I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you said, but people will never forget how you made them feel - Maya Angelou.
Third Person's POV
She was almost close to climbing the stairs when she heard Grayson's voice. They had entered. It urged her to turn and so she did. Her eyes were set on them as they both were carrying brown paper bags she could perceive contained food. She was about to ignore how hungry she felt and continue her journey to her room but immediately her feet touched the first stair, her tummy grumbled, loudly, that she could swear everyone probably to heard it.
"Woah!" Pierson was the first to comment. Gosh! Did she feel embarrassed, she couldn't take another step. "Ashley, was that you?" He asks the obvious.
So much for not wanting Gray to notice her. She awkwardly turns towards Pierson.
"Y- yeah." She grimaces.
Grayson's attention was immediately drawn to her, his heart fluttering in response to seeing her. A smile lights his face and he goes to drop the bags on the dining table.
"You must be hungry?" Pierson suggests and she blushes out of embarrassment, "I guess." She mutters.
"Brought you all breakfast." Grayson says to the rest and after dropping it, heads straight for the stairs where Ashley was, frozen on spot, unmoving and when he gets in front of her, she had no option than to look at him. Her nerves were wracking but she manages to set them at bay.
"Good morning." He greets and was going in for a hug- their normal routine- but she dodges it by blocking him with her hand and stepping back. She only nods in response to the greeting and continues to climb the stairs. Grayson was stupefied to say the least, by her sudden rejection and man, did it hurt? Very. His eyes trail behind her as she rushes up the stairs. He stood there unmoving, and when she was out of sight, he was still rooted in spot still, thinking of what just happened. This was so unlike her, so unusual of her. Did something happen while he was away?
Letting out a shaky breath, he shuts his eyes briefly before opening them again, frustrated all of a sudden. He heads back to where Pierson, Cole and Lucas were, watching him carefully. As he took a seat, they were all looking at him, just confused as he was at Ashley's reaction.
"What's wrong with your girl?" Pierson was the first to ask.
"Don't know?" His voice breaks at the end.
"I think you should talk to her, she's not usually like this." Lucas says trying to comprehend the situation at hand, "She seems upset at something, you need to find out."
Gray just nods his head because he couldn't trust his voice at the moment.
_ _
Breakfast was literally hell for everyone else as they could notice how tense it was between Grayson and Ashley. They were both not talking much and barely eating their food. Lucas, Cam and Pierson were trying their best to make both of them at least, smile to reduce the tension, but it wasn't working. Yvie too did her part by bringing up funny events and stuff to dissipate the tension but all they both did was fake their smiles. Eventually, Ashley gets up, trashes the food and leaves the table. Grayson on the other hand looked so hurt that she wouldn't even look at him, but he covers it up by trying to smile at some of the jokes Cam was cracking at the moment.
_ _
Ash stayed in the room for the rest of the day. And no matter how Cam and Yvie tried, they were not able to convince her to talk about her sudden ordeal. But one thing was sure, they knew it had something to do with Anne. Grayson asked to speak to her, but she made Cam lie to him that she was asleep.
"She's awake, isn't she?" He asks Cam who was finding it difficult to lie to him, he didn't deserve it, she thought.
She doesn't say anything in reply to the question, instead was fidgeting with her fingers.
He sighs, "Tell her I said when she's ready to talk to, I'll be waiting. And please tell her to put her phone on."
"Sure will."
"Also, tell her I'm leaving."
Cam frowns, "Why so soon?"
"Nothing." He shakes his head.
"But it's too early, can you stay a bit?"
He seemed to be in thought for a moment, "Okay." He finally mutters, "I'll be downstairs."
"Can I ask you a question though?" He says and she nods.
"Yeah, sure!"
"Do you know why she's acting that way?"
She bites her lips and casts him a pitiful gaze, "I'm sorry but it's not in my place to say. When she's ready to talk about it, I'm sure she would. Just be patient with her. She's hurting as much as you are, just know that."
He places his hand in his pant as a distant look crosses his face. That was not the answer he was expecting. "Thanks, I guess."
"It's okay." She smiles and when he leaves, she enters the room, shutting the door behind her.
"You need to talk to him, Ash. He's miserable. I feel bad for him."
Ashley who was sprawled out on the bed, picks up a pillow and lets out a loud scream in it. "I can't." She utters, voice muffled.
