think straight and just nodded. Tripp acted so calm about it. Was she the only one who read into the gesture more than she should have? He made it seem so innocent, but it didn’t feel that way. In those few seconds, Ashlyn felt as though something else had passed between them. The way he held her, something about it felt…nice.
When she didn’t immediately step away after the picture, Tripp knew that she had to feel something close to what he did. While he tried to pretend that it was nothing, Ashlyn had gone silent and nervously chewed on the bottom corner of her lip.
“Here,” he said, holding her camera out to her.
She yanked it from him and pointed where she wanted him to stand. He followed her directions, but when she looked into the lens, she didn’t look happy.
“Take off your cap,” she told him.
“Nope. My hair is a mess,” he tried to say in a playful tone. He hated how tense she looked now.
Ashlyn took in a deep breath pretending to be irritated, but Tripp could see that a smile tugged on her lips. She stepped forward and reached for his cap and yanked it off.
“Hey!”
“There, better.”
Tripp ran his fingers through his hair and tousled it back and forth.
“Stop it and stand still,” Ashlyn huffed.
“Give me my cap or fix it!”
Ashlyn made a noise that could only indicate frustration, but she stepped forward a few feet and reached up to straighten his hair. As soon as her fingers touched the smooth strands of deep gold, she realized how intimate the moment felt. Her heart pounded erratically.
Tripp couldn’t take it anymore. He knew she’d pull away soon, take her picture, and that would be the end. He didn’t want that to be the end.
Ashlyn froze when Tripp lightly grabbed her wrist and gently pulled it from his hair. It was only then that their eyes met, and the look on his face was one she had never seen from him. In the next passing moment, his golden eyes darkened to the deepest brown.
When he stepped forward and closed the space between them, Ashlyn found that the tiny voice in her head, the one that was supposed to tell her to step away, was silent. Completely silent. Though she didn’t want to admit it, she was glad.
After Tripp lowered her arm, he slid his around her waist while the other reached up and slowly traced from her shoulder to her neck, his eyes never leaving hers.
It was then that the fine and patient thread that restrained him every time he was around her, finally snapped.
Chapter 10
It was unlike any kiss that either of them had ever experienced. At first Tripp barely pressed his lips to Ashlyn’s and drew back after the smallest of pecks. When she didn’t pull away, or slap him, as he had thought she’d more than likely do, he kissed her again.
Ashlyn felt like she was on a rollercoaster spiraling out of control throughout the starry sky. His kiss was filled with so much passion and hunger. His arm at the small of her back drew her impossibly close, so close that she could practically draw a map of the muscles that trailed down his chest, just from her hands sliding over the tightly fitted t-shirt.
When Tripp lightly bit at her bottom lip, she parted her mouth just enough and the taste of spearmint burst inside as their tongues met.
Tripp couldn’t contain the animalistic growl he let out when Ashlyn not only let the kiss continue, but allowed it to go so much further than he could ever imagine. His whole body could go up in flames at any moment with the heat radiating between the two of them. Needing to steady himself, he took a step backward and hit the window, immediately welcoming the cool glass pressed against his back.
That slight movement must have shaken something loose on Ashlyn’s end, and she quickly pulled away, not just out of Tripp�
��s arms, but several feet backwards.
When she looked up, despite her haggard breaths matching those of Tripp’s, he could see the truth written clear as day across her face. Mistake.
Tripp was further surprised when, after touching her lips and shaking her head, she was actually the first of them to speak.
“Crap!”
It wasn’t exactly what Tripp was expecting after what just happened between them.
Ashlyn placed her camera in one of her bags and began rushing to get her things together to leave. “That did not just happen.”
Tripp didn’t know if she was talking to him or to herself. “That was amazing.” He clenched his eyes and took in a sharp breath when he got a glare full of lightning bolts at that comment.
“No. No. No. That was a mistake, a huge mistake.”
There it was. That’s exactly what he expected her to say and it tore at his insides to hear that.
“Ash,” he sighed. He couldn’t think of what to say in the few seconds before he knew she was about to run away from him. Though it was futile, “Can you just wait a second? Can we talk?”
A part of her wanted to scream, another wanted to slap Tripp, and another wanted to cry. There was also a part of her that hated that the kiss ended, but she squashed that little piece so fast.
“That’s the first and last time something like that will ever happen between us,” she hissed at him.
Tripp took a step toward her, but before he could get another word out, she rushed out of the library.
He raked his hands through his hair in frustration before slapping his cap back on. Maybe the kiss had clouded his judgement, but he reached for his phone knowing the devastating blow he was about to deal.
✽ ✽ ✽
Ashlyn thought her heart might fall out of her chest from beating so hard and so fast as she made quick steps through the parking lot toward her car.
In the pocket of her overalls, she both felt and heard her phone going off like crazy, but ignored it. Thinking of who it could be, her mind flew to Eric.
Picturing Different Page 6