CHAPTER 1

Running her hands over the small prepackaged salads, Ashley wonders how she can pull it off. How will she be able to keep the secret from Dante? Going to a concert is not as simple as sneaking out. She will not only have to be dishonest with him about her plans but also hide the fact that she ever went to the concert in the first place.Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she hops from foot to foot. The soft ringing in her ears hasn't left her since she bought the concert tickets of a lifetime last night. Her best friend and conspirator, Samantha, had almost been unaffected. Samantha was floating this morning while the nerves wreaked havoc on Ashley's sleep. She would have to lie to Dante for the first time in their relationship. She is going to have to meet his eyes and explain...Taking a deep breath, she tries to calm her nerves as there is far too much going on in her life right now for her to go to a concert. She was barely keeping up with her classes as the level of her courses pushed her beyond her limits. She was learning things she never thought she was capable of and never believed were possible. But while everyone abandoned her with the notion that she was never capable of such things, Dante pushed her forward.Picking up the salad, Ashely walks towards Dante, scanning the small meal at the register. Her stomach flips in her body as she feels uneasy. Her eyes drop to his chest as she tends to focus on his form, the strength of his muscles, as she thinks of him in her arms—the way they embrace, the tenderness of his touch. She does anything to try to shake the nervousness from her mind."Looking forward to the game?" Dante asks with a smile that pulls at her."The game?" Ashley asks, shifting from one foot to the other. Her eyes dart up to meet his for a moment. The softness and care within them are screaming at her."Something wrong?" Dante asks as she feels his eyes shift between Samantha and her."Oh, she's just stressed about the test on Friday. We are going to head to the library to study on Thursday." Samantha volunteers helpfully.Ashley shifts her body weight from one foot to the other as she tries to knead the tension out of her left shoulder. She doesn't understand this hesitation as she thinks... You used to lie to your parents all the time. Why is this any different? Why does it suddenly matter when it is him?"What is the test?" Dante asks, concerned."Ethics..." Ashley says, "I'm not doing as well as I would like.""You know you can always come to me with this, right? Let's find a tutor, and I can find my old notes. We can go over it ahead of my trip.""Sounds great..." Samantha chirps in a bubbly mood, "Doesn't it, Ash?""Yea, um... I mean, yes, it sounds great. I really am worried about the test; I didn't sleep well last night," Ashley admits."It happens sometimes. Let's go for a run tonight, and you will be able to sleep in no time.""Yes," Ashley sighs. That is the last thing I need—to be at his side, with him being so supportive over my stress—my fear of being up too late before the test, of sleeping in and missing it. I have to pretend everything is okay. "Good, then it's a date," Dante says as he stands and touches her hip with the palm of his hand. Ashley feels him searching her eyes for something. The softness she feels in him hurts her even more, though it's not his fault. He is only trying to support her, and the lie, the omission of the concert, is torturing her."Yes, Sir," Ashley says, smiling weekly.A confused look crosses his eyes as he looks at her with fresh interest. Ashley holds her breath as he leans in, and their lips brush against one another. Her eyes close as she lingers momentarily on his kiss, the feeling of his body against hers as the stress and tensions evaporate from her mind. As he parts, she bites softly on his lower lip, feeling the tug as he pulls apart, her eyes fluttering open, forgetting for the briefest moments the lie, the concert, everything. She is enough in the briefest moments of being within his touch.~~~~"Shit," Samantha says in exasperation as Dante walks away a few minutes later."What?" Ashley asks almost dreamily."You suck at that...""At what?""Keeping your story straight," Samantha admits, "though you didn't lie. It's more of a sin of omission. You didn't tell him everything. We will go to a study group on Thursday; it just won't be all night.""No, it's still a lie.""No, it's not. You can't let it get into your head like that, or you will trip yourself up. You called him Sir; you almost gave it away.""Gave what away?" Ashley asks."Whenever you feel guilty or have done something wrong, call him Sir. It's like you say, you can't avoid it. It's why you suck at poker."Ashley laughs, "So that is why you always win?""Yes, your face reveals everything. It reveals when you are sad, when you are happy when you are around someone you hate. You suck at lying...""I just can't bring myself to do so with him. I might have to stay back to skip the concert."Samantha just sighs, sits back in her seat, and looks defeated. "You're killing me, smalls. You can't do this to me. You know I can't drive at night because of my vision. You already made the commitment. If you couldn't have gone, we should have said no from the start.""Yeah, I know. I don't know what to do...""I mean, we already lied; you will let that be for nothing?""If we go to the study group, then it's not a lie...""But it was when you said it... even if it becomes a truth later, you know the guilt will still kill you. You'll still have to confess to him. Your dedication to him will always get the best of you.""I love him, Samantha, I do.""I know..."