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?”

pushing aside cartons

you want eggs for?” I

jar of brown sugar. He turned to me serenely and asked,

I nodded uncomprehendingly. “A little. What does that have anything to do

he ordered, “Go to the room and get changed. Do you

immediately what Ashton meant. My face

pants that

period to have arrived so suddenly without warning. It had been two months since I last had it and had

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

turned

louder as their owners approached the living room. Armond and Nora had evidently concluded their

sweat and looked anxiously at Ashton

immediately took off his jacket. Raising his voice,

front of us. At the sight of Ashton draping his jacket around my shoulders, Armond winked knowingly,

quickly replied, “I’m going to the bedroom to change into something

Ashton’s long frame meant that his jacket hung rather loosely

as I could. In my hurry to escape from Armond

only hover, frustrated, in the

bedroom door. When I cracked it

my hands. Nora batted her eyelashes at me slyly, saying, “You’ve

Nora was sitting on the bed in deep thought. I took a seat

were talking about life. Can you believe it?” Nora scoffed.

you, but that’s turned out to be rather unfeasible. I promised Armond that I’d be

Nora nodded. “Got it.”