Loving Ashley

by Lauren Nicole

  “I do trust you.”

  “No, you don’t, not where it counts.”

  Fuck, maybe he’s right.

  “Look, maybe we just need to take a break. I can’t keep doing this.”

  “No! I want to be with you. Haven’t I shown you enough that I do? Or let me guess, you want more, just like every fucking female does in this world.”

  Ouch.

  “Get the fuck out, it’s over, we’re over.” I walk to the door and open it so he can leave. He just stands there for a minute then begins to walk out. I am just barely keeping the tears from falling; I refuse to let him see me cry. As he walks out the door, I decide to drop the last bomb on him.

  “I quit the bar,” is all I say as I slam the door in his face. I wish I could have seen the reaction on his face with that news. He probably wasn’t expecting that. I watch him get in his car and sit there for a good five minutes, looking defeated. Too bad for him, he should have handled the situation differently than he did. Once he drives off, I head back to bed and cry until there are no tears left to cry. My heart is completely broken along with all my faith in men.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  TAYLOR

  It’s been three weeks since Ashley and I broke up. Three weeks of complete hell. I’ve been in a shit mood and everyone knows it. I’m not fun to be around, which is probably why Thomas avoids me at home and at the bar. I need to get her back but she doesn’t trust me, and I can’t help her with that. She needs to work on that by herself. I love that girl with everything in me and for me not to be able to see her or talk to her is killing me, and the worst part of it all is that I haven’t seen her once. I’m pissed she quit the bar, that was my only chance to see her and she hasn’t even been back here to hang out.

  I am upstairs in my office, trying to get some stuff done but failing horribly. When I look down at the crowd I see Nancy at the bar. For a second, I get excited thinking she is here, but I know she’s not—I don’t feel her here or her watching me. Maybe knowing how she’s doing at least will help put me at ease. I head down to the bar where Nancy is sitting and slide into the seat next to her.

  “Hey.” I begin to pick the label off of my water bottle, waiting for her to talk.

  “Hey, you. How are you?”

  “Honestly? Shitty.” Why lie to her? Maybe she will tell Ashley how bad I am and we can work this out.

  “I know.”

  “How is she?”

  “Okay, she’s been keeping to herself and only leaving the house to go teach then back home.”

  “Fuck,” I mumble quietly. I hate knowing my girl is home and feeling just as bad as I am.

  “Look, Taylor. I like you, I really do. You two are perfect for each other; you have to fix this. You both need to be happy again.”

  “I want to; I just don’t know how to. I can’t make her trust me. I’ve said some things I regret but if she would just hear me out, we would be fine. But she won’t.”

  “I know, I get it. I do. Look, I’m only telling you this because I like you, but I am dragging her ass out next Friday night, kicking and screaming if I have to.”

  I smile for the first time in three weeks. I need to come up with a plan to get my girl back. I need her like I need air. Leaving Nancy, I go back upstairs to my office to attempt to finish what I was working on, but again, I fail. You would think knowing I’m going to see her would lift my spirits up but it doesn’t. It still sucks without her. I just want things to go back to how they were when we were dating. Locking up my office, I head home for the night.

  The week drags by so slow, worse than it has been. The anticipation of seeing her has me on high alert. This past month hasn’t been a good one and it’s one I don’t plan on repeating any time in the future, because once I have her back, I will not let her go. If we get into a fight again then she or I will take our ass into the next room until we are calm enough to talk about it. No more breaking up or time apart. I should have asked Nancy where she was taking her, but I know it’s here, because she would have told me if it was somewhere different.

  That day I go get a haircut and shave. Because, let’s be honest, this past month I didn’t give a shit about my image. I hardly shaved and my hair was grown out, but now it’s time to get my girl back and nothing is stopping me. After I get out of the shower, I throw on my jeans and black polo shirt, since I am supposed to be working tonight. I have decided I won’t let her see me for a while. As hard as it will be, I will keep myself locked in the office and when the time is right, I will go get her.

