Love Trust and Betrayal

Chapter 8: The Plans

Ashley and Nick started meeting much often at Cafe-de-Costa.Ashley eventually became comfortable and her fidgeting vanished. On one such meeting, Ashley spontaneously held Nick's left hand which he kept on the table. She felt good. That evening, Nick gave her a quick casual hug before leaving. Ashley was in a trance all the way back home. She now understood what Richael meant when she told her that she was missing a lot of good feelings in her life by being single.

11:15 PM.
"Knock knock. Where is my Shizuka? 😊"

"She's here. Thinking about her Nobita. 😘"

"Aha. So... How was the hug?"

"Awesome. 😍 I wanted a big long hug. 🙈"

"Aha. I'm not comfortable giving long hugs in public though. 😛"

"I know. Me neither. 😅"

"BTW. My roommate is going home next week for Diwali vacations. You can come to my place if you want. We can hug as much as we want. 🤗"

Ashley was in a fix. She wondered if they were moving things too fast? And if it was right to go to his place alone? Ashley trusted Nick. She felt safer being around him more than she felt being around her dad. She just hoped that they would meet just for a hug. She was not ready for anything more. And what if Nick tried to? Ashley quit the thought because she blindly trusted Nick.

"Okay. I'll come. 😊"

"Yay. 😘"

"But only hug ha. Or you have something more in mind? 😛"

"Huh. You don't trust me? 😒"

"I do. More than myself. 😊"

"Good. 😊"

"Yes. My roommate is leaving. You will come today right?"

"Yes. What time should I come?"

"Come after having lunch. Around 2 PM."

"Okay. 😊"

"Park your vehicle outside the building. And when you reach down, give me a call. I'll open the door. Don't ring the bell. My neighbors are nosy. And don't remove your slippers outside. Come directly inside and remove. Okay?"

"Yes sir. 😅"

Ashley was finally going to have a lonely time with Nick. She was excited and nervous as well. She had never been alone with a guy other than one of her cousins. Ashley reached by 2:10 PM and did everything as Nick instructed.

Ashley removed her scarf and sat on the couch in the hall. She was wearing a dark navy blue skinny jeans and a pink top. Nickwore a blood red shorts with skull prints on it and a plain white T-shirt. He waved Ashley to follow him and gave a tour of his house. It was 2 bhk spacious flat. Ashley was surprised by the cleanliness and how organized everything was in the house. It's not what she expected to witness in a bachelor's house. They came back to the hall and sat on the couch. Both on opposite ends.

"Did anyone see you coming up?"

"No. The watchman saw but he did not ask anything."

"Okay." Nick smiled.

Then there was a moment of silence that seemed like an eternity to Ashley. She was staring at her feet. She was lost for words. She didn't know want to do next. She was not trained for a situation like this. Nickon the other hand was enjoying the moment. He was smiling and watching Ashley fidget with her scarf.

"So... You want a hug or not?"

Ashley got surprised and looked at Nick. He smiled and opened his arms for a hug. Ashley immediately rushed into his arms as if she was hypnotized and ordered to do so. Nick wound his arms around her. Ashley sighed. It was a sigh of relief. A relief of something big being achieved after years of wait. She hugged back firmly. After a few minutes, Nick started running his fingers over her back. Ashley felt ticklish but she liked it. She felt some strange new feelings that she could not explain.

After a moment, Nickspontaneously kissed Ashley's forehead. Ashley did not resist because she felt good and it was what she was thinking about in her mind. She smiled. Nick held her face in front of him and looked straight into her eyes. Ashley blushed. She had butterflies in her stomach. She had an idea where this was leading into as per the chick flick movies she loved. She craved it too. She couldn't resist but stare at Nick's lips. He slowly kept coming closer and finally their lips met. Her soul melted. Her first kiss! She closed her eyes and got lost in the moment. When Nick pulled back, she blushed and covered her face on his arms.

Ashley got ready to leave. She wore her slippers and wrapped the scarf around her face. Nick slowly opened the door and peeped to check if anyone was outside. He gave Ashley the green signal. Ashley quickly tiptoed outside. She waved goodbye and gave Nicka flying kiss.