Light seeped into my vision the second my eyes opened, so bright that I had to squint and cover them with my hand. I tried to move but soon realised that I was being held down by something - well, someone.
Ash was laid behind me with his arms around my waist and his head tucked into the crease of my neck, breathing softly. My eyes widened at the realisation that we were practically naked, the only clothing I was wearing being my boxers.
My phone was laid on the nightstand beside me and I reached over to grab it, almost straining something from the inability to move that Ash was providing.
As soon as it was securely in my hand I pressed the power button and two text notifications popped up.
Mum: I didn't have the heart to wake you two up since you looked so peaceful but young man you have a lot of explaining to do. When you come downstairs I'll have some food prepared and you can introduce me to the boy you were with x
Groaning, I let my eyes fall shut, not wanting to confront her about what happened last night. It was all too vividly burnt into my mind.
After a couple of minutes I forced myself to check the other message, almost falling out of bed when I saw it.
Unknown Sender: Meet me at the park in town at 1:00pm. Bring everyone else with you.
It was noon already and the park was half an hour away.
Wait why the hell am I thinking about being late when this could be a psychopath wanting to murder me and my friends?
"Ash! Wake up!" I dropped my phone onto one of the pillows on the floor and started wiggling around, desperate to get out of his death grip. However, all of my feeble attempts resulted in his grasp becoming even tighter.
"Ash we- Jesus Christ you're strong." I struggled to turn around, writhing and fighting until I was finally facing him. "MINJOON."
He jolted awake, a gruff mumble passing his lips as his eyes flickered open. I grabbed his arms and forced them off my body, almost pushing myself off the bed with how difficult that task was.
"Sky? What's wrong?" His voice was deep and rough from sleep, shocking me as I'd never heard him like that before.
"W-we- I mean, I got a text. I don't know who it's from but they said to meet them at the park and-"
"The fuck? We're not going."
My mouth opened to say a few more words but he shoved his hand over it, restricting me.
"I'm not going to let you meet a complete stranger who somehow has your number. I wouldn't even allow it if I was going to be there with you, which I defiantly would be, if you were going, which you're not."
I mumbled a few curses under my breath, pouting, when I saw his phone light up. However, when I reached over and checked it, I almost threw it across the room. "Erm, Ash? It appears that they have your number too."
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Guilt washed over me as we snuck past my parents who were sat in the living room having a heated debate, probably over Ash and I.
I'd have to thank my mum later for not dragging him out by the ear and throwing him onto the road, but that was the least of my worries at that point in time.
We managed to sneak out of the front door but just as I was about to set off down the path, Ash grabbed my shoulder and redirected me to his car.
"Oh yeah, I forgot I didn't have to walk everywhere now."
Ash rolled his eyes and smiled down at me as he pulled the door open. "You're so stupid sometimes."
"Hey!"
"Ah, I'm not finished yet." He leant down and pressed a soft kiss on my forehead, brushing his thumb over my cheek afterwards. "But you're my stupid baby and I love everything about you, even when you're forgetful."
My heart swelled in my chest and I locked my hands together, too embarrassed to do much else. "That was really sweet, Minnie. Thank you."
He chuckled and poked the tip of my nose before closing my door and climbing in at the other side. "Let's get going. Give your friends a call too, I want to know where we're meeting up."
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"Rivvy! Oh my god how are you? It feels like forever since I last saw you." The seconds I stepped out of the car I was swamped by a small group of people and hugged by Lila who almost crushed my bones with how tight she was holding me.
"Li, you saw me two days ago. But I'm fine! How are you all?"
She let go and stepped back, her lips pulled into a beaming smile that showed her white teeth. "I'm just great! Although, I'm tempted to lock Ashy boy in a cellar for a few days so that he stops stealing you away from me."
Ash huffed behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his head on my shoulder. "I'd find a way out. And when I did, I'd hunt you down."
"Oh yeah?" Lila held her fists up in a fighting stance, bouncing from one foot to the other.
"Oh yeah."
The two of them engaged in a play fight, squabbling and pushing each other around. I rolled my eyes and turned to Harry and James who were stood staring at them with raised eyebrows.
