Broken Souls (9 page)

Marco cleared his throat and disengaged his hold. “What if we looked together?” he asked,
looking over her shoulder at the wardrobe filled with clothes. “Wait, what about that?” His gaze snagged on the canary yellow dress in Ashley’s other hand. “That’s very Gabby,” he suggested, fixing her with a brief smile.

Ashley paused and took in the dress.
“You’re right. It’s perfect for her to wear,” she agreed. “It was also the dress she was going to wear the night of the accident, but she decided against it in the end.”

“
Merda
,” Marco sighed, slapping his hand against his forehead.

“We can choose something else?”

“No.” He shook his head and took the dress out of her hand. “We’ll go with this because you picked it.”

“Are you sure?”

“
Si
.”

The next morning, Ashley was surprised to find Marco in the kitchen making a cup of coffee. For some reason, she had expected him to be gone by the time she got up and ventured out of her room. But she was definitely wrong in this case.

“Good morning,” she spoke quietly, leaning
her weight against the counter separating the kitchen from the living room.

“
Buongiorno,
cara.
Coffee?” he asked, holding up the kettle to her.

Shaking her head,
Ashley pushed away from the counter. “I’ll get some juice,” she said, grabbing a glass from the draining board and opening the fridge. She watched Marco out the corner of her eye as he picked up his mug and headed for the sofa.

Picking up her glass, she followed him and sat down.
“I’m sorry about last night,” she mumbled, tapping her fingers against her glass.

Marco took a sip from his mug and placed it on the coffee table. “I
shouldn’t have asked you to do that.” He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back to look at her. “I was going to leave early this morning, but after last night, I wanted to make sure you were alright first.”

“
I don’t think you realise how much I appreciate having you around at the minute. Not just because of last night, but over the last few days as well.”

“
Grazie
,” Marco smiled. “You know I’m always here for you,
cara
.”

His words squeezed at her heart. “But when you go back to Milan...” Ashley trailed off. She didn’t want to think about when he
would eventually leave her.

“
Hey!” Marco called out. “Stop talking like I’m about to abandon you. That’s not going to happen.”

Ashley
put her glass on the table and tucked her legs underneath herself. “I’m being stupid, right? I know.”

“
Cara
, just...” He put his finger to her lips.

Ashley’s heart
started to thud when he pressed against the soft flesh of her lower lip. It took every ounce of strength she could muster to not react to the touch. The urge to nibble the smooth pad of his finger was too tempting.

Her mind was running wild with
her own thoughts that she was taken completely by surprise at the unexpected softness of Marco’s lips when he brushed them against hers.

Ashley didn’t react until she felt his hand pressing at the nape of her neck. It was then that she parted her lips and felt the intrusion of his tongue as he slid it cautiously into her mouth. Her eyes closed instinctively and she allowed the careful wander of his hand as he moved to the side of her waist, his fingers stroking the small expanse of skin revealed as her hooded jumper rode up.

As he continued to stroke her bare skin, Ashley started to feel comfortable with the closeness between them—too comfortable. She wasn’t supposed to be like this with him. They were both confused and running high on emotions.

Placing her hands on his chest, she pushed him away and opened her eyes.

“Marco, I’m sorry, but we can’t do this.” She scrabbled from the sofa and started to back away from him. “I-I can’t.” Her thoughts turned to Ben and guilt consumed her immediately. Her head was screaming at her to continue with Marco, but she couldn’t do it.

They were supposed to be friends. And she knew that the only reason he was trying to get close to her was because of the loneliness he felt right now. Grief hit people in different ways
, and from what she could tell, Marco was simply trying to seek comfort with her as an available female.

“
Umm... I’d better get going,” he said, rubbing his jaw and standing from the sofa. “I’ll be back later.” He reached for his suit jacket along with the bag containing the outfit they had picked out for Gabby last night.

He stepped over to the front door and paused briefly as if he was about to say something else. A few seconds passed before he shook his head lightly, opened the door, and then stepped into the hallway.

Still amazed, Ashley couldn’t believe what had just happened. They had gone from discussing their friendship to a heated kiss that had felt so right, but she knew was wrong.

“Bugger,” she groaned, touching her now swollen lips that
were still tingling from the gentle, but bruising pressure of Marco’s mouth. His kiss had definitely left a lasting impression on her.

Pushing her hands into her hoody, Ashley coincidently felt her phone vibrate.
Pulling out the device, she couldn’t contain the burst of excitement that rushed through her. She hoped it was Marco sending some witty message to diffuse what had just happened.

Ben:  I hope you’re okay? Fancy meeting me for lunch at 12? X

She didn’t hide the split second of disappointment from her face, before she smiled at Ben’s name. Turning towards the digital display on the oven, she blinked rapidly catching sight of the time. “Shit,” she muttered, her fingers tapping out a rapid reply.

Ashley: Sounds good! I'll meet you outside Caramel in an hour. X

She stuffed her phone back into her pocket and headed straight for the bathroom. It was almost eleven, so she had about forty minutes to get ready before she had to leave. She would be cutting it fine with the time, but she hoped that for once the bus wouldn’t be busy, or that it would at least arrive on time—although it wasn’t likely.

Considering Marco had gone out by himself today
at his own request, she didn’t feel too guilty in arranging to meet-up with Ben. After all, he was aware of Ben and the dates they had been on, so it wouldn’t come as too much of a surprise when he came back to find that she wasn’t there. And there was also going to be tension between them from the kiss, which she wanted to try and avoid.

Ripping her
hoody and sleep shorts from her body, she immediately reached for her deodorant while trying to juggle putting toothpaste onto her electric toothbrush.

