Page 25 of Echoes of Us
Though her heart belonged to Cole, tethered to him so fiercely that even the thought of him sent a pang through her chest, the warmth she found in Dale’s company seeped into the cracks of her resolve, brushing against the raw edges of her grief and longing.
The ease of talking to Dale unsettled her, calming her in ways she didn’t want to admit.Those familiar gray eyes weren’t Cole’s, but they comforted her all too well.
That comfort pained her even more, and as they walked, the ache for her husband burned brighter, sharper, a reminder of who she was here for–and who she was desperately trying to save.
CHAPTER8
The emerald satin slithered against Ashley's skin as she adjusted the straps of her dress, each brush of fabric a reminder of how exposed she felt.Her reflection stared back at her from the full-length mirror - a stranger wearing her face, younger and more vulnerable than she remembered.The neckline dipped just low enough to make her pulse quicken, the fabric clinging to curves that felt both familiar and foreign.
Her fingers trembled as they traced the flat plane of her stomach.Empty.The absence of her child felt like a physical wound, a hollow space where her future should have been.She closed her eyes against the sting of tears, letting her hand fall away.
"If you touch those straps one more time, I swear I'm going to sew them to your shoulders."Sarah's voice cut through her reverie.
Ashley turned, catching sight of her friend sprawled across the bed.Sarah was all long limbs and casual grace, her strawberry-blonde hair a mess of waves pulled high into a ponytail.The black dress she wore caught the harsh fluorescent light, transforming it into something almost magical.
"You look hot, Ash," Sarah declared, carefully painting her nails a deep crimson."Own it."
The words scraped against Ashley's nerves."I don't want to look hot.I just–"
"Just want to find him," Sarah finished, her green eyes flicking up knowingly."Yeah, yeah.You've been obsessing over the Westwoods all week, and honestly?It's getting weird."
Heat crept up Ashley's neck."It's not weird," she muttered, but the protest sounded weak even to her own ears.How could she explain that every moment without Cole felt like drowning?That she was searching not just for him but for pieces of herself?
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.The door creaked open to reveal Marie, her presence both familiar and strange - a friend Ashley knew only in this twisted version of reality.She leaned against the doorframe with easy confidence, her dark skin glowing under the harsh dorm lighting, sequins from her cropped top throwing fractured light across the walls.
"Still fussing over that dress?"Marie asked, her smile knowing.
Sarah's face lit up."Marie!Perfect timing.Talk some sense into our girl here."
Marie stepped into the room, her dark eyes sweeping over Ashley with an appraising look that felt too intimate, too knowing."You look incredible," she said, her tone brooking no argument."If you're trying to make an impression tonight, mission accomplished."
Ashley swallowed hard, caught between gratitude and an irrational surge of panic."Thanks...I guess."
"She's not backing out, is she?"Marie asked, glancing at Sarah.
"Not on my watch," Sarah replied, standing and grabbing her bag with a determined flourish."We're going.End of discussion."
Ashley's fingers found the hem of her dress again, twisting the fabric."I don't even know why I agreed to this."
"Because deep down, you know I'm right," Sarah said, her eyes gleaming with mischief as she looped her arm through Ashley's."You're not going to find Cole by hiding in this dorm."
His name sent a jolt through her system, an electric current that made her breath catch.She bit her lip and nodded, letting Sarah drag her toward the door.
* * *
The party hitAshley like a physical force - bass reverberating through her bones, the air thick with cheap beer and expensive cologne, the electric crackle of youth she'd long forgotten.Colored lights from an ancient chandelier swept across the crowd, transforming ordinary college students into creatures of shadow and flame.She felt simultaneously too old and achingly young, caught between the woman she'd become and the girl she'd never been.
Sarah's hand slipped from her arm as the crowd surged around them.Marie disappeared into the throng with a knowing wink, leaving Ashley adrift in a sea of strangers who felt like ghosts of a life she hadn't lived.
Then she saw him.
He commanded the kitchen as if he owned it, leaning against the counter with studied casualness, a red cup dangling from his fingers.The blonde from the courtyard earlier was draped over him, her manicured fingers trailing patterns on his chest through his black t-shirt that clung to the planes of muscle she remembered so well.Every few seconds, she'd whisper something in his ear that made his lips curl into a predatory smile.
His dark hair was artfully disheveled – the blonde's doing, no doubt – and his gray eyes caught the light like smoke over water as he surveyed the room with lazy arrogance.Even with another woman's lipstick marking his neck, Ashley's body betrayed her with a jolt of recognition.The casual way he held himself, one hand possessively curved around the blonde's waist, was painfully familiar – though she'd never seen him wield that touch as a weapon before.
It was his smile that truly undid her – sharp and dangerous, nothing like the soft, private ones her husband saved for quiet moments.This Cole wore his beauty like a weapon, and Ashley felt its edge even from across the room.
"Quite a view, isn't it?"Sarah materialized beside her."Though I wouldn't recommend it.Cole Westwood's got a reputation for a reason."
