Coffee and Rings

Coffee and Rings-11

Thankfully, Ash didn't mention the little moment in the kitchen to anyone. But I did get a wink from him when he caught me watching Kim. Kim had refused to even spare me a glance and I was sure my friends noticed it too but kept their traps shut.

After my encounter with Ash, whenever I looked at him, I got this odd vibe. Like he was more experienced than he let on. Like he knew more than he let on.I realized, covered by his usual charm and smirks was a dark past. I was always able to read a person quite well. So, when I saw Ash's real nature, I was shocked that I didn't notice it already.

I took pride in the fact that I was a good observer. I was able to say the true nature of something with just seeing it. I could tell if even the smallest of things were off. I still didn't understand what Ash meant by the last sentence. The longer I thought about it, the more confused I became.

I knew Ash 'died' in a car crash. But did I know anything about what he was like before? The answer was no. I just assumed he was always like this, with his womanizing ways and all. Perhaps he wasn't like like that before. Maybe, he even had a steady relationship with the girl he loved.

As far as I know, nobody in our small group has tried contacting anyone from their past. John claimed that he didn't want his wife in any danger because of The Blacks. He had also said that he had a young daughter who was nine years old when he too 'died.' Callie said that she was happy to be away and finally free from the monster called her father. Stella told us she didn't have anybody to talk to. But Ash on the other hand didn't even breathe about his past.

I thought he was upset about it and wasn't willing to talk about it. I didn't want to pry but after seeing him act the way he did in the kitchen, I have a hunch that he can't talk about it. As in he can't bring himself to talk about it.

My thoughts drifted to what led to all of this. As much as I would love to, I can't deny the fact that if given the chance , I would kiss Kim again without feeling an ounce of regret as selfish as that sounded.

"Boo," Trey giggled, looking at me with big, innocent eyes.

"Boo," I repeated, a playful smile on my face as I watched Trey, who had insisted that there were monsters under his bed and announced that he was going to sleep in my room, sitting on my lap.

When Trey came stumbling from the hallway leading to his room, different expressions crossed everyone's faces. We had all thought that he was asleep, that is with the exception of people who were seeing him every day. Kim looked tired and James looked amused and gave a teasing smile Kim's way to which Kim replied with a glare.

After explaing that he somehow managed to open the door on his own eventhough the handle was out of his reach, Kim lifted him up to his room. He ran out again, this time saying that there were monsters.Then he went ahead and said that he was going to stay the night in my room and demanded Kim be there.

After much protest from Kim, Eva managed to get her to agree to sleep in my room. I swear Eva looked smug when Kim nodded her her head in submission and threw a sly smirk my way. For a moment there I actually considered the idea that Eva knew what happend in the kitchen. I shooed the thought as soon as it entered my head.

There was just no way that she knew what had happend. And even if she did, I didn't care.

So, I sat there as straight as a pole, awaiting the time Kim would open the door and enter my room. Hoping that Trey would distract me I moved my focus to the small, giggling boy. That soon turned out to be futile. Realizing that Kim wasn't getting out of my head anywhere in the near future, I gave up my attempts and simply sat there, half-heartedly listening to Trey and feeling guilty I wasn't paying attention to him.