When There Is Nothing Left But Love

I wasn’t planning to subject myself to further awkwardness that night. I stood up and prepared to clear the table. Ashton, however, was looking at me strangely. Bemused, I asked, “Do you want to head over to the living room and rest?”

Ashton didn’t speak. He wordlessly got up and brought the dishes into the kitchen.

I took a step forward to stop him. He was a guest, after all. However, Ashton’s dark gaze halted me in my tracks. I gaped at him, unable to muster a single coherent thought.

I lowered my head and turned to the sink. Before I could turn on the tap, however, Ashton had hauled me aside. “Get over there. I’ll do it,” he said roughly.

I could only look on apprehensively as his long, elegant fingers set to work cleaning up the kitchen.

I made another move to assist him but was arrested by his menacing gaze. All I could manage was to stand by, hovering over his shoulder and fretting inwardly.

After a moment’s thought, I asked tentatively, “Why did you suddenly move all the way here? Aren’t you returning to K City already?”

Ashton tilted his head and looked at me icily. “Are you saying that you don’t want me here?”

Good Heavens! This man is impossible. I thought exasperatedly.

To Ashton, however, I shook my head vigorously. “There’s so much for you to do in K City. Haven’t you more or less settled your matters here?”

“What about that?” Ashton replied curtly. He turned back to the dishes in hand, scrubbing and rinsing them off expertly.

He seemed reluctant to talk. I made up my mind not to put myself out on Ashton’s account.

I thus kept to myself as I waited in the corner, ready with a hand towel for him to dry off when he was done. Ashton took it, then turned his attention to the fridge.

Baffled, I broke my silence. “What are you looking for?”

Ashton replied, pushing aside cartons and several

you want eggs for?”

sugar. He turned to me serenely and asked, “Don’t

does that

considering. Then he ordered, “Go to the room and get changed. Do you have any

have understood immediately

I quickly turned. There was a large stain on my pants that I had, up until that moment, been blissfully unaware

twinge of pain in my stomach earlier, never expecting my period to have arrived so suddenly without

and my hapless state, Ashton sighed. “Go and change. I’ll buy

turned and dashed

could exit the kitchen, however, Armond and Nora’s voices drifted in, getting louder

and looked

took off his jacket. Raising his voice, he commented,

jacket around my

then quickly replied, “I’m going to the bedroom to

frame meant that his jacket hung rather loosely on me. It provided a rather

quickly as I could. In my hurry to escape from Armond and Nora, however, I realized that I’d forgotten to bring my

only hover, frustrated,

rapped sharply on the bedroom door. When I

hands. Nora batted her eyelashes at me slyly,

into the bathroom to change. When I emerged, Nora was sitting on the bed in deep thought. I took a seat beside her. “What were you discussing in the

you believe it?” Nora

not to pursue the matter and merely commented, “I had plans to move in with you, but

Nora nodded. “Got it.”