Hello Mr. Arrogant

Chapter 18

[Not edited]

Chapter 18: {Sheppard} 

Ashton P.O.V

She's beautiful in every way possible. Lydia had this inner beauty that I couldn't ignore any longer. It's been two weeks of normality between us, and every time I see her my body aches. I hated admitting this to myself, but I'm attracted to her.

Today, when she walks into my office, I'll have a talk with her. I kept telling myself I would end whatever this between us was. It had to stop, otherwise, my reputation and everything I worked to build could crumble underneath me.

Yet the thought of letting her go caused my chest to constrict. Even though I told myself that it was for the best, I knew I didn't have the willpower to actually go through and fire her.

"Good Morning, Mr. Hadley!" Lydia chirped from the doorway. Her curvy body was hidden underneath a large, beige sweater and grey leggings. Her nutty hair framed the roundness of her face and covered a small bandaid at the base of her neck. 

I remembered her. The petite girl with the mysterious green eyes. Her father had been a partner of mine a few years ago, and she had been his personal assistant.

She was fuller than before. Her hips and shoulders broadened while her waist stayed skinny. Her thighs and forearms gained muscles as well. Before, she was a small and fragile girl, but now I saw her as a strong woman. A person who could hold their own, even in the face of impossibilities. 

I knew her the moment I hired her and those feelings I had back then resurfaced as I watched her make her way over to my desk.

"You needed to speak with me?" Her soft lashes fluttered as her eyes sparkled with happiness. Today seemed different.

"Not anymore." The gruffness in my voice was unintentional so I coughed to try and dislodge the invisible lump in my throat.

"Are you okay, Ashton? Do you need a doctor?" Before I could object, she had her hand on my forehead and her cheek pressed against my chest. I froze. What the hell was she doing?

"Your heartbeat seems normal, and your temperature is fine," She sighed, taking her hands away from my face, but not moving away. My arms yearned to wrap themselves around her waist and draw her closer. I wanted to pull her to my lap and breathe in her scent. 

Instead, I coughed, hoping she would press her smooth hand back on my face.

"Now I think you're messing with me," she smiled as her eyes locked with mine. 

"Maybe." My intense sound now relaxed into a soothing bass. She's beautiful in every single goddamn way possible, and I can't get enough of it.

"Are you sure there's nothing you wanted to say." Was there a hint of longing in her voice? She stood straighter, her arms crossing over her chest, as she retreated backward. "Otherwise, Mr. Hadley, I have work that needs to be done." Her lips curved at the edges as though she were trying to hold back a smile. 

"You can go back-" She was walking toward the door before I could finish my sentence. "Or you could come with me today." That made her stop and look over her shoulder.

"Where to?"

"Anywhere you want. As long as we stop by the cemetery before we come back."

Lydia P.O.V

The cemetery? What in the world could there be at a cemetery that we needed to see? 

Personally they freak me out. Especially at night when it's pitch black and you can barely see a thing. Just knowing that you could be walking on top of someone's rotting body is disturbing and scary. I mean, they could easily grab your ankles and pull you down.

But would I really pass up a day with Ashton just because of a terrifying cemetery? 

Hell. No.

"Let me grab my purse and we can go," I say before walking out the door. 

The floor was busier than usual today. Many employees scrambled around with papers flying and pencils falling everywhere you looked. It was mass chaos and I had no idea why.

There were ample amounts of stains on surfaces, the woman looked a lot more stressed, and the air became much more humid than before. I was now super glad I took Ashton up on his offer. There was no way I was staying in this train wreck.

I met Ashton out by his car. He smiled as I approached, which was odd, and then opened up the door for me. I had a weird feeling that this adventure would end badly- No, badly isn't the word I want. It was going to be unsuccessful. Whatever he was doing, it wasn't going to work the way he wanted it to.

As I got in, my arm went straight for the radio. The moment my finger clashed with the circle button all hell broke loose. Sweet classical music poured from the speakers at high volume. 

"What happened to the rock?" I blurted out as a violin solo began to play.

He shrugged. "I wanted a change in pace." 

"At least turn it down." I covered my ears with my hands hoping he would get the message. My ears were about to start bleeding soon. He reached over and slowly, painfully, turned to music down to a soft hum.

"Is this better?" He glanced over at me. 

"Yes." I relaxed in the seat, taking out my phone periodically to check the time. The soft background noise of the radio relaxed me even more. If I could just sleep in this car for a few hours- but I wouldn't allow myself to think of that scenario. It would be embarrassing to fall asleep next to Ashton.

"Where to first?" He asked as we stopped at a red light. To be honest, I hadn't thought about where I wanted to go. 

I said the first thing that popped in my head. "Flowers."

"What?" He chuckled. 

