chapter 36

Ashley

June looked at me with worry, and I know that I haven't done a good job of hiding the turmoil in me.

"Do you want me to drop you off?" she asked.

I shook my head immediately, "Logan is coming to pick me up so I will go wait for him at the cafe, wrap up for me, will you?"

She nodded and I walked away, I hated lying to her but I desperately wanted to see Aiden one last time before I go.

My treacherous body wanted more than a kiss but I know the only way to get through to him was to provoke him.

"We are not done," June insisted.

I sighed, "Just give me a minute, I will be back."

I headed back to the cafe, when I got there he was seated, unaffected like the kiss didn't happen. Like it meant nothing to him and I got pissed.

I walked up to him, "Can I speak to you?"

He took his time looking up from his phone and pinning me with that intense gaze, "what for?"

"In private,"

He shrugged and followed me to the bathroom, my body was tingling to have a taste of him again.

He leaned against the door and frowned, "have you come to apologize?"

I frowned, "why do I have to apologize? You are the one that kissed me,"

He unfolded himself and walked towards me, "you were a willing participant so stop acting like a fucking victim,"

I flinched and glared up at him, "Don't use that language with me. When you cornered me in the bathroom, what were you thinking?"

"I guess I should ask you now that you invited me to the bathroom yourself," he drawled.

The whole point of coming here died and anger resurrected.

"Who do you think you are? First, you stalk me and now, you...you..."

He rolled his eyes, and I could feel his frustration radiating off him as he stared at me, his jaw clenched. “Ashley, we’re both adults here,” he began, his voice strained. “We both did it.”

I shook my head, refusing to meet his gaze. “No, Aiden. You pushed me into this. You manipulated the situation.”

He took a deep breath, probably trying to keep his composure. “I didn’t manipulate anything. You made your own choices.”

“Choices you influenced!” I snapped, feeling my own anger rising. “You knew exactly what you were doing. You always do.”

Aiden’s eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer, his voice dropping to a dangerously low tone. “It’s convenient for you to blame me, isn’t it? But you were right there, Ashley. You talked to me. You engaged. You—”

“Don’t twist this around,” I interrupted, my voice shaking with emotion. “You know I didn’t want any of this.”

He threw his hands up in exasperation. “Then why didn’t you walk away? Why didn’t you stop it?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. I didn’t have a good answer, and we both knew it. My silence only seemed to infuriate him more.

“Exactly,” he said bitterly. “You can’t even explain it yourself. Maybe it’s time you start taking responsibility for your own actions.”

His words cut deep, and I felt my eyes sting with tears. “You don’t understand,” I whispered.

“I understand perfectly,” he retorted. “And I’m done with this. Stay away from me and my company. You’re not welcome there anymore.”

That hit me like a slap to the face. “You’re seriously blaming me for everything and now you’re punishing me?”

“Yes,” he said bluntly. “Because you refuse to see your part in this mess.”

I felt a sob rising in my throat, but I swallowed it down, refusing to break down in front of him. Without another word, I turned on my heel and stormed out of the bathroom. The door swung open with a force that made it slam against the wall.

I barely registered the customer I brushed past as I fled, my vision blurred by tears. I didn’t see their face, didn’t care who they were. All I could think about was getting as far away from Aiden as possible.

As I pushed through the crowd, my mind raced. How had everything gone so wrong? How had I ended up here, in this mess? My chest tightened with anger and hurt, and I struggled to catch my breath.

I rushed back to the shoot, and as I entered the studio, I saw that the team was already wrapping up. Equipment was being packed away, and the models were changing out of their outfits. June noticed me immediately and her eyes widened when she saw the tears staining my cheeks.

“Ashley, are you okay?” she asked, concern etched on her face as she approached me.

I forced a smile, quickly wiping my tears away. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just ate something spicy and it made my eyes water.”

She didn’t look convinced, but before she could press further, the client walked over to us. He was a tall man with graying hair and a kind smile. He was the agent the company sent to supervise.

“Thank you both so much,” he said, shaking our hands warmly. “You did an amazing job today. The photos look fantastic, and I’ll definitely be using your services again for future shoots.”

“Thank you, Mr. Reynolds,” June replied brightly. “We’re glad you’re happy with the results.”

I nodded, trying to muster some enthusiasm. “Yes, thank you. It was a pleasure working with you.”

Mr. Reynolds gave us another appreciative nod before heading off to talk to the rest of the team. June turned back to me, her eyes still full of concern.

“Ash, are you sure you’re okay?” she asked quietly. “You don’t look well.”

I sighed, knowing I couldn’t hide my feelings from her forever. “I just had a rough morning, that’s all. I don’t really want to talk about it right now.”

I was full on lying to everyone around me and it didn't make me look good.

She studied me for a moment before nodding. “Alright. But how about we go out and celebrate? We did an awesome job today, and you could use a little fun.”

I shook my head quickly. “No, I don’t really feel like going out. I just want to go home and rest.”

"Didn't you say Logan was coming to pick you up? Why don't we lounge around to wait for him,"

I swallowed my retort, I had lied that he was picking me up so I could get to the cafe but right now, it was biting me in the ass.

"He isn't coming anymore, he got held up with work but I will go home,"

She rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the door. “Nonsense. You need to get out of your head for a while. Come on, I know just the place.”

Despite my protests, she dragged me to the same café I had just vacated. I almost melted into the ground when I felt eyes on me. I looked around but Aiden was nowhere to be seen.

The barista greeted us with a smile as we walked in.

“Back again?” he said cheerfully, mostly to me.

I looked away when June turned to me with a curious expression on her face.

"You want to order?" the barista asked.

June nodded, guiding me to a table by the window. “Yep, we need two large lattes and a couple of those chocolate croissants, please.”

I sat down heavily, feeling emotionally drained. June settled across from me, watching me carefully.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” she said softly.

Yeah right, how can I tell her that I kissed another man that wasn't her golden Logan.

I looked out the window, trying to avoid her gaze. “I know. It’s just... complicated.”

"How complicated?" she asked just as they brought out our order. I stuffed my mouth to buy me some time but she just kept looking at me.

"So?"

I opened my mouth when I flinched halfway because Aiden was walking out of the cafe. He must have been in the bathroom all this time since I made sure to look for him.

My heart skipped a beat, and I hoped he wouldn't notice me.

June leaned in and whispered, “Wow, he’s hot.”

A pang of jealousy hit me, and I tried to keep my face neutral. “Yeah, sure,” I muttered.

Aiden’s eyes met mine for a split second. He made no sign of recognition as he walked past us. I felt disappointed and my eyes followed him as he disappeared down the street.

June gave me a curious look. “Do you know him?”

I hesitated. “Sort of. He’s... complicated.”

She raised an eyebrow but didn’t push further. “Well, are you in danger?"

I shook my head, "No, Logan is handling it."

I could see that she wanted to ask more questions but I shut it down before she could wring the truth out from me.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked, taking a sip of her drink.

I forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for bringing me here.”

She smiled back. “Anytime, Ash. That’s what friends are for.”