Chapter 11: Where did the Feeling Go
Ashley let out a sigh as she walked along the halls. She stopped when she saw Andros talking to Adyna. She bit her lip as she turned and continued on her way.
Andros was talking with Adyna about keeping the wedding pushed back until Hashim was gone when he saw Ashley stop for a second. He suddenly felt all the pain hit him hard. Adyna was a kind person, he cared for her, but she's not what he wanted. Andros wanted Ashley, he had always wanted Ashley, since the moment he met her.
Ashley continued on her way to get back to her quarters when her com link went off. Only Hayden knew how to contact her through the com link. She quickly went into her room and sat on her bed. "What is it, sweet heart?" She asked.
"Mommy, when are you coming home?" Hayden asked.
Ashley bit her lip. "Mommy won't be home for awhile, sweetie," she replied. She heard Hayden groan on the other end.
"Did you see my daddy?" He asked.
Ashley paused for a minute. "Yes…yes I did," she replied. She heard a knock on her door. "I have to go now, pumpkin. You listen to Lisa okay?" She asked.
"Okay, I love you mommy," Hayden replied.
"I love you too, munchkin," Ashley answered.
She turned off her com link. "Come in," she answered. The door slid open and Ashley looked up to see Andros standing there.
"Hey," he greeted softly.
Ashley put on a fake smile. "Hey," she answered. Andros rubbed the back of his neck.
"Look, I'm sorry," he apologized.
She looked at him with a quizzical look. "For what?" She asked. Andros sat down and stared at her.
"For suddenly jumping on you like I did last week," he replied.
"Andros, it wasn't like I stopped you."
Ashley bit her lip and stared at her bed. "I just don't understand it. After all we've been through you've just fallen out of love with me?" He asked. She looked at him with a sigh.
"Andros, we're twenty-five now, not seventeen. We've grown up, we changed," she replied.
He got up from his chair and sat across from her on the bed. She shook her head, not wanting to look at him. "I'm not going to let you give up having a future for me, Andros. You can't live in the past," she insisted. Andros held her hand and ran circles along her wrist. "Don't…" she murmured. She bit her lip trying to pull her arm back but soon she found that her face was not so far from his face.
"Now tell me that you don't love me," he whispered.
Ashley looked him in the face. "I…I don't…" she trailed off. Andros placed his hand on the side of her face and pulled her in for a kiss. She wanted to pull back…oh how she wanted to pull back, but she couldn't. She didn't want to go through the heartache, because this was just going to be a one time thing and then he had to go back to Adyna. But as soon as his lips touched hers, it felt like she was seventeen, back on Earth with Andros after the countdown.
(A Few Hours Later)
Ashley looked over at Andros to see him asleep, but she felt horrible. They had done it once again. Except now they could never have the chance of ever being friends. She faced away from him staring at the far wall. She closed her eyes and bit her lip to stop herself from sobbing.
The next day, Ashley was in the control room working when she saw Andros come in. She bit her lip as she continued to work. Andros glanced at her before getting to work. The others glanced at each other before getting back to work. "I'll be right back you guys, I have to run some tests," he informed.
"Sure thing," TJ answered.
Andros left the room and they stared at the Yellow Astro Ranger. "Man you couldn't cut that tension with a chainsaw," TJ commented.
"Yeah, Ashley, what was all that about?" Cassie asked.
"Nothing, I have some things to do as well," Ashley replied.
Ashley quickly left the control room before they could ask her anymore questions about what was going on between her and Andros.
Andros came into the lab and started to run some tests on their newest weapon when he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders. He looked over his shoulder to see Adyna standing there. "Hey, Dyna," he greed.
"Hey, where were you yesterday?" She asked.
Andros stalled slightly and tried to makeup an excuse. "I was very busy yesterday," he replied. Quickly biting his tongue. "Listen, Dyna, I have to get this done," he informed.
"Alright, I'll see you later," Adyna answered.
She kissed his cheek before walking off. Andros smiled as he watched her leave before going back to running the tests.
Ashley was in her quarters and she was going through things when her hand hit something. She looked down and found what looked like a tape recorder. Her eyes widened in disbelief. Someone had put a tape recorder of some sort in her room. Someone was spying on her.