Obsession
Second to last chapter. Thank you again to all who have stuck with this. It means a lot you guys have been with this since the beginning.
Enjoy.
MF
Ch. 19 - Meet the Family
I know I say this a lot, but Ashley's lips really are perfect. They calm me, entice me, and make me feel safe. Her lips alway had a way of telling me everything was going to be okay, always had a way to distract me and center me. And her tongue? It was always like a snake charmer. Always curving, stroking, teasing in a certain way that made me still and hypnotized. Always pulling me in to a place that might be dangerous but actually was a haven. A dark, comforting haven. A place where I would do anything for her.
She really was dangerous, but she was so gentle. She treated me like precious cargo. She treated me like her world. She treated me like her queen. And in return for that gift and feeling, I just wanted to make her feel good too. I wanted her to feel the same as I felt with her, although I still feel like I need her more than she needs me. She kept telling me that was a lie, that I saved her from a horrible life and made her better. I do believe her, don't get me wrong, but there's always that little doubt in the back of my mind. I know we're made for each other and we're each other's forever. I know I would never leave her, no matter what my dad tried. I know I would die if she wasn't part of my life.
And days like these? Where all we're doing was making out and touching each other just to make sure the other was real? These were days where I felt like I wasn't crazy; where I didn't feel bad about my neediness or obsessive behavior. Where I could just feel her and everything would be okay.
Ashley had that effect on me. She had this way to look at me and tell me with her loving smile that my worries were unwarranted but she understood the insecurity. Silently, every time I felt like this, she would do her best to qualm the fears. I'd be showered with love and affection. Little gifts, flowers, pampers, love notes. My girl went all out to make me feel special. She'd send me love lyrics and songs all throughout the day. Once or twice I would have to cover my coos to coughs during class every time the teacher got suspicious. I had to do everything to cover my phone because if a teacher ever took it away, there would go lifeline.
This past week hasn't been the greatest, if that wasn't gathered. My anxiety had basically taken over my body, mind, and soul, and nervous wreck didn't begin to cover it. Ashley wanted to meet my dad this weekend. I tried to talk her out of it last Saturday but obviously I failed. Every rebuttal I had she countered with logic. I really hate sometimes how I sounded hysterical and she sounded calm. I was forever against it and she was forever for it, and Ashley always won the arguments. It wasn't fair her eyes are so mesmerizing and my smile was firmly on her face and her voice was so soothing. It really wasn't fair the control she had over me.
But alas, she got her way and the results of that was me overthinking every possible scenario, which lead to doubt slowly creeping in. When the doubt creeps in, I get extremely needy and obsessive. I wanted to spend every waking moment with Ashley and cherish her like it was the last time I would see her. A little out there on the dramatic side, yes, but we really had no idea how Saturday would go and I might not see Ashley again. I wanted all the time with her, no matter how long or short it would be. And bless my girl's heart, she took it all in stride. She accommodated everything I needed and reassured that she wasn't going anywhere in any way she could. Cuddling, notes, dates, whatever she knew that would melt my heart and calm me the fuck down.
But here's the thing about anxiety. It stays there the more it's thought about. It fucking sucks, and as much as I tried to tell myself I was being ridiculous, the moment Ashley and I separated, that's all my mind would occupy. It was a never-ending cycle of doubt and insecurity. It would get the best of me until I saw Ashley again, whether it be two hours or eight, I'd wring my hands and let my thoughts run away from me. It's been like this for a week now; always on a verge of a nervous breakdown until I heard her voice or saw her beautiful face.
God, sometimes it was so scary how much I depended on her, but I still would go running in headfirst because this relationship was the best thing that ever happened to me. Ashley fucking Davies was the best thing that ever happened to me. I would choose her and this relationship first every single time because there was no one else for me. She was my life, plain and simple. She's my now and my future.
"I have a surprise for you," she whispers after she breaks our kiss.
I kept my eyes closed as I moaned and instinctively leaned back to her, brushing our lips over and over again. She doesn't miss a beat and curved her fingers against the back of my neck and squeezed as her tongue snakes its way inside my mouth. She pressed our chests tighter together as her other hand cupped the other side of my neck and pulled me closer. Her lips stay on mine for a couple more kisses before she broke the contact again and started to trail down my jawline to the side of my neck. I craned my neck so she could have better access. Her teeth pinch my skin and I moaned again at the action. Did I mention her teeth were perfect as well and always sent a jolt straight down to my clit every time she bit me? I love it when she got a little rough.
