Chapter 5
It took Ashley a good thirty minutes to accomplish the task of penning her misery.
She spent fifteen minutes recalling the hurtful past. And the remaining time, she spent furiously attacking the paper.
And honestly, after all that, she really felt some relief.
Soon, she was out of the car, walking towards Dave, who seemed to be watching the birds in the sky.
Still finding the cemetery a bit creepy, she announced as quietly as possible, “I’m done.”
Dave turned. “Good. Hand it over, please.”
After giving it to him, she stood beside him, her calm expression turning into mild surprise when Dave didn’t take a single peep at the paper. Instead, he folded the paper into a plane.
Once he was done, he handed her the paper plane.
Then, with no warning, Dave whipped out a gun.
“Whoa, whoa. Hold on. What on earth is a gun here for?”
“Calm down…”
“Don’t freaking tell me to calm down, Dave. We’re in a fucking cemetery, and you have a gun!”
“Seriously, woman, please have some respect for the dead.”
“You-”
“Calm down.”
“Why?”
“Because the only thing we’re killing here is what you’ve written in that paper.”
“Huh?”
Ashley was now close to believing that it was this man who needed therapy, not her.
“Ashley…” He reached for the paper plane which she had nearly squished during her earlier freak-out. “We are going to fly this plane and shoot it down.”
Nah, this man was definitely nuts.
But… somehow his ridiculous talk made sense?
“Do we… Do we have to use a gun? I’m not licensed for it.”
“And that’s why I’m here.” His accent was deeper this time. “So, are you ready for this?”
She nodded.
With a confident smile, he sent the paper flying.
As she watched that one sojourn ahead, the words she had written all came back to her, creating a surge of anger she hadn’t expected.
Without warning, Dave grabbed her hand, forming her fingers around the gun.
“Carefully, put your hand on the trigger,” he murmured, his breath against her neck. “Good… Now…” His fingers traced hers as he ensured her form was correct. “We just keep trailing the paper.”
“O-Okay.” She was sort of getting distracted by how close he was, but she had a mission to shoot down her anger. “Do I shoot now?” she asked as he directed her hands to a slightly higher position.
“Only when I say so.”
She nodded.
“Be ready…” They both trailed the paper, which had gotten quite far. “And… Shoot!”
That was all she needed to hear.
Not minding the recoil of the silent gun, she attacked the paper with all she had.
Her emotions overflowed again as she remembered why she had become this horrifying shadow of herself. She couldn’t stop her screams even after the paper visibly shredded apart mid-air.
And even after the paper was completely gone, even after the bullets had finished, she kept shooting. Because she could now see the haunting image of her ex with her mother like a painting in the sky.
She really couldn’t escape the way this overwhelming release entrapped her in deep emotions.
Until…
She felt Dave’s lips clash against hers after sharply twirling her to face him.
The delightful rush that trickled through her made her forget a huge chunk of her anger.
Ashley responded to the kiss without much thinking, her legs propping higher to receive more of the gentle yet intense lip lock, which felt like a message from the universe that maybe she wasn’t doomed to remain submerged in her haunting sorrow.
And damn, the way Dave caressed the roots of her, the way he tilted his head to gently tug at her lips, and how his other hand cupped her waist closer and closer while she circled her arms around his neck… Ashley was aware of it all.
So, when the kiss came to an end, she shuddered like she had lost the most precious thing.
“God knows I’ve wanted to do that ever since setting my eyes on you.” Dave’s voice wasn’t so stable, that added to the allure of how his eyes couldn’t tear off hers.
Ashley, on the other hand, could only reply with her rapid exhales while being aware of how closely they were standing.
They remained like that for minutes.
For what reason?
Ashley couldn’t point out that, but she recognised the peace she felt just by standing with this man like that.
So, she decided to open up about the question he asked the last time.
“My story is quite sad but funny,” she said.
Dave smiled. “Hit me with it. I’m sure I can take it.”
Ashley chuckled. “I caught my ex in bed with another woman. And that woman? She was my mother.”
“Your mother?” His shock was not hidden.
Didn’t he say he could take the hit?
“My freaking mother.”
“I… Why? How?”
“I really don’t know how any of that happened. I don’t even…” She shrugged. “I don’t get why it happened.”
“Hey,” Dave softly called, cupping her cheeks. “I have an idea.”
Hoping it was another kiss, she whispered. “What’s that?”
He didn’t reply. He just grabbed her hand and steadily led them towards the car.
“Dave? I hope this idea doesn’t involve guns.”
“Nope.” He stopped to face her, a mischievous smile on his face. “But it does involve your ex-husband.”
~~~
“Dave.” Ashley wondered if this man had a knack for taking her to unusual places. “This is my mother’s house.”
“Your ex lives here now,” he replied, unbuckling his seatbelt.
“That cheap bastard,” Ashley cursed under her breath.
This was the home where her father and mother once lived happily.
“I’m hoping we get to release some of your anger in this place. I say some because emotions can be tricky.”
“Uh…” She studied the calm on his face, wondering what story Dave Scott had.
A sharp exhale from the man, and he said, “Okay. Let’s go in.”
“Go in? What for? How… how did you even get this address?”
“I have my ways, Ashley Steve.”
“What are your ways?”
“I am a rich man with the ability to hire people to look into people.”
“So you paid people to stalk me.” She shook her head. “I won’t be wrong to think that you have an alternative reason for approaching me.”
“About that…” He looked away from her. “I do have an alternative reason for approaching you.”