A week later, they are once again on the departure area of the airport at City B."My grandfather sent over two bodyguards who will remain in the dark to watch over you. And a competent driver to allow you to go wherever you need to go," Ashton informed her.
"I understand."
"Give us a call if ever they found you first or found out that you really were not dead. We will mobilize all our people that are here. Though I myself do not believe them due to what happened to Ashley."
In reality these guards didn"t know that they were under the Wright Empire, what they knew was that they were a national team that protects those at the higher level.
Ashley and Ashton were low profiled when they came so those guards were unaware and was negligent.
"Okay."
Amber replied with the same one word answer, she is feeling down. They are finally leaving, leaving her here.
Seeing her dejected look.
"Come on, we"ll meet in another four years," Blake said before hugging her.
They really treated her as a younger sister and her character was truly admirable.
"That"s right, you chose this remember?" Devon followed before he too gave her a hug.
"You once asked me if you were scary, in reality you are quite scary because of how you look. But young miss, I will surely miss the scary doll I sometimes see in my rearview mirror," Carl walked closer to her and said with a bright smile.
Because of her love to coffee, she had pestered him a few times to go with her and buy a lot of stocks for the office.
He was also the one who drove her when she packed in order to move to the student council office.
She have come to enjoy his company when they went out for grocery, for the past month, she took it to herself to cook for all their meals.
This was her thank and farewell gift to all of them. Even though she kept saying that she wanted to stand on her own and not to have too much favors.
Their help was truly too great for her, if she never met them. And Ashton was not the one who faced her for the three year promise, surely this smooth sailing year of hers wouldn"t be the same.
"When we meet again, I"ll make you a better tasting coffe, young miss," Carl added before giving her a hug as well.
Carl may be far older than them but they all treat him as a friend and an elder brother. His careful consideration and the way he took care of them was just like that of an elder brother.
"I"ll look forward to that," she sniffed before letting Carl go, she somehow feel heavy after letting him go.
Ashton walked to her last and as she was ready to hug him, he instead lifted her head and the next thing she knew, his face was so close to her and she felt his soft lips in hers.
Her eyes grew wide, the same goes with the other three before the three of them looked away. Not one have expected him to actually make such move. Since when did he have such intention?
His lips moved and Amber could only held his jacket tightly. She stood still as she closed her eyes tightly as well.
A few moments later she heard him chuckle, "You need to breath."
She could still feel his breath as she opened her eyes and found out that she really didn"t breath, when he was kissing her. She was holding it in while she stood still like a post.
But Ashton"s face was still close to her and the mole under his right eye looked too charming. She blinked a few times as she felt her young heart flutter from this look.
"You are still underaged and too young, I can"t kiss you much deeper."
His words were teasing as he finally stood straight and smirked at her.
"You- Since when did you become a rogue?" Amber finally found her voice as her face turned red, reaching her ears and neck.
She let his jacket go that showed signs of wrinkles after being held tightly by her.
Ashton chuckled, "When I see you again, I will no longer hold back."
He turned around and entered the gate.
"Uhmmm Amber, he really has that trait. Bye bye, see you again," Blake commented with a laugh.
The year they spent with Amber, Ashton slowly reverted back to the way he was before. He was warm but at the same time, have this teasing att.i.tude to those he holds dear.
"You helped him slowly revert back. Goodbye Amber, take care of yourself," Devon added before following the other two.
"I look forward to the future of the two of you, goodbye now young miss," Carl was the last who waved her good bye.
Amber was left there staring blankly for a while before she touched her lips. Then her faced turned red all over again upon remembering the kiss.
She was so focus on her daily life and her company, she never had the time to think about things such as love.
But for the first time in her seventeen years of life, she felt her heart beat fast. And his face kept appearing on her mind.
"That rogue," she could only stomp her foot before looking outside and watched a number of planes flying away.
"Wait for me then," she then muttered with a smile before walking out of the airport.
It"s time for her to face everything seriously, it"s time for her to step out there on her own. Really on her own.
*****
"Hey Ash, that..." Blake, who was sitting beside Ashton, spoke the moment they sat down.
"What?" he asked with a raised brow.
"Don"t what me, since when did you have such thoughts towards her? Have you noticed this Devon?" he then asked Devon who was on the other side.
All of them are sitting on the first cla.s.s. Since they lived frugally, compared to their usual expenses, they no longer held back for their travel back.
"Nope, not a clue," Devon shook his head as he too looked at Ashton.
"You Carl? Have you? You were with him the longest," Blake then looked at Carl.
"I have not noticed it as well," Carl replied with a defeated smile.
He was always with Ashton yet he didn"t notice it at all, he too felt bitter about it. Just how good was his young master in keeping his emotions? He was with him for ten years you know.
"So when? When did it happen?" Blake looked back at Ashton to continue asking him.
"No wait, you were still very much inlove with Madison on your birthday, that was just five months ago bro."
"I was no longer in love with Madison, I only felt guilt towards her. The three years here allowed me to think things over. The pictures and pa.s.swords were only there because I still couldn"t let go of my own guilt."
Ashton knew that if he didn"t explain it now, this guy wouldn"t leave him alone.
"Then when did you think of Amber as a woman?"
Somehow Ashton regretted kissing her in front of this bunch of people, for even Carl and Devon are looking at him curiously.
"Who knows," he replied before putting on his earphones and closing his eyes.
Blake could only sit back dejectedly, Ashton wouldn"t answer him no matter how he ask now. He might end up being thrown off the air plane if he still insisted in asking.
Ashton whose eyes were closed open them again and looked down from the window.
"That girl have so many things in her mind, four years is quite long. Someone else might end up being by her side and she might cancel the engagement if I don"t leave something for her to remember."
If his friends were to know of what was on his mind, they would look at him agape.
That girl was just sixteen bro, at least until she get her revenge she wouldn"t have time to worry about her love life. Since when did you become so much of a rogue? You were not this much in the past.
Ashton sighed after his thought, even back with Madison, despite being a thirteen year old boy. He never had such thoughts, he only felt at ease when he was with Madison.
It took a while before he realized that he liked her and the only reason his emotions were still tied to Madison was because he was the reaon why she was tortured in the first place.
And he also couldn"t do anything when she was lied to by the ones who hurt her in the first place.
So his first emotions of still loving her slowly turned to guilt alone and he no longer see her as a woman he had loved.
Who would have thought that Amber whom he met for just a year, someone who never backed away from him no matter how cold he was, someone who could be a stranger for him. Would make him fall for her?
A smile appeared in his handsome face after remembering her look after the kiss.
Seeing this, Blake and Devon looked at each other before shaking their heads with a smile.
This is indeed a fruitful three years.