ASHLEY'S POV
Dinner went by pretty fast, and despite some awkwardness between me and Jess, everything went fairly well. I was still kind of shook over the entire conversation with Gabi, but all in all I was extremely relieved that she took it the way she did instead of going ballistic on me.
A little while after dinner, Alex was carrying her Grandma's suitcase downstairs, letting me know that she was getting ready to leave. It pained me to see all those sad faces in the room, and I suddenly felt out of place. Jess must have sensed it as well, as she went forward and hugged Gabi goodbye before refraining and disappearing upstairs to leave the family some alone time.
I was about to do the same but Chase preceded me, throwing himself at her and causing us all to giggle. He was just really adorable.
"Goodbye Gabi, it was really nice to meet you.", I then stated as soon as Chase disappeared as well, hugging her briefly.
"Likewise, Miss Stevens.", she teased, earning a puzzled look from Alex, which I decided to ignore.
"Have a safe flight."
"Thank you dear."
I smiled warmly at her and took a step back, motioning towards the kitchen when I caught sight of Sparky bolting up the stairs with one of Alex's boots in his mouth. Not wanting to distract her from her Grandma, I ran upstairs after him just to find him at the end of the hallway, waggling his tail and looking at me. I wanted to take a few steps towards him and just grab it from him, but I was afraid that he would just bolt downstairs again.
"Sparky.", I stated in a warning voice. "Drop it. Drop the boot."
That definitely didn't work since he kept waggling his tail even harder, probably thinking that this was a game.
"Come on buddy, drop the boot. You don't want Alex to get mad at you, do you?"
That didn't work either. Sighing, I took a look around the hallway and fortunately my eyes landed on a tennis ball. I knew for a fact that he loved balls.
God, that sounded awkward.
"Hey, look Sparky! Do you want this?", I asked, grabbing it from the floor and shaking it in the air.
That definitely worked, since he dropped the boot and stared at me, his ears perking up and his tongue sticking out of his mouth. I grinned victoriously as I threw the ball behind him and immediately reached out for the boot, eventually placing it in Alex's room and closing the door behind me.
I was about to go back downstairs when I walked in front of Chase's room just to see his attention being fully absorbed by a video game. Remembering about what happened to him in school during the week, I lingered in my spot for a couple of seconds, wondering if I could actually give it a try and see if he would open up to me. I wasn't really hopeful since Alex tried every single day to get him to speak, but I decided to go for it nonetheless.
"Hey sweetie..", I made myself known to him, leaning against the doorframe. "What game are you playing at?"
"A game about cars.", he shrugged, not even glancing my way.
"You don't sound very excited about it."
"It's boring when it's just you playing.", he shrugged again.
"Want me to play against you?"
"You know how to play?", he frowned in surprise, actually pausing his race just to look at me.
"Oh, you don't know what's coming for you.", I chuckled, taking a few steps and sitting next to him on the floor.
We started playing against each other and needless to say, I was doing a very crappy job. I kept crashing my car against every possible obstacle and Chase was laughing his ass off by the end of the third race.
"I thought you were good!"
"I thought so too.", I smirked, nudging him playfully as I kept my eyes on the screen. "So.. I heard you got into some sort of fight at school the other day..", I trailed off, hesitantly.
He fell silent, his mood drastically changing at the mention while he still kept playing.
"You wanna tell me what happened sweetie?", I questioned in a soft voice.
"Are you going to tell Alex?", he mumbled under his breath.
"Not if I don't have to."
He fell silent once again, probably contemplating whether to tell me or not. I waited patiently as I honestly tried my best to keep my car on the road but I was just terrible at this.
"This kid..", he eventually blurted, letting out a sigh as I saw him shaking his head from the corner of my eyes. "He.. he was making fun of me."
"What about?"
"He was making fun of me because I live with my sister and I have no parents."
I snapped my head towards him and just stared at him dumbfounded. I couldn't believe that a ten year old would be so evil to say such thing and make fun of him because of it. It was clear as water that what that kid said got to him, and I honestly didn't know what to say at this point.
A slight movement in the hallway caught my eye, and all I could see was Alex's figure retreating behind the door frame.
