Run. Just Run.

Chapter 48

He starts tickling her.

"Jaaaaaaaames! Staaahhhpppp!" Ashley spits out in between bouts of laughter. "Stooooppp! Pleeeeaaaaase?" She begs.

James stops. "All you had to say was please." He says with a smirk.

Ashley slaps his arm. "You're mean, you know that?" She says playfully. When James gets a hurt look on his face, Ashley slides over and hugs him. "I'm kidding!"

James and Ashley both laugh and then suddenly James remembers something. He leans over towards Ashley, reaches into his back pocket and pulls out the necklace.

"I got you something." James says with a smile. "Not sure if you'll like it, but I thought you might." He reaches out his hand and opens it.

Ashley's eyes light up and grow huge when she sees the necklace. She picks it up and runs her fingers over the metal part that says 'best friends'. She clenches it in her hand and wraps James in a huge hug.

"Not sure if I'll like it? I love it! Thank you Jay!" She says, squeezing him tight. Then after a minute, she lets go and gives the necklace back to James. He gets a confused look on his face.

"You...you said you like it!" James stammers. "Why are you giving it back?"

Ashley giggles. "I'm not giving it back. Aren't you gonna put it on me?" She says as she bites her lip. "Or do I have to put it on myself?"

James' face gets red as he takes the necklace. "Oh. Yeah. I forgot. Umm sure. I'll put it on you." He says, stumbling over his own words.

Ashley holds back a laugh. She can't help but laugh when James trips over his own words. She turns around and pulls her hair out of the way and feels James drape the necklace around her neck and tie it in the back. She puts her hair back down and turns back around.

"It's great, Jay. You're great." She says with a smile as she gives him another hug. "Thank you."

James and Ashley stay sitting there, side by side, arms wrapped around one another for a while, and then they decide to get up and go see what Boomer's doing. They find him sitting in a big chair in the living room, munching on a sandwich.

"Hey Asher....I mean Ashley. Hey James. I shore can't get used to callin' you two by them names o' yours." Boomer says as he chuckles.

James and Ashley laugh. "Yeah, sorry about that, but we couldn't tell anyone our real names." James says. "We didn't know who we could trust."

"Makes sense." Boomer agrees. "Oh, Sheriff Denton jus' called, an' he wants y'all to come down t' the office."

"Well then let's go!" Ashley says excitedly, pulling her shoes on and standing at the door, waiting for Boomer to get up out of the chair.

Boomer chuckles. "Ya shore don't waste no time, do ya?" He slowly gets up from the chair and walks over to the door, still munching on the sandwich. "Well then let's go!"