THIRTY

Unable to take the sudden information as gently as possible, Ashley's legs soon became impatient and the made for the unrealizing woman who was still receiving a call and laughing.

"Stop Ashley. Don't be hasty."

She threw him a glare without thinking twice. "Don't talk to me about being hasty. You were already hasty when you looked for my parents without asking me."

If he was affected by the harshness of her words, he did not show. Instead, Dave pulled even closer to block her. "Think twice about what is running through your mind right now. Say I let you leave here, what are you going to tell her? Who are you going to say you are? Ashley, you need to keep a calm mind to tackle this."

Ashley threw his words to and fro her head. Her jaws clenching furiously, she knew he was sort of right. She needed to be very calm if she was going to tackle the issue driving her insane.

Taking one last look at the woman whom she had lots of questions for, Ashley sighed and entered the car. The confrontation had been shifted to a more suitable moment because there was no way Ashley was going to let the questions on her mind slide.

As Dave kicked the car to life and got it moving, Ashley stole a quick look at him, debating whether to make her thoughts about his actions known or not. Looking away and out the car window, she could not help but have the questions running through her head the other time return for some pondering.

Her supposed mother looked pretty young. She seemed to be in her early forties and her beauty was very much intact she could pass as Ashley's twin. The woman looked rich, very classy and that was where the question lay for Ashley.

Money didn't appear to be a problem for her biological mother, Ashley just had to wonder if she was that unwanted.

"Don't over think it Ashley," Dave quietly dropped as he took a quick swerve to the left.

Sparing him a side glance, she mumbled with a touch of intended clarity in her voice, "You should have told me."
As he sighed, Ashley suddenly realized he was the one driving. A deep frown on her face, she quickly said, "You are not meant to be driving."

"Well, you are clearly not fit to drive either considering that you are angry and all that."

Eyeing him, his goofy smile finding a way to chase out her anger towards him, Ashley replied, "You have just a good arm. So please, do me a favour and stop the car."

"But I am doing a great job driving you. Besides I have to think of ways to apologize for my act of inconsideration." His palm tapped the steering wheel. "I think this is a good start."

"Driving me doesn't count. I can order an Uber right now and I will get driven anyway."

He made a huff sound with his mouth. "I guess I have to move on to the next plan."

"Which is?" Ashley asked out of slight curiosity.

A thoughtful look on his face was followed by a shrug which led to him saying, "Something romantic maybe. You do like something romantic right?" he asked a huge smile on his face as his eyes met hers. When he saw her hard look was still maintained, he gave another huff.
"How about something simpler? I could cook for you for as long as you want. It is romantic too but not as grand as a vacation."

As much as she loved his attempts, Ashley was getting tired because of the way the day played out. "Dave... All I need from you is a simple apology."

"I..."

"Cooking for me actually doesn't sound bad though."

The room went silent for a while before Dave solemnly changed the atmosphere. "I really should have not taken a decision for you. Finding your parents is something you should have decided on your own. I am sorry for crossing that boundary."

Ashley, whose anger towards him had long dissolved while he was blabbing about romantic stuff, smiled and reached for his thigh. "You did cross a boundary, but I guess it is sort of a good thing."

"It is?"

She ran her hand through the roughness of his jean. "Yes, I finally got the answer to the hidden thoughts in my head. Besides, sooner or later I would have gone on a search myself."

An almost inaudible croak escaped his throat."Ashley...?"

"Yeah?"

"Please, get your hand off my thigh," he appeared to be keeping something in keeping him a bit distracted from his driving.

An unrealizing Ashley had a little frown on her face as she asked, "Why?"
He motioned down and when her eyes saw the reason for his discomfort, she gasped, withdrew her hand and asked with surprise, "Did I do that?"

Clearing his throat, he re-sat to hide the swell in his middle. "You have no idea what you do to me, do you?"

Her cheeks went warm and she said nothing. Looking out the window was all she did and the both the them did not say anything till they got home as the tension created by the little incident was one that had to be ignored otherwise they would have torn each other's clothes off then and there.


~

She could no longer take it any more. Grabbing her purse she made for the entrance.

"Ashley?"

"I have to meet her. The questions are eating me up."

Dave, whose sling had surprisingly come off already just nodded and reached for a bar of Snickers chocolate and handed it to her. "You might need this to keep calm."

Reaching to give him a quick kiss on the lip, Ashley said, "Thanks."

"That's all I get?" Dave asked before shutting the response on her lips up with a much more hungry, determined kiss. As he slowly detached his wanting lips from hers, Dave placed his forehead on hers so he was looking right into her eyes.

"What?" Ashley who was getting drunk on the icky moment they were having asked.

Reaching for a loose strand of her pulled up hair, he maintained a beautiful smirk that made Ashley wonder have she got so lucky. "Nothing," he gruffly replied. "Just make sure you don't allow whatever you find there affect you too much."

Ashley replied with a broad smile, gave him another quick kiss before jumping out of the trailer and into the car.

After a few minutes, the forty minutes ride left was beginning to seem like something she was likely to regret. The scenarios she had been painting in her head were not going so well.

But, no matter how much a part of her tried or kept trying to keep her from doing what her mind had set to do, she really wasn't going to budge.

That was the mindset she had throughout the ride and it soon landed her at the doorstep of her reality.

Her feet lingered at the driver's side as she stared at the house she had seen her supposed mother enter. It's expensive features were not hidden behind huge gates like other houses so Ashley was able to measure out how she could find her way around.

"Yes? Who are you?"
As she turned to reply the questioning male voice, the look on the man's face became more important. Immediately, while adjusting his robe, he asked, "Athena?"

"Uh?"

"Your mother has been looking for you."

"Uh?"

"You are her daughter Athena right? She was right, you look exactly like her."

"I..." Ashley really did not expect such a welcome.

"Gosh, she was afraid her father really had you murdered." Suddenly he grabbed the very confused Ashley and dragged her past the well trimmed lawn and into the house where a new reality awaited her.