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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They didn't speak again that night.
Ashlyn had taken the Monday off work to spend the day with her mother and Zion in the city, a decision that she was still uncertain had been the right call. Walking around Portland while her mother window shopped, and Zion prattled on about the price of diapers, she'd expected to be distracted from her thoughts. But instead, the outing only made her more hyper-aware of such thoughts, and she couldn't get Liam, or Derek's face the night before, out of her head.
By the time the party had migrated indoors, Ashlyn's tears had run dry, her heart was a shambles, and the back of her throat tasted distinctly of green apple.
She still wasn't sure how long the two of them had sat on the porch, long enough for the crickets to begin their song, and the fireflies to respond in dance. But she knew that the fragility of the moment would soon be lost. The emotions born would be retracted, the connection they'd shared, broken.
The thought of such filled Ashlyn with both relief and doubt.
When enough time had elapsed for Derek to compose himself, he'd stood, offered his hand to Ashlyn, and they'd made their way indoors. No one, aside from Abel, acknowledged their return. Seemingly all absorbed in the game of Pictionary, it was easy for Ashlyn and Derek to slip in behind unnoticed.
At least that was what Ashlyn had thought until Kass took her aside at Salt on Tuesday morning.
"So, where did you two disappear to the other night?" Kass waggled her brows, nudging Ashlyn in the ribs.
Ashlyn shrunk back, biting her lip with uncertainty. How was she supposed to respond to such a question?
Kass could not have been more wrong in her implications. It wasn't Ashlyn's place to say what had happened or why Derek had walked out. Nor was it her place to explain any of what had transpired between the two of them when on the patio. But she also couldn't let Kass go around believing that something had happened when it hadn't. That wasn't fair to anyone.
By the time they'd both returned to the group, no one could have suspected what had just transpired. Derek had made sure to put on a brave face, even engaging in the fun and games, in order to stave off suspicion. Ashlyn, often unconvincing in her lies, had quietly sat and observed, a thousand unanswered questions vying for her consideration.
With each clue presented in the mystery of Liam, it only led to more confusion and speculation on Ashlyn's part. She could have asked Abel, but that would betray Derek's trust. She didn't believe that Abel would tell her regardless, nor could she do that to Derek.
She was torn between respecting Derek's privacy and her battle to refrain from seeming nosy. She knew that when the moment was right if it ever was right, he would tell. Besides, it wasn't like she was rushing to tell him about any of her emotional scars.
