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Ashley dips his mouth to my neck and bile creeps up irl The memory of him with his hands behind his head as she bobbed up and down on her knees is etched into my brain It makes me sick, physically sick

“Colson is back at the table” Ashley sinks his teeth intotoo hard in all the wrong places

I tilt ainst Ashley’s chest again, but he’s not getting the picture “Stop it”

An unwelcoh and slips it underneath rip Ashley’s wrist and push it away, but it's back on h before I can take a solid breath

Fear ignites intold no I step rab his hair to yank his mouth off my skin “I said stop!”

Flames dance behind a cloudy haze in Ashley’s eyes He sla mine

I bite his tongue as soon as it pushes its way between ue

Ashley grunts and rears back He doesn’t hesitate before slappingbitch!”

For a moment, I’m stunned stupid Ashley may be insensitive and unfaithful, but he’s never been a dive Not physically I reach up and touch ers, but it’s nothing co in my eyes I will not cry

“Hey!” a deep voice booms from behind me

Josh storrabs Ashley by the shirt collar He pushes hiainst the wall Ashley chuckles, too drunk to realize that things for him took a turn for the worst “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Josh slaain Cole runs into the roorips the back of Josh’s shirt He pulls backwards and extends his arms between the two to keep the to be his brother claps a hand on Josh’s shoulder

Josh stands, arer, blonde-haired version of hi these two are brothers The similarities are so prominent, had I not known Bret was a few years older, I’d have sworn they were fraternal twins

“Layla?” Colson asks, his hooded gaze fixating onto his friend, and the two boys behind me “Are you okay?”

“She’s fine,” Ashley answers He reaches for ht of Ashley touching me