Second Thoughts After Divorce

Rose’s POV

I left the downstairs salon with my heart pounding, my mind buzzing with the unexpected

ed connection I ha

I had sparked with Lydia…. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

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Bonu

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As I returned back upstairs to the main floor, I found d Oliver waiting in the seating area, looking up from his phone as I approached him slowly.

“Hey! Wow, you look different! Oliver exclaims, his eyes widening in genuine surprise as he cocks his head at me to take it all in.

“Is it that noticeable?” I ask with a playful grin, feeling a surge of self–confidence from his reaction….

He nodded, his gaze appreciative. Definitely. Ashton won’t know what’s hit him when he sees you!” He adds, as I laugh and wave him off – my ch*eks heating ever so slightly from the thought.

Oliver uses Ashtons card to settle the bill for the beauty package, before I thank the staff and follow Oliver back out to the car.

“How is it sunset already?!” I squint up p at the darkening sky, as Oliver chuckles and shakes his head.

“You were in there for fucking hours! You must’ve been having too much fun to not notice! I didn’t think you would ever want picked up… Oliver mocks, as I smile and stare out of the window – still buzzed from my day.

On that note, an overnight in the salon doesn’t sound too bad….

The ride home was filled with lively chatter and laughter, as Oliver told me about his exciting day helping out at the hospital,

My thoughts soon swarmed back to meeting Lydia, and the upcoming dinner I had planned with her… I was hopeful that she would become my new friend here – with all going well!

I just have to ask Ashton and let him know and make sure he is ok with the idea…

–

As the excitement of the day began to settle, and we approached home, a nagging thought started to gnaw at the back of my mind my eyes widening at the realisation-

I suddenly realized that I didn’t ever

even own a phone to text Lydia on!

Crap! How could I take the girls

is number and not have a way to actually contact her with it? How silly of me!

My heart raced with a mixture of excitement and mild panic as Oliver dropped me off at the pack house. I thank him, before rushing inside, eager to share my day’s events with Ashton.

As I entered the grand foyer of the home, there he was, waiting for me with a warm smile that sparkled under the chandelier hanging above us…

His eyes widened as he took in my transformed appearance, and I felt a blush creep up my ch*eks at his unabashed admiration. He stepped forward, his arms encircling me in a gentle hug before he pulled back slightly to meet my eyes.

“Wow, Rose. You look absolutely breathtaking… I like what you’ve done with your hair… Ashton states purposefully, his voice filled with genuine surprise and affection.

“Thank you, I just let the lady do what she thought was best!” I replied, my voice slightly breathless. His compliment made me feel more radiant than ever, and I couldn’t help but bask in his warm regard to my new appearance…

Ashton a thumb brushed against my ch*ek, his touch tender as he leaned down to place a gentle k*ss on my forehead. “You never cease to amaze me… 1 take if you had a good day then?” He murmured, his eyes locking onto mine as he spoke, earning a eager nod in return,

affection in his gate was undeniable, and a warm feeling spread throughout my chest nobody had ever looked at me the way that this man does….

The past weeks had been filled with challenges and masses of change, but Ashton’s unwavering support and love were constant reminders of how far I

so far, he was the only person in my life that I could truly rely on… for the fint time ever.

“It was the best day ever… do you like my nails too?!‘ I grin widely, holding up my pampered fingers as he smiles and nods – taking my hand in his and

“My toes match!” I add, as he chuckles at my excitement.

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“It all looks great… even your eyebrows and eyelashes look different? Not too dramatic though, it’s good!” He adds, taking note of the other things 08:10

tweaked today too.

I leaned into his touch, resting my face on his chest, relishing in his presence. I’m glad you like it,” I said, my voice a soft whisper, as he rocks me slowly in his arms.

e so far.

“You can go back whenever you want…” He hums, as I smile into his chest, grateful for the experiences he had given me so

I giggled, feeling a sense of lightheartedness that I hadn’t experienced in a while. “Well, I’ll hold you to that then.” I joke, as his hands intertwine around my hips.

We stood there for a moment, lost in each other’s hold, before I remembered the reason for my excitement again. “Oh, by the way, Ashton, I have something to tell you, or maybe I should say ask you? 1 begin, my voice filled with a mix of anticipation and nervousness as I pull back from the hug slightly.

His brows furrowed, curiosity evident in his eyes. “What is it, Rose?”

I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts. “So, while I was at the salon, I met this girl named Lydia. She works there, and… she reminds me a lot of myself… before I got here.” 1 explain, as his eyes search mine- giving me his whole attention

“I wanted to get to know her more, find out her story, but she seemed sort of reserved and held back at the salon…” I go on, as Ashton nods once to show that he was following what I was saying.

