The Love of Lies

Pleading

Cori’s POV

I couldn’t sleep because Ashton’s words kept tormenting me. Back then, I thought the man just wanted to sleep with me again, but if it was just s*x he wanted, couldn’t he have gotten that from anyone?

Feeling guilty, I head to the sitting room where I hope to find Ashton and apologize, but after a few hours, I’m too tired to continue waiting, so I go to bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

I don’t know how much time passed, but I hear and feel the blankets being tugged before being hit by the putrid smell of cigarette and alcohol. I sit up abruptly as I heave, shocked to see that the disgusting odor is coming from an extremely intoxicated Ashton.

“Oh my god you stink, are you drunk?” Ashton looks shocked to have woken me, but I heave again.

“I’ll shower, I’ll shower.” He gets out of bed and makes his way to my restroom, ignoring my pleas for him to go elsewhere.

He’s extremely drunk, so I don’t know if he climbed into bed with me on purpose, or if this is his routine on a normal drunk day. Basically, I don’t know what to do, or his intentions.

He starts singing a random R&B song, making me chuckle outside of the door until I hear him curse and the unmistakable sound of falling in the bathtub.

I wait a few seconds, not knowing if I should walk in, but with no sound coming from the restroom, I panic and push open the door to be greeted by Ashton’s bare butt as he tries to pull himself up.

Originally, I came to help, but the sight is so comical that I start giggling, until I see that the man is actually hurt.

He’s got a knot right above his brow, and based on the way he’s shaking his head, he’s trying to ignore the pain of it.

“Ashton, please get out. If you fall again, I can’t lift you and no one is home.” I grab a towel and help the man wrap his lower half before guiding him toward my bed.

“Sh*t that hurt.” I’m glad that Ashton is speaking, but when he lies back to go to sleep, I start shaking in fear.

“Ashton, please don’t sleep. You just hit your head, please get up. Come on, let’s go to the Kitchen, I’ll make you some food.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Okay, but you woke me up, and now I’m hungry,” I lie, hoping that the man feels guilty and listens to me.

“Cori, I can’t cook.”

“Ashton, please. I want you to come with me.” The man sighs, sits up, and starts looking for something to wear, so I find my largest t-shirt and slide it over his head.

As I do, Ashton reaches out to cup my belly. He then slides his hands behind my back, gently kneading my butt as he does.

This is weird because I’ve only experienced aggressiveness from extremely drunk men, but right now, Ashton’s actions are nothing of the sort.

I don’t say anything because he’s so drunk that he probably doesn’t know what he’s doing, and I really don’t feel comfortable with him falling asleep.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Let's go see what we have.” Ashton stands and sways, making me regret asking him to get up, but we get to the kitchen safely.

Still, Ashton is having trouble sitting on the stool, so we move to the living room where I place ice on his brow.

“Cori, if you're not going to eat, let me sleep, I work tomorrow.”

“Ashton, please stay awake. Please. You hurt your head, and I’m scared. If you stay awake, I won’t leave.”

Ashton’s POV

Cori is really afraid, and her reddening eyes help sober me up, but I’m tired as f*ck.

It’s not until she agrees to stay that I’m actually willing to open my eyes, and even at that, I still want to go to sleep.

“Cori, I want you to stay, but I also want you to be with me.” I feel like I’m pushing it, but shockingly the woman nods.

“Okay, if you promise to stay awake with me for another hour and a half, we can try again, okay?” I don’t think I hit my head that hard, but the ache I felt after nodding is real, and Cori is a nurse, so I doubt she’s overreacting.

I do my best to keep my eyes open, but sleep is literally singing to me, and at some point, freezing water pours down my shirt.

“F*ck Cori, what the hell?”

“You promised.”

“Okay, okay, but I can’t just stay awake in silence. Let's talk about something.” Cori starts asking me third degree questions… who I was with, where I went, and how I got home, but that's not the conversation I want to have, so I rest a hand on her belly. “Will you really stay?”

“Only if you stay awake. If you fall asleep, I’ll leave, and I won’t even let you see the twins being born.”

“That’s f*cked up.” I know Cori is just talking right now, but it’s still a foul thing to say.

“I don’t care. Do you know that people can die if they sleep after a head injury? How will I explain it to your family and the babies?” Again, my eyes start closing, but Cori shoves a bottle of water at my face, forcing them to open again. “Please Ashton. I’m really scared right now.” I sit up all the way, looking down at my exposed d*ck with a snort.

“Why am I dressed like this?”

“That's the only shirt I have that fits you.” That doesn’t explain why my c*ck is out, but I’ll take Cori’s word for it, finding a second wind that Cori exploits.

