ECSTASY | CRIME PRINCE SERIES | BOOK 0.5 FIRST EDITION

|𝟏𝟕.| 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲

I feel like shit. If shit was a person I'm pretty sure it would be me. My head hurts and my leg is not doing me any favours either, I feel control over my body again but I can't move purely of the fact that I'm in alot of pain. I grit my teeth and move my mouth a bit taking slow steps, I than proceed to move some of my fingers and hand, my feet and toes are next along and when I'm finally convinced that I can feel them all.

That's when I open my eyes the room I'm in is bright the sun is shining on every object in there. I have something on my face strapped to my face and I look down to see a nasal cunnula attached to my nose. It takes awhile to fully open my eyes to the setting but when I do I look around to figure out where I am.

I'm not in a hospital, I'm in a house that's for sure. This isn't mine or Marae's house either, I look around again and remember the pure black sheets and interior that layed around me. The stand has a glass of water and a watch, keys and a picture of me with someone. I squint my eyes and shake my head slightly, I was definitely young in the picture probably around college.

When I look at the picture again, the person in there with me is Ash. I notice now that in the picture, I'm wearing a white mens dress shirt and Ash is shirtless some of the tattoos he has now not visible. He holds me to his chest as I sit in between his legs and a limited edition copy of Pride & Prejudice is in my hands. He's laughing into my hair as I smile trying to read the book. Marae took this picture years ago.

I feel a shift on the other side of the bed and a hand gently playing with my hair. I turn to look who it is and Ash sits there upright, his back against the headboard and his sound asleep. His hair is a cute mess, and his wearing a black hoodie with basketball shorts. His hand still unconsciously plays with my hair and I smile. I try to speak but my throat is dry, I push my weight and sit upright against the headboard and Ash stirs.

He darts up quickly and I think he was having a dream. His hands quickly find his face to rub of his eyes and I reach for the water, while he tries to stay awake. He looks around and when his eyes meet mine he sighs of relief. I take a sip of the water and place it back down feeling a bit weak. I hate this feeling.

"Aria? You're awake." His tone is laced with disbelief, it makes me wonder how long I was asleep.

"And tired." I whisper, chuckling a bit. I glance at the picture again but Ash catches my glimpse and stands abruptly. He comes to my side and flips the photo over, he sits down on my side.

"Do you remember anything, are you hungry? How do you feel?" he rambles. My head still hurts, Ash.

"I feel fine and I don't remember any of the other questions you asked." I deadpan. I clear my throat sitting up straighter and I feel a little better. The door opens and Marae comes in view, she's sniffing but stops when she notices me awake.

"Amiga, you're awake. Don't ever do that to me again." she engulfs me in a hug and I hug her back. Ash nods knowingly and gives us some space.

"How long was I unconscious? And whose room is this?" my voice is a bit hoarse and Marae urges me to drink so the water. I take it and drink still waiting for an answer.

"Two days, but we were afraid the drug might've been a poison and this is Ash's room. He didn't want us taking you anywhere else." she chuckles a bit at the last statement, I nod and remove the oxygen tube from my nose.

"What about that man?" I ask.

"Ash and River found him yesterday, he was hired by someone but wasn't willing to talk. Ash didn't care as long as he got what he wanted." Marae explains, taking the glass from my hand.

"What...did he want?" I gulp, pausing for a moment.

"To torture him, his screams could be heard through the entire house from the basement. I've never seen Ash like that, and not to mention he found your clothes ripped. Aria, he was angry I would've been too and I was." she looks at me for a second, a flash of pride resembled her eyes for a moment.