Chapter 19
Ashton finally relaxed after having a glass of warm water.
If Giselle hadn’t appeared earlier, he wouldn’t know what to do with Claire’s pestering. He couldn’t help but wonder why the former had returned after supposedly leaving.
As it sensing his confusion, Giselle pulled out a cellphone from her pocket. “Someone’s a scatterbrain.”
Seeing the familiar phone cover, Ashton knew he had accidentally left his phone in her car. He quickly took it and thanked her, “Thanks a lot, Giselle.”
Not just for returning his phone, but also for helping him tonight.
She laughed heartily. “Save that. Also, just call me Gigi from now on. By the way, If you have time tomorrow, let me buy you a meal.”
Ashton hesitated briefly and avoided her gaze.
Softly, he explained, “That woman is my ex. Although I’ve broken up with her, you can tell from how she acted earlier that I probably won’t jump into a new relationship so soon…”
His stance was clear. He was smart enough to know how Giselle felt toward him, and it was important for him to come clean about his inability to commit to a new relationship at this stage.
He knew how stubborn Claire could get, so before they cut off contact for good, he didn’t want to involve a third party in the mess.
That said, Giselle remained unwavering. She gently comforted him, “Don’t worry, Ashton. Even if you can’t reciprocate my feelings, I’ll still protect you because you’re my and Jake’s friend.
“So, don’t turn down my help. Just rest up tonight, and she won’t be able to harm you with me around.”
A sincere smile crept onto Ashton’s lips. “Thank you, Gigi.”
With that, she bid her farewell, ears flushed, and hurriedly left.
Perhaps because of Giselle’s consolation or her unwavering gaze, Ashton had a restful sleep that night.
The next morning, he headed downstairs to set out for work, as usual, but ran into Giselle. When he saw her messy hair and clothes from last night, an absurd thought sprouted in his mind.
“Did you stay here on guard the whole night?”
Giselle casually nodded. “Yeah. I was worried your ex would come back and harass you, so I waited around for a little longer. In the end, I was too tired to drive back, so I slept in the car instead.
“It’s perfect ‘cause now, I can drive you to work.”
Ashton pressed his lips together. “Why didn’t you come upstairs and sleep?”
She was momentarily dazed. Bashfulness overtook her expression as she averted her gaze.
“You were alone up there…” she mumbled, but he immediately understood her meaning.
Jake had gone on a business trip without returning home last night. Out of respect for Ashton, she chose to sleep in the car instead.
An inexplicable feeling rose in his chest, perhaps even sparking a current through his long–dormant heart.
Giselle looked at her wristwatch and gestured to the passenger side door. “Have you had breakfast? It’s still early. Why don’t we grab something to eat before I drop you off?”
Ashton had initially planned to grab a small bite at a random place across the street, but upon hearing her offer, he gladly nodded.
Once they had their breakfast, Giselle drove him to the company. “I’ll pick you up again when you get off work, Ashton!”
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As if afraid he would turn her down, she quickly sped off after that.
Through the car window, Ashton could see the unmistakable nervousness on her face. He stifled his laugh and composed a text message. “Alright. See you later.”
