Quote of the day: No matter where you go, remember the road that will lead you home.

   
        Ashley turned on the soft bed sniffing as she did so. Something smelled refreshing in the air but she couldn't place a finger on it, she wanted to wake up and just pick whatever it is up but she felt too lazy.

   The bed dipped beside her, she scrunched her nose at the obvious distraction still not opening her pretty eyes, she was enjoying her beauty sleep way too much. She felt something drop on the bed beside her a little too gently.

   Ashley felt heat seeping from whatever just dropped on the bed, maybe it was one of Chloe's babies, we all know how hot they are.

      "Wake up sleepy head," she heard a sweet voice say beside her. The voice belonging to no one else but Chloe Anderson, she scrunched her nose harder definitely not wanting to wake up. "Wake up before I drench you in hot coffee."

   She shot her head up instantly, slowly opening her eyes, she saw a tray laying beside her, on it was a cup of coffee and some pancakes, since when did Chloe start making pancakes? 

    Ashley stared up to behold Chloe's gorgeous face. Chloe had a huge smile on her face, her grey eyes twinkling as she did.

  "Good morning," Chloe said.

     "Morning to you too," Ashley said picking up the coffee. She took a sip and gave Chloe her biggest smile. "Thanks my Chloe."

    "You're welcome," Chloe said with a wide grin. "I made the pancakes, what do you think?"

     Ashley picked up one of it and took a cautious bite. Don't blame her, she doesn't want to get food poisoned. Ashley must say that she was pleasantly surprised, it was actually good. It was a bit shocking because Chloe was as clueless as Greg when it came to anything that has to do with kitchen. "Wow, its nice." She picked up one more.

     "Really?" Chloe asked.

   "Yeah it is," she said between chewing. It wasn't until she finished the last on her plate before she looked up at Chloe with a cute pout. "Do I get more?"

       "Uhm about that...there are still more in the kitchen," Chloe said stuttering. Ashley got up instantly heading for the kitchen, on getting to the kitchen, what she saw horrified her so much.

       "Chloe what happened here?" Ashley asked when she heard Chloe's footsteps behind her. She turned back to look at Chloe who had a sheepish look on her face, not knowing what to say she turned back to face her disfigured kitchen.

    The countertop was littered with several bowls and pans, and there were burnt pancakes all over, the whole kitchen looked like it had a bath with flour. Ashley walked over to the counter and picked one of the burnt offering that Chloe prepared. Ashley was immensely shocked, she wondered how anyone would burn pancakes.

      "This was just a little hazard that happened while preparing the delicious pancakes you just ate," Chloe said nervously.

      "Okay let's forget that for a second, where are the remaining pancakes?" She asked, because she really wanted to have a taste of it again.

     "Actually, the ones I gave to you are the only ones that turned out well, the rest were part of the kitchen hazard."

    Ashley gave Chloe a bewildered look, now this was the reason why she never let's Chloe anywhere near her kitchen. "So you mean that you haven't eaten?"

    Chloe nodded her head in answer, Ashley felt her heart melt at her sweet friends gesture, so she had sacrificed the edible ones for her. "I wanted you to eat those, and moreover I don't want to get food poisoned."

    Ashley had a shocked look on her face, watching as Chloe ran out of the kitchen with a cute laugh. She stood there looking transfixed for a while, but she soon got over it, shaking her head at Chloe with a smile on her face.

   She looked over the kitchen deciding that Chloe's delicate hands are going to be the one to clean it, but she was hungry and couldn't wait for Chloe's silliness to settle. So got busy with cleaning her kitchen herself. Soon enough Chloe joined her in the cleaning.

   Halfway into the work, she heard the doorbell ring. She walked over to the front door to open it, expecting to see one of their neighbors, what she saw was a little surprising and appealing.

    Greg Marshall stood on her doorstep, with a smile, her eyes ran over his body. He was cladded in a blue denim shorts and grey T-shirt, he looked different and at the same time dashing.