  I am sitting in my chair overlooking the crowd, when I spot my beauty walking in with Nancy. I can tell just by looking at her that she has lost some weight. She didn’t have any to lose to begin with, but I can see it on her. Her body is tense and she isn’t smiling, which tells me she isn’t happy to be here. She begins to scan the area and her eyes lock on mine through the glass. Her brown eyes staring back at me brings me to my knees. I bet she knows I’m looking at her right now. She can feel it just like I can. I have to hold back the urge to go down there, throw her over my shoulder, and take her home. But I can’t, I need to let her relax for some time.

  As the night progresses, I can tell she’s starting to enjoy herself. It’s nice to see her smile and have fun. Her hair is pulled over one shoulder while her legs are crossed over each other. She looks fucking beautiful. My phone rings, causing me to break my eyes away from her. Turning around in my seat, I see my dad’s name flashing on the screen.

  “Hey, Dad.”

  “Son, how are you?” I know he’s fishing for some detail, I told him the other day that I was going to try to get her back.

  “Not bad and you? How is Mom?”

  “Your mom is wonderful.”

  You can hear the love he has for her in his voice. After thirty-five years, those two are still just in love as they were on day one.

  “I’m doing good, enjoying retirement.”

  “Y’all ready to move down here?”

  “We are talking about it. Haven’t made plans yet. Thought about selling the condo in Daytona and buying a place closer to y’all.”

  “That would be awesome. We sure would love it.”

  Speaking of we, any luck with your girl?” I swear my parents fell in love with her the first time they met her. They absolutely adore her.

  “Not yet, but hopefully after tonight all that changes.”

  “Is she there?”

  “Yep.”

  I glance down and see that her seat is empty. Fuck! I better not have missed her, or I will be pissed. A knock at my door sounds just then.

  “I gotta go, Dad, someone’s at my door.”

  “Okay, son, your mom and I love you.”

  After telling him I love them both, I toss my phone on the desk and go answer the door. And there she is, my beauty standing there looking like an angel.

  “Hi,” she says.

  “Hey.”

  “Can I come in?”

  Stepping out of the way, I usher her in. “Of course you can.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  ASHLEY

  I listen to my voicemail one more time.

  “Ashley Marie, you better have your ass ready at seven. We are going to dinner then out for drinks. Love you, bitch.” I can’t help but laugh at Nancy’s voicemail.

  It’s been a month since I broke up with Taylor, and what a fucking sucky ass month it’s been. I miss him like crazy and want to fix things, but I needed to work my issues out before I could move on with him. This weekend I will make up with him; I love him so much and need him. I needed to let go of the hurt and betrayal I felt when John left me. Hopefully, he will be at the bar tonight and then we can talk upstairs.

  “Knock, knock on your cock,” Nancy sings, coming in the door at seven.

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m ready, let’s go.”

  We arrive for dinner about twenty minutes later and head to our table in the back corner. I order a vodka and Red Bull to get my
night started.

  “So, how ya been?”

  “Getting better, I have done a lot of thinking and growing this past month, and I finally think I’m ready.”

  “Ready for what? To move on or go back to Taylor?”

  “To go back to him if he will have me. I really love him and want what we had back. I just hope he isn’t seeing anyone and will take me back.”

  “I’m sure he will.”

  Once our food arrives, we dig in like we haven’t eaten in forever. This is actually the most I have eaten in about month. I have lost probably close to ten pounds. Once I make things right with Taylor, I know I will gain all that weight back. My cheeseburger and fries definitely hit the spot and by the time we leave, I am stuffed. We head over to Big T’s Tavern a few hours later. We enter and head straight for the bar downstairs. I begin to scan the area, looking for him. I can feel him somewhere but not sure where he is. Looking up to the Plexiglas window, I stare, knowing he’s in there looking right at me.