Harry scoffed and pulled me into a short hug, holding me as if we wouldn't see each other again for years. "How can I miss you so much in only a few days. Jesus, I'm turning into Lila."
We parted and laughed together, nudging each other until our arms hurt from how many times we had done it. "Whatever you gotta tell yourself Harry. You were secretly always a softy, even if you hate to admit it."
He stuck his tongue out and threw his arm around James' shoulder, having to reach up a little due to the height difference. "I really don't know what you see in Ash, Riv. He's just tall and annoying. Plus he was a douchebag."
"That is correct, but he's also a complete goofball and surprisingly romantic. I know he used to hurt me, but now I know why. He's taught me that some people can change."
"Ew, way too sappy. Though, you do make a good point. However, I never thought someone like him who bullied you for years would eventually go completely smitten for you. I mean, that's the stuff that only happens in books, right?"
Sighing, I looked down at my hands, a small smile on my face. "I always thought so, but maybe not."
I paused for a moment, too caught up in deep thoughts to think about talking. "Oh right! How are you two? Have you been well?"
"Yeah yeah, we're fine. However, next time we meet up it shouldn't be because of some crazy text message we all received." James spoke for the first time that day and, even though everything was fine with us, a flash of hurt still crossed his features.
Memories of prom passed through my mind, so many that I could hardly focus on one alone. Everything that happened that night was blurry, almost as if someone had deleted some of the files, leaving me with missing gaps in the code.
"Y-yeah."
It only took a few moments for me to gather my thoughts and be pulled back into reality, gasping when I did. "Speaking of that crazy text message, let's go. It must be almost one."
After five minutes of continuous begging, we managed to get Ash and Lila to stop fighting by physically pulling them apart. We then hurried down the footpath and into the park just as the bell struck, unsure what would have happened if we were late.
We all scanned the area multiple times and found nothing, but just as we were about to leave, a familiar voice caught our attention.
"Hey there, long time no see huh?"
It was obvious who it was by his voice, but he seemed to appear out of nowhere. We all let out sighs of shock or relief as he crossed his arms over his chest, but the fact that his hair was blowing around wildly in the rough breeze somehow made the greeting less intimidating.
A wave of panic washed over me and I felt my legs tremble, but I wasn't sure if it was because of the cold temperature or the surprising encounter.
I stumbled back a few paces yet someone caught me, pulling me flat against their body to try and support my quivering form. A strong mint and vanilla scent hit my senses so I knew that it was Ash instantly, and that somehow helped me to relax.
"Woah, Thorn? Is that you? We haven't heard from you in forever!" Lila was the first to speak up and run over to him, both opening their arms for the other and meeting in a strong hug.
He had changed; his hair was a bit longer now and his whole body looked more muscular than it did before. Although, that was understandable. It was three months since we saw each other.
As Lila pulled away, his mouth shaped into a large smile, one hand still resting on her back. "Harry, how have you been?"
"Good. We're all good. But where did you go? You just vanished!" The two boys has a moment, laughing as if nothing had ever happened.
"Ah, I just moved back home. Sorry for not contacting you all though, I should have done."
However, that moment ended all too quickly, and I knew that it was down to me.
"River." He nodded curtly, his smile falling until it was only the very edged of his lips slightly turned upwards.
"Thorn." I replied with a halfhearted smile, not sure what else to say or do.
He took a few steps forward and so did I, meaning I had to leave the comfort of Ashs arms and put on my brave face.
"You look well, River."
"Why thank you Thorn, so do you. The longer hair looks nice."
He chuckled softly, attempting to mess his hair up by running his hand through it yet making it look even cuter, and smiled down at me.
"Oh yeah? I guess I shouldn't cut it then." I tilted my head to the side and gave a confused smile before realising that he didn't know about Ash and I, but I didn't know how to bring it up.
"So, did you find any cute dudes after you left?"
"As a matter of a fact, I did. But alas, they were all either taken or straight. Although, I guess I was still hung up on this one guy, so I didn't pay much attention to them." He looked at me with hopeful eyes and all that I could think about was the day I told James about everything. He'd had the same look on his face, the same wishful aura that I had to burn out.
"Thorn, I... after you left, so much happened. It was almost like you leaving triggered something and if you hadn't, well, it would all be different."
