جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 90

Ashley’s POVFinally forcing myself out of the room, I made my way down the hall toward Andreas’s suite. Every step felt heavier than the last, as though some invisible force was trying to drag me back. I wasn’t sure what I would say to him after agreeing to Annabel’s plea. The thought of confronting him about something as personal as his sister’s play filled me with unease. Yet, the larger part of me dreaded the weight of the kiss, the confusing tangle of emotions we hadn’t yet addressed.When I reached his room, I found it empty, which was both a relief and a disappointment. The air felt different in here, still carrying the faint musk of his cologne, and my gaze shifted around the space, seeking... I wasn’t sure what. Maybe clues to who he really was beneath the guarded exterior.That’s when my eyes landed on the door. That door. The one that had been locked the first time I’d snuck into his room. Curiosity bubbled up, as it had the moment I’d first seen it. What could he be hiding

Ashley’s POVThe drive to Annabel’s college was suffocating. Silence stretched between us, thick and uncomfortable. I stole a few glances at Andreas, but his eyes remained focused on the road, his jaw clenched in that stubborn way he had when he was shutting himself off. There was so much I wanted to say, but the weight of everything kept me silent.My thoughts kept drifting back to the painting, the way he looked at me, and that kiss. It had changed something between us, something that neither of us was willing to acknowledge out loud. I fiddled with my fingers, trying to think of something to say, but the words got stuck in my throat, caught up in all the confusion swirling inside me.Without warning, Andreas pulled the car over in front of a small flower shop, breaking the silence.“We should get Annabel something,” he said, his voice even, eyes still looking anywhere but at me.I nodded, grateful for the distraction. We stepped inside, the scent of roses and lilies filling the air

Ashley’s POVThe restaurant was cozy, a perfect blend of warmth and understated elegance. It was very on brand with Annabel’s bubbly personality. Pretty lighting, soft chatter, and the clinking of glasses filled the air as we walked in behind her, the hostess leading us to a table tucked away in the corner.I felt the weight of Andreas's presence beside me, but he hadn't said a word since we'd left the theater. His silence was louder than any words could have been, though. Every step we took felt like the distance between us grew, especially now that we were sitting mere inches apart once again, Annabel sitting across from us.Annabel, as usual, seemed blissfully unaware of the tension. She chattered away about the play, thanking us repeatedly for coming and supporting her. I nodded along, half-heartedly, but my mind was elsewhere, replaying Andreas's words in my head on an endless loop. It was a mistake. The sting of it hadn't dulled, and I wasn’t sure if it ever would.I glanced at

Ashley’s POVKennedy Walters.The name echoed in my mind like an old song I couldn’t quite place. Annabel looped her arm through mine as we walked back towards the campus, her voice chirping with excitement about some new project she was planning. I nodded along, trying to seem interested, but the conversation barely registered. My thoughts were elsewhere.Andreas walked beside Annabel, the two of them engaged in conversation. She hung on his every word, laughing at something he said, while Andreas offered his usual half-smiles. His attention seemed distant, and I knew where that distance came from. That coldness I could never seem to penetrate.I couldn’t stop thinking about Kennedy, about the way he’d looked at me outside the restaurant. The polite smile, the casual ease—like we were just old friends catching up. But there was something else behind it, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.There was something I was forgetting.It shouldn’t have mattered. He was just some kid

Andreas’s POVThe morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office, casting long shadows across the polished wooden desk. I sat there, staring at my computer screen, yet my thoughts were a thousand miles away, tangled in last night's memories. I had buried myself in work, thinking it would help me forget the sting of Ashley’s words, but they echoed in my mind, refusing to fade.It was a mistake. I had said those words, and now I regretted them. Calling our kiss a mistake had seemed necessary at the time—a way to pull back the curtain on the tangled emotions I didn’t fully understand. But each moment since had only amplified my frustration and confusion. I missed the warmth of the hesitant smile that she usually gave whenever she saw me, the spark that ignited when our eyes met, and it gnawed at me, more than I realized that I cared to admit.I was unable to bring myself to admit that I was feeling more than physical attraction for the woman whose very presence in