Ashlyn hasn't spoken a word since the age of eight, and her heart's never felt more protected. But, when the confident and ever so charming Derek stumbles into her quiet little world, her emotions-and forbidden desires-have never been so loud.
...
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It had been two days since her encounter with Derek, and two days since Ashlyn had seen or heard from him. Early on Wednesday morning, she'd found herself standing outside his door; hand raised to knock. Before she could make those two gentle knocks, her apprehension stepped in and convinced her it was a mistake to see him. He wouldn't want to see her again anyway. It would only hurt her more when he shut the door on her, not that she didn't deserve it.
Torn between the matters of her mind and her heart, she had trudged back downstairs to open the café. Thankfully she had a stack of textbooks to keep her mind busy in between customers.
An hour and a half later, Ashlyn drummed her fingers against the counter in time with the Stevie Lujan song playing over the speakers, her eyes following the text on the page. A chocolate chip muffin sat half-eaten beside the coffee machine; the chocolate melted just slightly from the heat it was throwing off.
The textbook and printed articles before Ashlyn were an ensemble of blue and green, pink and yellow, lines and circles, and random notations. The morning had progressed slowly, only a couple of customers coming in for a sweet pick me up, allowing Ashlyn to set up a makeshift study nook behind the counter.
Kass moved around her wiping down the counters and restocking the inventory, humming a merry tune. Ashlyn pretended not to notice when Kass picked a corner off her muffin and discreetly moved it to her mouth, disguising the gesture as a cough. Ashlyn rolled her eyes before bringing both her hands down on the counter with a resounding thump. Kass jumped, some crumbs falling to the floor.
Did you know there are still debates going on, over a hundred years later, around the validity of all the claims made regarding Rasputin and his eccentric behavior, Ashlyn signed; a green highlighter held between her teeth. His actions often seemed to clash with his religious views, and they still don't know what, or if anything, happened between him and Alexandra. Here, take a look at this. She offered the textbook to Kass and watched as she read the highlighted text, her nose wrinkled with disgust.
Ashlyn tore a piece from her muffin and chewed it. A moment later, Kass snorted.
"...A renegade monk and sexual deviant, engaged in political sabotage and portrayed as a mystic healer, Rasputin inspired both condemnation and reverence in many during his lifetime..." Kass read aloud, pacing around the confined space.
"A larger-than-life figure in Russian history? Damn, he was a repugnant man, Ash. I don't know why you'd even want to write about him in your assignment," Kass scoffed, placing the book back on the counter. "I don't care what these historians say, I've seen Anastasia, and he was downright creepy!" She shuddered.
Not a suitable pairing for you then? Ashlyn wiggled her eyebrows playfully.
"Ash!" Kass groaned with revulsion and pretended to gag. Ashlyn gazed back with feigned innocence.