  Taking a seat at the bar, I order a drink to help calm my nerves. I really hope he never moved on, because I honestly don’t know what I would do if he did. I want to be with him and only him. I just had to work through my issues to get me there. After about three or four drinks, I decide it’s time. When Nancy gets up to follow Thomas, I’m given the perfect time to make my escape. I walk over to the staircase and see CJ standing there.

  “Hey, CJ, he up there?”

  “Hey, Ashley. Yeah, he’s in his office.”

  I thank him and make my way to the door. My stomach is in knots, making me feel like I am going to puke. Never have I been this nervous in my life. I keep running my hands over my jeans to make them not so clammy. His door is closed, and I can hear him talking on the other side. I give it a couple of minutes before I knock. Raising my hand to the wooden door, I knock hard. I know he can hear me over the music playing. He swings open the door, and there he is looking sexy as fuck. He’s got on blue jeans and his black polo that is stretched tight over his chest.

  “Hi,” I squeak.

  “Hey.”

  “Can I come in?”

  He steps out of the way and ushers me in. “Of course you can.”

  I am, all of a sudden, super nervous and don’t know where to start. I would be happy to just sit here and stare at him all night. He looks better than ever, almost like he was never affected by the breakup like I was. Maybe I didn’t mean as much to him as I thought I did.

  “What can I do for you, Ashley?” He breaks our silence.

  “I wanted to talk.”

  He moves his hand out for me to talk.

  “First off, I wanted to say I’m sorry. Sorry for not believing you and making it seem like I didn’t trust you. You have to understand that John did a number on me. I gave him everything and I’m talking everything. Every break I got from school, every long weekend I had I would always go see him. I made the effort to put our relationship first, even thousands of miles apart. But in the end it all blew up in my face. To find him in bed with that slut, Sierra, destroyed me. I planned my whole life around being with him and moving up there after graduation. After one unexpected trip it blew up in my face. Why would I want to give my life to someone else again? And then you came into my life and blew it all out the freaking window. I fell hard and fast for you and it scared me. I was just waiting for it to fall apart. And that wasn’t fair to you or even me.”

  He moves closer to me, sitting down where we are eye to eye. He gently wipes a tear away from my cheek.

  “But before we move on, I need to know what your ex was doing at your house.”

  “After the altercation with John, Thomas sent me home to cool off. I got home and the first thing I did was get out of my work clothes. You know I like to just hang out in sweats. But anyway, someone knocked on my door and when I opened it, there stood Kim. I let her in and she said she needed a place to stay, because I guess her boyfriend kicked her out for cheating on him. I told her no and that she needed to leave. She tried to get back with me, but I told her no and that I was in love with someone else. She got mad and was getting her purse from the kitchen when you knocked on my door. But I promise you, baby, I didn’t touch her or even have the desire to.”

  “I believe you. But I almost feel like I needed to see it in order for me to get over it. If that makes sense. And I do want to thank you for standing up for me to John that night. I know he can be a douche bag and say whatever the hell he wants. No one has ever stuck up for me like that.”

  Standing, he pulls me into his arms and we just hug for a good ten minutes. He pulls his head back some and his lips seek mine. Oh, hell how I have missed his lips on mine. His hands are digging into my scalp as he deepens the kiss. I am backed up against the desk, where he lefts me to sit on top.

  “Fuck, I miss you, baby,” he whispers against my lips. I grab his shirt and pull him closer to me.

  “Wait, does this mean we are back together?” he asks.

  “If you will have me.”

  “Fuck, baby, I thought you would never ask.” We go back to kissing and a whole lot of groping. It feels great to be in his arms again. The bang at the door causes us to pull apart and stare at whoever is walking in. Go figure, it’s Nancy and Thomas.

  “Well, nice to see you two got your shit together,” she says, smiling at me.

  She and Thomas grab a seat next to the desk, both smirking at us.

  “So what can we do for you, dear brother?” Taylor asks.

  “Just wanted to let you know we are headed out. You good?”

  “Yes, we are good. It’s almost time to close up.”

