A SECOND CHANCE AT FOREVER Chapter 90: CHAPTER NINETY

ASHLEY

The club was a blur of flashing lights and bodies moving in sync with the music, but I found Violet easily, still at the bar, sipping what looked like a vodka soda. Her gaze landed on me the moment I approached, and her eyes immediately narrowed.

“Where the hell did you—” She stopped, head tilting as she took me in. “Okay, what happened? You look like you’re about to murder someone.”

I slid onto the barstool beside her, reaching for my whiskey sour. I didn’t care that it had started to sweat against the napkin. I needed a drink.

“Ashley.” Violet nudged my arm. “Talk to me.”

I took a long sip before setting the glass down, fingers tightening around the cool rim. My throat burned, but it wasn’t enough to erase the weight pressing against my chest.

“I just ran into someone,” I said finally, my voice coming out flatter than I intended.

Violet arched a brow. “Someone as in…?”

I stared at the golden sketches of hyacinths on the black walls, the intricate designs twisting in patterns that felt almost mocking now.

“As in Liam.”

Violet stilled. Completely.

Then, very slowly, she set her drink down and turned to face me fully. “Liam?”

I nodded.

Her expression darkened, her usual carefree demeanor shifting into something sharper. “What the hell is he doing here?”

“Good question,” I muttered. “He didn’t exactly hand me an itinerary.”

Violet’s lips pressed together. “Did he—?”

“He just talked.” I cut her off before she could go where I knew her mind was going. “No touching, no grabbing. Just words.”

Her nose wrinkled. “Yeah, well, that’s bad enough. What did he want?”

I lifted my glass, took another sip. “To ‘catch up.’”

Violet’s scoff was immediate. “Oh, hell no.”

“Yeah, that was my reaction too.”

I swirled the liquid in my glass, watching the ice clink against the sides, but my mind was still in that hallway, still hearing his voice.

I don’t think we’re done here.

A shiver crawled down my spine.

No. This wasn’t happening. Liam was a ghost from my past, and that’s where he’d stay.

He wasn’t going to worm his way back in.

I wouldn’t let him.

Violet leaned in, her fingers drumming against the bar like she was barely resisting the urge to hunt Liam down herself. “Tell me you shut that shit down.”

I exhaled, shaking my head. “I walked away. Didn’t give him the satisfaction of a scene.”

Violet arched a brow. “That’s restraint—I would’ve thrown my drink in his face.”

I gave a humorless laugh. “Tempting. But I wasn’t going to give him the reaction he wanted.”

She studied me for a beat, then reached for her drink, taking a slow sip. “So…are we gonna pretend he didn’t show up? Go about our night like nothing happened?”

I wanted to say yes. To push this whole thing aside and drown it in alcohol and music. But the truth was, my skin still crawled from the encounter, and even with Violet’s presence, my mind wouldn’t let it go.

“Hey,” Violet’s voice softened. “You’re spiraling.”

I blinked, shaking off the thoughts, and forced a smirk. “I’m fine.”

Violet didn’t buy it for a second. “Liar. But fine, I won’t push—yet.” She tilted her head toward the dance floor. “Come on. One song. If you’re still in a mood after, we can plot Liam’s demise over tequila shots.”

I huffed a laugh. “Tempting offer.”

She stood, holding out a hand. “Then get your ass up.”

I hesitated for a second before exhaling and taking her hand. The bass of the music pulsed through the club, and I let her drag me toward the mass of people swaying to the beat.

Just one song.

One moment to forget Liam and the past he dragged with him.

Because I had left that part of my life behind.

And I wasn’t letting it catch up to me now.

The music pounded through the club, the heavy bass vibrating beneath my feet as Violet pulled me deeper into the dance floor. Bodies pressed in around us, moving in sync with the rhythm, the energy of the space buzzing like an electric current.

I let out a slow breath, rolling my shoulders, trying to shake off the unease Liam had left behind. 

Violet caught my eye and grinned. “There she is.” She spun in time with the beat, her hips swaying effortlessly. “You were looking a little ghost of relationships past over there for a second.”

I smirked. “I’m fine.”

“Are you, though?” She waggled her brows. “Because I think I saw your hands curl into fists at least three times.”

I rolled my eyes, but before I could respond, a warm presence appeared at my back.

“Mind if I cut in?”

I stiffened. That voice. Low, confident, a little amused.

I turned, already knowing who I’d find.

Kyle.

His eyes found mine instantly, and the rest of the club faded. The flashing lights, the music, the sea of people—it all blurred into nothing but the sharp intensity of his gaze.

Violet raised a brow, exchanging a glance between us before slowly stepping back. “I’ll be at the bar,” she murmured, disappearing into the crowd.

Kyle’s lips twitched. “She’s subtle.”

I exhaled. “What are you doing here?”

“Meeting you,” he said simply, hands slipping into the pockets of his dark jeans. “Since you never answered my text.”

Right. His text. The one I’d seen right before Liam showed up like a ghost from my worst nightmares.

Kyle’s eyes flickered with something unreadable as he studied my face. His amusement dimmed, just slightly. “What happened?”

For a brief second, I considered telling him.

Kyle knew about Liam—about everything. He had been the one to make sure Liam stayed the hell away from me all those years ago. If I told him Liam was back, that I’d run into him tonight, I knew exactly what would happen.

Kyle would interfere.

And I couldn’t have that.

There was no reason for him to be involved in my life like that anymore. Liam wasn’t his problem. He wasn’t my problem either. Not anymore. I could handle this on my own.

So instead of answering his question, I straightened my shoulders, forcing a smirk. “How did you find me?”

Kyle’s eyes darkened slightly, as if he knew I was deflecting, but he let it slide—for now. He leaned in, his voice low over the pulse of the music. “Violet posted a story. You were in the background.”

Of course.

I shot a mental glare at my best friend. Subtle, my ass.

“Relax,” Kyle added, watching me closely. “You look good in it.”

I rolled my eyes, but the warmth in his gaze sent an unwelcome flutter through my chest.

“I was going to wait for you to text back,” he continued, “but then I figured you might need a little… encouragement.”

I scoffed. “So you just decided to show up?”

He tilted his head slightly, considering. “Seemed like a better plan than waiting around.”

I shook my head, crossing my arms in front of me, trying to steel myself against the way his gaze seemed to pierce right through me. “You do realize that’s borderline stalker behavior, right?” 

Kyle’s lips curled into that infuriating smirk, completely unfazed by my words. “If it gets me what I want, then I can live with that,” 

Something about the way he said it made my breath hitched

Damn him

I took a deep breath, my anger flaring as I tried to push him back into the box I’d carefully placed him in. “You think this is some kind of game?” I bit back, trying to regain my footing. “You’re not going to get away with—”

Before I could finish, his hand shot out, grabbing me by the wrist with a grip so firm, it sent a jolt of heat through my arm.

My words caught in my throat as he pulled me toward him, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “You talk too much, Ashley,” he murmured, voice rough, as he closed the distance between us.

Before I could even process what was happening, he slammed his lips against mine in a punishing kiss. His mouth was relentless, taking, demanding, the kiss forceful and deep as if he was trying to consume me whole. My blood burned at the sudden onslaught, my body stiffening instinctively—until his tongue slid past my lips, and it was like my brain short-circuited.