Life After That (23 page)

They held hands and got upstairs. That was when they heard the doorbell ring.

"Can you get that Ashley? Please?"

"Yeah, sure. Go to bed, I'll be up in a sec."

Kirstin went upstairs while Ashley went to get the door.

"Yes?" – he asked to the guy waiting on the door.

"You ordered a pizza?" – just then Ashley noticed the guy holding a box of pizza on one of his hands.

"Let me check on that." – he raised his voice just enough so Kirstin would listen to him from her bedroom – "Hey K, did you order a pizza?"

"Oh yeah! The pizza! Wow, that was late. Tom ordered that. Can you get that? My wallet is on the…"

"Don't worry. I'll pay the guy." – he said getting his wallet and paying the guy the right amount. Closing the door, he asked – "Do you wanna eat it, K?"

"Nope. If you want, go right ahead. There are plates on the cabinet over the sink. Just help yourself."

"Don't mind if I do. I'm starving."

"Go ahead."

After finish eating 3 slices of pizza, Ashley trailed to Kirstin's room. Kirstin had her eyes half opened.

"Can I sleep on the bed with you?" – Ashley whispered not knowing what would be the answer. Kirstin grinned.

"Of course!"

Ashley striped to his boxers and both of them slid under the covers. Kirstin was facing him, lingering her fingers around his muscular chest.

"Have you been working out?"

"Not too much, why?"

"I don't remember you being this hot in high school, that's all."

"You weren't that hot yourself!" – he said pretending to be offended.

"Now you're just lying. You know I was always hot."

"Yeah, you were…" – they giggled. Kirstin leaned her head on his chest and wrapped her right arm around his waist.

"Ashley, I'm sorry but I'm really sleep, I wanna sleep. Can you turn off the lights? The switch is over the night stand."

"Yes, sure." – he answered turning off the lights – "Sweet dreams, baby." – he kissed her forehead.

"Thank you. You too." – she said in a sleepy tone of voice. Ashley just smiled and stroked her head. He was so happy to be there, lying in bed with Kirstin. He didn't want the night to end. When he noticed Kirstin soon was sound asleep, he whispered to thin air:

"I love you…"

He kissed her forehead again before falling asleep.

NEW YORK – SATURDAY

Kirstin rubbed her eyes, yawned and just then realized Ashley was not in bed. She got up and from upstairs, she saw him doing something in the kitchen. He had his back to her.

"Good Morning, Superman! What are you doing?"

"Good Morning, Princess! Come down here!" – he motioned for her to go downstairs. When he saw her on the stairs, he continued – "I'm making breakfast! See?" – Ashley had set the kitchen counter for breakfast with bagels, French toasts, Lucky Charms, orange juice, jams, milk, cheese and a vase with flowers.

"Wow! Where did you get all that?"

"I had to go to the market across the street. I couldn't believe you didn't have any cereal!"

"I hate cereal and you know that."

"Yeah, but I thought, now that we are together, you'd buy a box so I'd have breakfast whenever I come over."

"I was gonna do that when you'd call me telling you were coming, but you never did that."

"Ok, I forgive you then."

"But hey! Those roses! Nice touch!" – Kirstin sat on a stool at the kitchen counter.

"I know. And I know you think red roses are cheesy, so I bought you these white ones." – he said sitting beside her on the other stool at the counter.

"Aw, thanks! How sweet!" – she gave him a peck on the lips. Ashley was pouring Kirstin some orange juice when she asked him – "What is the band doing these days here in the city?"

"Today and tomorrow we just have magazine interviews and photo shoots to do. The other days we have TRL, Good Morning America, Ricki Lake, The View, Regis… Guess that's it."

"Wow! All that in 2 days?"

"Yep! Busy schedule."

"Sure is. And you leave Tuesday right?"

"Yes. At midnight." – Kirstin nodded.

"And what time do you have to leave today to do all those stuff?"

"Now it's… 11:00. I have to leave in an hour to meet the guys at the hotel. Hey! You should come with me!"

"I don't know…"

"C'mon! It's gonna be so cool! What are you doing today? Nothing! It's Saturday! You should spend time with me!"

"I really don't have any plans for today, but Tom was gonna call and…"

"Oh, forget Tom! You have to come with me!"

"Ok, I'll go."

"Oh man, this is gonna be so great! You're gonna meet everybody, well, you've already met them, but you're gonna get to know the guys better and they will know you and everybody's gonna see how great you are and they'll understand why I'm so in love with you and…" – he suddenly stopped when he saw the shocked look on Kirstin's face. He realized what stupid thing he had done.

"What?" – was all Kirstin could think of to say.

"What?" – Ashley was acting like he had said nothing wrong and got up to put his bowl on the sink.