"What do you mean by that?" Cam sits beside her on the bed and pulls the pillow away from her face.
"What should I say to him, 'oh! I'm I'm jealous whenever I see you and Anne together'?"
"No." Yvie says, "Tell him how you feel about Anne being intimate with him, about them being close. Tell him to limit it maybe? He'd listen, and I'm sure would do something about it, he has a soft spot for you."
"Nooo!" she vigorously shakes her head, "He'd probably think I'm delusional and overthinking things."
"He won't." Yvie and Cam say at once.
She thinks about it and when reality hits her and realization dawns on her, "Aaaaargh!!" She lets out a cry, "Now, I'm ashamed of myself. I feel so guilty for ignoring him."
"You should be, and I insist, you need to talk to him. He's downstairs Go talk to him before he leaves. He informed me that he was leaving but I begged him to stay a bit."
"I've already told you, I can't. Besides, it's so embarrassing to talk about something as trifle this."
"I-t's not trifle!" Cam's voice raises a tad. "Stop belittling yourself. It's not trifle if you didn't like seeing them that close. It is in fact a sensitive topic. Better talk to him about it before you end up loosing him over constantly avoiding the things that ought to be talked about. Communication, I learnt, is very key in any relationship." Cam says.
"I know right?" She puts up a sorry face as she bites her lips.
"So, are you gonna talk to him?" Yvie asks, with hope.
She shakes her head painfully, "Later, not now. I just can't, now."
Cam sighs, "Don't say I didn't warn you."
"I can't right now, I'm embarrassed of myself as it is."
"No need to be. Anyways, I'm going to cuddle my boyfriend, so see you both when I see you. He's a bit mad at me but I know how to make him stop. He's such a big baby for me."
"Ugh!! Don't rub it in my face. Just go." Ash pushes her off the bed.
_ _
Lucas was in the room concentrated on his phone when Cam knocks on the door.
"Come in," She hears him utter.
She opens the door, poking her head in, his eyes snaps to hers.
"Can I come in?" She asks expectantly.
"You're already in." he bluntly utters and she enters fully.
"Right!"
"What are you doing here?", he raises a brow at her.
She gingerly walk towards the bed he was sprawled on, back leant against the headboard. She asks, "Are you still mad at me?"
He gives her a plain look, "It's rude to answer a question with another question, I hope you know that?"
"I'm sorry." She sits right beside him.
"For?"
She chuckles, "You know what, don't make me say it, pleaaasse."
She draws closer and closer to him.
"What do you think you're doing?" He questions her.
"What does it look like I'm doing? Climbing into my boyfriends' arms." And with that she places half her body on him as her arm snakes around his back and her head rests on his chest.
"It's a guy's room." He places emphasis on the guy's.
"Funny. It's literally my house." She laughs and tightens her hold on him even more.
"I'm leaving, then." He says and tries to shake her off him but she wasn't budging.
"Lol, you're not. I won't allow you." She raises her head to meet his eyes and stares into them, a smile playing at the corner of her lips, "Cuddle me."
He smiles, but for a split second before his façade returns.
She smirks, "Or don't you want to?"
He doesn't still say anything.
"Anyways if you won't, I will you." She lowers her head and pecks his chest. Immediately his body becomes static under her touch as his heartbeat skyrockets.
"Don't." His strained voice whispers.
"Then cuddle me." She says and rolls on to the other empty side the bed. She opens her arms wide and he had no choice than to cuddle her.
"Yaay!" she says. "I thought you wouldn't cuddle, like I'd have to worry till you do so."
He laughs, "I know what you're capable of. It's not like I didn't want to cuddle with you. I mean, who wouldn't." He pecks her nose. "I wasn't mad at you, you know."
She snickers, "And I'm not crazy, that's like totally insane."
He chuckles, "You make the weirdest statements ever."
"Aww!" She coos.
"I can't stay mad at you for long, I've tried it. It scares the shit out of me sometimes that I wonder why I like you so much."
"That's because I'm the bestest person, ever."
He laughs, again, "What the heck is bestest? You're the only one that would make a joke out of something serious."
"Don't worry, I like you too. Way more than you do me."
"Nu-uh, you can't beat me to that." He runs his hands through her locks.
"Okay, I give up."
"Already?"
"Yeah! I agree, I can't compete with you, my handsome prince."
"I am your prince?"
"Yeah!, you always call me princess, so you are my prince."