       "Good morning Ashley," his voice brought her back to life, and what filed her mind was fear. She pulled him into her house immediately locking the door. She knew that her father must be keeping watch on her house one way or the other, having Greg on her doorstep would be making things a lot more harder for her. "I had no idea you missed me so much, I would have been here sooner."

     "What are you doing here?"

    "I will ignore what you just said and take it as a 'good morning' instead," he said walking into her kitchen like he fucking owned the place. She followed him inside the kitchen. "Morning Chloe," with a cheery voice.

    Chloe turned to face him with a look of shock on her face. "Morning Greg."

      "Finally, someone who behaves normal in the morning," Greg said raising up his hand dramatically. Ashley watched him as he started snooping around the kitchen, she was kinda glad that the place was more cleaner now.

    "Is that a diss at Ashley?" Chloe asked with a chuckle.

    "Obviously," he said still looking around the kitchen. Ashley was really curious as to what he was searching for, but before she could ask him, he turned to face her with a confused look. "What's for breakfast?"

        "What!" Ashley said in awe, so he came here for food.

   "Yes, what's for breakfast, I'm starving and I tried making the omelette you taught me yesterday, and guess what it didn't turn out well. So I thought I would come here for breakfast," he said with a stupid grin. He looked so hot and all, but his brain was lacking when it came to cooking.

      "So you can't make omelette," Chloe said laughing. Greg gave her an angry glare. 

    "Says the one who just burnt pancakes," Ashley said with a smug look, wiping the smile off Chloe's face.

    "What now, are you siding with your boyfriend?" Chloe asked pouting, giving Greg a glare.

       "Of course not, you both are hopeless, now out of my kitchen," she said pointing to the door. She watched as Chloe left begrudgingly, but Greg still stood there looking at something on her ceiling. She looked up trying to see what had him so fixated, but she saw nothing.

    On closer look she saw a black dot. Ashley turned to Greg ready to push him out of her kitchen, but he drew out a chair, climbed it. She stared as he stretched to pluck out the black dot from the ceiling, she had no idea Greg was a sucker for neatness. She wondered what he would do if he came around when the kitchen was still in the mess Chloe had put it in.

    "What is this?" Greg asked stepping down from the chair. She wanted to roll her eyes at him but stopped when she saw what he was holding. She looked closely at the black dot on his hand, she saw that it wasn't a dot, it was a camera, a small one.

   Her heart pounded in her chest as she took it from his hand, she looked at it. "So now you are placing bugs around your house, you have made me all the more curious about you Ashley."

    "Ohh yes, I kept it there so that I can tell when Chloe is trying to steal something from the fridge," she lied with a wry smile. She knew she had to tell him something, to stop him from suspecting anything out of the ordinary.  Her father had to be the one who kept it in her house, and she could tell that there were definitely more of it if she looked around.

     Her heart was pounding deep in her chest, she didn't know her father would go as far as planting bugs in her house, now there was nothing safe about this house, Greg been here also was a huge mistake, now her father had ample information about her.

    Ashley crushed the camera in her hand, squeezing her hand around it. She was really furious, she soon felt a hand go over hers, she looked down and saw that Greg had placed his hand on her squeezed one.

     "Is anything the matter Ashley?" Greg asked with questions feeling his voice, she looked up into his eyes and saw the same questioning gaze in his eyes. "Was the camera planted by someone else?"

       "No!" She said with a dry chuckle. "Who would have? If not me."

      "Okay," Greg said nodding his head. He looked around one more time looking like he was about to say something else, but he dropped it.

     She felt her heart breaking at what was coming next for her. She had no time left to do anything again, she had to break all ties off with Greg fast, and lead her father to another place. She had to keep Greg and his family safe, and more so she had to keep Chloe safe.

    She looked at Greg's face, and realized that she didn't have the heart to break up with him right now, she couldn't, it was hard, her feelings for him ran deeper now.

    She should have ended things sooner, and now it was proving to be hard.

   Okay just for today, after today she will break it all off and leave.

   She just needed to spend one more day with him and Chloe.

    Just one more day.

  Chapter thirty three.
Mary Aden.