Chapter 7 Ash's Pov

• Ash's POV
• So I was not getting drunk. At least not yet. How did I forget my wallet but had my car keys? I dreaded the walk of shame I was about to make but I had to do it anyway. It didn't matter if Riley would be present or not. Good for me, she wasn't present but then I noticed Diane with her husband in a corner of the room. It seems everything went in the wrong direction after I left. Well, that doesn't surprise me. If anything, it made me laugh a bit. I tried avoiding everyone. Emphasis on tried because I was already halfway out of the mansion when Diane who had been frying on her husband's chest some few minutes back caught a hold of me. I was annoyed but then I remembered what a sweet person she was. So I plastered on a fake smile.
• "Diane.."
• "Spare me the fake greetings." She said to me with an eye roll.
• Did I mention we never got along? No, then there you have it. Diane, who was nice to every single person in this room, despised me. I still don't know why and since I have nothing to do with Riley anymore, I'm not sure I wanted to know why anymore.
• "Then explain to me. Why are you holding me back?" I asked her in annoyance.
• "Riley just walked out. I drove her here and as much as I hate to admit it, she doesn't want to see me." She said to me,
• "And you think she would want to see me?" I asked her.
• "Do I look like I care?"
• "No. You look like you've been crying on your husband's chest and you need to go back to him." I said to her,
• "Look, I know we don't like each other…" she began but I cut her off.
• We? There is no we in this issue. It's all on her. Yes, she is the fault and the reason behind whatever issue we have with each other.
• "No, don't even try that with me. You and I both know this issue has only you in it. There is no we involved." I said to her,
• She huffed. "Fine. So I know you know I don't like you. I still don't know what my sister sees in you but she loves you…."
• "Are you trying to give a speech? If so then make it short. I have somewhere to be." I said to her,
• I had nowhere to be. The only place I wanted to be was in my home with a bottle of whiskey.
• "Fine. Help Riley home, please. I'll do anything but please make sure she gets home safe." She said to me,
• There was no way I was going to help Riley. I had no idea where she even was. Perhaps she had taken an Uber home already. But there was no point in arguing with Diane. I gave her a nod and hightailed it out of the mansion.
• I know I said I wasn't going to help Riley but that entailed if I never saw her. Too bad a few moments later, I saw her walking under the rain. Why the fuck did she not take shelter under a stand or something? She was shivering and she still walked under the rain? I contemplated driving past her but the stupid part of me that claimed to be a good soul wouldn't let me. I stopped and practically forced her to get into the car because she was being a stubborn oaf.
• It wasn't until later that I discovered I had no idea where her house was. In the past three years, I tried my best to ignore everything about Riley. Ignore and if possible wash away everything related to her. And that just made me fall into a ditch. She was sleeping next to me with that intoxicating scent. I couldn't do this. I tried to wake her up even if I knew that would be practically impossible. Riley slept like the dead and while we were dating, I found it cute. Now, it was fucking annoying. I needed her out of the vehicle and I needed her to tell me the location of her house.
• I contemplated texting my brother to ask for directions but after everything that went down today, I want so sure I wanted to text her m and besides they would all get it into their head that Riley and I were back together. And to date, they still did not understand that that was impossible. There was no way I was getting back together with Riley. No fucking way.
• So I had two options. One was to swallow my pride and ask for directions from my friends who knew where she lived and the other was to take her home because I was sure she was going to have a neck cramp if she continued sleeping this way. Guess what option I took.
• —-----------------------------------------------------------
• Fuck me. Her scent was everywhere in my fucking home. She was everywhere. Maybe I was the one being paranoid. I laid her down in the guest room but while transporting her upstairs, she mumbled something and snuggled up against me. That move did bad things for my libido. I placed her on the bed and tried removing her wet clothes but that pale skin. Her delicious skin sent blood rushing to my cock. I was not supposed to be having thoughts about her. Would I be heartless if I left her in her wet clothes?
• I walked out of the room but again that little part of me that was still bent on being good to her beckoned me back into the room. I should have worn a blindfold or something because this was the hardest task I have ever done in my life. This was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life and that was saying a lot.
• I removed her clothes and wore her one of my shirts and all through this tedious process where I was on the verge of destruction, Riley never woke up. She never even made any attempt at waking up if that was possible. Instead, she sighed and muttered my name.
• How was she so hot even while she slept? I should not be attracted to someone who slept like the world was dead right? I should not be attracted to her. I should not feel anything for her but I did so. And the things I felt for her, no other person has been able to make me feel it. No, I was not going that way. I was not going to think about my feelings for her. No, not happening.
• I shook my head and hightailed it out of the room. I went straight for the bottle of whiskey. Did I say I was not going to get drunk tonight? I may have been too quick to jump to conclusions. There is no way I'm not going to get drunk when I could smell her everywhere. Why did she have to be so alluring to me?
• I don't know how long I sat on the floor but I was halfway done with the bottle of whiskey when I heard footsteps coming downstairs. There was only one other person in my house apart from me. I knew she was the one making her way downstairs but I did not have the strength in me to stand up and so I sat patiently, waiting for her to finish her walk.
• Did you know that seeing someone you are extremely attracted to wearing your shirt which covered her thighs halfway was a wrong sight for a drunk man? No, then you just did. I made the biggest mistake of giving her my shirt to wear. No, I placed it on her. I wore it for her and now I was regretting it?
• "Ash." She said in a shocked whisper when she saw me seated on the floor of the sitting room.
• "What? Don't tell me you are surprised to see me. You know this is my house right?" I asked her.
• "I know that. And thank you for the shirt. Um…" she paused.
• I watched her with a raised eyebrow as she battled with what she was about to say to me.
• "Spit it out," I growled.
• "Are you okay? What are you doing there?"
• "Do I look like I'm okay?" I asked her.
• "Well, no. You're drunk." She said to me,
• I chuckled and stood on wobbly feet. Guess it wasn't only Diane who could hardly walk with straight legs.
• "Ash." She said in shock as she moved to support me.
• I should push her away. Remove her hand from my body but that scent. The same scent that happened to torment me in my dreams invaded my senses and let me tell you, never mix Riley with drinks. It leads to stupid decisions.
• "I'm going to regret this tomorrow," I whispered to her.
• Riley watched me with a frown and before she could say anything, I covered her lips with mine.