She looked at him and simply replied, "okay."
"Ashley you've hardly said anything to me and I need to know if you're okay?"
"Yeah, I am. I'm so glad you have your memory back." She smiled a fake smile that he noticed instantly.
"Good try, but what's wrong? Please tell me. I can't try to fix it, if you won't talk to me."
"She got a little teary eyed. "You can't fix this John. I know it's not your fault, it's all in my head. I'm trying, I really am. But every time I look at you, I see you with those other girls, and it hurts me so damn much!"
"God I wish you knew just how sorry I am. I swear they didn't mean anything to me. If my mind had been right, I wouldn't have ever touched them. Before the memory loss, I never cheated on you Ashley. I swear I never even wanted to. I hate to see you hurting like this."
"What if Dorothea's pregnant?" She asked with the look of dread on her face."
"She's not! She can't be!" He blurted out, not wanting to even think about it.
"Well she thinks she is. Would your Mother really want you to marry somebody you don't love?"
"Don't worry about my Mom. It's why I moved out. So I can make my own decisions. And I ain't marrying anybody right this minute.
"But I really want to know. Please tell me the truth. What would she want you to do."
"My Mother is Catholic, she would push it for sure. And it being the first Bongiovi grandchild, would only make it even worse."
"That's what I thought."
"But she also hates Dot with a passion." He reminded her.
"She hates me too." Ashley looked up sadly.
"I don't think she really does. She's just a little jealous. I'm her oldest, she's having a hard time letting go. She doesn't ever like anybody, I'm with. She'll come around, when she sees how much I love you."
"I doubt that."
"Have you heard from your Dad?"
"I refuse to talk to him. Rickey told me, your parents are pressing charges. He is being charged with attempted murder."
"I could probably get the charges dropped."
"He almost killed you John! Why would you want to?"
"I'd do it for you. Ashley I'd do anything for you."
"Thanks but I couldn't ask you to do that."
"Just think about it. Baby you look so tired." He noticed looking at her bloodshot eyes.
"I'm so exhausted." She took her hair down and shook it out and slipped her favorite sweatshirt on over her top.
"Let's go to bed." John replied tugging on her arm.
"John, I'm sorry but I can't sleep in there?"
"What? Why not?" He was totally confused.
"You had sex with Dorothea and Angela on that bed and I am sorry but I just can't."
"I didn't even think of that. I wish there was something I could do, to take it back."
"Well there's not, but I'm really trying to get past it. I just need some time. Okay?"
"Yeah baby what ever you need. I'll do anything you want."
Ashley stretched out on the couch and he laid down behind her and held her as they drifted off to sleep.
John woke up early. He had pondered for a while what he could do to remedy the bedroom situation. He got up and got dressed and tiptoed out the door. He went to the rental store where he had rented the furniture. He lied and told them he just didn't like the bed he had rented. He ordered another one to be brought out later today, when they came to pick up the old one. He picked out new comforter and sheet set, that he was sure Ashley would love. He wanted to surprise her. He hoped this would help her feel better about staying at the apartment.
When he was finished he stopped by the dinner to get her favorite breakfast meal, an omelette, home fries and toast.
He even tried to order her some grits, because he knew she loved them. But the waitress told him they didn't even have them. He ordered some coffee and looked at the newspaper. There was a big write up about Van Halen being at the Paramount Theatre tomorrow night. With everything that had been going on he had forgotten all about it.
The waitress brought out all the food and it was mistakenly prepared to eat there instead of to go.
"Can I please get it all to go?" He looked up at the older lady with a smile."
"I'm so sorry, I remember you ordered it to go." She apologized and got busy boxing it up.
John finished reading the article while he waited. He paid for the food and tipped the lady and hurried out to his car. He headed back home proud of everything he had done for her.
He went in the apartment but he didn't see her. He walked to the patio and she was out there at the table drinking some coffee she had just made.
"Good morning baby. I got you some food. I even tried to get you some grits, but they don't even have them." He smiled hoping for some extra points for effort.
"Aww that's so sweet of you John. I don't think any place here has grits. "
He sat the food on the table and they began to eat. It was so much food. She had plenty left to put in the fridge for later.
"You didn't forget about Van Halen tomorrow did you?" He asked finishing up his coffee.
"I kinda did." I've been so worried about you, and what's going on with my Dad. I just forgot about it."
"Do you still want to go?" He asked, hoping she did."
"I really do, but didn't you give Richie the money to buy the tickets? Remember you wanted to make sure all our seats were together."
"Oh shit I did!" Damn it I don't want to go over there!" He bellowed out, not ready to see Richie again or deal with him.
"Do you want me to go?" She asked holding her coffee cup.
"No! I want you to stay completely away from him!"
She laughed. "It's just Richie, he's harmless. Just what are you afraid is gonna happen?"
"Hell I don't know what he's dreamed up about you in his head. But he's professed his love for you and kissed you twice!"
"God John, it was nothing, Richie's not really in love with me. He's lonely. Erica keeps jerking him around and he just wanted to be with somebody."
"Another man's tongue jammed in your mouth is hardly nothing!" John was getting just a little bit jealous and angry.
