Ashley POVSomehow, I resisted the urge to breathe away, either out of relief or annoyance. My fingers felt stiff around the knife handle. Despite my instinctive feeling of wanting to punch, I wasn't too fond of violence. And, I won't lie, I was a little scared as I wandered around the house and wondered to myself if Jayden had been kidnapped or stabbed and was bleeding profusely in a corner. Luckily, he was fine.But why was he sleeping in my bed?I slowly approached him, ready to wake him up and tell him that he should eat before the cheese on his pizza got cold. The ceiling lights weren't on, leaving only the city lights below to fill the dark room. Stopping beside the bed, I was just about to turn on the wall lamp that sat above my bed when I noticed, for the first time, the dark circles under his eyes and how his skin looked too thin on his cheekbones and jaw. He had lost weight, even if it was only water weight, since the accident, and a significant amount. Whether it was due to
Ashley POVJayden looked as if he wanted to say something, maybe protest, but eventually, he decided against it and just nodded. “I'll take the couch. I don't want to be a bother to you.”“Right,” I said, glad that he didn't insist that I had to sleep in the same room as him. The same apartment, away from strangers in lab coats and nurse's outfits, in my opinion, should be enough for him to be relaxed enough to sleep.“We still have time to kill,” Jayden said, looking out over the city. “I figured you needed to study though.”“You should sleep,” I reminded him. I actually had an assignment to submit before Thursday night, which meant I had two days to complete it. “You haven't been able to rest properly until now, so take this opportunity and go to bed early.”He sighed. “I guess.”“I was thinking we could visit our usual karaoke place,” I said. “This Friday night, if you have time.”Jayden snorted. “I think I have about sixteen hours for the day.”“Good.”I grinned as I left him at t
Ashley POVIt was an impulse decision that meant I had to follow my best friend who had a spare ticket because her other friend was sick. Her seat was one of the most expensive, almost in front of the stage. She was a huge fan, the type who buys everything related to the boy band, even seemingly useless things like paperweights. That was her biggest idol the one and only, Jayden Ronan Keller. My worst nightmare right in front of my eyes — Oh, and also my mate and fiancé. Of course, she didn't know that last part. Nobody does, or I wouldn't be standing in one of the front rows, still breathing. She only knew about my family and Jayden's long-standing relationship and that we often celebrated holidays together. Some media had reported about us because I was supposedly the heir to Red Moon Inc., the huge international company owned by my late grandfather, Alpha Eros Van Smith of the Red Moon Pack, and well, he was Jayden R. Keller, the personnel of the boy band "Boyz Hits Bullets aka B
Ashley POV Well, I'll take it back. His mom is actually a good woman. It's just his father that's the problem. But that doesn't change the fact that Jayden R. Keller, my mate and fiancé, already has a girlfriend who even dared to cheat on me behind my back. Isn't that ironic? Meanwhile, Blair walked to the sink beside me and carefully washed her hands. Her pale skin looked whiter than it did in the commercials, though I couldn't tell if that was due to good genes, makeup, or the pale light from the overhead light. Really, public bathrooms always have horrible lighting. I have to admit, though, that she was still beautiful. In fact, she's even more beautiful in real life. Commercials take some of the humanity out of the people who star in them, and even dramas have managed to dull her light a bit. Or maybe it's her "imperfections" that enhance her beauty. The slight curve of her nose, the slight dip of her ears, the slight imbalance between her upper and lower lips - every little th
Ashley POVThe situation became silent, as if in suspended animation. The only thing that reminded me that I was still alive, or that time hadn't stopped, was my racing heartbeat. And, of course, the fact that I could feel my face quickly turning red. It was as if life wasn't going to let me off the hook for such an embarrassment. It was just too cruel."Jayden, isn't she a friend of your family?"The figure of the man who spoke, finally breaking the spells that had everyone glued, was about the same height as Jayden. I couldn't see his hair or most of his face, but I recognized him by the deep voice that had captivated the entire stadium an hour and a half ago with a very painful song. It seemed like he had introduced himself at the beginning of the concert."Is it really her?"The other man who spoke was the tallest of the group. He opened one side of his mask behind his left ear, revealing his whole face. I recognized him, he was the leader of the group, Jackson or better known as
Ashley POV A few excited shouts and cheers were heard as soon as the exit door opened. The guy broke away from my gaze and slipped out after Jax. Then it was just the two of us. It took about ten minutes for the guards to shoo the fans away and for all the staff to be let out of the building. It took me another ten minutes to prepare to confront Jayden. I stared at the worn rubber floor for that long, trying to find the right question. Since when? How? Why? As soon as the door closed and everyone was out of the room, he walked over to me. I looked up as he stopped half an arm's length from me. His face was without makeup and the ends of his hair sticking out from under his hat looked wet. His expression was hard to read as he crossed his arms and stared intently at me. It was then that I realized he was much taller than me. When did he grow so fast? "Why are you here?" The question that popped into my head was cut off. "Eva invited me," I replied stiffly. His eyebrows knitted toge
Ashley POVHe didn't follow me, though. But I knew he had seen my tears. I tried to wipe them away as I hurried out of the stadium. I didn't know why I was crying. I should have been screaming with joy, celebrating his betrayal, maybe drinking a beer by myself. I was free. My life is so ironic, isn't it? Like some kind of cheesy drama in a TV series. Then why did it hurt so much?When I arrived, I saw Eva's face immediately turn serious when she saw me, and she silenced her tired and cranky mother and her friends. There seemed to be something in my expression that made them worry and not talk to me, as they remained silent all the way home. Eva's mom made sure to drop me off first, even though the trip to Beverly Street would take the longest because of the detour from the stadium."I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" Eva asked after I thanked her mom. Her eyes were worried."Sure," I said quickly as I got out of the car. I found myself sounding much more harsh than I wanted to, so I added
Ashley POV There was a moment's pause as I digested his words. A sense of fear and uncertainty filled my mind. "What happened? Jayden, is he okay?" my voice was slightly shaky, though I tried to hold it in. "There was an accident. Jayden was involved in it," Clark explained in a serious tone. "We hope you can come as soon as possible because we need the support of those closest to him." 'An accident?' Lea whimpered instantly. "What kind of accident?" I could hear myself asking the question. "It'll be easier to explain when you're here," he said impatiently. "When can you get here?" "I... I can get there in about twenty minutes if the traffic clears," I overheard myself saying. "All right, I'll meet you at reception." All the way there I was so worried that I couldn't even sit still. I didn't even bother to call my parents to get a driver for me. In the meantime, the taxi driver gave me an odd look as I kept fidgeting, scratching my arms and ruffling my hair. I didn't care that