Chapter 20: CHAPTER 19

"There are far, far better things ahead than anything we leave behind"- C. S Lewis.

Ashley's POV

The music plays one after another and as the current song flows through my phone, Lucas rounds the booth and takes his seat. I look up at him immediately his presence is made known. As we stared at each other without saying anything, his eyes held a look of confliction, his lips pursed. I look on, almost daring him to say anything. Seconds after, he parts his lips, an indication that he is about to speak so I pause my music.

A girl can only stay mad, but not forever.

"I've placed the order, the waiter should be here any moment from now," he says and I look away, kinda in the no-talking, still-ignoring game. Although I know it won't last long.

It's not like there's any answer to give, anyway.

"You're still not going to mind me?" He asks quizzically, "I mean I get it that you're pissed at me." He sighs, "But please stop ignoring me. It hurts...." he points at his heart. "Here."

I press play and my music comes back to life. I do it in a way that he sees clearly that I'm in no mood to talk. I  meant no harm, just did that in the hopes that it would get him to stop talking in my unresponsive state but then it didn't, shut him up, I mean.

Was so convinced I could go on with my plan till he uttered the next words, that shook me to the core. It halts my ability to think as I perk up in delight and involuntarily I pause my music, again.

"Would you stop ignoring me if I promised you a huge bowl of chocolate ice cream?"

Definitely!!! A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y!!! But he doesn't have to know that, right??!! Right!!

So instead of a yes! and a squeal of approval, I keep mute.

When he realizes that I wouldn't budge, "Please stop ignoring me," he pushes.

After debating that he's suffered enough, a grin makes its way to my face as I say the next words. "I'll hold you by that promise."

"Ha!! Finally!" He lets out a puff of breath, "I thought you wouldn't mind me ever again. Do you know how that made me feel?" He asks and I shake my head.

"Like I was walking on thorns." He grins and I let out a laugh.

"Better stick to your promise or it'll be worse next time." I threaten with a straight face.

"I won't go back on my promise, I'm a man of my word."

"Blah! Blah! Blah!"

He lifts a brow at me and flashes me a smile that says 'childish as always'.

Just then, a waiter appears with a box of pizza and one big bottle of Coca-Cola, with two empty solo cups. He places the box of pizza at the center of the table with the bottle, and the empty cups, he places before each of us.

Without wasting any time I open the pizza box.

"Mmm..." I sniff the aroma emanating from the pizza and lick my lips, "I can already taste it," I mutter.

Lucas shakes his head as he laughs at me.

I playfully roll my eyes at him and with my tissue, I pick up one slice and take a huge bite. "Delicieux," I moan as it hits my taste buds.

Lucas also picks up one slice and bites into it. And that, folks, was how we spent the evening, eating to our fill.

"Thanks," I say to Lucas

"No worries."

"Aha! Cam says you asked to switch seats with her so you could sit beside me. Is that true?" I furrow my brows at him as I buckle my seatbelt.

He chuckles "It's not as creepy as you put it."

"Enlighten me, please."

"I just wanted to sit with you," he shrugs.

"I have told you already, I don't need your unnecessary overprotectiveness. It's suffocating, really."

"Well..."

"Well, nothing." I snap.

He seemed taken aback a tad, and in the next second amusement danced on his lips.

Is this situation funny? No...tell me!

"Don't do anything crazy like that again," I warn, shooting him a glare.

"Okay, okay, fine." he zips his lips

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Better."

"We're home," I announce immediately after we enter the house.

"Welcome!" Dylan emerges from the kitchen and walks up to me, smiling. He engulfs me in a hug and I wrap my arms around him too, but he pulls away when he sees Lucas trailing behind me. He marched into his room and that was the last I heard of him before I finally went to bed.

————

Nighttime passed by in a flash and before I could process it morning was here. I nearly slept through my alarm, and if not for the sake of Dylan, I would have. Throughout the ride to school, I kept groaning and uttering profanities, that was how grumpy I was. The night might have been long, yet I feel sleep-deprived. It feels as if I didn't sleep a wink when in reality I actually slept for nine hours.

Yes!

My day and mood were all grumpy until English happened. I was kinda nervous and that seemed to wipe away all the sleepiness from my eyes.

