~*~ Chapter 35 ~*~
NEW YORK CITY, NY – KIRSTIN AND TOM’S LOFT – JAN. 12TH, 2001
Maybe that was a moment… and Kirstin didn’t know how to act. And Ashley didn’t know how to act either.
Kirstin felt the urge to kiss Ashley. His lips were calling out to her. She was hypnotized. She moved closer to Ashley and then leaned her head, getting closer and closer to Ashley’s lips. When she was almost there, Ashley turned his face and got up. Kirstin watched as he paced around the room. A tear fell down her cheek and she quickly swept it away, before Ashley could see it.
“K, you are really confused. You really don’t know what you’re doing. This whole day was really stressful to you. You need to lay down.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Kirstin swept away another tear from her face without Ashley noticing it “I mean, I…” Kirstin tried to explain herself “I mean, I need you, but you know… I mean… you know what I mean, right?” Kirstin was starting to blush.
“Yeah, K. I know what you mean.” Ashley was serious and Kirstin felt bad. What if he thought just like Barry? That she was a slut because she was getting married and wanted Ashley aswell? But did she really want Ashley? “That you need me as your friend. Maybe more now than ever.” Ashley smiled sweetly.
“Yes.” Kirstin decided to go with that. She was nervous “That’s exactly it.” she showed a nervous smile. Ashley was pretending the ‘almost kiss’ never happened. But why? “I really need you as my friend now, Ash. More than I’ve ever needed you. You’re always defending me. I’m so sorry I asked you not to be so worried about me before, but I really need you. You’re like this… Angel to me.” Kirstin smiled at that comment.
“Yeah, well. That’s why they call me Angel.” he chuckled and Kirstin just smiled “But K, you should never worry. When the subject is you, I’m always gonna be there to protect you. You shouldn’t even ask me not to, because I really won’t listen to you.” he grinned at her, who returned the grin “You’re my best friend. You’ll always be. And wether you like it or not, whenever I’m around, I’m always gonna protect you.”
“Ash, I… I don’t even know what to say, I mean…”
“You don’t have to say anything, K.”
“Thank you.” she got up and hugged him tight “Thanks for taking care of me.”
“Thank you for letting me take care of you.” Ashley whispered in her ear. She got goose bumps all over her body.
“I love you, Ash.”
“I love you too, K.”
They stayed like that, hugging, for a while. Kirstin was inhaling Ashley's intoxicating cologne and Ashley smelled Kirstin’s hair. When Ashley realized what he was feeling, he pulled back. Kirstin frowned, but didn’t ask anything. Maybe he did that because he was feeling the same way she was? Or maybe the opposite? Kirstin’s frown disappeared, giving way to a serious look.
“Ash… do you… Barry…”
“K, I don’t wanna talk about this asshole anymore.”
“No. It’s not really about him, it’s just that thing he said… you know?” Kirstin looked at Ashley and she realized he knew what she was talking about “Do you agree with him? Do you think I’m a slut for be marrying a guy and be flirting with another one at the same time?” Kirstin played with her fingers. The thought of Ashley thinking she was a slut scared her.
“K, I really think this guy lost his mind. Ok, you’re marrying Tom, but that doesn’t mean you’re dead!”
“That’s exactly what I said to Grace!” Kirstin exclaimed.
“But that’s the truth. Ok, so you’re marrying him, but there are other fishes in the sea. Of course it wouldn’t be ok if you were to be with them, but to look doesn’t hurt.”
“I think so too. For me, I was doing nothing wrong! I just thought that guy was hot. And that was it. That’s why I even brought him home with Tom here. I wouldn’t bring home a guy I intended to have an affair with to meet my future husband!” Kirstin exclaimed.
‘Husband.’ Ashley thought and looked down.
“What? What’s wrong?” Kirstin asked.
“Nothing. You’re totally right. There’s nothing wrong with thinking someone else beside Tom is hot and feeling attracted to him.” Ashley spoke his mind and Kirstin smirked.
“You and I always thought the same way.” Kirstin looked at his eyes.
“Yeah… we did.” Ashley answered, looking deeper at Kirstin’s eyes.
“You and I always knew what each other were thinking or feeling.”
“Yeah… we did.” Ashley held his glare on Kirstin’s eyes.
“You and I always…” Kirstin was cut off by the phone ringing. She even jumped from her seat a little “Hello?” Kirstin answered the phone.
“K, it’s Grace.”
“Oh, hey.” Kirstin mouthed ‘Grace’ so Ashley would know who it was on the phone.
