“Shh … it’s just after five. I’m meeting my dad at the restaurant. He wants to show me something. I’ll text you later on. I’m going to hop in the shower. Go back to bed, sweetheart.”
My eyes were already beginning to drift close as my mind allowed sleep to claim me. “Mmmkay.”
On the brink of sleep, the bed jostled and I remained quiet, not wanting to fully wake up s
ince Gael was leaving. Gael’s fingertips grazed my shoulder and I kept my breathing steady and relished his touch. Lips kissed mine gentle and featherlike.
“I’ve fallen for you. You’re going to be my forever, Ashlin.”
Forcing my breathing to continue, I laid there motionless when what I really wanted was to screw my eyes shut. All the thoughts I had from last night came rushing back like a wave crashing against the shore. The mattress moved again, then the door opened and closed.
Thoughts and images were whirling in my head like a tornado and my breathing sped up. Did he love me? The probable declaration of love had me wanting to jump in jubilation and cry at the same time. Honestly, I was fucked up in the head over everything that had happened with Harris.
I thought it was maybe the unknown that had me still holding back—not able to give over to the irrational feelings love caused. Harris wasn’t one to throw in the towel after a couple of failed attempts. I suspected he was already lining up his next stunt. What would I have to endure next? And how much could Gael really handle for a girl he just met? The reality of these questions had me wanting to slow things down.
Watching my relationship deteriorate with Harris, who I thought I loved at the time, had been hard. But now, knowing that my feelings for Gael were stronger, had me seeing how wrecked I would be if I lost him in this savage game Harris played. Since I had been wrong about my feelings of love before, I was also afraid to prematurely admit something. What if what I had with Gael wasn’t love and something stronger existed?
Stop it, Ashlin. Stop it. You’re trying to make up excuses to push him away.
Fully alert, I headed to the kitchen to get some coffee. If I stayed in bed, I’d end up tossing and turning and freaking myself out more. I needed a distraction. Having left my cell phone on the kitchen counter, I saw my screen light up with a reminder that there were missed calls and texts.
Checking it, I had twenty missed calls from Amelia and a few texts.
Amelia: Are you okay?
Amelia: I’m worried.
Amelia: If I don’t hear from you by noon, I’m coming to Savannah.
In all the chaos, I forgot to talk to Amelia about the article Harris had published. Of course, she’d be worried. I dialed her number feeling guilty for not touching base with her yesterday.
Her voice came over the line after the first ring. “Ashlin, you better have a good reason why you haven’t called me. I’ve been worried sick.”
Feeling bad for my lack of forethought, I responded, “I’m so sorry. Harris had the magazine delivered to Gael’s parents’ home while I was there. Who knows if he knew I was there or not when it was done. Then, I’m pretty sure Harris had all of Gael’s food vendors cut off. We got that news shortly after the magazines were delivered. We had to rush to the restaurant where Gael spent most of the evening getting that cleaned up. I stayed for moral support and tried to do what I could to help. After that, we came home and crashed.”
Purposefully, I’d left out the condom incident. I wasn’t ready to admit how serious this had become to Amelia and that I tried to distance myself. I wanted to make up my own mind about what to do. Amelia was a strong believer in love at first sight and fate.
“That mother-fuckin’ asshole! Have you talked to him?” Amelia spit out her words as she spoke.
I sighed. “No, Gael thought it might feed Harris’ battle to hear me talking to him and I agreed. It’d probably cause him to do something more frequently if it resulted in a phone call from me. Which, in return, would be played who knows how in the public eye if my phone records were released. Gael was there for me, I was there for him. And Gael’s parents were understanding.”
“Hell, Ashlin. Harris is crazy. After all those years as friends, I never thought he was a manipulative son of a bitch without a heart. I have a good mind to pay him a visit.” Amelia was on a roll as I heard her slamming cupboards, probably getting her morning caffeine fix before she showered. Caffeine was the last thing she needed with how worked up she was.
Knowing she would go through on her threat, I responded, “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll figure out a way to get Harris off my back.”
A timer beeping sounded on the other end of the phone. It was probably her coffee machine saying it was ready. Amelia gave a disgusted noise on the other end. “I can’t stand him. I’m sorry you have to deal with all this, Ashlin. Thank goodness you’ve got Gael. I can’t wait to come down to Savannah to meet this dreamy hunk.”
I chuckled. “You can come anytime you want. I’d like for you to meet Gael.”
Maybe having Amelia here would help center me. After all, in the past month I had lost my aunt, uprooted my life, dumped my long-term ass of a boyfriend, and found an amazing guy. I had been busy to say the least.
“Girl, you’re on. I’ve got to go get in the shower for work, but I’m glad you’re okay. I’m here if you need anything, okay?” Coffee brewed on the other end.
I hit the button on my own machine, waiting for the smell of roasted beans to fill the air. “Okay, I promise. Thanks for being such a good friend, Amelia.”
“Right back to you, sweetie. Coffee’s ready. Gotta run. Talk to you later.”
“See ya.”