Page 56 of Ashley & the A-Listers

Kenzie and Jordan stood on her step, a huge bag of the greasiest fast food balanced between them.

Kenzie’s lip wobbled as she took Ashley in, and stepped forward and scooped her in a big hug.

“I’m so sorry, Ashley.”

It was just the smallest touch of kindness that Ashley needed, and it broke whatever dam was remaining.

She wrapped both arms around Kenzie and hid her face in her neck, letting the tears flow.

Jordan followed them inside, shutting and locking the door, before she ushered them towards the living room. At the last second, as she saw the mess of photos and the sloppy attempt at a bed that Ashley had made between the couch and coffee table, she redirected them to Ashley’s bedroom.

They held her while she cried and she realized thatthiswas how people continued on in such pain. With the crutch of others, with people who cared.

Ashley cried, and they cried with her, and then they ate soggy fries and greasy burgers and made her shower and took care of her when Ashley didn’t have anyone.

Ashley had them, her best friends, and she’d never been more thankful for the gym in her life, that she’d met these two, and that they’d come when she needed them most.

Maybe one day she wouldn’t compare everyone to Dylan.

But if she did, in that moment, it felt like they were winning.

Catching her breath on the mat, Ashley lay against it, chest rising and falling as her pulse raced.

Dylan lay not far from her. In fact, their hands could brush if she allowed it.

She didn’t. But the thought was there.

Now that they’d kicked each other’s asses, she felt like some huge wall had been broken down. Like her anger was righteous. Like she didn’t have to be afraid to ask all the questions she had.

“You know,” she began, breath sawing in and out of her lips between words, “the last time I heard, you were all packed up with a bunch of alphas a few hours from here.”

Ashley kept her eyes trained on the ceiling for as long as she could, but she felt the weight of Dylan’s stare fall on her, so she gave in, turning her head.

For the first time in what felt like years, she met Dylan’s gaze, and didn’t shy away.

His brow was furrowed, dark eyes deeper than she remembered, and he was still breathing hard, too.

Good.

“I was with a pack of alphas for a while. We were looking for an omega. They found one. In Gemma.”

Ashley lifted an arm and covered her mouth, rolling her head back up to stare at the ceiling.

Humor bubbled up in her, and she couldn’t help but chuckle behind the barrier of her palm.

“You’re kidding,” she managed.

“I wish I was,” Dylan said. “I removed myself from the equation pretty quickly. That was… shit, a couple years ago, I guess.”

“Do you still talk to them?”

“Of course I do. They’re good to her, so I visit when I can.”

“That’s good of you,” she said, and the conversation lulled.

Her breathing was almost back to normal, and now she was out of words. Maybe she was still too scared to ask the questions she wanted to know the answers to most.

Why did you disappear?

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