Page 26 of Impulsive Saint
“Uh… kinda.”
“What does that mean?” Ashtyn tensed, instantly wary.
“Well, turns out you’re not the only one that felt they needed to get away. Aaron went on your honeymoon.”
Ashtyn gaped, “By himself?”
“Not exactly. Your father sent one of the security guards to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“Aaron would never.”
“Maybe not before, but he wasn’t the super calm, collected guy you were supposed to marry when he left here, Ash. He was angry. Like, visibly angry. I’d never seen him like that.”
“God. Do you think I should call him?”
“Definitely not.” Kelsey snorted. “Leave him to put himself back together and you focus on you for a change. Enjoy your trip. Have your wild adventure. Just be safe and come home to us in one piece okay?”
“I will. I promise.”
“Good.” Kelsey sighed, “And I’m glad you called. Please check in with me again tomorrow so I know you’re still okay?”
“Yeah, of course.” Ashtyn bit her lip, “My parents…”
“Are dealing the best they can. I’ll let them know where you are and that you’re safe. That should help calm your father down a bit. I don’t recommend you call him either just for the record. He’s only going to demand you come home immediately and you’d let him guilt you into it. Let me deal with your father for you and just focus on having fun for once in your life.”
“Thank you Kels.” Ashtyn’s throat felt tight with emotion again. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve such an amazing best friend, but I love you.”
“Love you too babe. Now, go enjoy your trip of a lifetime and remember, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“That’s a short list.” Ashtyn teased in their usual way.
“Exactly.” Kelsey blew an air kiss through the phone. “Talk soon.”
“Bye.”
Ashtyn hung up and then put the big orange telephone on the vanity. She dropped her head into her hands and let a couple of the tears that had been clinging to her lids fall. She wasn’t sad. It wasn’t that. But she did feel bad knowing she’d caused Aaron so much pain that he’d gone on their honeymoon alone. She hated that she’d let him down, let her father down, let them all down. But she knew that Kelsey was right.
She had to do this. She had to make this choice for herself. She couldn’t put what anyone else wanted ahead of her own needs. Not anymore.
With a deep breath to bolster her energy, Ashtyn stood back up and began to peel her clothes off. They were dusty and dirty so she tossed the outerwear into a heap on the floor, unsure what else to do with them. She couldn’t put them in her backpack with her clean items. That would defeat all purpose.
She was more careful with her bra and panties. She rinsed each of them beneath the warm water of the shower and then hung them up on the towel rack to dry as she finally climbed into the shower with the small supply of personal items that she’d purchased at Target the day before. Since this bathroom seemed to offer a small bar of soap as it’s only amenity, she was glad she’d prepared in advance for this at least.
The lilac scented shower gel soothed her as she washed away the dirt and grime of the day. The shampoo she’d bought wasn’t anything special but she’d splurged and gotten a small bottle of conditioner too and by the time she rinsed her hair under the slightly more than lukewarm water, she’d managed to get all the tangles out. She did a quick shave and felt more than halfway human again by the time the water turned icy and she was forced to leap out of the shower or risk freezing her tits off.
The lone towel in the bathroom was stiff and questionably clean but she had no choice but to use it to dry herself off. Her undergarments were still damp so she left them hanging and grabbed a new set from her bag along with a second pair of pants and a tank top. By the time she reapplied a little color to her cheeks and swiped on some mascara she felt like a new woman.
There wasn’t much she could do about her hair since there wasn’t a blow dryer in the bathroom so she piled it into a messy bun and hoped it would pass as stylish instead of sloppy. When she reemerged from the bathroom, she had no idea how much time had passed. She half expected for Tyler to be sitting on the edge of the bed, ready to berate her for using all the hot water but she paused when she caught sight of him.
He looked as though he’d all but collapsed face first onto the sheets. He’d removed his shirt after she left the room and she swallowed hard as she glimpsed his broad back and the tattoos that had been hidden from her view all day. He was still wearing his jeans and she wondered if he’d left them on for her modesty or if he’d only been planning to rest his eyes until she came back out of the bathroom, except she’d taken so long he’d fallen into a deep sleep.
His head was turned to the side, facing her, and his dark lashes fanned his cheeks. He had a dark five o’clock shadow that covered his hard jaw now but despite the edges, he looked peaceful and soft in sleep. His back rose and fell with deep, even breaths and she bit her lip, not wanting to wake him when he clearly needed some rest, not even when her stomach growled with hunger.
She had a feeling if she tried to sneak his wallet out of his back pocket that he would definitely wake up and it wouldn’t be in a better mood. She glanced out the window of the motel, wondering what to do next, and caught sight of a small neon sign on a little shack of a building she hadn’t noticed before across the street.
The blue letters simply said BAR.
Ashtyn glanced at Tyler again and then made her decision. He’d given her shit about not having ID or money and she’d told him that girls like her didn’t need it. Now was her chance to prove it. She slipped her boots back on and then her leather jacket. She checked herself in the mirror, adding a dab of lipstick from her bag before confirming that she looked as good as was possible in these circumstances.
