Chapter 4
She and Chris had become fast friends. They both shared things in common, and enjoyed each other's company. Ashley found it a comfort to have him so close, becuase she knew if she needed anything he was right nextdoor. Chris was happy to have someone to talk to, someone new. He loved getting to know her, and what she was about. How she worked puzzled him, and it was a puzzle he wanted to figure out. He was a bit upset at Justin, becuase Chris knew that Justin had led Ashley on. But the fact that he kissed her, and then not followed up on that, with a date or phone calls, suprised him. Justin wasn't the type to date around. He got to know a person, and then went for it, all or nothing. In Ashley's case, he'd left her, high and dry.
"You still with me over there old man?" Ashley was working on her dance, and Chris had tagged along again. They had been working together for a few days, becuase Chris liked her company.
"Hey...I thought I told you...I'm not old!!" He said, shoving her lightly. She raised her eye brows in a challenge, and he took it.
"Cool off buddy...." Ashley said, as she poured the contents of her water bottle on Chris' head. His mouth dropped in shock, but he recovered and grabbed his bottle and started chasing her around the room.
As the two were running around, they didn't notice a silent figure step into the room. The man watched in amusment as the two laughed and soaked eachother with water. Well...as Ashley soaked Chris.
"Too fast for ya old man? Should I stop, and give you a chance to catch up?" She mocked Chris as he buckled and stopped to catch his breath. He looked up at Ashley but then saw Justin standing behind her. He smiled slyly, then wiped it off his face, so she wouldn't catch on.
Justin slowly walked up behind Ashley, and Chris stood up, stretching out.
"No...Justin gimme a sec...I'll get you..." He said, trying his hardest not to give Justin away.
"Yea right...old fart!" She turned to get another bottle when two strong arms grabbed her around the waist. She sceamed a blood curtling scream, but when she caught the sent of her attacker, she relaxed.
"Justin..Let me go! Please!...please..." She begged as Justin turned her around so her back was to his chest, and he held her arms.
"No one calls Chris an old fart....except for me!" As he said this, Chris dumped a full bottle of water over her head. He emptied the last of it over Justin as well.
"What was that for?" A soggy Justin asked, letting Ashley go as he tried to flee the water coming down over his head.
"For calling me an old fart!....I'm not old!" Chris laughed. Ashley threw Justin a look, and the charged at the same time, knocking Chris off his feet, and onto the couch behind him. "OW!!" Was all that could be heard, amongst fits of laughter from Ashley and Justin.
After wipping up the mess they had created on the dance floor, the three people sat down on the couch in the studio.
"So what brings you to my neck of the woods?" Ashley asked Justin as she wiped her face with a towel.
"I don't know. Chris had been raving about how awesome you were and I had to check it out...." He watched as Ashley walked over to the sterio. She looked amazingly fit in a pair of pink cloth shorts, rolled up; and a white tank top that followed all her curves. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun at the top of her head, and a simple gold cross hung at her neck, sitting in the little dip where her neck met her chest.
"Well...it's almost finished. My dance. I have to fine tune a few things, but I'd be happy to show you. Wanna see?" Ashley was full aware of the way Justin watched her. She could feel his eyes move from one part of her body to the next. She tried to shrug it off, but when she turned and he was starring right into her eyes, she shivered.
"Sure...show me what you got..." She could have taken that statement many ways, but she chose to let it go. She turned on the sterio, and again got lost in her own world.
Justin went through almost the same emotions that Chris did when he saw Ashley dance. She mesmerized him. Her every move was taken in and recorded into his long-term memorie. He had never seen such a beautiful site. Such passion eminated from her very soul that he felt it. After watching her, he knew that she was something special. She was different from any other person he had ever met, and now after seeing her in her element, he wanted her. Never in his life had he wanted someone more than he wanted this beauty in front of him.
Ashley finished, and looked over to see what Justin's reaction was. He was boring holes into her with his eyes as he studied her. She swallowed hard before trying to speak, but nothing came out.
"Justin..you're atracting flies..." Chris broke the silence by tapping Justin's gaping jaw.
"What? oh....thanks.." He said weekly. Chris just smiled. He had seen that look once before, and it was from himself. When he first met Dani, his ex-gilrfriend, and best friend, he had the same look on his face.
"I'll take that as a good sign..." Ashley said, as she turned away form Justin's prying eyes to grab her bag.
Justin finally found his voice, and he cleared his throat.
"Where did you learn to dance like that?" He asked, his voice husky.
"Um...I don't know. I just watched the world I guess. Music videos, people, I just let the music tell me what to do...it speaks to me and I just let it take me away." She sighed as she wiped her brow with a towel, and grabbed the cd out of the sterio.
"That was amazing." Was all he could say. Chris noticed him at a loss for words, so he spoke up.
"Anyone else hungry?" He said, helping Ashley with her bag. The three walked out the door, and Ashley locked it.
"I am. I could eat...what was that?" Ashley tried to remember a pharse that her grandfather would always tell her. "The east end of a west bound elephant." She giggled at the childhood memorie.
"That just nasty!" Justin said finally out of his daze, and back to his normal self. Or as normal as Justin could get.
"I know...I thought so too, but my grandfather was strange like that..." She chuckled again before reaching Chris' car. "Where are we eating?"
"How about...olive garden?" Chris asked.
"Um..Chris, that's a bit hard, we don't have security and that place can get croweded." Justin said, although he loved that restaurant.
"There's a great little sub shop down the street. It's usually not busy, but htey have great subs." Ashley offered. Chris and Jusitn exchanged glances before Justin spoke up.
"Sure...I'll follow you guys." He said climbing into his roadster. It looked somewhat like Chris' but the color was different. Chris and Ashley jumped into his car, and Ashley directed him on where to go.
After they all got their food, the went across the street to a park that we deserted. There was a pic-nic table under a big tree where they sat down to enjoy their meal.
"So Ash...you ever think of becoming a profesonial dancer?" Justin said between bites of his sandwich. Ashley shook her head no.
"No, I like my life, and job. As I told Chris I couldn't leave those kids. They're my everything and they deserve my time just as much as anyone else. Maybe even more. I've always wanted to be famous, but I don't think I could handle the pressure. I'm a very private person and seeing myself plastered all over America isn't something that's very appealing to me." She took a sip of her drink, and noticed Justin watching her closly. She avoided his eyes and tried her best to stay calm, but he was wearing her down.
"Cool...I was a private person....well we all know how that turned out." Ashley laughed as Chris made a grunting noise.
"I don't think i can go anywhere without someone telling me that they're favorite food is tacos and they make them with silver spatulas." He grinned at the thought..." It seems every teenager reads the same magazine."
"No...every magazing does the same interview." Ashley remarked.
"Too true...too true. Well enough about us, what about you...have you lived in Orlando all you life?" Justin asked, taking another bit of his sandwich, and steeling a few chips from Chris, who threw him a dirty look.
"No..I used to live in New Hampshire...I know, big difference from O-Town. I moved here with my mother and step-father. Um..that was about 5 years ago. The middle of my freshman year." She felt strange telling these guys her life story, a story which she usually didn't offer too much of. She was always one to trust, but she had been burnt too many times, so now she was very careful with who she let in her life. But for some odd reason, she trusted these two men infront of her. They gave her an unknown comfort. A Comfort which she would come to rely on heavily in the next few months...only she didn't know it......yet.
Chapter 5
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