Have you ever experienced something where you just knew it was going to happen, but at the same time, you didn't see it coming? If that makes any sense at all. When the police officer told me that Colin had turned himself in, I didn't believe it at first for a number of reasons. The one that was the most significant to me was that he just turned himself in out of the blue. 

In all my years of knowing him, the last thing I would expect is for him to turn himself in. He couldn't even admit that he was the one that broke his shot glass after indulging in his luxury bottle of tequila. The chance of him confessing to the overwhelming amount of charges possibly against him is like the possibility of Elena not insulting Dom for a month. 

However, when it comes to Ash, there's a whole other level of stubbornness that forms a thick layer on Colin. That layer will take all the acids in the world to dissolve. Colin looked at Ash like a man would look at the killer of his pregnant wife. The words that flew out of his mouth towards Ash were like hard punches, trying to bruise his ego in any sort of way possible. 

Colin wouldn't even let Ash come within a 10 foot radius within him. How in the world did Ash make Colin turn himself in? I knew that someone made him turn himself in, but when it came to Ash, it made the entire scenario completely impractical. 

"Ash. How did you even do that?" I ask, and he sighs. 

"I'm going to give you the short version. Last night, I found out that the police were looking for him, because he wasn't at his house. My dad told me, after calling me for some sort of reason, that Colin had come to stay with him for a while. I knew it was actual bull crap, so I went over to my dad's house to reason with him. I knew that Colin would probably stab my face the minute he saw that I was within a 15 foot radius, but my dad's place was arguably safer because I knew my dad would probably lose it on him for hurting me. I talked with him, and it was messy, to say the least. I was able to convince him to turn himself in, after bringing up the Tina mess, and the facts about you doing nothing wrong at all. I guess that's what made him turn himself in. I'm trying to stay away from my dad, because I know I'm the last person that he wants to see right now. One of his sons is in federal custody, and the other was the one that made him turn himself in. Yeah, not a good time. I doubt he even wants to see my sisters right now," I say, and my heart sinks to the pits of my chest. 

Well, thanks to my horrible behavior, I possibly ruined Ash's family. Man, I came from one already, but it breaks my heart to see that I was the cause of another one. "Ash, gosh. I'm so sorry. I can't believe I ruined your family," I tell him.

 A gasp that escapes Ash's lips rings my ears. I raise an eyebrow at his sudden surprise. "You? Ruining my family? Nicole, don't say that. You didn't ruin anything. My siblings and I were already on bad terms with our dad before Colin turned himself in. You did nothing wrong," Ash assures me, and I relax a little bit. 

I still feel a little bit guilty that I was the cause of Ash and Colin's bickering, but his reassurance calms me down a little bit. "Oh, and also, did Dom tell you our boss' feedback on the financial statements you wrote? Our boss was praising you so much. I took a look at them, and you did a really fantastic job with them," Ash compliments. Blush sweeps my cheeks at the sudden compliment, which Elena notices, and she smirks as a result.

 "Thank you, Ash. That's so sweet. And, no, Dom didn't tell me," I say, and he chuckles. 

"It's the truth. Wow, Dom didn't tell you? Weird. He wants to give you a job as a financial analyst. He's very willing to give you an interview sometime next week. What do you say? Dom actually has to tell him yes, but eh, I don't care. Do you want to join the company?" he asks. 

I vigorously nod my head, and chuckle a little bit. For the first time in such a long time, I've gotten a really genuine compliment from someone. Throughout all this darkness my life has been, the little ray of light that was a compliment shone in, making everything better. I'm grateful for Ash shining that little light. "Yes. I'll join the company," I say, and I can almost feel 

Ash lets out a sigh of relief. Why do I have the feeling that he desperately wanted me to join? I wonder what his reaction would be if I said no. "Yay! I'm really happy. Ask Dom about all the details. In the meantime, I guess we'll have to wait," Ash tells me, and I nod. 

Elena smiles a little bit from the other side of the room. "Ash, what are you doing? Are you talking with your girlfriend again?" a female's voice inquires in the background. 

"He has a girlfriend? Wow," I think to myself. I kind of shrug and ignore the fact that he could have a girlfriend. So why does it cause my heart to sink a little bit? 

"Em, I don't have a girlfriend. You know that. I'm just talking with a friend," Ash tells her. Somehow, that makes my heart sink a little bit more. I don't know why, but something about him classifying me as a friend just doesn't sit well with me.

 "You haven't been talking much. He's never asked you out. Why are you so attached to him?" I shake my head a little bit. 

"Em, it's just a friend of mine. It's nothing for you to worry about." He presses the phone back to his ear. 