"Yeah?" I breathed out. "Are we leading up to it?"
"We could do that too," she said with a moan then went back to kissing my lips.
"I always want to have sex with you. I thought you were going to say you bought a strap on and you were going to use it on me."
"You want to fuck with a strap on?" She pulled back and laughed.
"Why is that funny?"
"It's not. Just surprising and very sexy. I just never expected you would be into it."
"Ashley, you fucked me in public before. Why wouldn't I be into strap on sex?"
"Because you never said anything until now. But yes, you have gotten more adventurous the longer we've been together. Forgive me for assuming you're only into public sex and using our fingers and mouths."
She leaned me back until I'm laying down and lavished me with deep, erotic kisses. I found my hips pushing up into her on its own accord. Her smooth hand slid down under my jeans and her middle finger played with my clit. She straddled my thigh and I lifted that leg up to push more into her. I squeezed her breasts as she grunted and rubbed her center against my thigh. Her finger stopped playing with my clit and was replaced with two fingers sliding into my hole. I gasped and broke our kiss.
"I forgive you," I said, breathlessly. "But then what's my surprise?"
"You're getting your tattoo tomorrow," she moaned into my ear.
I fucking loved this girl.
~~ MF MF MF ~~
"Are you excited?" Ashley asked with a hint of humor in her voice.
I'm practically vibrating and I saw that it made her happy how giddy I was. Which in turn made me even more excited. It was a big, great circle of happiness all around and I'm sure I kind of freaked out her tattoo artist with how huge my smile was on my face. I probably looked like a caricature character, but he was nice enough not to say anything about it.
He was actually soft-spoken, which kind of surprised but also didn't. Of course Ashley chose someone sweet, even though his exterior definitely didn't show it. He was a skinny guy full of tattoos all over his arms and neck and he only had a small patch of facial hair on his chin. Now that I think about it, he kind of looked like the live version of Trent from Daria. He even had the spike hair but his eyes were a vibrant green. He was smooth, too. And totally okay with breaking the law.
"Are you ready?" He asked, sitting down while rubbing his hands.
He had a charming glint in his eye and a calming grin. I smiled back and climbed on top of the table, laying down on my back. Immediately, Ashley's hand gripped mine while she sat on the other side. Her thumb traced my skin over and over again. She never stopped as she looked in my eyes. I could just tell by her smile that she loved me and probably thought I was beautiful. Of course she never said any of this out loud, but it never mattered. Her looks always communicated what needed to be said.
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and nodded at the man. I reluctantly slid my hand out of Ashley's grip to unbuckle my pants, but quickly realized something. I sat up in a slight panic and I'm sure my eyes were widening in the process. The man could've freaked out; said there was no fucking way he was doing this if I was going to be jumpy like this but he just looked at me, like he expected me to do something like this. I guess he got a lot of indecisive people. Ashley, however, raised her eyebrow and moved closer to pet my arm. I quickly looked at her and tried to convey with a brief smile that I wasn't freaking out and changing my mind last second.
"What is your name?" I asked the man, lowering my voice trying to mask how sheepish I felt.
They both laughed at me and I ducked my head in embarrassment.
"You're so fucking adorable," Ashley said, kissing me fully with tongue.
"I'm Peter," he said when Ashley pulled away. "Don't worry, Spencer, you're in good hands. I'm like an angel."
"Oh, no, I trust you," I said, shaking my head. "You did a beautiful job with Ashley's tattoo. I just didn't want to be tattooed by a stranger."
"Good call." He winked at me. "So, the needle is going to feel weird. You might be uncomfortable and feel some sharp pain. I'm going to be poking you a lot for the next two hours and you can't move a lot. But you look like someone who can handle a lot of pain. You're Ashley's girl. I'm sure you can handle anything."
"She's definitely gotten me through a lot of things," I said, staring into Ashley's rich eyes. "She's my rock."
"She's definitely the strongest person I know," he said, staring at Ashley also.
I watched Ashley shake her head no then turned her attention back to me. She gave me my smile and kissed me. I was in a trance as I allowed her to guide me down. I felt her fingers trace down my stomach and stopped at my waist. My breath unintentionally hitched as she unbuttoned my pants for me. She smirked at me and leaned down for one more kiss as she undone the button and pushed down.
