AT LOVE 10

hapter 10 

ASHLEY 

I walked back into the waiting room, spotting Violet immediately. Her shoulders relaxed when she saw me, her chest rising as she let out a relieved breath. 

“That took you forever,” she said, a playful glint in her eye. “You sure you weren’t solving a national crisis in there?” 

A dry chuckle escaped me. “More like surviving one,” I muttered under my breath, dropping into the seat beside her 

My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag, the leather digging into my palm at the reminder of what happened in the restroom.The taste of him still lingered on my lips, a cruel reminder of what had just happened. One kiss. That’s all it took to unravel everything I had built to keep myself together. 

I thought I had already moved on, but today’s encounter with him had shattered that assumption. That crazy kiss had awoken emotions I thought were long buried. 

I unconsciously hit my forehead, trying to shake off the lingering effects 

“Hey,” Violet said, her voice laced with concern. “Are you okay?” 

I should’ve known better. Violet could read me like an open book, no matter how hard I tried to close it. 

“Yeah,” I mumbled. Then, after a pause, I let the truth slip out. “No… I saw Kyle.” 

Her eyes widened, surprise flickering across her face. “You mean him? You saw him again? Now?” 

I nodded, staring at the floor as if it held all the answers. “I… I stumbled into him in the restroom,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her about the kiss, not yet. I was still wrestling with the guilt and disappointment in myself. 

She was quiet for a moment, chewing on her lower lip the way she always did when she was deep in thought. 

“So…” she began cautiously, “how are you holding up?” 

I froze, my head snapping up. “What do you mean? Of course, I’m fine.” 

“No, Ashley. The truth,” she pressed gently, her blue eyes locking onto mine. “You just ran into Kyle. That’s not nothing.” 

A shaky laugh escaped me, humorless and hollow. “Violet, I’m fine. Really. It was just… unexpected, that’s all.” 

Her silence told me she didn’t believe me. 

“You don’t have to pretend with me, Ashley,” she said softly. “I know how much he hurt you.” 

My chest tightened, and for a moment, I couldn’t speak. “It’s been two years, Vi,” I said finally. “I’ve moved on.” 

“Have you?” she asked, her voice laced with a quiet challenge. 

I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly. “I don’t have a choice, do I? That chapter of my life is over.” 

“But seeing him again…” she began, but I cut her off. 

“Seeing him again doesn’t change anything,” I said firmly. “It just reminded me of why I left. That’s all.” 

Violet sighed, the concern in her voice unmistakable. “Ash, I just don’t want you to bury this. You deserve closure-” 

“Closure?” I interrupted, my tone sharper than I intended. “Closure isn’t always an option, Vi. Sometimes you just have to accept the way things are and 

move on.” 

She didn’t argue, but her silence spoke volumes. I felt a pang of guilt for snapping at her, especially knowing how much she was dealing with herself. 

“Look,” I said, softening my tone. “I appreciate you worrying about me, but I’m okay. Really. Right now, the only thing that matters is making sure you and the baby are okay.” 

Violet hesitated but eventually relented. “Alright,” she said quietly. “But if you ever want to talk about it… you know I’m here.” 

“I know,” I replied, forcing a faint smile even though it felt far from genuine. “Thanks, Vi. Now, let’s get you home. Ryan’s probably convinced we’ve been 

abducted by aliens. You need rest–doctor’s orders, remember?” 

Her lips curved into a soft laugh. “Fine, fine. Let’s go.” 

We stood up and made our way out of the hospital. Violet launched into a lighthearted rant about how her baby had been giving her a hard time lately- restless nights, unexpected cravings, and the occasional mood swings. I tried to keep up, nodding and adding a few comments here and there, but my mind kept drifting back to the encounter I’d just had.