  They get up and head out the door, shutting it behind them. I break away from him and go sit in the chair behind the desk.

  “All right, baby, I need to go downstairs and help with closing. Are you going to stay up here or come down with me?”

  “I’ll sit here while you go.” I smile sweetly at him. When he leaves the office, he shuts the door behind him, leaving me alone with my thoughts. My heart finally feels like it is back in one piece. Now that we are back together, we both need to move on from our pasts and only focus on the future, because all I see in mine is him.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  TAYLOR

  Finally, after two hours, I am ready to go home with my girl. The smile that has taken over my face is there permanently. This night turned out better than I expected. Now it’s time to take my girl home and lose myself in her. It has been way too long. I walk up the stairs and find her sleeping on the couch. She looks like a fucking angel. Kneeling beside her, I stroke her hair back with my hand.

  “Wake up, gorgeous.”

  She begins to stir and her eyes open, giving me a clear view of her beautiful brown eyes. I help her slowly sit up.

  “Sorry, I must have fallen asleep.”

  “That’s okay, baby. Come on, let’s go.”

  I grab her bag and my keys off the desk and we head out of the club. Thank goodness I am off tomorrow night and then closed Sunday and Monday. I plan on spending at least all day tomorrow in bed. Unfortunately, she has to work Monday.

  “My place okay?”

  “Of course,” she answers.

  Opening the passenger side door for her, I help her slide into my car before walking around and beginning the drive to my house. I keep one hand on the steering wheel and the other on her thigh. Every once in a while, I will give her a gentle squeeze. When we arrive at my place, I hop out and open the door for her. We don’t even make it far into the house before she is on me.

  Grabbing her thighs, I hoist her up, making her wrap her sexy fucking legs around me. Continuing to kiss her lips, I walk her to my bedroom and lay her down beneath me, unhooking her legs so I can pull her pants off. In no time, we’re both naked. My mouth travels down her throat, licking along the way. Fuck, she tastes so sweet. I latch on to her nipple, making it pucker, then switch to the other one, giving it just as much attention. I run my hand down her
side until I reach her sweet spot, rubbing her clit at the same time I enter two fingers in her pussy.

  “Oh God.”

  “Fuck, baby, your pussy is so wet for me.”

  Once I have her nice and wet, I remove my fingers and replace it with my dick. In one quick thrust I am balls deep in her. I have to pause for a moment so I don’t come on the spot. Slowly, I begin moving in and out, not wanting this connection to end.

  “Taylor,” she moans.

  “You like that, baby? Want me to fuck you harder?”

  “God, yes.”

  I slam back inside her, making her back bow off the bed. Each thrust has more power than the one before. I feel her pussy gripping my dick like a vise. I know she is about to come. Leaning down, I bite her earlobe.

  “Come, come now, Ashley.”

  Her whole body relaxes underneath me as she comes violently around my dick, I can’t hold back any longer. One hard thrust and I am emptying everything I have. I don’t think I have anything left, I come so hard I see stars.

  “Fuck, I love you, baby.”

  “I love you, too.”

  After we have both cleaned up, I wrap her slender body next to mine and we both pass out to the world.

  I awake the next morning around ten. Ashley is still knocked out so I quietly slip out of bed and head toward the kitchen to make breakfast. Seeing no sign of Thomas, I assume he must have stayed at Nancy’s house last night. I grab out the eggs and bacon and begin frying them up then I get out the biscuits and pop them in the oven. Just as breakfast is finishing up, she comes strolling into the kitchen wearing the shirt I had on last night. Setting the spatula down as she makes her way to me, I wrap my arms around her.

  “Morning, baby,” she says.

  “Hi. Breakfast is just about done, why don’t you go sit down and I’ll bring it to you.”

  She walks over to the table and I follow her shortly with a cup of coffee and her plate of food. We settle down to eat in a comfortable silence. It’s hard to explain the feeling I have with having her back in my house. I feel complete; this place feels like home with her here. Just her being here has my spirits up.