"Why did you hit him?", I questioned in a soothing voice, fully aware that his sister was eavesdropping.
He shrugged, shaking his head and looking down at the controller he was still holding, this time pausing the game. I waited in silence, internally hoping that he would elaborate an answer when he looked up to meet my gaze.
"Maybe I hit him because what he said was true..", he mumbled. "Or maybe because I was ashamed..?"
"Why would you be?"
"Because..", he trailed off, a troubled expression dominating his features. "Everyone has parents, I don't."
I watched him as his eyes got watery, causing my heart to ache in my chest. I had no idea what Chase thought about his family situation or how much did he know about his parents, and deep down I was really hoping Alex kept some stuff to herself. I mean, he deserved to know the truth eventually, but in my opinion he was way too young to be told the entire truth. And Alex, being her overprotective self, probably didn't.
I let out a sigh as I pulled him into a hug, definitely catching him by surprise since his body tensed up before actually relaxing into my arms.
"You have Alex, baby boy..", I whispered into his hair, stroking it. "And Matt."
"It's not the same.."
"I know sweetie.", I paused, pulling back form the embrace and smiling weakly at him. "I know it's not the same, but you're lucky nonetheless.. Sometimes life doesn't really go the way we wanted to, but your sister loves you very much, Chase. She would do anything to see you happy, and she would give her life for you in a heartbeat. I'm sure you really miss your parents sweetie, but you should never give her love towards you for granted. Don't listen to the mean kids, okay? If only they knew even half of your story, they would never make fun of you."
He nodded slightly as I wiped away a stray tear rolling down his cheek. He just stared at me intently for a while, eventually seeing the troubled expression he had being replaced by a shy smile.
"What?"
"I like you.", he grinned, causing me to chuckle softly. "Alex is lucky to have a girlfriend like you."
"Oh, I'm-", I was about to clear that up but then decided not to. "I'm sure she's very lucky indeed."
———
ALEX'S POV
"I'm sure she's very lucky indeed."
I rolled my eyes and smiled shyly as I pictured the cheeky grin she had on her lips while saying it.
I really was lucky to have her in my life, and the fact that she managed to make Chase open up about what happened just proved to me that everything about her was beyond special. I was heartbroken when I heard the real reason behind the incident at school, but there was little to nothing I could do about it and I had to accept that. People will always judge you no matter what, just for the sake of it, and Chase had to come to terms with that one way or the other.
I smiled to myself as I heard them going back to their game, giggling and teasing one another. I tiptoed away from Chase's door, not wanting to get caught by him or interrupt their 'quality time' together.
I entered my room and plunged on my bed after changing into my pj's, absentmindedly staring at my ceiling and thinking back to what my Grandma told me before leaving.
'I've always hoped to see you this happy baby. She's a keeper.'
Oh, if only she knew the truth she wouldn't be saying that.
But it was true. For the first time in my life I was actually really happy, and I knew that Ashley was the reason behind it. I knew it, yet it scared the living shit out of me, because she could take that away from me any second. She had that power, and I don't think she even realizes it. She had the power to destroy me and I gave it to her.
As realization hit me, I felt tears stinging my eyes, the sound of the door to my room closing snapping me out of my thoughts.
"You okay there baby?", Ashley questioned as she sat on the edge of my bed and took off her shoes, eventually looking at me and catching me as I rubbed my watery eyes in the attempt to hide the fact that I was on the verge of crying.
"Don't leave.", I managed to whisper under my breath.
"I'm not?", she frowned. "I thought you wanted me to spend the-"
"Don't leave. Like, ever.."
I watched her as she caught on with what I was saying, a warm smile spreading across her lips as she laid next to me and stared at me dead in the eyes.
"Where's this coming from?", she whispered, bringing a hand up to my cheek and gently stroking it.
"Just don't. Please.."
I didn't know why but I was really emotional right now, and any attempt to elaborate a sentence was useless. I was too lost in her worried eyes, and I could see that she wanted an answer to her question. Fact was, I had no idea what to say. I wanted to tell her that I was glad to have her in my life; I wanted to tell her how much she meant to me; I wanted to tell her that having her by my side made me happy; I wanted to tell her so many things all at once, but all I could do was look at her.