"It didn't mean anything to me if that's what you're thinking?"
"Well was he a better kisser than me?"
"Are you even serious?"
"Yeah I would like to know!"
She started smiling.
"What he's better than me?" He asked getting pissed.
"Of course not. When you kiss me my heart flutters and my body tingles."
"So you didn't feel anything?"
"Nothing at all."
"It just pisses me off he thought he could get away with it, because my mind was fucked up. So just stay away from him. Okay?"
"Yeah sure whatever you want."
"Whatever I want huh?" He got that little gleam in his eye, and she knew where he was going with this.
She quickly looked away and started clearing things off the table from their morning feast.
"What's wrong?" He asked noticing she was acting a little weird."
"Nothing I'm just clearing the table."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes I'm fine."
"Ash he grabbed her hand. I love you, and nobody else."
"I know, I love you too."
"I'll handle Richie and the tickets." He reassured her.
"Okay ."
"I have a surprise coming for you at 1:00."
"Really, for me? What is it?"
"You"ll just have to wait. Unless you have any special talents to get it out of me." He gave her his devilish little grin.
"I guess I'm waiting then." She picked up the containers and headed for the kitchen to put them in the trash.
John wanted to chase after her, but he knew, she was having a hard time dealing with his infidelity, even though there were very special circumstances. How could he even expect her to forgive him, when he knew in his heart, he wouldn't be able to get over it himself, if it was her.
He went to throw his cup away and check on her. She was standing at the window looking outside.
"You okay?" He asked wanting to touch her but trying to give her a little space.
"Yeah, I need to go home for a little while."
"No Ash, Jake's there! I sure don't want you there with that asshole!"
"Rickey's there. He will stomp a mud hole into Jake if he messes with me!"
"I don't like it Ash, let me go with you!"
"No y'all just fought last night. Can you drop me off?"
"Just take the Mustang. How long will you be?"
"A couple of hours. I need to wash some clothes, and get some more of my stuff. Give me your dirty clothes and I'll wash them for you."
"Okay, but I wish you wouldn't go."
"Don't worry so much. I'll be fine." She bagged up his small pile of laundry and he walked her to his car and she drove away.
He was watching her pull away when Angela was walking out of the office and called out for him. "Johnny!"
"Yeah." He turned to her.
"So you're back with the blonde."
"Yeah but I was never really broken up with her."
"Well what about the brunette? You sure need a lot of girls to keep you satisfied. I remember when you only needed me. You know we never got a chance to finish what we started and I have been hot and bothered ever since. How long is she going to be gone?"
"Look Angie you need to understand this. I was out of my mind for a few days or I never would have slept with you or took back up with Dot. I appreciate the offer, but sleeping with you again, never should have happened. I love that girl, that just drove off and I ain't doing shit that would fuck that up!"
"I guess I don't understand how you can be buried deep, in my pussy one minute and totally in love with some random chick the next!" She said in a huff. Thinking he was just blowing her off.
"Look she ain't just some random chick! I was in the hospital and having trouble with my memory. I lost a couple of months and couldn't remember her!"
"Well you are so much better in bed now Johnny. You really have mastered your skills. Anytime you want to visit the old days or make her jealous, you just let me know!" She walked away and turned around to see if he was watching her ass as she was walking in her tight Calvin Klein jeans. And was very disappointed, that he was already up the stairs, almost to his apartment and hadn't even noticed.
Ashley pulled up at the house and she was shocked to see Richie's car still there. She went in and it looked as though they had thrown a party after she left.
Stacey came out of the kitchen with a rag and a cleaning spray in her hand. "Johnny really needs to get a damn phone over there! These assholes were really partying it up here last night!"
"My God!" Ashley looked around at all the mess and trash everywhere."
"Were you here?"
"When I got home from work and figured out what was going on, I came over! I even saw Dorothea here late last night!"
"Oh damn! John threw her out last night! She was there when we got back to his place! She came out of the shower naked and he threw her clothes over the railing to the parking lot and she had to go out in a towel to get them!" Ashley exclaimed with a satisfied look on her face.
"Damn I would have paid money to see that bitch get what she deserved!" She laughed cleaning up some spilled beer.
"Is Richie still here?"
"Him and Alec are passed out on the couch over there."
"Okay, I'm going to get Rickey's ass up! He's cleaning this mess up."
She stomped up the stairs and threw her Dad's door open. "Rickey you can just get your dead ass up and get downstairs and start cleaning the big ass mess y'all made! There's a shit ton of stuff down there, and it's all on you Bubba to get it up!"
He threw a pillow at her. "Get the fuck out
Ash! I'm sleeping! I'll get it later!"
"You sure as hell will and nobody better have touched a damn thing in my room! Or I'll be whooping somebody's ass!" She turned to leave the room and go check on her room.
Rickey realized where she was going. He fell out of the bed onto the floor. "Hold up Ash! Don't go to your room yet!"
"Why what the fuck is going on in my damn room?" She bolted to her bedroom door and turned the knob. When she pulled the door open, the morning sun was shining through her window, and she couldn't believe what she laid her eyes upon.
No comments:
Post a Comment