"Sorry about that. Say, Nicole, I was wondering. Would you like to come over to my house later this week? I can ask Dom to give you the address. I really want to talk to you some more. Plus, I think you'd like my sisters."

I chuckle, and nod. "Of course. I've heard quite a bit about your sisters. Talk to Dom about it. I'll ask Elena to drop me off today," I tell him. 

I can feel Ash's mood light up a little more. I'm almost positive I hear a gasp of happiness travel out of his lips. I can't help but beam at his cute reaction. 

"That sounds great. I'll see you then." 

I nod. "I'll see you then. Also, shouldn't you be at work? It's a weekday," I ask him. 

He chuckles. "I'm going a little bit late today. I had to take Em for something. But anyways, I have to go. I'll see you soon." 

I smile. "I will. Bye," I say, and then I hang up. I sigh, and then look right at Elena. She's just sipping her water, and smiling at me. I raise an eyebrow at her. "What? What's with that look?"

She shakes her head, as she finishes up her water. "Oh, it's confirmed. You officially like him," she tells me. 

I scoff, and get up off of the couch. "No, I don't. We've been through this," I tell her, as she rolls her eyes and grabs her bag. 

"Whatever you say. I'm off to work. Later," she tells me. 

I wave. "Later," I call, as get up off of the couch to take a shower. The smile that's on my face from my conversation with Asher is refusing to leave. I wear that smile all the way into the shower. The hot water running down my body refuses to wash it off as well. 

(Later that week...)

"So, let me get this straight. You look like your husband's ex step mom, who he despised, and he abused you because of that? And your brother in law works at Dom's office, and made your husband turn himself in? Gosh, that's awful. I'm so sorry, Nicole," Nina tells me over the phone. 

I shrug, as I type my little book on Dom's home laptop. "Eh, it's done with, Nina. But I'm going over to my brother in law, Ash's, house today, and I'm so excited," I tell her, as she chuckles. 

"Aw, that's sweet. You sound really excited. I've never seen you this excited about going to someone's house," she tells me. A hint of suggestiveness is in her voice, which makes my eyebrows raise. I know what she's hinting at. 

"Oh, Nina, don't go there. I already went through it with Elena," I tell her. 

Nina sighs a little bit, one that turns into a groan. "Nicole. Please be honest with me. Do you like him? I'm not going to tell anyone. I need you to be honest with yourself. You can't be denying your feelings when they're so prevalent. Tell me the truth. Do you like him?" Nina reiterates. 

When she poses that question, I just sit back and think about all my reactions to Ash around me. The nights I lay awake because of my thoughts regarding him. My heart rate whenever he's being his amazing self, and letting his optimism shine through. Any negative thoughts that I may have about him are nonexistent. The smiling that I do whenever he's around. The positivity that he brings to my life whenever he encourages me or is nice to me. 

When I gather all those thoughts, I gasp a little bit. I like him. I like Ash. I can't deny it any more. I like Ash. All my emotions, and my body's reactions whenever he's around all are synonymous with attraction. "Oh gosh, I like Ash, Nina. How did I not see it?" I ask her. 

She chuckles. "Aw, that's cute. How many times have you seen him?" 

"I've seen him more than a dozen times. We went over to my father in law's house a lot for dinner. I've always helped out, and when Colin got too drunk to pay attention to me, I'd always talk to Ash. He never drinks, so it's easy. He was always so nice to me. We had so many good talks, and we always traded compliments," I tell Nina. 

She scoffs. "That's more than enough reason to like him. He seems like a great guy. You should tell him your feelings," she tells me. 

I roll my eyes. "Nina, do you really think he's going to feel the same way about me? He considers me a friend. He told his sister that while I was on the phone. I'm never going to be good enough for him," I tell her. 

Nina gasps a little bit at my pessimism. At that moment, she sees what I've become. She's seeing the lack of self esteem I have at that moment, all as a result of what I've been through. She sees how damaged my wings are, hindering my flying through the sky. She knows about everything that's weighing me down inside. 

"Nicole, you're not like that. You're so amazing. You're an amazing friend, who's always been there for me. You're so supportive, so sweet, and just so strong. You can do this. Nothing is going to stop you. If you don't want to tell him, then that's okay. You can take it slow," she says, and I shrug. 

That honestly seems like the best idea. I have a feeling that Ash is one of the greatest people to have as a friend. The last thing I need is to jeopardize that. I don't know what would happen if my friendship with him was ruined. "On top of that, I don't think I'm ready. I'm 22, and I'm still really young. On top of that, he's Colin's twin brother. I know they're nothing alike, but the thought of him being related to that piece of crap gives me chills. I'm just so broken right now. I don't think I would be able to take on another relationship at this moment," I tell her. 