"He's going to do a beautiful job," she whispers when she broke the kiss.
I grabbed her hand in mine and nodded my head. "He right, you know."
She gave me a quizzical look and I shyly smiled at her. "You're the strongest person here. Believe it, Ashley."
She gave me my smile again. "You said it so it must be true."
I giggled like the cliche girl I was and settled more into my horizontal position. Ashley went back to stroking my hand with her thumb as Peter cleaned my skin and carefully framed the design on my skin. He asked me to sit up and take a look in the mirror and after my approval, he guided me back to lay down and set up his tattoo gun and all the ink he needed. He slapped on his gloves and carefully looked at the paper design that rested on my stomach. The buzzing was loud all of the sudden and I did my best to control my reaction. I took in one more deep breath and tried to lay still as the needle finally stabbed my skin over and over.
Honestly, the only thing that kept me still was Ashley looking at me like I was the most precious thing in the world. The process went by pretty fast with all the googly eyes Ashley and I shared and the talking the three of us did. When Peter was finally done I got to see the design in the mirror. The intricate wings popped just like Ashley's and the bold black ink that had "AS" in the middle of it just made it absolutely stunning. I was breathless with how much I loved it.
"What do you think?" Ashley husked in my ear.
Her arms wrapped behind me, careful not to touch the tattoo. One of her hands moved from my thighs and tucked my hair behind my neck so her lips could peck the skin below my ear. I made eye contact through the mirror and saw the darkness in her eyes, which in turn smoldered mine. My tongue peaked out to wet my lips and I allowed my front teeth to scrape my bottom lip. Her gripped tightened on my hips.
"I fucking love it," I breathed as I kept my stare through the mirror. "We're forever now."
"Always forever," she responded, trailing kisses up and down my neck.
I closed my eyes and felt contentment spreading throughout my body. She was right. She was always my forever.
~~ MF MF MF ~~
I looked down at my hipbone and smiled, mesmerized and in awe. My skin is a little raised due to the rawness of the ink but the daily rubs of burn ointment was helping with the healing. And I wasn't the only one obsessed with my tat. Ashley spent a lot of time staring and touching too. And both our tats side by side? Dude, talk about perfection. Ashley and I have spent an unhealthy amount of time staring in a mirror, and right now was no different.
"Are you stalling?" Ashley asked, and I heard the lightness of her voice.
I smirked at the question and opened my mouth to respond, but only a small moan came out when I felt her hands snake from behind and pulled closer. I automatically let my head crane back and rest against her shoulder. Her arms tighten more around my waist as she kisses a line up and down my neck and her fingers trace lines all over my hip line; her left hand circling over and over my tattoo. I'm so relaxed, I feel like I'm floating in heaven. Her caresses were easing my nerves, but I would never tell her that. She already knew I'm nervous so there was no need to say anything. She knew; that's why she's being extremely affectionate. She knew it would calm me down.
"No, I'm just admiring my tattoo,"I said, opening my eyes and tiling my head to prove my words.
"Liar," she snorted, giving me a raspberry.
I squealed, which was very unattractive, but her laugh was fullhearted. I giggled as I tried to squirm out of her grasp but she has a strong hold on me. I maneuvered away and allowed myself to be pulled back into her embrace, only this time we're hugging full frontal. We stopped our giggle fest when I cried uncle and stared into her alluring eyes. She smiled my smile and tucked a loose hair behind my ear before puckering her lips for a kiss. I don't hesitate colliding mine with hers and we're soundly kissing.
I could get lost for days with just her lips. Every time her lips were on mine, I felt like we were in each other's embrace for an eternity and the bubble we created for ourselves was impenetrable. I felt flawless and invincible every time we kissed, on top of serenity and peace. Most of all, though, I felt loved. She treated me like I was her world and I promised myself I would never take advantage of that myself, so I always tried to show her the same. The connection we had and the stronger it grew these last few weeks proved we were so in love it was ridiculous.
I fucking loved her. And she showed it to me also. I felt her love, and that's all that mattered. She didn't have to tell me; she showed me every damn day and I appreciated that more than words.
"My mom thinks you're hiding from her," she whispered after our kiss ended.
