Ashley Ch. 02

She surrounded my neck in her arms, gazing into my eyes. I lifted her with my right arm beneath her knees and my left supporting her back. We were like newlyweds bursting through the church doors to a new future together. My mind became clouded with visions of Ashley in a ravishing white dress, her groom none other than me. Deep down I knew I could never be that man, but the image still lingered. Is it feasible for Ashley and I to someday get married? There's no doubt she's the only one who can make me feel the way I do, but do I have the same effect on her?

"Brian, are you okay?" Her gentle voice awakened me.

"Yeah, I am. Let's get going." We exchanged smiles, hers filled with faith, mine with a tad of despair.

Marriage. Why was I thinking about something like that when I wasn't even old enough to drink? There was plenty of time to see how things would turn out. The summer had a couple more months to go, and surely our love would blossom beyond the season. First and foremost, I had the task of carrying my perfect woman to her room. She deserved the sleep after all the emotions she had gone through.

I laid Ashley on her bed, her eyes half-asleep. "Bry... don't go..."

"Shhh, don't talk. I'll be right here."

"Thank you. I love you."

"I love you, Ash." I kissed her on the forehead and draped a blanket over her body. Too tired to do anything else, I crawled beneath the sheets beside her.

Fortunately, our parents leave for work before we wake up in the mornings, so there was no need to worry about exiting Ashley's room and getting caught. My all-night studying and web-surfing sessions have taught me our parents don't check in on us before they leave for work either. Justifying the situation might be a bit tricky if I was to somehow get busted, but my exhaustion prevented me from analyzing the off chance any more than necessary. Sleep kept sounding better and better.

I held my sister's waist and drifted toward her neck. When said she wanted to be closer to me, she wasn't kidding. Nuzzling my nose in her hair, I silently dozed off with Ashley in my arms.