“
For God's sake,” she cursed, dashing into her bedroom twenty minutes later. She hadn't managed to apply a full face of make-up which she was annoyed with. Very rarely did Ashley leave the house without ensuring her face was completely covered. Even with pelting rain and thunderstorms, she would always make sure that adequate make-up was applied. “You look so rough!” She moaned at her own reflection in her bedroom mirror. Although she had covered her face sufficiently, she hated that she hadn’t been able to apply mascara or a little bronzer to take the attention away from her birthmark.

There wasn’t enough time.
Her face would have to go a little naked for a change.

Grabbing a hair bobble and some hair grips from her vanity unit, Ashley went to work on the mass of frizzy hair
that encased her face. Taking in her reflection, she suddenly regretted her lack of hair washing over the past few days. Her usually soft and naturally wavy hair now looked like a birds nest perched awkwardly on the side of her head. She looked awful. Actually, worse than awful. She looked like a complete train wreck on the inside and out. No matter what she did, she couldn't make herself look even half decent if she tried.

P
ulling her hair into a mid-high ponytail and securing the flyaway pieces with some grips, she felt a little better with her appearance. She was going for the casual look... she continued to repeat this over in her head like a mantra as she opened the top drawer of her dresser and selected a simple black cotton bra and matching thong. She decided that she may as well dress for comfort in the underwear department as well.

“
Come on, come on, come on,” she mumbled, throwing on a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a faded white leopard print jumper. She knew that if the weather was anything like it had been recently, then it was going to be bloody freezing. “Boots... boots?” She pulled open the door to her wardrobe and grabbed her Uggs.

Dashing back into the kitchen, she
snatched her phone and headed straight for the front door. She didn’t need to look at the clock to know that she was going to be late.

~

Thankfully, Ashley was able to catch a bus right outside of her flat that dropped her nearby the restaurant where she was meeting Ben.

Based in the centre of Greenwich High Road, Caramel was an old family run business that had occupied the same unit for the past fi
fty years. It was a story that Alex, the old man who owned the restaurant, loved to tell her every time she visited.

With the dental practice
only a five minute walk away, it was safe to say that Caramel had turned into a weekly hotspot for not only Ashley and Gabby, but for the rest of the employees as well.

Despite the restaurant's aging and worn exterior, the food and service levels were top notch and the best within the immediate area. The simple comfort food offered on the menu was always a welcome break away from whatever drama was currently unfolding in either her or Gabby's life.

“You’re late,” Ben said, shaking his head as Ashley approached. “How long did it take you to get ready today, hey?” He gave her a warm smile and her shoulders a gentle squeeze.

“
It's bloody freezing.” Ashley gasped as a feeling of heat blew against her cheeks upon opening the door to the main dining area.

“
Ashley!”

Her head snapped in the direction of the kitchen doorway where she found
Alex beaming from ear to ear. “How have you been, petal?” he chirped, wiping his hands on the front of his apron. “Come and give this old man a hug. It has been what... a week? Where have you been?” He shuffled forward and opened his arms wide. “Wait... where is Gabby?” he asked, looking past Ben towards the door. “Is she going to join you later? You can take your table in the back like normal, and I’ll send her over when she arrives.”

Ashley stilled and
suddenly regretted her decision to emerge from the flat. She wasn’t ready to talk about Gabby’s death yet, let alone break the news to people that knew and loved her. It was the last thing that she wanted to do right now.

“
A-Alex…” Ashley tried to speak, but the words were caught in the back of her throat. She could feel her knees beginning to give way as she struggled to keep her footing.

“
Careful,” Ben warned, placing a supportive arm around her waist. He gripped her tightly and held her securely in his arms. “Maybe this was a bad idea,” he groaned as Ashley's face began to turn pale. “Can you sit down for a moment while I talk to Alex?” He loosened his grip and guided her safely into a nearby chair.

Ashley sucked in a breath as Ben approached the old man. She could see the concern and worry etched across his face as he waited for
an explanation to her outburst.

“
No! How did this happen?” Alex's shocked voice echoed across the small restaurant a few moments later, crippling Ashley's already wounded heart further. She had known all along that this was going to be the hardest part. How was she going to cope with letting the other people in Gabby's life know?  

“
Ashley.” Ben was beside her again, wrapping one arm around her body and taking hold of her hand. He stroked his fingers delicately over her knuckles as he held onto her tightly. “Let's go,” he whispered, guiding her towards the door.

“
But, what about Alex?” She looked over her shoulder as Ben continued to lead them away. Spotting him near to the kitchen doorway, she choked back a strangled sob. He appeared weak, lifeless and in shock. She wanted to wrap her arms around him, and comfort him in the only way that she could.

“
Now isn't the right time. Remember, he still has a business to run and customers to feed,” Ben replied as if reading her thoughts. “Let's get you back home, hey?” he suggested with a fragile smile.

~

Standing in front of the doorway to her building, Ashley tried to wriggle free from Ben's firm grasp. She felt the slight resistance in his arms as they tensed around her waist, keeping her tucked up against him for longer.

“
I will walk you up to your door,” he offered.

Biting her lip softly
, she wrapped her hand around his arm and gently forced him away. “Thank you, but I’ll be alright going up by myself,” she replied, turning to face him fully.

Raising his hand to scratch the back of his neck, Ben pressed his lips together
with a slight grimace. “Okay,” he muttered in defeat. “I suppose I'd better get back to the practice anyway. I've got patients coming in shortly,” he said, lowering his hand to look at his watch.

A biting gust of wind blew across Ashley's face, causin
g her to shiver involuntarily.

“
Bye then,” Ben replied, stuffing his hands into the pockets of the coat he was wearing. He didn't make any effort to move, and instead, continued to fix Ashley with an unnerving stare that lifted the hairs on the back of her neck.