"Am I not supposed to be like your knight in shining armor or something?"
"Calm down! Not there yet."
He laughs, "Woah! Okay?"
"I just remembered," She says.
"Remembered what?!"
"Tell me about your exes, I want to know about them."
"U-hm a-re you s-ure?" He begins to stutter.
"Yes of course, why, is something wrong with that?"
What the.... This was definitely not going to end well.
__
"You what??!!!!" She pulls away and sits abruptly and he mirrors her action.
This information was certainly bound to do more harm than good.
"Princess, you do realize you're shouting?"
"OH I am? I can't believe you've had six girlfriends before me." She points her fingers towards herself.
"Okay so now you're making it sound bad." He scratches his head as he could literally see the wheels spinning in her head.
She looks him dead in the eye, "That's because it is."
"It's not that b..a-"
"Finish the freaking sentence and I'm going to break up with you." She shoots him a glare.
That shuts him up immediately.
She tries to calm herself down by breathing in and out. She shuts her eyes and open them before forcing a smile onto her lips. 'I'm definitely not frowning because of this', she whispers to herself. "You know during the game yesterday when you drank because you had dated before sixteen, I actually thought it was just one girl. I just can't believe they're," She counts with her fingers, "wow! I mean I knew you were no saint but then I didn't expect th-at..."
"Calm down Cam," She runs her palms along her chest before motioning with her hands, "How long did you date them, what was the span of your relationship with each girl."
"It's not that necessary?" He tries to convince her-she'd definitely misinterpret this, such a hard nut to crack- she's already taking it bad, just the answer to this question and the worst would happen.
"OH! Really?!! I see." She gives him a look.
"Okay so..." he scratches his neck, "the longest, Stacy, was for three and half months."
"And the shortest duration?" She motions with her hands for him to continue.
He was taken aback by the harshness of his voice. "T-three weeks."
"So you were literally changing girls, isn't it?" she nods her constantly, almost like things were making sense to her.
"Noooo, it's not what you think." He tries to take her hand but she snatches it away from her.
"What I think! What I think!" She whispers to herself, like he was invisible. "What the heck am I thinking, huh? So you're going to dump me in three months time ??!!! Three weeks, maybe?!!"
"Of course not!" He scoffs, "I really do like you, so much. I can't be apart from your life. I enjoy being in it." He grabs her arm and pulls her- this time she doesn't resist- so she lands flush against him. Her anger vanishes into thin air as she melts in his arms. He caresses her cheeks as he stares at her eyes that held vulnerability. Fear of the unknown. She involuntarily shuts her eyes leaning in to his touch. Closer his lips inches towards hers and when his breath fans her lips, she snaps out of her daze and pushes on his chest.
She takes a step back, "Are you sure you're not just enjoying the chase of having me?"
"No!" He says like it was a ridiculous thought, "Why would you think that?"
"I-I d-don't know what to think. We were having a serious conversation and here you are about to lure me into kissing you. We're supposed to be talking, you know. Lucas, are you sure, you're not just interested in having my body?"
"Where is all of these coming from? Really?!! Is that the direction where this is headed? If you're joking please stop it, it's not funny anymore."
"Just answer the damn question."
"I a-m n-o-t." He grits.
"I'm going to continue to date you, but on one condition. As of now, I'm really in a bad state and I don't know what I want."
For a second, he stood still as panic reverberated through his being at her words. He couIdn't find his voice.
"If you don't comply, I guess it'd be us breaking up."
He finally finds his voice "I AM NOT BREAKING UP WITH YOU," and clenches his jaw, "what's your condition? Whatever it is, I'd do it."
"No touching." She says.
"Enlighten further."
"From now onwards, you're not allowed to touch me. No hugs, no pecks, no holding hands and most importantly, no kissing. If you really really like me that much, and you're not interested in just my body then it'd be easy. Afterall they say if you truly like someone, seeing them brightens your day. Yeah! So that's my condition."
"I've told you already, I'm not breaking up with you. I'll do it, if that's what it takes for you to believe me."
"We have a deal then?"
"Yeah!"
"I'll go to my room." She says and he nods his head. When she shuts the door behind he lets out a frustrated sigh. It was not supposed to end like this.
*********
Hey!!! Long time!!
I know you're probably thinking, 'Cam what the heck?!!' but if you were in her shoes, what would you have done?
Do you think she's taking it too far?
And Ashley? What do you think?