“Ashley, I am glad you made it back safe.”
He didn’t seem surprised to see me.
It was like time had erased everything.
777
7
5
But he and Sarah hadn’t gotten married. My
crazy behaviour seemed to have affected
their relationship.
2
Some people had kids, some were still living
the playboy lifestyle.
Sarah had a good job in a government place.
Ethan was doing the best. He bought a
portion of the business
portion of the business, now he is the big
boss.
After a few rounds of drinks, a lot of people
were getting drunk, except for Ethan, who
hadn’t touched a drop.
“Mr. Thompson, what are you gonna do with
all those houses if you’re not getting married?
Why don’t you let me crash there? I’ll help you
pay the bills.”
Mark joked.
Ethan laughed and looked at me.
“Ashley didn’t get married either! And she
bought houses overseas, why don’t you help
her pay the bills?”
L
He’d caught me off guard.
His buddies immediately surrounded me.
“Hey, Ashley, you were crushing on Ethan
since you were a kid, always wanting to be
his wife when you played house. You still into
him?”
All eyes landed on me.
I glanced at Ethan. He was still smiling,
pouring drinks for everyone else, acting like
he wasn’t even listening.
“I was just a kid back then, and I caused
Ethan a lot of trouble. I got over him a long
time ago…”
Г
I touched the ring on my finger.
“Besides, I’m getting married soon. I’ll invite
you all to the wedding.”
I heard the sound of glass shattering.
ゴクル
4
e
Ethan was staring at his soaked shoes, his
eyes red–rimmed, looking utterly lost.
“Sorry, I didn’t grab it right. I should go clean
it up.”
He got up and left the table.
Sarah asked me when I’d met my boyfriend.
I was good at lying. “Six months ago. He’s
British.”
When Ethan came back, he started drinking
one glass after another, even though he
hadn’t had a single drop before.
Later, everyone left.
Ethan stood in front of me. “Ashley, aren’t
you gonna walk me home?”
I thought about it. He was drunk, and it wasn’t
safe for him to walk alone.
But when we got to his door, he didn’t say a
word.
As Ethan unlocked the door, I said, “I can’t… I’m not coming in. I should go back.”
Ethan grabbed my wrist and pulled me inside.
Г
I lost my balance and instinctively grabbed
onto him.
The door slammed shut, and I was pinned
against it.
The room was dark, making everything feel
amplified.
His boozy breath ghosted over my ear.
My heart was racing. “Ethan, don’t scare me
like that…”
Before I could finish, his cold lips crashed
onto mine.
He kissed me hard, like a storm, leaving me
no room to escape.
<
“Ashley, why did you lie about having a
boyfriend? You’re the one who led me on!
Why am I always chasing after you?”
“Ethan, stop it. I have to get back.”
I tried to push him away, but his voice was
hoarse.
“Ashley, you’re so cruel.”
“You shouldn’t have abandoned me. You did
what you did eight years ago, so you gotta
take responsibility!”
He grabbed my hand and guided it down…