"I am not," I said, pulling back with a frown. "It's just automatic to go straight to your room when I come over."
"I know, baby, but it's been over two hours and dinner's ready now. You've been up here ten minutes now."
"I lost track of time."
"Mm-hmm, Miss Punctual." I gave her my puppy dog look knowing I'm caught in stalling. "I know you're nervous. But dinner's going to be okay with my family. It'll be a cakewalk compared to meeting your dad."
"Ugh! Why did you have to remind me of tomorrow? I was perfectly bliss in my ignorance and exploring your lips."
"Sorry, baby," she said with a look that was not sorry at all. She kissed my hand and started pulling me towards her door. "Everything is going to be okay. We will survive the weekend."
"You promise?" I asked, knowing I sounded petulant.
"Yes, my petulant brat."
She laughed when I smacked her arm as hard as I could. I glowered at her until we reached her dining room. I would've kept the look on my face but she gave me my smile and I melted. I perked up quite a bit but still felt some apprehension when Ashley's mom, Kyla, and Aiden all looked up from their conversation to stare at me. I meekly smiled, feeling the shyness overwhelm me. I lifted my right hand and gave a small wave.
"Hi," I said, as brightly as I could.
"Spencer," Ashley's mom said, perking up. "Nice to finally formally meet you. I apologize Ashley has dragged her feet about this. She obviously doesn't like to share."
"I wonder where I get it from, Mom," Ashley quipped as she dragged me to my seat, pulling it out for me. "I guess I didn't fall far, huh?"
"No, dear, but I did share every once in awhile. Sharing is caring."
"I'll try to keep that in mind, but Spencer is too amazing to share. She's something I'll cherish to myself for as long as I can."
She winked at me and I smiled, ducking my head. I hoped and prayed my blush wasn't too bright to notice. I felt her nails on my jeans as she scratched up and down my thigh. I looked up and cleared my throat.
"Thank you for dinner, Miss Davies," I said, politely.
"Oh, you're welcome, dear, but I don't cook. This is all Maria's masterpiece."
"Well, is she around where I can thank her?" I asked, looking around which earned me laughter.
"Maria hates dealing with Ashley's ridiculous demands," Kyla piped up as explanation. "She usually takes off after she's done cooking to escape."
"I have a fast metabolism, okay?" Ashley defended herself, rolling her eyes. "It's not my fault."
"Six meals a day? I hope stay fat when you're in your thirties."
I would interpret that as a nasty insult but I see the smile on Kyla's face and the playful roll of her eyes. It was good I paid attention to her mannerisms or else I probably would've went off on her. No one insults my Ashley or her perfect body.
"And I hope you keep the baby weight when Aiden knocks you up."
My girl always had a handful of comeback insults at hand. Her quick wit always amazed me. Her tongue was multi purposeful, but of course I always preferred her tongue either inside my mouth or somewhere lower.
"Hey, now, don't bring me into this," Aiden protests, raising his hands in a surrender motion. "I'm innocent in all this like Spencer. Right, Spencer?"
His smile is playful and sincere and I could see the shininess in his green eyes. I could see right then and there why he was still in Ashley's life. His charm made everyone around him wanting to be his friend and he looked trustworthy. And the fact that he helped Ashley last week sneak in made me appreciate him. He helped our relationship strengthen more whether he knew it or not.
I nod to appease him and lean in to Ashley's side to kiss her cheek. "You're perfect," I whisper against her skin and straighten back to my seat.
She smirked at me and proceeded to tell everyone to fuck off because the only person she wanted to impress was already grateful for her body. We all laughed at her cocky statement. I took the opportunity to take in my surroundings. Everyone was laughing and teasing, and I found myself with an infectious grin on my face. This was something I could get used to; spending time with her family as they all bullshitted about something or another. I looked over at Ashley, who seemed so carefree and light. She looked so happy as she teased Kyla and Aiden. She even got rowdy (but in a good way) when her and Kyla teamed up on Aiden, who would hide his face in his arms, silently laughing as he tried to hide his embarrassment over a past story. She caught my eye and smiled my smile.
I could definitely get used to this type of family get together.
