the silver lining playbook// a. irwin

chapter twenty-two

"Come on," Ashton said getting off of me and grabbing his phone to check the time. "I set something up for us."

"What did you do now?" I groaned, sitting up and setting my hands on my lap. Quickly, Ashton grabbed my hand and pulled me up, kissing me as he did so.

"You'll see."

--/--

He dragged me all the way to the Heart of London. Well, technically he took me to the Eye. The London Eye. He had somehow rented out a whole pod and had set up this beautiful table, with small snacks and champagne.

As soon as I entered the pod and the smell of vanilla-scented candle (my favorite), I was breathless, "Ashton, you didn't have to."

Ashton sighed, looking down at his feet, "You're right. We can just leave if you w-"

"No, no, no," I turned around since I was looking at the scenery. Only to see a smirking Ashton, ready to send me a wink. As I strolled towards him, I hit him on the chest, only to make him chuckle. "Asshole."

"Ouch," Ashton chuckled, bringing me closet to his body and having us at an alarming proximity.

His hand reached down and held my neck, forcing me to look up at him. Ashton leaned in and kissed me. HE kissed me with all that he had left in him. Whatever feeling he had left, he washed it away with that one simple kiss. The intensity of it all made my heart skip not one- but at least five beats.

"I need you to be mine. Please,"Ashton begged in between kisses. But it was too surreal to be true. I had it set in my mind that it was just the wine talking.

But Ashton stopped kissing me, and he just looked down at me, confusion in his eyes, "Don't you want to be with me too?"

"I-I-Are you sure? What about Mr. Robald? And Luke?" I asked, trying to make him think this out. I didn't want him to make a decision that he'd regret.

"They don't have to know. In fact, no one has to know. It'll be us against the world, and they won't even see it coming," Ashton said, a glint of hope in his eyes.

Not one I'd ever seen before. Not when he was on the team and definitely not one I'd seen when he talked about Triple A. It was a new kind of hope. One that called for an experience, not a project.

It was the hope that a small child held in his body when he stepped into DisneyLand. The type of hope a mother feels once she holds a child. The type of hope you wish to see at least once in your lifetime.

And this hope was standing right in front of me, asking me to be part of his life.

But even so with hope, problems would come my way. That's where faith came in. And I was so ready.

I remembered what Cara had said. Don't get attached. So what? There's nothing wrong in taking this baby out for a spin. I just better not take it too far.

So I said yes with all my might and with all my soul in one simple mumble- ever so audible. But I said yes and the glint in Ashton's eyes expanded and grew a million times in one second.

That's when I began to fall.

--/--

The following day was the meeting and Ashton was a nervous wreck. He paced the floor back and forth and wouldn't eat a bite of food. All he asked for was whiskey- it was 8AM.

As I inserted my earring, I came out of the bathroom all ready to go. I wore a cross-over, sleeveless, nude crop top and a black pencil skirt that reached my knees. The heels were the one's I had borrowed from Calum's sister.