"What did you just say?" – Kirstin got up too and followed him.

"That I'm excited you're gonna meet the rest of the band." – Ashley couldn't look her in the eyes.

"Not that. The very last thing you said before stop talking. Look at me and tell me the last thing you said."

Ashley looked her in the eyes.

"I'm in love with you." – he quickly said that and left the kitchen trailing to the living room.

"Ashley, stop and look at me!" – Ashley stopped but didn't turn back. Seeing he wasn't gonna face her, she walked up to him;

"You love me? Is that it?" – she asked him. She was really close to him, talking over his shoulder, he had his back to her. He glanced down and whispered.

"Yes."

"Look at me." – Ashley slowly turned until his eyes met Kirstin's – "You love me?"

"Yes."

"And…" – she was feeling awkward – "Have you been feeling this way for a while now?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been feeling like this?"

"Since I was 17."

Kirstin bit her bottom lip. She didn't know what to say. The guy had just confessed he was in love with her for 3 years. She wanted to say she loved him too, but she was still confused about her feelings. And hearing him saying that he loved her didn't help, but made her even more confused. Ashley was still looking deeply in her eyes, waiting to hear a "I love you" back to him. But all he got was:

"I-I-I…" – she stuttered – "I don't know if I feel the same way, I'm so sorry." – she walked away from him. He quickly went after her and placed both his hands on her shoulders, stopping her from moving.

"K, now you look at me." – he turned her to face him – "I don't want you to feel obligated to tell me you love me just because I told you that. You should only say it when it's true and you really mean it. If you still aren't sure about your feelings, don't feel embarrassed around me. I love loving you. " – he smirked, but she couldn't smirk back – "I'll try everything, possible and impossible, to make you feel that way towards me, and if I ever succeed on that, when you finally tell me you love me, it's gonna be totally worth the wait."

There was silence. Kirstin didn't know how to react to all that. It was the most sincere thing she had ever heard, yet, she had her doubts about that.

"Ashley, how can you love me? You don't know so many things about me."

"I know I don't and I'm willing to learn, if you give me the chance to. And I'm sure nothing that I'll learn later on will make me love you any less."

'This is too good to be true!' – Kirstin thought while sitting on her couch.

"K, listen. Please, do not feel awkward, embarrassed or whatever around me. I want everything to be just like it was 20 minutes ago, when you didn't know I loved you."

"But everything's different than 20 minutes ago!"

"No, it is not! I loved you 20 minutes ago just as much as I love you now! The only difference is that now you know."

"It's a big difference!"

"But, see? It shouldn't be! Please, do you think we can be the couple we were 20 minutes ago?" – Ashley pleaded, looking down to Kirstin sitting on the couch, both her hands on her face. Kirstin was trying to absorb all that information. It took a while for her to answer.

"Yes. We can be the same couple as before." – she revealed her face with a small smile.

"Really?"

"Yes. It's not gonna be a hard thing to do, I guess. And it's always good to hear someone says he loves you."

"Yes, it is." – Ashley stated – "Ok, good, great! Now let's go to the hotel. I'm gonna be late, I know I'll get the Mikes and Dan mad at me. Let's go!"

"Wait!" – Kirstin exclaimed when Ashley pulled her off the couch by her wrist – "I can't go like this!" – Ashley noticed Kirstin was still wearing the Coca-Cola shirt that she had slept in the night before.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Go change then!"

"You're lucky I'm not like you and I can get changed in a heart beat. Be right back!"

"Ok. Then go, go, go!"

HOTEL – 12:15 p.m.

"I knew we shouldn't have given Ashley permission to not sleep here." – Mike Morin was standing on the lobby talking to Mike Cronin. The other O-Town boys were sitting on a couch, also on the lobby, but far away from the Mikes.

"There he is." – Cronin informed and both Mikes went to Ashley's direction.

"I know I'm late. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." – Ashley was already apologizing without even the Mikes saying anything. They didn't have to. Mike Morin's face was worth a thousand words.

"You're lucky it's been just 15 minutes." – Cronin was trying to make it easy on Ashley.

"Still, you're late and we already had a meeting about that." – Morin was playing the bad guy.

"Ok, ok. It won't happen again." – Ashley was holding hands with a girl wearing a black dress that showed all her curves. The dress went all the way 'til the middle of her thighs and sandals. All very casual. The girl was feeling a little awkward 'cause the Mikes didn't even noticed her there – "Guys, you remember Kirstin, right?"

"Yes, how are you Miss Addams." – Mike Morin shook her hand.

"Good, thanks. And please, call me Kirstin."

"Alright."

"Hi Kirstin."

"Hi Mr. Cronin." – she shook hands with him too.

"Mike's just fine."