'She was a wild one, but some of us need the storm to feel safe.'
|| Book 1 in the Ashton Wright Series ||
|| Animal Kingdom ||
|| S1 - S3 ||
|| COMPLETED ||
No. 1 in #animalkingdom
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Ashton sat on the shore of the beach, a little way up from the water. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, her chin resting on her knees. She'd been there for not twenty minutes, Baz calling her not long ago asking her where she was. She looked up when familiar sneakers came to stand beside her, her gaze looking to find Eli standing there; his eyes set out on the water.
'Hey,' She greeted.
He looked down at her with a tight smile, moving to sit beside her. He took her hand without a word, threading his fingers through her own. She looked at him with furrowed brows, his gaze finally meeting her own. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles, the look in her eye making her swallow as she fought the urge to cry. He knew. He placed his lips to her knuckles once more, sending her over the edge with a simple gesture.
Tears began to drip down her cheek as she brought her hand up to cover her mouth, Eli pulling her close to press a kiss to her temple. Her body shook with each sob, her throat closing up as she gripped his hand tighter. Eli stayed quiet, letting her cry as he ran his fingers through her hair; occasionally rubbing her back. The girl tried to keep her sobs quiet, but she was finally accepting what she had learnt.
'Mum told me,' The boy finally whispered; 'I'm so sorry, baby doll... I'm so, so sorry. If I had've known, I would've done something... I swear, I would've.'
She shook her head, curling into him more.
'Ash,' He croaked.
The girl could only shake her head as she tried to get herself together, wiping at her cheeks as she sat up; looking over at him.
'It's not your fault,' She brushed some hair out of his face; 'Don't you dare blame anyone, but him.'
'I am... I'm just sorry it happened to you, that it was my father who did it,' He whispered as he leant his forehead against her temple.
'You're not him, Eli.'
She moved her head away from him to meet his eye, holding it strong as she spoke again.
'You're not him,' She whispered.
He nodded, his blue eyes watery. His gaze flicked down to her lips before he kissed her softly, holding the side of her face. And when they pulled back, they were both smiling through their tears. Ashton rested her head on his shoulder, entwining their fingers once more.
'Hey, Eli, I'm gonna have to ask you to go,' Baz stated as he walked over to them.
'It's fine, Baz. He's not gonna snitch,' She stated as she peered up at him.
He sighed, 'That's yours.'
The man passed her down a thick envelope full of money, his eyes flicking out to the water.