~~ MF MF MF ~~
Could I just live with Ashley already? Like, honestly, I'm never home or at least maybe I should have a drawer to myself. A nice, big drawer full of all my clothes so moving in would be low-key. Although, I'm sure if I just asked Ashley if I could move in, she would bring the moving truck no problem. All I had to do was give her a date and time, no questions asked. It's what I loved most about my girlfriend. She would do anything I wanted without pause, unless of course it was an irrational decision that could've been a major mistake. But that's beside the point. My girl would do absolutely anything for me.
"Are you delaying?" Ashley asked, bringing me out of my daydream. She frowned when she noticed my eyeline. "Are you daydreaming about my dresser?"
"Possibly," I responded. "And no." I raised myself up on my elbows but still laid on my stomach.
She smiled my smile and sat on the edge of her bed, leaning down for a kiss. I never wanted to break away from her lips, but she pulled away way too soon for my liking. I knew she was going to call me out on my behavior, but the less talking we did and the more kissing, the more time it would take for me to actually leave and meet up with my dad at the beach. Which of course was my entire plan. So, I leaned up to follow Ashley's lips and continued to kiss her. We stayed making out for a little while before she moaned and pulled away. I pouted and she stroked my cheek and down my neck, cupping it. She looked down at me and her eyes shined with happiness. I felt my heart flutter and my entire skin glow warm.
"You're so cute when you lie to me," she cooed.
"Damn it," I sighed.
"There's nothing to worry about."
"You know, when somebody says that, there's usually something to worry about. Do you have any idea how terribly bad this could go? He could murder you."
"With witnesses?" She asked with a smirk.
"This is not funny," I said with a dead stare. "You might be killed today and all you're doing is mocking the highly probable scenario."
"Your father isn't going to kill me, babe. He'll express the want, but he won't. Everything's gonna be okay. I promise."
"Your presence might inspire him to send me to military school."
"He won't take you away from me," she said, and I stared at her when I picked up the serious, fierce tone in her voice. "He won't separate us."
I pouted. "I just don't want this to push him over the edge."
"Do you not want me to go? Not risk it?"
"No, I want you to go. I always spend Saturdays with you. And your presence will definitely calm me down from making sniping comments when we promised my mom we would try with my dad. But he never once asked about you this week, so it shows how frustrating it is to show an effort when he doesn't."
"Well, did you ask him if you could bring me?"
I hesitated then shook my head no. "I thought the element of surprise was the best bet in this case."
She laughed then bent her head down for a long kiss. "Go," she whispered. "I'll see you a couple of hours. Everything will be okay. I promise."
I nodded my head but couldn't resist another kiss. I sighed then moaned when she pushed me back all the way so I was laying down on my back as she hovered over me. I would do just about anything to keep her lips on mine. An instant calm always filled me when she kissed me. I never wanted to let go, let alone leave in this moment but when air became an issue, I broke away from her. I gave her a sad look, which made her chuckle. I sat up and got out of her bed to leave. I looked at her and gave her another long kiss before forcing myself to leave.
I don't know why, but it seemed like the hardest thing for me to do was leave. I literally dragged my feet as she walked me out. I kept our hug the longest I could and the kiss even longer. I even pecked her more than I should've and she had the patience to let it happen. She was the most amazing person in my life and my father was an asshole for refusing to see it. When she told me I should go for the third time, I finally forced myself to separate from her. I told her I would see her soon and she told me she couldn't wait. My heart ached as I walked away.
Fuck, I had it bad.
It was the longest two hours of my life. Seriously. I barely spoke to my father or his coworkers, and only made appearances by talking to the other kids. I spent most of my time since I arrived at this stupid beach looking at my phone all the time while I pretended to talk to them. I willed myself not to text Ashley. It would've been too much and wouldn't force the time to go by any faster. Plus, my dad had a hawkeye on me and the moment my fingers flew across my phone's keyboard, he would've known what I was doing and snatched it away from me. It was all too risky and I had to exert patience. Besides, Ashley never broke a promise.
I tried to make my sigh as low as possible while this girl talked. I had no idea what her name was or who her father was. Or mother. Hell, she could've been a surfer who just happened upon this shindig. I really didn't know or care. I just nodded my head and said the appropriate one word agreement that required the minimum effort to show I was in this conversation. Then, just in the corner of my eye, there was my girl walking down the path from the parking lot. The grin that appeared was so big and so sudden, the girl stopped talking and raised her eyebrows, turning her head.
"Excuse me," I said, already walking away and gravitating towards Ashley.