I can feel her approval on the other side of the line. "I get you. Take it slow," Nina says, and with that, the lock to the front door turns. 

"Hey, I have to go. Dom's back," I say. 

"See you later, Nicole," she tells me. 

"Later," I say, and I hang up the phone. Not long after I set the phone down, Dom comes in, with his work bag slung over his shoulder. He's clearly done with work that day, and just wants to crash and sleep off his work coma. 

When he sees me, he flashes me his signature smile. "Hey, Nicole," he grunts, as he flops on the couch. 

I wave a little bit. "Hey, Dom-bear. How was work?" I ask him. 

He does nothing but sigh as he takes off his shoes and flops back on the couch. "Oh, nothing exciting. You seem busy on the computer. But, Ash did tell me that you are interested in that position for the financial analyst in the company! We actually have a lack of those in the company. I set up an interview time for you. Is that okay?" Dom asks, while I get up. 

"I'm just typing up something. Yeah, that's perfect! Do you want me to get some water?" 

Dom's head lifts itself a little bit. "Okay, I did next Wednesday at 9:45. It's gonna be pretty awesome. The financial and the business workspaces are very close to each other. I don't know how me being an actuary means I have to be seated in the business area. However, I'm sorry, Nicole, the marketing area is on the other side of the break room. I'm afraid you can't stare at Ash directly across from your cubicle," Dom pouts, as I bring him the glass of water. 

He takes it, with a smile, and I also give him an eye roll. "You better be lucky that I didn't dump this glass of water on your head, Dom." 

He chuckles. "I'm just joking. But anyways, I'm supposed to drop you off at Ash's place in twenty minutes. I can see that you're pretty much ready. I'll go change out of my work clothes, and then we can go. Sounds good?" Dom asks, as he sips his water. 

I give him the thumbs up. "Sounds perfect, honestly. It gives me 20 more minutes to relax, so yay," I say, and he laughs. 

"That's fair. I'll be changing. Lara should be home very soon, so you can spend some time with her," Dom says, and before I can reply, he prances off to the other room to change. When he closes the door, the doorknob turns once again, and Lara enters the house. 

"I'm back! Man, I need a hot bath!" she calls out, as she locks the door behind her. 

I turn my head to greet her. "Hey Lara! How was your day?" 

She takes off her coat and hangs it up in the closet next to the door. "It was alright. I had nobody cry about the fact that the gender they wanted wasn't their baby's, so I'm good. Man, being a diagnostic medical sonographer can be a shitshow, I'm telling you. What about you?" Lara asks, as I shrug. 

"I mean, it wasn't bad. I'm gonna be going over to someone's house very soon, so that's that. Talked to my best friend this morning. Also found out this guy was the person that convinced my husband to turn himself in," I tell her. 

She looks surprised by my answer, and she comes over to sit down on the couch. "Sounds like you've had a rather eventful day. Whose house are you going to?" Lara asks. 

I fidget a little bit, as Lara's eyebrow raises. "Uh, it's my brother in law's." 

Lara's jaw drops like someone dropping a microphone on a stage after clapping back. "Wait, your brother in law? What? Your brother in law convinced your husband to turn himself in, and now you're going to his house? Care to explain?" Lara asks. 

I nod, and explain everything from start to finish as quickly as I can possibly manage. At the end of it, Lara's jaw is just hanging open, staring straight at me. "Wow, and I thought my life was complicated. Oh, and it doesn't matter how much you don't wanna admit it. Asher likes you. For sure," she tells me. 

I roll my eyes, and hug the pillow on the couch even tighter. "Come on, Lara. Who would even like me like that? No one would," I ask. 

This time, Lara's jaw drops again. This time, out of a different kind of surprise. For some reason, hurt is fueled in the jaw drop. She's shocked at my negativity towards my image, and shocked that those words would even dare to come out of my mouth. "Nicole, don't say that! You're one of the most amazing people that I've ever personally met. You're sweet, gentle, helpful, and just overall a great friend. I consider you another sister, considering that I never had any brothers or sisters growing up. It doesn't matter if you want to give this relationship with Asher a try. If you do, then he'll be very lucky to have you as a girlfriend," Lara assures me, and I smile. 

"Thanks, Lara," I tell her, and I go in for a hug, which she gladly accepts. 

"Of course. You're pretty amazing." 

Dom walks out. "I'm not going to argue with that. You ready, Nicole? I'm ready," Dom asks me. 

I look back at him and nod. "I'm ready. I'll see you later, Lara," I tell her, and she waves. 

"See you tonight, Nicole," she tells me, and I walk out towards the car. Dom follows me, with the keys jingling in his hand.

