"Come on, join us. Can I make you a plate?" Ash waved his hand dismissively.
"A glass of wine will be fine." He said. Mr Clifton was pulling out a chair next to Melissa but Ash went around him.
The chair next to Lola's was pulled out and she gulped when she saw him sit down.
Melissa looked over the table. She needed to see Lola's face and make sure that she was alright. She also wanted to scream across the table and ask what the hell was going on but luckily she had some restraint.
"Ash, how nice of you to join us. Who told you about the dinner?" Mrs. Blackwood asked. Ash thanked Mr. Clifton for the wine and swirled it in his glass.
"Nobody told me about the dinner. Jax said that Lola was spending the night at Melissa's so I figured I'd come and crash it. Be a part of girls' night and all that," he grinned. Everyone laughed as if it were a joke but they didn't realize the defining seriousness that was currently growing in the room.
Melissa sighed and opened another bottle of wine. She filled her own and Lola's glass before gulping it down in one go.
"Slow down, sweetheart!" Her mother said and grabbed her glass. "No more for you." She said and eyed her daughter.
"I won't need more," Melissa said and tried to blink the fog away. She puckered her lips and wiped her mouth.
Both Melissa and Lola knew the danger they were in, they knew that everything could flip in just a second.
They were looking at each other and Lola didn't notice that her glass was raised in front of her. Ash looked down at her with an intense gaze that fed her safety. She felt something moving onto her leg and looked down- Ash's fingers graced her thigh and his eyes narrowed on hers.
"Drink, it'll take the edge off." He whispered.
Ash turned back and locked eyes with Mrs. Blackwood in a challenging battle of dominance.
"By the way, Margret, your father called when you were out." He said lowly.
Lola choked back a gasp, Melissa was not so lucky. Her gasp was heard over the table and everyone turned to Mrs. Blackwood.
"I thought you lost your parents?" Melissa said.
She was seething on the other side of the table. If doom had a sound it would be the stillness of this moment. Her eyes took on a serpent-like form.
"I'm so glad you understand my loss." Lola seethed. The alcohol was turning on her, she was no longer relaxed but instead very much un-nerved and ready.
Lola pushed back the chair and gulped down the rest of the wine. Her head spun as she stood but she placed the glass down and walked out of the kitchen.
"Lola, sweetheart!" Mrs. Clifton called but Lola turned with one hand covering her face.
"I just need to use the bathroom." She murmured under her breath and staggered over the threshold.
She walked down the small hall. The door to the bathroom was open but a wind blew past and slammed it shut. Ash grabbed her shoulders and pressed her against the wall. His hand came up over her mouth when she angrily started swinging at his chest and screaming under his hold.
"Shh," he said against her ear.
The flowers on the walls were starting to spin and she closed her eyes to regain the focus that the wine had stolen.
"Lola, shut the fuck up or they will come." He whispered. His voice was raspy and sharp.
She panted against the palm of his hand and slumped against the wall. Her head fell back a little to hard but she enjoyed the pain of feeling something other than anger.
"We good?" Ash asked, scanning her eyes and feeling her nod against him. His hand slowly slipped from her lips pulling the bottom one down.
"I forgot you were human for a second. You probably shouldn't have drank that second glass." Lola scoffed.
"It was my third." She smirked.
Ash nodded. He put his hand on her waist and tilted her head back.
"You need to focus, Lola. Not only do you have to watch out for Margret but your best friends parents are the last people you need to pull into this." Lola stepped up and slapped his hand away.
"She's pulling them into this!" Ash's chest rumbled from a growl and his nostrils flared.
"What is up with this attitude? It can't all be alcohol-related. There's something else going on with you." He said.
Her shoulders slumped and Lola fell back again. It was a lot nicer for her body not needing to stay balanced. Ash noticed the imbalance and reached out. He grabbed her waist, boring his eyes into hers.
"If you try to slap them away again I will glue them to your body." He warned. Ash kept her steady while her eyes flickered around the hall.
"Why isn't Jax here?" She asked. Maybe now she would get some actual answers.
"He's busy."
She scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Great, thank you for the insight." She pushed off from the wall, her hands came down to remove his but Ash pressed her back again.
"Don't test me." He warned.
Lola looked down, her eyes quickly flickering over his lips before she turned her head.
The door further down on the right was to Melissa's room. Lola remembered the first time she came here and saw how they lived. She didn't show Melissa her own apartment for months because she was afraid of how she would react. One day Melissa showed up outside her door and let herself in. She slumped down on the couch took out her books and started studying, said she needed a break from her parents.
"It's his fault that I'm in this mess with your family and that my best friend was dragged into it. The least he could do was show up." Lola said honestly.
Ash took a step back, ran his hand over his face, and dropped his arms.
"He wanted to. I told him to stay back and continue working." Lola's jaw fell and her eyes shot daggers at his face.
"Why would you do that?" She asked in a breath.
"Because what he's working on is important and he had to do it while Michael and Margret were out." Lola smiled. At least he wanted to be here. That would have to be good enough for now.
Lola felt her heart tugging, wanting to go to him. She liked Jax more and more for each day but the distance he had created left an everlasting pit in her stomach.
The music blasted from the kitchen and Lola furrowed her brows.
"Why did you turn the music on when you came after me?" She asked.
"So that Margret wouldn't listen in." He said and cupped her face.
"Be prepared, Lola. And keep that pretty mouth shut because if you say the wrong thing or hint at the fact that you're keeping something from her she will not stop until she finds out what it is." Lola stiffened.
"I'm not keeping anything," Ash smirked and the mischievous glare in his eyes was back.
"Of course you're not." He winked. Ash leaned down, his thumbs slid over her cheeks and he noticed the tint on her face the closer he got.
"Do you believe in god, Lola?" He asked, his lips inching closer to hers.
She shook her head against his hands. "No. You?" Ash smiled but there was a storm in his eyes.
"I do. And I'm starting to think she has a maniacal sense of humor." He stopped, inches away from her mouth. "It's just my luck." He whispered and pulled back. His signature grin melted on his face and he turned around, heading back to the kitchen.
They walked back in time to see the Clifton's dancing over the floor.
Mrs. Blackwood immediately locked eyes with the two as they walked in, she knew something was going on but for some reason, Lola was quite protected.
Playing on Lola's emotions was her biggest shot at getting the truth out but there Ash was, ruining everything by telling the truth and turning the tables.
The glare intensified, and Lola couldn't help but shrink under the angry glare of her mother-in-law.
But a comforting hand wrapped around her arm and she was guided to the table. Ash sat Lola down next to Melissa and he took a seat on Lola's other side.
Ash leaned down, his lips hovered over her ear and he drew a breath- her scent lingering in his nose.
"Breath." He whispered.