I had always thought flowers were beautiful. Not only were they colorful but they also had a metaphor that everyone lives by. You live and then you die. There's a point in every person's life when they are at their happiest when they are their most colorful. Along with that, however, you have your darkest times. With a flower it's simple. They grow, bloom, and wilt. We grow then we bloom into adults. When our time as adults is done, we wilt until there is nothing left.

I wanted to go see flowers.

"Is there a garden around here?" I asked. 

"Sure, Brooklyn Botanical is nearby, but I have to buy tickets for it."

"Then that's where we're going."

But something caught my eye. A sign on the side of the road saying 'Pet Adoption.' I had to go in there. The moment I saw those words my eyes traveled to the window and I saw all the cute puppies and kittens. I even saw a bunny just sitting by the glass, chewing.

"Stop!" The car jerked as it came to a stop. My hands grabbed Ashton's arm for protection.

"What?" He barked. He seemed annoyed with me, which he should be. I would have been pissed if someone yelled stop in the middle of traffic.

"Sorry," I mumbled, releasing his arm from my grasp. "I just wanted to go there." I pointed over to where the sign was. People just walked right past it, not even bothering to look up or to see what was there.

"Really? You stopped me for a pet adoption?" He pulled over to a parking spot and turned off the car.

"Maybe." I tried to give him my best puppy dog eyes. 

"No." It was sharp and instant. My heart sank to the bottom of my chest.

"Please," I whined. My hands found their way to his arm and began begging.

He hesitated but I could see his walls breaking within his eyes. "Fine. But if we come out with a puppy, I'm holding you personally responsible for every and ALL damages it causes. Understood?"

"Deal!" I basically jumped out of the car and sprinted toward the pet store. Inside, a few people gathered around the cages and admired the cute animals. 

Near the back large metal cages held older, larger dogs, while more toward the front the puppies were displayed for show. The kittens were all kept together in a playpen with toys and treats littering its floor.

The store was smaller than your average Petco. Much smaller, actually. Right as I walked in a gust of wet dog and pet food swarmed my face. I couldn't help but cringe up my nose with distaste, but I held in my emotions for the smell when I saw a young girl walk up to me. 

"Hello! Welcome to Katie's. Are you here for the pet adoption?" The young girl seemed to be in her late teens. She was only a few inches smaller than me with bright, curly, strawberry blonde hair. When she smiled I noticed metal brackets lined her teeth, allowing her to have a cute dorky smile.

Ashton came up behind me and I saw the color drain from girl's face. Her eyes widened as she looked him up and down. And when I felt his hand go to my lower back, I felt the same way.

"Yeah." I could imagine his eyes rolling with boredom. The yapping of tiny dogs shook me out of my trance. 

"We were just looking." I couldn't help but notice the disappointment in the girl's eyes when I said we. It's not every day you get a handsome man like Ashton Hadley wondering in a small shop. 

I wandered around a bit looking at all the cute animals. I even let a kitten smell my fingers, and when I tried to move them the little thing jumped and held them in its paws.

"It's so cute!" I squealed at Ashton, who had been nonchalantly staring down at me. His eyes held something deep that I did not want to get into right now. I wanted to worry about the big brown eyes that called to me from across the room. 

Laying in the largest cage was an adorable light brown dog with its eyes staring directly at me. His large head rested on his front legs; his tongue hanging out from its mouth.

"Oh hell no," Ashton muttered as he saw my eyes. He knew what was about to say.

"I need that dog, Ashton," I said over the barking and the people. 

"No-"

"Excuse me?" I signaled for the girl again, completely ignoring Ashton in the process. "What's that one?" I pointed over to the brown dog with the chocolate eyes.

"Oh him? That's Sheppard. We call him Shep for short. We don't know what he is exactly, but we think he's a Chesapeake Retriever mix."

"How old is he?"

"Around three years old. It's honestly surprising how calm and relaxed he is considered." she shrugged her shoulders as he drifted her eyes to Ashton again. She's been doing it the entire time we have been in here.

"What happened to him?" I asked, wanting to know everything about this dog.

"For some reason, his mom didn't accept him when he was born. He was shunned and had to be hand-fed every day by the owners."

I looked over my shoulder to watch Ashton. He was chatting up some older gentleman with his eyes glued to me. Finally, I mouthed the word 'please'. 

"No," He yelled so I could hear him. Just to make his point clear he crossed his arms over his chest and frowned.

"Ashton...." Now he was coming closer, abandoning his prior conversation to come and talk with me.

"I said no." He squatted down so we were at the same height since I didn't bother to stand up after playing with the kittens.

"I see," I grinned at him. We were so close I could smell his minty breath and feel its warmth spread across my face. "Miss, can we hold on to that dog?"

"Of course!" She smiled. "How long?"

"A few hours. I'll be back with cash and to pick him up." I stood then, relishing my victory over my boss who was still squatting. 

"Come, Ashton," I grinned as I started walking away. "We have a garden to explore!"