“What the hell happened?” Grace snapped.
“He called me a slut.” Kirstin was actually calm telling Grace that.
“You told me that already, but… No, that’s not possible. Maybe you interpreted that wrong. Maybe he meant something else.”
“No, that is not possible.”
“Why not? Maybe…”
“Grace, he said it. He said, quoting, you’re much more of a slut than those two blondes are.”
“What?” Grace screamed.
“That’s right. He said it. With all the words.”
“I cannot believe it!”
“Well, I couldn’t either. So, when he said that, I was so shocked, I couldn’t even move. I was thinking, like, did he really say what I heard him saying? Or am I crazy? So I didn’t do anything. I felt numb. Then he grabbed my face and forced me to kiss him.”
“That’s when Ashley punched him.” Grace assumed.
“Yeah. How did you know it was Ashley that punched him?”
“Well, it doesn’t take too much intelligence to find that out. And Ashley was rubbing his hand when you two were leaving so…”
“Oh, yeah…”
“But are you alright?” Grace was worried about her friend.
“I am, but I was really surprised, I mean… I never thought Barry was like that, you know?”
“Yeah, me either.”
“He was just so sweet to me at first and then that phrase came out of nowhere. That’s why I couldn’t believe he was actually saying what he was actually saying.”
“No, I know. I feel the same way. Wow…”
“Yeah, well, let’s just hope Mark there isn’t like his best pal.” Kirstin was worried about her best friend.
“No, I don’t think so. They are talking in the bedroom now.”
“I really hope he isn’t Grace, because you don’t deserve a guy like Barry.”
“I really don’t think he is. Especially because he invited me to go to Oakland with him tomorrow.”
“Really? Nice… and when are you coming back?”
“Oh, I’m spending the week there.”
“This whole week?” Kirstin asked surprised.
“Yeah. Why?”
“Because you cannot go this week! Did you forget it?”
“What? What?” Grace didn’t know what she was talking about. And Ashley next to Kirstin didn’t either. Kirstin just got up all agitated.
“You can’t go, G. Not this week. I have to go do the wedding dress fitting on Tuesday!”
“Shit, I forgot!” Grace felt bad.
“Clearly! Now what? I can’t go by myself! I was counting on my made of honor to go with me!” Kirstin sounded disappointed. Ashley heard that, looked down and played with his fingers again. ‘Wedding dress fitting? Already?’ he thought.
“K, I really don’t know what to say. I totally forgot. I was so happy when Mark asked me to go with him to Oakland that I didn’t even think twice and he already called his manager to get me the airplane ticket.”
“No! Now what?” Kirstin paced around the living room. Ashley looked at her all nervous.
“Don’t you have anyone else that could go with you?”
“No, I don’t! Who else here in New York could go with me? My mom is away and I won’t ask her to come just so I can try my dress on. My sister, the bridesmaid, is way over in LA. I don’t know anyone else in the city to go with me. I don’t want just anybody there, G! It’s my wedding dress!” Kirstin still paced around the room.
“K, calm down. What about... What about Ashley?” Grace suggested.
“What?” Kirstin stopped and looked at him on the couch “You’re kidding, right?” she looked away from Ashley.
“No, I’m not. Why can’t he go?”
“Because!”
“Because what? He’s your best friend! And he just did something heroic tonight! Why couldn’t he go?”
“Because…” she looked again at him, then turned her back to him and whispered “Because it would be too weird.”
“Why? Why weird? He knows you’re getting married. He’ll see you in a wedding dress sooner or later.”
“Yeah, but I… I don’t know if I’d be comfortable with that.” Kirstin was still whispering. Ashley frowned, not knowing why she was doing that.
“Come on, K. Just ask him. Ask if he got a problem with that, and if he doesn’t, that’s your best option.”
“Well, thanks a lot for doing this to me, G.”
“I’m really sorry, K.”
“You better be, because I’m really mad at you right now.”
“Sorry!” Grace really felt bad.
“I gotta go now.”
“Ok, but talk to him, will you?”
“I’ll try.” Kirstin answered, watching Ashley go to the kitchen.
“Ok, then. Then talk to you later.”
“Ok, bye.” Kirstin hung up the phone and returned
it to its place. She looked at Ashley pouring himself some water and took
a deep breath before heading to the kitchen to talk to him.
* Thanx Taryn for reviewing and correcting the grammar errors *
~*~ Chapter 34 ~*~
~*~ Chapter 36 ~*~
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