Page 21 of Ashley & the A-Listers (Sweetverse)

21. SLEEPOVER

ASHLEY

Cameron’s temporary apartment was… nice.

Extremely nice.

Ashley was used to wealthy clients, athletes and pop stars. In the gym all of that fell away, for the most part. But it was impossible to avoid as she took in the industrial minimalism of Cameron’s place.

“It’s rough, I know,” Dylan murmured near her ear before moving on to peer in each room.

Oh. He’s doing a walkthrough.

Dylan was doing his job, even now. And suddenly Ashley had more appreciation for him, that he took his job seriously.

Hot.

“It’s a little more… bare than I’m used to,” Cameron admitted, and motioned her forward. “But I’m only renting while I’m here for filming.”

The couch and matching chair were all sharp lines and stiff corners, but the television was large, and there was a giant egg-shaped beanbag-looking chair tossed on the other side of the couch. It was entirely gray and beige and harsh white.

The lights were bright and downright offensive after all the warm sunlight they’d absorbed that day.

“It’s nice,” she said softly. Was her voice echoing?

“The couch is comfier than it looks, I promise,” Cam said, a soft smile on his lips.

River walked right in, toeing off his shoes by the door—Ashley followed suit—and… waited.

“We’re clear,” Dylan said, returning from his walkthrough.

As if that’s what Cam and River were waiting on, they dispersed for showers, and Dylan followed them after encouraging Ashley to make herself at home.

So this is where he’s been staying, she thought, eying the opulent steel.

Ashley’s house was full of outdated furniture and cozy rugs covering the carpet she and Dylan had a hand in staining as little kids.

The tile floor beneath her feet was cold even through her socks, and chills were pebbling her arms.

She resisted the urge to snoop. Barely.

The kitchen and bar was to her left, white cabinets with marble countertops and more of that bright lighting.

It felt cold and impersonal, and not at all what she would’ve imagined an omega’s home to look like. It felt wrong for Cameron, and she couldn’t shake it.

The beanbag was ultra comfy, and Ashley sank into it. It separated her from the couch, from the others. Gave her a bit of space from them and this life they had.

Alone, Ashley sucked in a deep breath and was hit with only a faint scent of Cameron. Weird. He’d lived here for over a month. Why was his scent absent from the central room?

Why are you trying to sniff him out, anyway?

Ashley huffed and pulled out her phone, aiming to decide what she wanted for dinner.

She’d gotten fancy pasta at the high-class restaurant the night before, so maybe she’d make them all suffer with greasy fast food.

No. She wanted to see Cameron with the basket and checkered paper, not takeout boxes, so she kept scrolling.

They could save that for another day.

Another day?

Ashley swerved right around that realization, refusing to face it just yet.

River was the first to return, and looked awfully smug about it. He carried with him his own scent, sweetened by whatever soap he’d used.

He dropped down onto the couch and arched a brow. “Picking dinner?”

“Not without me!” Cam said, practically sliding into the room on his socks.

Once Dylan returned, they ordered dinner. Crab rangoons were calling Ashley’s name, and she shamelessly enjoyed them while Cam looked on sadly.

“I cannot wait until filming is over,” he mused, turning to River. “I expect an extra large cheese pizza with extra- extra cheese and every topping imaginable waiting for me. And a milkshake.”

River chuckled, his mouth full of rice and orange chicken. “Consider it done,” he murmured with a soft smile.

Their takeout containers littered the coffee table, and Ashley melted into the beanbag as she finished her food.

“One more thing,” Dylan said, dusting his hands off. He stood from his seat on the floor and trailed into the kitchen before she heard the suction of the fridge opening. Then the rattle of plastic, and… the familiar snick of a lighter.

Ashley cocked her head to the side, eying Cam and River, who looked pleased.

Finally, Dylan rounded the corner again and… her mouth dropped open.

She sat up as Dylan walked back toward them, holding a little cheesecake with a single lit candle. The flame flickered dangerously and he had to slow down.

“Happy birthday,” he said, catching her gaze. His face was cast in soft yellow light, and her heart seized.

This fucking alpha…

“Happy birthday to you,” Cam began singing, and River and Dylan joined in.

It was the best birthday song she’d ever had to endure.

