~*~ Epilogue ~*~
NEW YORK CITY, NY – KIRSTIN AND TOM’S LOFT – JAN. 16TH, 2001
Ashley grabbed Kirstin’s left hand to make her feel safe.
“Kirstin, I…” Tom started, but got cut off by Ashley.
“Get out!” Ashley snapped, pointing to the door.
“I’m not talking to you, pretty boy. I’m talking to my fiancée.” Tom got closer. Kirstin just observed. She couldn’t speak. She was afraid Tom would do something to her. She was pretty aware of his roughness, what if he’d hit her? She couldn’t go through that anymore. She wouldn’t be able to handle another guy hitting her as one of her previous boyfriends used to do.
“She’s not your fiancée anymore. See?” Ashley grabbed her ring finger and showed it to Tom “No ring! She’s not yours anymore.” Ashley smiled. Tom frowned.
“Kirstin, please. We need to talk. This can’t end like this. I love you.” Tom grabbed Kirstin’s right hand, but she pulled it back.
“No.” she said, practically hiding behind Ashley.
“Don’t you ever touch her again!” Ashley threatened.
“Oh, yeah? What if I do? What would you do about it?” Tom asked grinning.
“Get out!” Ashley warned him once again.
“Kirstin, listen, we gotta talk. I didn’t know what I was doing last night. I love you. Too much. And you know it.”
“Get out!” this time Kirstin was the one shouting for him to get out. Tom was caught by surprise.
“Keekee, baby, you have to forgive me.”
“No, I don’t.” Kirstin released herself from Ashley’s hand and stood right in front of Tom “I don’t have to listen to you. Because obviously I don’t matter to you. If I did, you wouldn’t have done what you did last night. You wouldn’t even consider. Just like I never thought of cheating you with anyone.”
“Oh, no? What about pretty boy over here? Don’t tell me he hasn’t screwed you while we were together.” the second Tom finished that sentence, he felt Kirstin’s slap on his face. Ashley’s jaw dropped and then he chuckled a bit. Tom just looked incredulous at Kirstin.
“Don’t you ever say that again! When I was with you, I was only with you. I’m not like blondy from last night. I loved you, Tom. If I didn’t, I would have dumped you ages ago because Ashley tried to open my eyes about you so many times, but I was so dumb I couldn’t see it. But now I do. You’re scum. You’re worst than scum. I don’t ever wanna see you again. Now, GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” Tom looked down. He had nothing left to say. Nothing would change it. Tom, realizing nothing would change the situation, took his bags with him and got out of the loft.
The minute the door closed behind him, Kirstin collapsed onto the couch, placed both her hands on her face and started crying.
“K, baby?” Ashley sat beside her “You were great!”
“I don’t know what came up to me. How could he think I’d cheat on him? I love him, Ash. How could he think that?” Kirstin looked at Ashley.
“Don’t worry about him. He’s, like you said, scum. Just because he’d cheat on you, he thought you were just like him and would cheat on him too. Don’t worry now. He’s gone.” he embraced her and little by little she was able to control herself until there were no tears left.
“I think I’m better.” Kirstin propped herself up on the couch and wiped the tears away “But my stomach still hurts. Gotta take the drug.” she said, getting up. Ashley stopped her.
“Please, let me.” Ashley stood up and looked at her “Where is it?”
“At the drug box under the sink in my bathroom.”
“Ok.” Ashley said and headed up. Kirstin laid on the couch, closing her eyes for a while “Here.” Ashley said after what seemed to have been 30 seconds.
“Thanks.” she sat up and took the drug.
“K, listen.” Ashley said, sitting down next to her, taking the glass of water out of her and putting it down on a table “Tom is gone now. I don’t ever wanna see you talk about him, think of him, worry about him. I’m here for you now. I’m not gonna let him do any harm to you anymore. You’ve taken more than enough from this guy. You deserve so, so, so much better. And…” Ashley looked down and played with his fingers. Kirstin looked at that and smiled kindly.
“Yes?” she encouraged him to continue.
“I wanted to know if you… If you’d let me take care of you. If you’d let me offer you much more than the waiter boy has ever offered you. I want to wake up next to you, I wanna feel you in my arms forever, I want you to feel loved by someone for real this time. I promise that I won’t be happy until I make you happy.” Ashley looked down.
“Ash, look at me.” Kirstin ordered and Ashley did as told “I never had to let you take care of me. You always did. Even from afar, you always did. And you always offered me much more than Tom ever did. You were always better than him. No doubts about that. Even when we were just friends and he was my fiancé, you always gave me much more than he did. I don’t know what my problem was. I don’t even know why I let you go. So I think the fair thing to do here is me ask you. Ash… I’m sorry for all the pain I know I’ve caused you, for every piece of your heart I broke, but if you give me a chance, I know I can mend your heart. I promise that I won’t be happy until I make you happy.” Kirstin looked deeply into Ashley’s eyes. Ashley did the same. They both were smiling at each other’s eyes. At that time, they couldn’t even know why they weren’t together since forever. It felt so right. Nothing felt more right than them together.
“Kirstin, I love you. And having a broken heart is part of that. When you’re in love, that is a possibility, so I never blamed you for that. I love you and I know I always will. All I wanna do is to be with you.”
“I love you too, Ash. I always have. I was just too dumb to not say it out loud.” Kirstin smiled and a tear felt Ashley’s cheek. She got closer from his face and kissed the tear away. She stayed with her lips on his cheek for a while, both with their eyes shut. He then put both his hands on her face and kissed her passionately on the mouth. They felt, with that kiss right there, that they would be together forever.
* Thanx Stacie for reviewing and correcting the grammar errors *
~*~ Chapter 44 ~*~
~*~ Answer the questions about LAH! ~*~
Feedback: [email protected]