I barely heard the girl's response as I walked away. Ashley's beauty far away was even more mesmerizing and I covertly wiped my chin to make sure drool wasn't there. Her white spaghetti strap popped out her tan and her shorts accentuated her long legs. Goddamn, she had an amazing body that showed all the right curves and length. She was a fucking goddess that I couldn't get to fast enough so I started to jog to meet her more than halfway. Literally, I jumped into her arms and let the girly squeal of happiness escape as she twirled me around.
"There she is," Ashley husked after she kissed me silly.
I giggled and bit my lip as I looked over my shoulder. There was my father, glaring at the sight before him. I knew I told my mother Ashley and I would stop the immature instigations when it came to my father, but the look on his face made it worth the little smirk that appeared on my lips. His irritation was worth the surprise.
My father did not look happy at all and that was an understatement. I saw in his eyes and cheeks how mad he was and the irritation that showed because his mouth was set in an angry line. I'm probably a bad person for not caring and pushing the limits by smirking, but I was so happy to be with Ashley, regardless of my father's reactions. Ashley's warm arms wrapped around me like a protective cocoon made it all worth it, too. I couldn't resist another kiss and I didn't break away from her until my mother's surprised voice broke us apart. I rolled my eyes just a little but still smiled. Ashley's response was to grin back.
"Ashley, what a pleasant surprise," My mother said, all shrill and happy.
Ashley's smile got all bright. "Mrs. C! Spencer wanted to show me off to everybody."
"This is a surprise all right," my father grumbled. "Not pleasant or anything."
It took everything inside me not to roll my eyes and glare at my dad. It took a second to realize that my mother wasn't alone when she greeted us, but instead dragged my dad, who looked like a very petulant three-year-old who was told no to ice cream. His expression had every contempt facet to it and I thought he literally dragged his feet and kicked some sand on the way over here to meet us. His upper lips twitched up at just the sight of Ashley and I felt my protectiveness kick into high gear and subconsciously moved forward, shielding Ashley away from him. I felt her hand squeeze mine and my thumb pulsed back against the ridge of her thumb. I rubbed a couple times, delaying the inevitable introduction. I stared up at my dad and tried to give him warning looks to be nice. His glare basically told me he was barely being restrained. The only reason he wasn't yelling at the top of his lungs and screaming threats was because his boss was a few feet away. He was doing everything in his power to strap down the atomic bomb and I'm sure I wasn't helping with my looks.
I felt a little comfort that we were protected from his anger by these strangers. I should thank them later on in the night for their instrumental role, whether they knew they were apart of my drama or not. Maybe I would make an effort and get to know their names before the night ended. Maybe. I could always show my gratitude silently in my mind; what mattered was that I thanked them one way or another. A silent tribute would be easiest for my drama, though.
"Arthur," my mother warned. "This is not the time. Besides, you were harping you have yet to meet Ashley."
"I'd rather our introduction be more formal and professional," my father mumbled. "Like your court mandated sessions."
"Dad," I warned, my tone not so subtle. "We are not going to hast that out, right here, right now."
"Mr. C, I'm sorry for skipping out," Ashley said behind me and made a move to be more up front and center. I kept my death grip on her hand. "I just didn't see the need to go. Spencer grounds me."
"Rules are rules."
"Well, if it would solve the tension between you and Spencer, I would go to the court mandated sessions. Although, it might be seen as a conflict of interest now because I'm dating your daughter. Nice to meet you, by the way."
"You're willing to do that?" My father's eyes narrowed, scrutinizing her outreached hand instead of shaking it.
I rolled my eyes not even bothering to hide how long or how hard I rolled them. Seriously, Ashley was offering the olive branch and he was being a dick. A major dick at that. Why couldn't my father see what this was and meet her halfway? She was willing to bridge the gap, Dad! Shake her fucking hand!
I grabbed her hand when it was known my father wasn't going to shake it and kissed her knuckles. I wanted to make a show and make eye contact with my dad as I did it but I remembered my mother was there and I had to show maturity even though my father decided immaturity was his route. So, I looked at Ashley and smiled at her when I kissed her hand. I rubbed the inside of her hand too to show comfort. She gave me my smile and winked at me, telling me she was okay with the interaction.