I have never been force fed by anyone, but I’m enjoying the attention too much to tell the woman that I’m seconds away from throwing up.

She’s talking to me about random things she’s experienced while working at a bar. I’m listening intently, but at some point, I don’t want to hear about her interactions with men who aren’t me.

“Do you forgive me?” Cori’s body goes stiff, but I keep pressing. “I know what it looked like, but I promise it wasn’t.”

“Can we talk about something else?” That gives me my answer, but I’m not satisfied.

“So, when you promised to stay with me, were you just talking to keep me awake?” The woman tenses further, but then she shakes her head in the negative. “So, you believe that you’re the only person I’m with now?”

“I don’t know what to believe.” At least Cori’s being honest with me, and I don’t blame her for being wary.

There is no trust between us, and that all starts with what happened the night our babies were conceived.

“Let me show you something.” I open my phone, and show Cori a blind transaction on my mobile banking app. “I spent a thousand dollars just to see you again.”

“You’re an idiot.” Cori’s whispers are always sweet to me, but right now, she sounds sad. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Julia said it was stalker-ish.”

“She’s right but… Ashton, do you know that I sold you those tickets?” I guessed as much, but I'm not sure why Cori is becoming so emotional about it. “Didn’t you read the seller's memo?” I did not read the seller’s memo, I didn’t even know there was such a thing, so I quickly open the Blind Trades application to see if it’s still available.

[Thank you for helping to make this graduation ceremony one I will remember forever.] I turn to the teary-eyed Cori and pull her onto my lap.

“Can you please forgive me? I want to be with you, and not just because of the babies. We can go to couples counseling, and we can work on whatever it is that’s holding us back. All I'm asking is for a chance to prove that you’re special to me.”

“But what if it fails? What if we’re no good as a couple?”

“Then at least we can say we tried. Isn’t that worth something?” I’ve sobered up a lot, but I’m still tired as f*ck, so I’m hoping that this conversation ends in a yes and permission to sleep.

Cori’s POV

Ashton is very drunk, and I don’t want to answer any of his questions because he may not know what he’s asking, but the man is practically begging, calling to mind past memories of my father begging my mother for a ‘second’ chance.

There was always a time when she would pack our bags, wanting to leave, but he would always put on his best show, so much so that even I would believe it.

Those times we’d get about a month of peace, but when my grandfather died, my father became even more volatile, and when he hurt his back, mom felt too guilty to leave him to fend for himself.

She used to make me promise not to be as ‘weak’ as she was, and right now, those words are ringing in my mind over and over again.

“Cori… I’m not your father.” I blink rapidly, realizing that the conflict within must have been showing on my face because Ashton guessed my dilemma perfectly. “You don’t have to answer now,” he continues, stroking my face before he stands, forcing me to my feet as well. “I want to carry you, but… I don’t want to hurt our babies.” My face recoils, but Ashton starts pulling me toward his room.

“Ashton I… we shouldn’t.” I’m not sure if I want to have s*x with Ashton when I still don’t know how I feel.

“I just want to change this fairy costume, and I don’t trust myself not to fall asleep. We made a promise, remember?” I take a look at Ashton, snorting when I realize that my shirt doesn’t quite cover his torso, and the towel around his waist is a little loincloth like.

As soon as we enter, I freeze in the doorway, feeling extremely conflicted. Ashton must have motion activated lighting, but it’s not the lights that have me frozen, but the decor.

A woman absolutely put this design together, and my mind immediately goes to Ashton’s ex, who probably stayed over often.

Now that I’m pregnant, I don’t want to take the chance of being attacked by the woman if she walks into this bedroom with the same casualness as when she entered his apartment.

“Lie with me.” I shake my head, not wanting to enter as I notice the man making himself comfortable on the bed.

“Ashton… you said you just wanted to change.” I’m still afraid that he’ll fall asleep because not enough time has passed.

“And now I want you to lie down with me. Don’t worry, I won’t try anything.” That is not the problem, but when Ashton’s breathing becomes steady, I step forward, intending to pinch him, however just as my arm reaches out, he grabs it, and pulls me forward, almost making me fall on my belly before he catches me.

“SH*T. Cori, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking. F*ck… are you okay. Are they okay?” I’m tremblig as I rub my belly, but I’m not hurt, just shaken.

“Are you sober yet?”

“I am now…” Ashton’s eyes look clear, and all traces of sleep are gone, so I try to leave.

“Stay here; I want to make sure you’re okay.” I nod, moving to the edge of the mattress while looking around Ashton’s extremely feminine room. “What’s on your mind?”

“Did Vanessa decorate for you?” I accidentally blurt out, making Ashton laugh at me.

“No. It was Jules, and if you stay to listen, there’s a funny story about Troy attached to it.”