-Ashley's POV-
"Shannon what's the-" I was lost at words when I saw who she was kissing. "FOXY? FOXY! Hey there buddy" I quickly took Foxy from Shay. I felt so embarrassed for my dramatic entrance only to find my girlfriend cuddling with her dog.
"Look who's here baby girl!" she excitedly said as she brushed Foxy's fur. Thank God she didn't notice my scene just a few seconds ago. "Did I leave my front door unlocked again?"
"Yes you did. I told you many times not to right?" She pouted at me but within a split second her faced showed a devilish smirk
"Quite an entrance by the way" she teased. Oh shit she did notice. You weren't that subtle hello!
"Yeah. I…kind of…heard something like…I love you baby?" I trailed off
"Oh no you didn't think…Ashley Victoria Benson! For Christ's sake!" She raised her voice but I know it's not her angry voice. I put down Foxy on the tip of the bed.
"I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't even have thought about it I love you I trust you I was wrong. Sorry. Sorry. I love you. Don't get mad" I said while kissing her cheeks, her forehead, and her lips repeatedly. She smirked along my shower of kisses.
"I'm really offended that you would ever think of me cheating. I'll never do that to you Ash not even my dreams." She sighed disappointedly. I scooted closer to her and wrapped my arms around her.
"I know. It was so stupid of me. Let me make it up to you." I connected our lips for a kiss. "Does that prove that I trust you?" she shook her head. I repeated my action but a bit longer this time. "How about that?"
"Let's go to the beach" she shook her head before saying
"How does that prove my trust in you?" I was really confused
"You trust me enough that I won't drown you or crash the car on our way." She said laughing and I kissed her one last time before standing up.
"Can we drop by to get Olive? I bet Foxy would love a playmate while I play with her mom" She gave me a knowing look
"I like the sound of that" She picked up her purse and the leash for Foxy and we left her house.
I held both Foxy and Olive while Shay was driving to the beach, good thing both of them were in the mood to behave.
"When did Foxy get back?" I asked her
"Yeah that's the reason why I wasn't able to answer your calls. I really had a hectic day yesterday and I was planning on surprising you and just show up there but it was about late afternoon and my mom called to tell me that Foxy was sick. I panicked and begged to cancel the rest of appointments for the rest of the day and today. I bought the available ticket for the next flight to Canada which I tell you cost me couple of bucks. When I checked on her today she was fine so I guess she just missed me that's why I took her with me. I just arrived when you came by" she explained. Our dogs weren't just dogs for us. They were more like our own kids.
"Awww. You're so sweet babe. I would have done the same for Olive. You could just earn money back but our loved ones are irreplaceable. They're our family" I pointed to the two pups on my lap.
We arrived at the beach few minutes later.
"Oh shoot! Babe I forgot Foxy's leash on the car. Can you get it for me? I'll take olive." Shay asked
"Sure thing. I'll be right back" She took Olive's leash and carried Foxy on her arm. I went back to the car to do the favor she asked.
-Shay's POV-
I was honestly disappointed that Ashley thought I had someone else with me on my room. I would have snapped and got mad at her but the shower of kisses was enough to take away all the disappointments and negative feelings. When Ashley was out of my sight I quickly placed Foxy down and went through my purse looking for something. I took out two sets of keys with identical key chains and hooked one ring at the end of Olive's leash. I hooked the other one to the leash inside my purse and placed it on Foxy. It wasn't the original plan but the improvisation is better.
"Babe. I can't find her leash on the car. I've looked everywhere" Ashley said when she came back.
"I forgot that I placed it inside my purse when we left. Sorry" I kissed her cheek. We walked along the shoreline with our hands intertwined and our free hands holding the dog leash.
"Are you okay Shay?" I'm not! I'm freaking out. Why haven't you seen the keys yet?
"Yeah. I'm on the beach with you, why wouldn't I be?" I said and she showed me her beautiful smile and we went on walking. After 10 minutes of strolling we sat down at the wooden beach under the tree. We didn't talk about anything for the first few minutes. We just sat there with her head leaning on my shoulder and she was looking far away on the shore.
"Hey what's that thing on Olive's?" Finally! She furrowed her brows and bent down to bring Olive up to her lap. I did the same with Foxy.
"What's this baby girl?" she said to Olive and removed the key ring hooked on Olive's leash. "Hey…This is…" she was at awe
"Your Christmas gift to me, a key to your house with the cool key chain on it." She observed the key amusingly
"Are you returning this to me?" She asked me
"I don't know if you changed your locks but I was wondering if you'd still be fine with me having a key to your place." I could feel my heart beating twice as fast as normal
"Of course! I just wasn't expecting that you'd still have this" I smiled at her and brought Foxy closer to her "Hey Foxy has one too?" she looked more amused this time. She took the key from Foxy and thoroughly observed the two keys she has on her hand.