“Really? What age is Lydia roughly?” Ashton ponders, as I inhale another breath before continuing on

“I think she’s the same age as me, or round about that anyway!” 1 state, as Ashtons brows perk up slightly at the information.

“Well that’s great news Rose… I was hoping that you would make a female friend your own age, so that you aren’t stuck with Oliver every single day!” Ashton laughs out, as I shake my head at the statement.

“Oliver is still my friend tool” I add, as Ashtons amused features remain

“I know… but you’ll appreciate a female friend more won’t you?” He bargains, as I shrug and smile at the thought of it.

Having a girl to hang around with for the first time, who is my own age, would actually be really great!

“Anyway… we have gone off topic! Lydia seemed quite down in the dumps… and so I asked if she would like to have dinner with me one day… here?” | tell Ashton what I had planned, silently praying for him to accept my idea and help me to make it a reality.

Ashton’s expression shifted from curiosity to intrigue. “Really? That sounds good with me… so what did she say?” He questions, as I lick my lips quickly, before opening my mouth again.

“Thankfully she said yes! She gave me her phone number to text her the details on, but I then realised after leaving the salon that I don’t even have a phone! How silly of me! Maybe I could go back down tomorrow and tell her the details in person?” I suggest, looking up at Ashton – my eyes hopeful,

Ashton chuckled softly, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Well, there’s really no need for that… He begins, as my expression falls a little.

“Luckily for

excitement.

I

you, I have a phone you can use to text her on Ashton tells me, picking up my hope once again as I jump up and down a little in

“Come on, let me go get it… do you still have the paper with her number?” He then asks, taking my hand in his and leading me towards the lounge

– a room I had seen yet never spent time in yet.

We epler, as Ashton leads me towards the large plush grey sofa and instructs for me to take a seat, before he moves off to the corner unplugging the device from its charger.

He retrieved his phone and brought it straight over to me, placing the gadget in my hands as I eye it curiously. “Go for it.” Ashton pushes for me to use it, as I pick it up steadily – ferling scared of leaking the expensive tool,

embarrassing? But I’ve never used a phone before… I clear my throat and admit, as Ashtons eyes widen.

Lwatch

orry… Here, give me the number and I add it in for you and show you how to send your first test.” He takes the device from me, as L

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him curiously as he swipes to unlock it the screen brightening up at his touch.

His fingers moved with practiced ease as he navigated through the device, his attention fully focused on entering Lydia’s number in- followed by 108:07

name before saving it to his contacts.

Once he was done, he turned the phone towards me, as I take it back slowly…

“There you go. Now, to send a text, you open up the little green box here, find Lydia’s name, and then just type your message like this…” He explains, leaning over me to help break down each part, his fingers tapping out a random message using the mini keyboard as he demonstrated,

It doesn’t seem too hard.

I nod, absorbing each and every one of his instructions. “Got it… I think! Thank you, Ashton. I state, before following his steps from the start – opening up the text tab and finding Lydia’s number on my own this time.

He smiled warmly, “You’re welcome… Just let me know if you need any more help. I’m going to go grab you some dinner that the chef’s left for you and bring it through, you can eat in here and I was thinking we could maybe watch a movie together tonight? Ashton tells me his thought out plan, as 1 smile.

“Sounds perfect!” I comment, grateful for everything that he does for me.

With that, Ashton stands to exit the lounge room, as I stare down at the phone with newfound confidence. My fingers hesitated slightly before I began typing out my first message…

‘Hey Lydia! It’s Rose, we met today at the salon! I had a great time chatting with you today. Would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow night?”

I read over the message a few times, hoping that it sounded friendly and inviting. With a deep breath, I pressed the send button, and a rush of excitement coursed through me as it showed up as deliverered‘ which I guess means that it sent to her phone!

Now, I just have to await her response…

It wasn’t long before Ashton returned, holding a hot bowl of pasta in his hands with a drink in the other. I perk up, as he tells me to grab a cushion for my lap to place the bowl on as I eat.

He sits himself down next, grabbing a nearby remote, before turning on the large flat screen TV–bringing it to life.

his a

I hand the phone back to him, as he sets it aside and turns she answers!” Ashton explains, as I nod eagerly before shoving a large fork ful of pasta into my mouth – it tasting like heaven,

attention back to me. “So did you manage to send the message? I can let you know when

“I did… it said delivered after I pressed send.” I tell him after swallowing the food, watching as he sifts through a wide selection of movies.

“Perfect – you did good.” Ashton comments, before a comforting silence falls between us, as I continue to eat my dinner and wait for him to settle on a movie choice.

With a sense of accomplishment, I smile in thought of Lydia receiving my text. I looked forward to the dinner with Lydia, I felt a newfound sense of hope and excitement about the connections I was building here in my new life…

This place was simply better, in more ways than one!

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