Chapter 3
The night fell quickly and before Ali knew it, Ashlyn was laying on her bed by her side as they watched a movie together. The two were cuddled up into each other, perfectly content in one another’s arms. They were unbelievably cute together and the whole team was dying for them together, it would be a lie to say Kelley didn’t leave tonight as a set up to get the two girls together finally.
Ali couldn’t focus on the movie due to being in such a close proximity of Ashlyn. She could feel the blonde’s hot breath on her neck and it made a shiver run down her spine. She just wanted to turn to the other girl and just kiss her and that be it but no of course that wouldn’t happen no matter how much she wanted it. Ali was too afraid that Ashlyn would push her away and never speak to her again.
But god did she wish the other girl would just kiss her because if that happened than Ali wouldn’t be afraid anymore and she would let herself fall deeper for Ashlyn. If Ashlyn were to make the first move than everything would be good because Ali wouldn’t have to be scared anymore. At that point it wouldn’t be her responsibility to finish something because she didn’t start it and that would also mean Ashlyn actually wanted her.
“Are you even paying attention to the movie?” Ashlyn asked, interrupting Ali’s thoughts.
“Duh.” Ali said with an eye roll, hoping Ashlyn didn’t catch onto her staring whilst the movie played.
“If you say so.” Ashlyn said with a laugh and turned her head back to the screen without another word.
Ali wished she could just speak the truth but she couldn’t. It was like every time she went to say that she liked Ashlyn her brain would forget how to work and she just looked like a blubbering fool. It has happened several times even before this camp started; it was as if every time she came close to confessing her feelings to Ashlyn, she would start talking about something totally different because she was way too nervous.
The movie credits were rolling and Ali was thankful because she hadn’t been paying attention and if Ashlyn had kept quizzing her on the movie she would’ve cried. Ali stood up from the bed whilst Ashlyn turned off the TV and walked out to the balcony, leaning on the ledge. She stared up at the starry night sky and let out a loud sigh, she just wanted everything to work out for the best.
“What are you thinking about?” Ashlyn asked as she stepped out on the balcony, standing beside Ali so their shoulders touched.
Ali didn’t answer at first; she just stared out into the distance while Ashlyn waited patiently. “Do you believe in soulmates?” Ali finally asked, ignoring her nervousness for once.
“Yeah, of course I do. Why do you ask?”
Ali ignored her follow up question and decided to ask another. “What is your definition of a soulmate? Like what do you think makes a person someone else’s soulmate?”
Ashlyn let out a deep breath and leaned on the railing in front of her. “I think that a soulmate is someone’s better half. A soulmate is someone who takes time to understand their significant other and they just click because they were made for each other.” She paused and looked up at the sky. “A soulmate is a best friend but so much more. It is a person you can cuddle with and cry with but also laugh with and sometimes laugh at when they do something silly.”
“A soulmate is someone you can stay up til 3 in the morning with just goofing off or baking cookies with because who doesn’t crave cookies at 3 a.m.? They inspire you to be a better version of yourself because all you want is for them to be happy and to be safe.”
Ali smiled. “It looks like you’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“I have.” Ashlyn said with a smile.
“Any reason why?”
“Maybe,” Ashlyn said with a wink, “maybe not.”
With that the two girls fell into a comfortable silence. Ali felt like her body was on fire, she felt like she was overheating. What if Ashlyn saw her as her soulmate? What if they were the two missing puzzle pieces? Her brain was running a mile a minute and she couldn’t get herself to calm down. She hoped Ashlyn didn’t see the way her first clenched and the way her body shivered with nerves.
Ali didn’t know what to do but she figured she’d go with her gut at this point. She turned to Ashlyn and looked her right in the eye. Neither girl said anything; instead they kept looking deep into each other’s eyes. Ali took a deep breath and shut her eyes before finally working up the courage to speak again.
“I think I’ve found my soulmate.” She whispered and opened her eyes, connecting them with Ashlyn’s.
“Me too…” Ashlyn whispered back, staring intently at Ali.
Both girls leaned in at that moment and when their lips were close to touching, the hotel door flew open. Kelley, Sydney, Alex, and Tobin came walking in, causing Ali and Ashlyn to jump away from one another. The three girls who interrupted looked at the other two girls with questioning looks. Ashlyn let out a sigh and rubbed the back of her neck. “I’m gonna head back to my room. I’ll text you, okay?”
Ali nodded and watched as Ashlyn walked out of her room. She would be lying if she said she didn’t feel a little pissed at her teammates. She was so close to kissing Ashlyn and now she was left alone with the nagging feeling of annoyance in the pit of her stomach.
“Did we interrupt something?” Kelley asked.
“Uh, no it’s all good. We were just talking.” Ali said and put her best fake smile on.
“Are you sure?” Tobin asked, “Because we can leave and Ashlyn can come back. It looked like you guys were having a serious conversation.”
“I’m positive,” Ali said with a warm smile, “we were just discussing the stars.”
“Okayyyyy.” Alex said and all of the girls went back to their own conversations.
Ali made her way to her bed and lay down, staring at the ceiling. She wanted to be mad at the girls in her room but there was no point. They didn’t know what was going on and this is Kelley’s room too after all. She was just upset because for once she decide to be fearless and it ended just the way she thought, nothing happening and feeling shitty. It was pretty disappointed but she hoped Ashlyn and she would figure things out.
Her phone buzzed and she picked it up with, seeing a message from Ashlyn. She opened it and began to read in her head. “A soulmate is someone you feel an undeniable connection with since the moment you met. A soulmate is someone who takes your breath away every time they look your way. It is someone who will be fearless when you’re scared and is someone you can call a safe haven. A soulmate is someone who challenges you every day yet is there by your side to help get through those challenges. When they touch you it makes your heart strings shake and your knees weak. Their smile becomes your favorite smile ever. Their favorite color becomes yours and everything around you seems a little brighter with them in your life. A soulmate is someone who makes you come to life…”
“And you, Alexandra Blaire Krieger, are most definitely my soulmate.”