"I am, Mr. C," Ashley said with confidence. "But they might assign me a different caseworker. But nonetheless, if it will help ease the tension with your reservations about me, then I'm willing to do it. It's true Spencer's dating a recovering addict, but I will never go back to drugs as long as she's with me or put her at risk in starting an addiction. I will prove this to you in whatever way I can."
"How about dinner?" My mother asked, brightly.
Are you fucking kidding me?
My look said as much as I was feeling but she completely ignored my looks and continued talking, as if my feelings about this were void. "Come over for a family dinner, Ashley. It'll be more neutral."
"Right now is more neutral," I butted in. "With strangers as witnesses."
"It's okay, Spence," Ashley said, smiling my smile. I immediately melted, god fucking damn it. "Just name time and date, Mrs. C."
"Perfect, Ashley," my mother beamed. "Arthur is an amazing cook and we'll make it a whole affair in getting to know you."
"I'm looking forward to it."
"I'm not," I chimed in.
My father glared at me the same time my mother hit me. Whatever. The last word was so worth it.
"This is a death sentence," I whined for the millionth time. "A complete, utter death sentence."
I heard Ashley chuckle above me, but refused to look at her. Even small kisses wouldn't make me look at her. Of course, I only kept my eyes closed because of the kisses. It was all a farce, my behavior. I would never be too upset for kisses or even to look at her. Ashley fucking Davies was amazing and beautiful to admire.
"He won't kill me in front of your family," Ashley husked in my ear. "He's not that evil."
"You don't know that."
"He's just protective."
"He's just an ass."
"Babe."
I frowned. "What?"
"Look at me."
I immediately opened my eyes and was greeted with my smile. I melted once I recognized the serene look on her face and smiled back while I adjusted my head in her lap. She leaned down for a kiss and I kept it going until I couldn't breathe but still continued with little pecks after I got some air. She stroked my cheek and I felt loved with her stare. She looked at me like I was the only one that mattered and it made me feel full; it made me feel proud and worthy. She built me up like no other. God, I fucking loved her.
"The dinner will be fine. I promise. Hell, maybe I'll even impress your father this time around."
"Babe, he already made up his mind about you. You are the most amazing person in my life and he will refuse to see that. You can be the mayor of Los Angeles twenty years from now and he'll still see you as the girl who corrupted his daughter. The girl who convinced his daughter it was okay to have public sex. This dinner is a moot point."
"Or your dad can see firsthand how special our relationship is and be willing to give me a chance. You never know."
"You're giving my dad too much credit. He's the one who changed on a dime and refused to see logic. He's the one who's being irrational. Everything has changed. I don't see it going back to the way it used to be."
"It never will and it doesn't have to. That's a given, babe. I'm just saying everything will be okay. You're freaking out, I understand, but give this a chance. Give your father a chance."
"He doesn't deserve it."
"Possibly not, but I'm willing to do what your mom asked of us. I'm willing to prove maturity in our relationship and this isn't just some stupid high school fluke. You're it for me. I'm going to do whatever it takes to prove this to your father."
"And if this dinner blows up in your face? If he doesn't see this as you trying or meet us halfway? What if this propels his stupid threats into reality? What if he refuses to be mature about this?"
"Then we keep fighting. I can be persistent when I want to be."
And just like that, my fears dissolved and I chuckled. I sat up and scooted back until my back was to her front and her arms wrapped around me and I was back in my protective cocoon. I closed my eyes as I felt her chin drop on my shoulder and her lips found my neck. I pleasantly moaned as the kisses moved up to the shell of my ear. I let the sounds of waves slapping against the beach fill me as I took a breath. Her warmth surrounded me and all I felt was peace. I was in my own heaven. No matter how this impeding dinner would end, she would always be my forever. Nothing would tear us apart. I had to remind myself of that.
"Open your eyes," Ashley whispered.
I immediately did and was greeted by the portrait of us in the frame of her phone. I smiled big and wide as her lips stayed in a closed line but her mocha eyes shined. She snapped the photo and I saw the twinkle in my eyes and I softly smiled.
"Let's do another," I said, leaning for a kiss. I heard the click but still continued the kiss until I couldn't breathe. "Send that to me," I said without looking.
We spent the rest of the night taking selfies of each other and making out under a starry night. It was absolutely perfect. She was perfect.
End. Ch. 19
Thanks again for sticking with this. Next time will be the end. Don't be sad, though.
MF