*****

While we are driving in the car, Dom notices my lack of conversation. I'm too involved in my inner thoughts to be thinking about what could possibly happen in Ash's home. Dom notices this at a stop sign, and he puts his hand in my lap. 

"Hey, don't be nervous. Ash is a really nice guy. He'll make you feel at home, I promise," he tells me. I look back at him. 

"That's not what I'm worried about, Dom," I tell him. 

He raises an eyebrow at me. "Then what are you worried about?"

I shrug. "If I do want to become Ash's girlfriend. I don't see it happening anytime soon, for a few good reasons. One, I'm not ready to take on a relationship. I'm still healing. I still have scars. Two, I don't think I'll be good enough for him. No one wants a girl who's carrying the strife of dealing with panic attacks and PTSD." 

Dom's face drops, and he swallows a little bit. "Nicole, he's not going to do that. First of all, Ash is the kind of person who will stand by you and help you throughout your struggles. Ash is a really caring person. He'd definitely love you to the moon and back. I promise you," Dom says. I do nothing but give him a slight smile, even though inside I don't even know what to believe.

****

 "When are you going to call me? 8?" he asks, as I get out of the car.

 I nod. "Around that time. I will call you, I promise," I tell him. 

He gives me the thumbs up. "Awesome. Have a great time," Dom tells me. 

I smile. "Thanks, Dom," I say, with a smile, and I go to the door. Dom drives away, and when he's out of sight, I face Ash's house. It's a cozy house, that's not too big or too small. Flower bushes adorn the front of the house, right behind the gate. 

I shakily take my hand, and unhinge the latch so that I can enter the house. Grass blankets the front of the house, in a size that isn't much bigger than Dom and Lara's bathroom. There is a paved path, solidified with cement, that leads to the door of his house. 

I take a deep breath, and push the doorbell. Silence follows for about 3 seconds, which is succeeded by faint footsteps smacking the floor, which lead to the door. While the person comes to open the door, I look at the little details of the house. It's got a little balcony up top, with decent room to sit and just enjoy the fresh morning air while having a cup of coffee. 

While I'm admiring the details, the lock finally clicks, and the door swings open. I look at who's opened the door, and there stands a woman. She stands at maybe two inches shorter than me, with shoulder length hair that falls just below her shoulders. Her jawline is sharp enough to cut a slice of cheese from a Parmesan wedge. Her lips are full and plump, like someone inflated them enough to look beautifully natural. Her eyes are a warm brown color, very similar to Ash's eyes. 

She bats her eyes at me, in a simple, yet neutral way, that makes me wonder so many things. For some reason, she intimidates me slightly, but I try not to let her see it. "Can I help you?" she asks. 

I snap out of my little trance, and straighten myself up. "Oh, sorry. I'm Nicole. Ash invited me over," I say. 

The girl's face turns a little bit kinder when she sees who I am. "Oh, you're Nicole! Oh, where are my manners? Please, come in!" she tells me. 

I smile, and I step inside their house. She closes the door behind me. When I step inside, the aroma of homecooked food blesses my nostrils. The spices and the ingredients remind me of the nights when Dom would cook us a long, hearty meal to enjoy ourselves during difficult times. "Ash, Nicole is here!" she yells, as she locks the door behind her. 

She comes in front of me, and holds her hand out. "I'm Emily, by the way. I'm Ash's sister," she says. 

I smile, and take her hand. "Nice to meet you! You look a lot like Ash. I can definitely tell that you are Ash's little sister," I say, and she smiles. 

"I get that a lot. Most of my teachers were able to recognize me because I look so much like Ash. And he was right! You are gorgeous!" she tells me. 

I bite my lip out of being flattered at her compliment. "Thank you. That's so sweet. Wait, Ash thinks I'm gorgeous?" I ask. 

She smirks a little bit, and nods. "Oh yeah. He's been talking about you since the beginning of time. He won't stop gushing about how beautiful and amazing you are," Emily tells me. 

I smile even bigger, as she goes over to the couch to take a seat. "Ash thinks I'm gorgeous?" I think to myself. 

Tonight's already off to a good start. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Ha, I love Ash's sisters for a really good reason. They're both pretty amazing. So, it looks like Nicole's doubting herself and her ability to love again after everything. That's kind of normal for a pretty good reason. What do you guys think about her apprehensiveness towards loving again? Let me know. 

Hey everyone! How are you all? So, I feel like the chapters are going to be a lot longer nowadays because of the fact that I decided to write a lot in this area. Don't know why, but writing about their encounters is just way too much fun. 

Well, that's all I got. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

Please vote/comment/share/follow/message if you like my work! See you all next Saturday with a new chapter of Phoenix! Have a great week!

Love you guys, 

Shree