Wuthering heights.

We acted it out...

The night where Lockwood sleeps in a room that is said to be haunted by ghosts and goblins. In his sleep, he had a couple of dreams. Awaking from one of the dreams, he realizes that it was nothing but just a dream so he decides it best to go back to sleep.

As he lay in the oak closet, he heard distinctly the gusty wind and the driving of the snow. Also, the fir-bough made squeaky noises much to his annoyance. It peeved him so much that he resorted to silencing it, if possible, that was. He rose and endeavored to unclasp the casement. The hook was soldered into a staple.

"I must stop it, nevertheless!" Pierson acting out as Lockwood mutters to himself, knocking his knuckles through the glass, and stretching an arm out to seize the importunate branch, but instead, his fingers closed on the fingers of a little, ice-cold hand. In horror, he tries to draw back his arms but the other hand clung on to it and a sad voice sobs "Let me in! Let me in!"

"Who are you?" Lockwood asks struggling to set the grip loose.

"Catherine Linton" The voice replies, shiveringly. "I'm come home, I'd lost my way on the moor! Let me in!"

"How can I? Let me go if you want me to let you in!" The hands relax so he pulls his hands away and blocks the hole.

The sobbing continues for half an hour.

As I watched on, I was imagining if that was me, what I would do. I mean, what do you do in a situation like that, with a ghost? I'm sure I would have been scared to the core and gladly I shall faint. Or at least pretend to.

"Begone." Pierson shouts, "I'll never let you in, not if you beg for twenty years."

"It is twenty years. I've been a waif for twenty years!"

Uh-oh!

All of a sudden a strong wind casts away whatever he used to block the hole and in a frenzy of fright he yells out loud.

That's when Grayson as Heathcliff comes into the picture.

Due to the yelling,  Heathcliff rushes to the scene, making his presence known.

"Is anyone here?" He asks as he enters the dark room, for he least expects anyone to be in there.

After seconds of contemplating, Lockwood finally answers "It is only your guest, sir. I had the misfortune to scream in my sleep, owing to a frightful nightmare. I'm sorry I disturbed you."

"Oh, God confound you, Mr. Lockwood! I wish you were at the..." He commences "And who showed you up into this room?" clenching his fists he grinds his teeth. "Who was it? I've a good mind to turn them out of the house this moment!"

"It was your servant, Zillah. I should not care if you did, Mr. Heathcliff. She richly deserves it. I suppose that she wanted to get another proof that the place was haunted, at my expense. Well, it is swarming with ghosts and goblins! You have reason in shutting it up, I assure you. No one will thank you for a doze in such den!"

"What do you mean?" asked Heathcliff "and what are you doing? Lie down and finish out the night, since you are here, but for Heaven's sake! don't repeat that horrid noise. Nothing could excuse it, unless you were having your throat cut!"

"If the little fiend had got in at the window, she probably would have strangled me! I'm not going to endure the persecutions of your hospitable ancestors again. Was not Reverend Jabes Branderham akin to you on the mother's side? And that minx Catherine Linton, or Earnshaw, or however she was called—she must have been walking the earth those twenty years: a just punishment for mortal transgressions, I've no doubt!" He pauses and continues after "The truth is, sir, I passed the first part of the night in spelling over the name scratched on that windowledge. A monotonous occupation, calculated to set me asleep, like counting, or."

"What can you mean by talking in this way to me?" thundered Heathcliff with savage vehemence. "How—how dare you, under my roof?—God! he's mad to speak so!"

After a while Heathcliff asks him to leave the room to anywhere at all he pleases to continue his sleep. As he—lockwood— took steps away from the room he came to an abrupt halt, and involuntarily was a witness to Heathcliff, who got on to the bed and wrenched open the lattice, bursting into uncontrollable tears as he pulled at it.

"Come in! come in!" he sobs "Cathy, do once more! Oh! my heart's darling, hear me this time, Catherine, at last!"

Tell you me! It was such a sight to see Grayson act with so much as if he was indeed Heathcliff. But that's what acting is about, right? A sight it was!

"That's all for today." Miss Brooke's voice cuts through the class.

Phew!!!

********

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