"I won't.", she whispered. "I promise baby."
"Ever?"
"Ever."
I studied her, looking for any sign of doubt in her voice but there weren't. She truly meant it, and caused me to smile weakly in relief before I leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, cupping her face and bringing her closer.
What started off like a gentle kiss gradually became heated and passionate. I wanted her to feel all the things that I desperately wanted to tell her, hence why I wanted this kiss to feel different from any other kiss we shared. It wasn't out of lust. It was out of my need to have her in my arms, and suddenly 'forever' didn't terrorize me like it used to.
The cheesiness.
I smiled into the kiss as she rolled on top of me, kissing me deeply while her tongue explored every inch of my mouth and her hands started roaming my body. And just like that, the atmosphere around us changed in a blink of an eye.
"You're so fucking beautiful..", she whispered, bringing her lips to my neck and sending a wave of electricity throughout my entire body as one of her hands slipped under my shirt and cupped my breast.
"Are you trying to have sex with me, Miss- oh!", my playful remark died then and there as her fingers gently and expertly teased my nipple, causing me to moan.
"Is it working?", she teased, biting my neck and sucking on my weak spot before bringing her lips to mine once again.
I didn't bother to answer since it was clear as water that it was, the anticipation of what was about to happen causing a wave of heat course in between my legs. Suppressing a moan as she sucked on my bottom lip, I grabbed the hem of her shirt in order to take it off, but she stopped me, grabbing my wrists and holding them above my head with one hand while she resumed teasing my breasts with the other.
I was about to groan in frustration, but that soon came to an halt as her wandering hand made its way down to my shorts, eventually slipping inside. Still with our lips locked, my breathing became heavier as I felt her fingers drawing gentle circles on my clit, causing me to squirm under her. I wanted nothing more than to feel her against me, but her grip on my wrists was firm and dominant, and weirdly enough, I fucking liked it.
"Please.", I mumbled into the kiss, causing her to part from my lips and grin at me mischievously.
"Please what?"
"Please, fuck me."
Maintaining eye-contact, she bit her bottom lip and slid two fingers inside me, thrusting painfully slowly in and out of me. As she gradually increased her pace, my breathing becoming heavier and heavier with each and every thrust.
"S-shit-"
I released a loud moan as she started fucking me harder and faster, her lips crashing against mine as she hovered above me and kissed me hungrily. I felt another finger slide inside me, and I couldn't help but shiver as she applied pressure on my clit with her thumb, my hips quickly rising towards her hand.
As I felt my walls tighten around her, she released her grip on my wrists and reached for my hand, intertwining our fingers together and squeezing as I unraveled under her touch.
Her pace gradually steadied as I rode my orgasm, her lips never parting from mine and muffling my moans of pleasure till I eventually stopped squirming and she retrieved her hand from my shorts, bringing her fingers to her lips and licking them with a satisfied grin on her face.
"What are you doing to me?", I whispered in the attempt to catch my breath.
"Making you cum, obviously.", she teased, climbing off me and laying next to me, her arms wrapping around my chest.
"Obviously.", I repeated, letting out a soft chuckle. "I was actually serious though.."
"What do you mean?"
I sighed, reaching for her hand and squeezing it gently. I had no clue why I was feeling this way tonight, but I felt the need to actually express my feelings out loud to her, and that was definitely a first.
"I mean.. honestly, I've never felt like this about someone in my entire life. Then again, I've never given myself the chance to do so, but you.. everything about you captivates me and even the simplest touch makes my heart speed up as if I was running a marathon, so yeah.. What the fuck are you doing to me, Ashley Stevens?"
"I could ask you the same thing, Alex Isabella García.", she replied, smiling warmly at me as our eyes met.
"I can't believe you actually remember my middle name.", I playfully rolled my eyes before turning serious again. "Anyway, I highly doubt that.."
"How so?"
"Cause..", I trailed off, hesitantly. "You don't even realize it but I've grown so used to having you in my life that if you ever were to leave, I honestly don't think I could ever cope with that. You literally have the power to destroy me, and the weird part is that I gave it to you.."
Silence fell between us as I watched her studying me intensely. I felt vulnerable once again, just like every other time I opened up to this woman, but somehow it was different this time. I wasn't scared of telling her how I felt anymore. If anything, I was scared of her answer and I found myself in desperate need of reassurance.