Her throat was tight as their voices trailed off, and she cleared it before drawing in a breath.

“Don’t forget to make a wish!” Cam said.

I want a happily ever after, she wished, and opened her eyes to blow out the candle. A pack, the white picket fence. She wanted it all. It went out with a puff, and her lips curled like the smoke through the air.

“What flavor is it?” Ashley asked.

“Well, they didn’t have anything weird, so I got a swirl—the best of both worlds,” Dylan said with a wink.

A wink!

God. She was done for.

Ten years of holding a grudge, only for it to evaporate into thin air from a little kindness, a little communication. Kenzie and Jordan might give her a hard time about it, in that loving best-friend way, but Ashley felt… content. It felt right, to let Dylan back in again. To be here, with all three of them.

“What constitutes ‘weird’?” River asked.

“I don’t know. Something besides chocolate and vanilla. What’s that green stuff you used to like?” Dylan asked, waving a hand over his shoulder as he trailed to the kitchen for small plates.

“Matcha?” she guessed, absolutely floored that Dylan remembered such a small detail.

“That’s it,” he called out. “Matcha and cherry.”

Cam and River shared a smile, and she narrowed her gaze. What are you so happy about? she wanted to ask.

Her stomach and chest were a whirl of too many feelings. Confusion danced with the excitement of a crush that had never faded, and she wanted to give into it.

As he returned with the plates, a knife, and forks, she realized it was a futile game.

She’d already forgiven this alpha.

She’d folded so quickly for him. Which is what she knew would happen, even all these years later.

She was weak for this alpha, and not even ten years of bitterness could contend with the past few weeks she’d spent with him.

Reading his little books at the gym, and looking at pictures of her mom, planning a picnic to go with the last-minute hike and that gift and now… this.

He cut her a slice first, and the fudgy ganache was heavy and delicious on her tongue, the cheesecake moist and spongy and soft.

“Oh, it’s really good,” she practically moaned. Besides her coffee on a good day, she didn’t indulge in sweets too much, and this was extra sweet.

“Okay, fine, I’m eating a small piece. My nutritionist can sue me,” Cam declared, and made grabby hands at Dylan.

The alpha’s lips twitched, but he dutifully cut a small slice for Cam before passing it over.

“Oh my god,” Cam whined, and Ashley stiffened with the desire to respond to it. “This is so good.”

“I chose well,” Dylan gloated.

“So when do we get the story?” River asked. “You two grew up together, right?”

Ashley hesitated with the fork in front of her and slid it between her lips as she met Dylan’s gaze.

Do we tell them? he seemed to ask.

I don’t really care — they’re your sins, she wanted to say.

“We grew up together, yeah. Dylan and I went to the same schools and didn’t live too far from one another,” she offered. She’d let Dylan fill in the rest.

“Oh my god, that’s cute,” Cam said. “Did you present at the same time?”

Ashley’s heart banged around her chest at the sensitive subject, anticipating Dylan’s answer. “Uhhh, no,” Dylan said, cheeks flushing. “I presented before Ashley, and left with my sister—an omega—to look after her at college. Or at least that’s what I told myself I was doing,” he said, lifting his eyes. Their stare lingered, and his eyes softened when he looked at her.

It made her chest hurt.

“I was a young, scared idiot. Then it all blew up in my face and Wes found me. Been there ever since.”

“And now you’re here,” Ashley mused. Despite all the time and distance and stubbornness that had separated them, Dylan ended up right here.

Within reach again.

“So… movie night?” Cam asked, cutting through the tension with the ease of a knife.

The lock of their gazes broke and Ashley cleared her throat. “Depends. Do we get to watch one of yours?”

“Absolutely not,” Cam declared, and then paused. “But you are the birthday girl, so I guess you can choose whatever you want.”

Ashley grinned. She wouldn’t choose one of Cam’s because she wanted all of them to have a good time. “How about a comedy?”

They finished their cake, and Dylan did the dishes like a good little alpha before joining them. He sat with his back to the couch while Cam and River curled up together, and Ashley sank into the bean bag.

It had been a long day, full of emotional revelations and laughter and sunshine and cheesecake.

No one could blame her for falling asleep halfway through.