Chapter 25 " You alright ?" His voice snapped me out of my mental spiral " What ? " I blinked at him , brain still buffering . Ashton gave me a quick side glance . Earlier . At the hospital . Did he … hurt you ? You mean Rhys ? ' I said . No.1 Technically true . [ ] Not for lack of trying , though . Rhy's practically lived at the gym with a dustpan . ] ] gym , probably had protein shakes for blood . If he'd landed a hit , I'd be scraping bits of myself off the floor I added , softer this time . Thank you . He didn't say " you're welcome . Instead , his grip on the steering wheel went full Incredible Hulk - veins popping like they were auditioning for a fitness ad . I stared Was he angry ? At me ? At Rhys ? ] That was your ex - fiance ? he finally asked , voice low . Yeal He looked like he had about seven things he wanted to say and none of them were polite enough for public consumption . In the end . he just nodded and stared straight ahead . The rest of the drive was silent . Not awkward silent , just … broody . [ ] We got to the apartment and rode the lift up in sile silence . At my door , I turned to him and said , " Thanks Good night . He didn't reply . Just stood there , face unreadable in the dim hallway light . I dug out my keys and was halfway through the door when- WALL I turned , giving him the eyebrow . [ ] He held up his phone . Here's my number , ' he said , airdropping it to me . " Once Lanisa Granger's out of surgery , I'll let you know . " Thanks . " I said , and meant it. He didn't owe me - or Louisa - anything . But he'd gone out of his way anyway gaze drifted over my shoulder into the living room and his brows went up " You seriously planning to spend the night in that ? I glanced behind me . Boxes were stacked like a game of adult Jenga , most of my stuff taped up and ready to go , the bed stripped hare . the wardrobe gutted . Right , I kind of forgot I was moving out tomorrow and had packed all my stuff . " It's just one night . I'll make do , " I said with the confidence of someone who fully intended to sleep on a rolled - up hoodie . [ ] " Why don't you come over to mine ? ' I turned back to him slowly , trying to work out if I'd just hallucinated that sentence . His tone was neutral . His face completely expressionless . Like he'd just offered to lend me a socket wrench instead of , y'know , his bed . [ ffer ? Or was 1 Was this an innocent offer ? he dropping hints about a sequel to Hotel Night : The Pantsless Saga ? My brain was so fried it couldn't spell context , let alone process it Um thanks , but I don't think - 1 That guy Rhys knows where you live , doesn't he ? Ashton steamrolled right over my polite rejection . If he's blaming you for his mum's crash , how long do you think it'll take before he turns up here to settle the score ? ' ] 1 opened my mouth , but all that came out was a very unhelpful , ' Um .. The man had a point . Rhys had an ego the size of a small country , and nothing bruised it worse than losing , especially to a woman . And not just any woman . Me . The one who used to trail after him like a lovesick Labrador . [ ] " And your family's still tight with the Grangers , right ? If they hear about Louisa's accident , there's a good chance they'll either call or show up in person . Do you really want that circus on your doorstep tonight ? " ] I let out a sigh . Tair point . Thanks . If it's not a huge inconvenience , I might crash in your living room for the night . I'll take the couch , promise . " ] ] I knew his place had the same layout as mine , and there was no guest room . ] He might've smiled , though it was hard to tell in the light . ' Good . We've got a few things we need to talk about anyway . " " ] I followed him into his flat " Drink ?" he asked , heading over to the sleek little minibar wedged between the living room and the kitchen . " Sure . " I took the glass he handed me - some fancy Japanese whisky with an unpronounceable name - and took a sip . It went down smooth , like silk soaked in fire , and I felt the tension in my shoulders start to give up and move out one . [ ] I stifled a yawn . It wasn't even ten yet , but the day had been a long one . " About the party the day after tomorrow , " he said , voice casual , but I could tell from the way he leaned on the bar that this wasn't just small talk " Yeah ? I blinked away the sleep threatening to hijack my brain and looked at him | Je was watching me again with that same unreadable expression - not creepy , not flirty , just .. observant . Like a cat that couldn't decide if you were a threat or a chew toy . " Considering what went down today , I think it's time to revise the terms of our arrangement . Arrangement . Right . The fake engagement . [ ] I waited for the rest . I'm guessing from his charming performance tonight that Rhys Granger isn't quite ready to let you go . " ' Yeah , you could say that . ' I gave a wry little laugh . Normally , I wasn't one to unpack personal baggage with strangers . [ ] But Ashton didn't feel like a person you had to tiptoe around . Maybe it was because we made a deal . Maybe it was the way he talked about everything in a matter of fact way like he was discussing stock prices instead of my messy love life . [ ] So I told him about Rhys's absurd request to keep pretending we were still engaged just so he could ease his new relationship with Catherine into his parents ' approval . [ ] You turned him down , Ashton said , not as a question , but as a statement [ ] " Yeah . Took me years to wrap my head around the fact that he's completely besotted with Catherine . I spent far too long playing the role of emotionally available placeholder , I'm not signing up for that encore performance . * Rhys Granger doesn't strike me as someone who takes no for an answer . I gave a shrug . That one he nailed [ ] " And then there's your family , ' he added . ' From what I've gathered , your mum won't give up until she's set you up with someone she approves of , regardless of how you feel . ' " Exactly . Which is why I needed you to come to a family dinner next week As my fiancé . " But do you think that'll be enough ? I tilted my head . " What're you getting at ? " Engagements can be broken off , " he said , setting his glass down . Then he walked over and stopped right in front of me . was still tting on the sofa , he basically eclipsed the ceiling li look up at him [ ] light like a very expensive solar event . I had to crane my neck to disappear . ] Pretending to be engaged isn't going to magically make your parents or Rhys disappear . So what , you want me to fake a pregnancy too ? I asked , only half joking . " No , ' he said , dead serious . Tm suggesting we take it a step further . " You mean actually get engaged ? ] " No. I mean get married ||