"You don't get it, do you?", she questioned, a wide smile playing on her lips as she caressed my cheek.
"Get what?"
"Relationships..", she whispered. "Relationships are all about giving your heart to someone and trusting that person not to crush it, Alex.."
"Yeah, not really getting it..", I mumbled, frowning in confusion.
"The power that you're talking about.. I think you don't realize it, but you have that power over me just as much as I have it over you. I..-"
She suddenly stopped dead in her tracks and went silent, her eyes wide in surprise as they never left mine. I wanted to laugh at the face she was making, but I was way more curious as to what she was about to say that caused this weird reaction in her.
"You what?"
"I.. I love you, Alex.."
It was now my turn to stare at her in utter shock, my jaw hanging wide open as I literally had no clue what to say. Yeah, I was in a awkward emotional state tonight but I definitely wasn't expecting her to say that, and by the look on her face she wasn't expecting it either. I wanted to tell her a billion things all at once, but all I could do was stare at her.
I felt like an idiot, honestly. My heart was doing multiple somersaults, my brain was most definitely blank and I could literally feel butterflies in my stomach. I couldn't believe that this woman laying next to me loved me.
I kept opening and closing my mouth in the attempt to blurt something out, but I couldn't. Part of me wanted to say it back, but the other part of me was begging me not to. Yes, I had deep and strong feelings for Ashley, but did I love her? I mean, who am I kidding, I knew nothing about love. Never experienced it once in my life, so how could I possibly know whether I loved her back or not?
"I- I don't expect you to say it back, Alex..", she whispered, snapping me out of my mental rambling. "But yeah, I just realized that that's how I feel about you. I really hope you won't leave the state of Illinois in the morning, but I do love you."
"Why?", I smiled at her, chuckling at her half hearted joke.
"Because I get the feeling that I'm scaring the living shit out of you?"
"No, dork. Why do you love me?", I questioned, searching her piercing grey eyes.
"That I have literally no clue. You are annoying after all..", she teased, causing me to roll my eyes at her.
"Bitch."
"I love you because you're amazing, smart, passionate, driven, and fucking beautiful, inside and out. I love you because you care so much for the people around you and because you'd give your life for someone you love. I love you because you're brave enough to raise two wonderful boys on your own. I love you because you took in a friend in need without a care in the world. I love you because you make me happy and you make me feel things that I've never felt with anyone before, and I highly doubt I'll ever will. I love you because your annoying ass brought such an excitement and a breath of fresh air into my life that I actually feel alive ever since you came along. I love you and your shitty past because it molded you into the amazing person you are today, and because despite that, you carry yourself with a smile on your face and with your head up high. The list goes on and on, but mostly, I love waking up to your grumpy face in the morning and to the feeling of having you in my arms. I'm so in love with you that just the thought of being away from you rips me apart.."
It wasn't until I blinked that I actually realized I was crying tears of happiness. Never, in my entire life, has anyone ever told me they loved me. The warmth and relief those words and this woman brought to me was indescribable. It was as if hearing her say those things, my heart mended. All the pain caused by my past, all the darkness that came along with it, that sense of void that constantly settled in my chest, they were gone. They were gone and replaced by her.
"My face isn't grumpy in the mornings..", I mumbled sheepishly as she wiped away a few stray tears.
"Babe, you're so grumpy in the mornings that you remind me of my Grandpa. And trust me, he was a royal pain in the ass.", she smirked, letting out a giggle.
"Oh, so now I'm a pain in the ass?!"
"Yup, my pain in the ass.", she replied, leaning forward and planting a kiss on my forehead as a goofy smile crept on my lips.
"Cheesy."
She grinned at me before settling back against my chest, her face buried in the crook of my neck as I still couldn't believe the fact that she was in love with me, let alone process it.
"So, no moving away to another state?", she questioned.
"Not a chance.", I replied, kissing her head and tightening my grip on her. "Thank you.."
"For what?"
"For loving me.", I whispered, mentally shrugging and slapping myself at how stupid I just sounded.
'Thank you'?! Really?!
"Thank you for letting me baby."