"What's with the look on your face" All she needed was a magnifying glass and she'd look like a perfectly sexy detective observing both keys
"They're not identical. Whose key is this?" She raised the key that was on Foxy.
"Well this is my key and that one is yours" I grabbed the key that came from Olive.
"I don't get it" Ugh! Hanna Marin moments of Ashley! I chuckled at her innocence.
"I'm not sure when are you ready to move in with me. I know you really love your home so much but I was thinking since we're starting over again a new place seems ideal for new memories to be made. So right now I'm giving you 24/7 access to my place. I'll let you take baby steps for the mean time until you're fully ready to share a home with me and call it ours." After my short speech my heart was severely relieved.
"Hmmm…" She looked up pretending to be thinking
"But promise me no more dramatic entrances" I looked at her seriously
"I promise but there could be some exemptions like me wearing a trench coat with nothing beneath it and 5 inches heels." She said seductively making me forget that we were in a public place
"That sounds fun" I leaned in for a kiss but she pulled away quickly
"Wait…where did you get the identical key chain?" Wow she stopped the kiss just to ask that?
"I had some help" Those were the only words I said before I went back to what I was previously doing and she giggled on the middle of it.
We spent a little longer sitting on the wooden bench before heading back to her place. Stepping in her home again brought the memories back to me. It was the first time that I went back without really important reasons like her passing out because she too drunk or rushing because she called after an interview where I confessed all my feelings. Yes I slept here once after our joyride but this is the first time I was here after we got together again. Most of the time she was at my place. I didn't know I was staring blankly at her couch until she talked to me.
"What's wrong?" I recollected myself after reminiscing the day that I was sitting there waiting to spill out everything and broke her heart.
"Nothing" I lied. She notices the distress on my face because she was rubbing circles around my back.
"I know what you're thinking. Why don't you take a shower and I order us something to eat." I nodded and headed upstairs.
Of course I knew my way around the house afterall I lived her for a while. It was only at this time that I am able to observe the place in detail again. Not much had changed, our photos were still on her nightstand, my clothes were still our shared closet. After a nice shower I checked the closet for something to wear. I saw her 'buttah' shirt the one that's a pair of mine. I pulled it out carelessly and put in on me. I continued looking around and accidentally knocked something. I saw it roll under the bed so I bent on my knees to get it seeing a box standing next to it. I curiously took it out and opened it. More photos of us hailed me and a familiar letter took my attention. It was the letter I gave to her on her birthday. Tears started falling on my face as I read the things I said on it. At the bottom of the box was the love book I gave her for Christmas. I scanned each page gently trying to grasp on all the old emotions. Some pages have marks of dried teardrops on it. Surely it was Ashley's and it just brings me to more tears imagining her looking at this over and over again crying. There were new entries on it but she really didn't write anything at the last page. I read the last entry on it. It was a poem or a song.
"I have something to share
It is a love story of someone I knew
Once there was this girl so in love
It was still a day in summer of early September
She went home and it was the last time she saw her
She was left alone tending to her broken heart
So she said,
I can't think straight now baby I'm sorry
Can't you see what I'm going through?
I can't make it without you, baby
So baby please don't go
She called her all the time
She never answered back
Seems like they never even met
She had a hard time to forget
She got tired and stopped wasting her time
Didn't want to lose everything she was holding
Still, she tried
And said,
I can't think straight now baby I'm sorry
Can't you see what I'm going through?
I can't make it without you, baby
So please tell me how do I survive?
It's been a year since they parted
Now came up to her senses
Snapped out of her foolishness
Finally realized how stupid she was
So she said,
I can think straight now, no I'm not sorry
You never saw what I've been through
And I made it without you, baby
I made it without YOU"
-Ashley's POV-
I went to check on Shay upstairs. It's been a while since she was there.
"Pizza's coming!" I said getting inside the room only to see Shay sobbing over our love book. I immediately recognized the page she was reading. Oh no! I knelt in front of her and held both of her hands. She pulled me into her and cried even more on my shoulder.
"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry" she managed to say with the little voice that came out of her. I caressed her hair and her back making her comfortable. A lot of things around the house reminded her of our previous relationship. If she would be the one to move in here it would be a struggle for her to overcome the pain of the memories. I don't want her to be reminded of it everytime. I want to make new happy memories with her.
With all courage and definite decision I blurted all of a sudden "I'm moving in with you Shannon. I'll never make it without you"
So it was neither Sasha nor Ryan. Sorry for the little scare on the previous chapter. Thank you to all readers and reviewers :)))
French Guest: It would be an honor. PM me so we could talk about it :)