His eyebrows furrowed but the smile stayed on his lips as he reached out to place his hand on my shoulder. "What do you mean? Did something bad happen to you?"
"No! No, god no. It was good- one of the best things. You see, me and Ash are... dating. We have been for a month now."
There it was. The fizzle of the flame going out.
The smile he was wearing faltered and the hand on my shoulder fell until all that was left was his eyes staring into mine with a fire that was dying. "You're dating h-him?"
"Yeah," I spoke breathlessly. "Yeah I am."
"O-Oh. That's- that's okay. Of course you are. I'm... I'm happy for you. I treated you so bad but I- I just didn't think that-"
"Shut up and hug me." And that's exactly what he did.
We stayed like that for what felt like forever, eyes squeezed shut as we both felt the last drops of hope for us slip away. Yes, I felt guilty, but I also felt relieved. It was as if all the fear I had been holding onto finally decided it was time to go, and it left me feeling happier than I did before.
When we pulled away, life sprang back into action, and everyone had hundreds of questions for Thorn.
We went into a cafe nearby and all sat around a large wooden table, each with a milkshake that Ash had offered to pay for. Of course we all tried to stop him but eventually gave in, knowing there was no chance we were going to win the argument.
It felt good seeing everyone together; Lila and Thorn were laughing while Harry and James were just talking peacefully, and that left Ash with his arm around my waist, pulling me as close to him as possible.
"Hey guys? Isn't it stupid to think that all of this started because of some stupid made up rumour? And as much as I wanna punch y'all for being such douches, we gotta thank Ash. I mean, if he hadn't done that, most of us would hate each other." Lila made a good point; if it wasn't for Ash making that godforsaken picture, he'd probably still knock me into the lockers every other day.
"How did you make that photo by the way? 'Cause you and I both know that I never undid your belt." Ash cleared his throat awkwardly and placed his spare hand palm down on the table.
"Well, you see, I scared this random nerdy kid into editing it. I was just so angry that I'd let my barrier down at the time that I couldn't help myself. It was stupid, I see that now, but my 'I'm as straight as an uncooked piece of spaghetti' mind didn't." That pulled a laugh from everyone's lips, but Lila still smacked him across the head for calling the random nerdy kid, random nerdy kid and not their name.
"Ah well, everything worked out just fine if you ask me." Everyone nodded to Harry's statement, all of us taking a sip of our milkshakes after.
"Yeah, I agree. Also how the hell do some of you weirdos not like chocolate and mint milkshakes; they're clearly superior to your peasant strawberry and vanilla." I took another sip, giving everyone around the table a disapproving look.
"Um excuse you bitch but vanilla and caramel are the most superior flavours." Lila scoffed and gulped down a large mouthful, staring directly at me with a passion filled glare.
"Actually it's proven that strawberry is-"
"James, I would stay out of this unless you want your neck dislocating." The cowering boy silently agreed to Harry's words, hiding behind him slightly. My heart skipped a beat upon seeing him look so vulnerable, a few quick flashbacks of kissing and holding him whizzing through my mind.
I dragged my gaze away from him only for it to land on Thorn, the boy sat directly opposite me.
When our eyes locked, I could see the pain he felt.
He kept switching from my hand that was interlocked with Ashs' on the table to my eyes, and I pulled our hands apart. My heart felt like it was being squeezed and prodded, all because of two guys who used to love me.
Ash nudged my shoulder and tilted his head, confused, but he soon realised that the reason behind my sadness was James and Thorn.
Sighing, he gave me a pitiful smile and placed his hand on my thigh, that was out of view for everyone else, and began drawing comforting shapes on the rough material of my jeans.
My shoulders dropped and the aching in my heart eased off slightly, but I could still feel it.
I always would.
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ONE MORE CHAPTER. I'm honestly kind of sad about it, but all good things have to come to an end.
Although, keep your eyes out for updates in the future. I have a few bonus chapters lined up as a possibility but don't expect them really soon! I have many other book ideas to get planning hehe.
I hope you've all enjoyed this book and will remember it someday in the future, but for now, buckle down for the final chapter.
Thank you â¥ï¸
- Storm ð¹