Come Here to Forget | Ash |

[Ashley Bates]

Ash nodded at her comments about the flower smells. That was one of the things he liked about the Dakota. She was strong, independent and incredibly beautiful but most importantly she was so far and away different from what he had come to expect of the other Aphrodite girls who seemed to commonly be so vain. She really was as beautiful on the outside a she was in and Ash loved it. He realized he didn't have much to offer her and he could see no reason why she had been attracted to him but he had never really been one for questioning things like this. He just went with and now here they were, together and very close.

"Maybe we can try it again sometime. Cuddling is a better alternative than drinking I think." He let his hand brush through her hair but when she spoke again Ash opened his eyes to look at her. "They are, are they?" He said finding a grim bit of humor in the fact that it had taken one of them getting drunk to work out their problems. "Good. I was hoping they were. Just as I was hoping you would remember them. I really do want to make you happy again. Hopefully this is a good start."

[Dakota King]

“And I don't think cuddling has a hangover,” Dakota muttered with a slight grimace. Even though she was doing a lot better than before, this experience was definitely one she didn't want to relive again. Ever. But maybe something good came out of this act of stupidity.

Dakota smiled slightly as Ash spoke. Things were better between them, at least, better than before. Yes, Dakota still had her doubts, but she knew better now. She had her doubts, but she'd rather have Ash with her instead of without. “I think it's a good one,” she whispered before she moved to pull Ash into a hug as she buried her head into the crook of his neck and took a deep breath.

[Ashley Bates]

"No, I don't think it does either." He was happy with the knowledge that they probably wouldn't have to go through a night like last night again. Ash had no problem with alcohol personally but he didn't like seeing Dakota so willing to drink herself into oblivion. Hopefully next time they drank it would be for happier reasons and not to escape guilty feelings and hopefully he would never give her a reason to have those guilty feelings in the first place. "Besides, at least cuddling is guilt free."

When she pulled him into a hug Ash welcomed it and returned it. Dakota felt warm in his arms and he enjoyed having her there. He did love her, perhaps now more than he ever had, but what Dakota needed now was time and he thought that he could give that to her even if that meant that the jury was still out on what they would become. "You know." He said when they broke away. "I think working on the timing of that kissing thing would also be a better alternative to drinking. Might even help with your recovery."

[Dakota King]

"So you're telling me that cuddling is much better and healthier than alcohol?" Dakota said with a slight smirk as she looked at Ash. She liked when they did cuddle last night, but Dakota passed out pretty quickly that she couldn't appreciate it as much as she should've. But now that things were better between them, maybe she would be seeing a lot more cuddles with him. "I think I would be okay if I become a cuddle-holic instead of an alcoholic." And Dakota was pretty sure that she wouldn't be touching another bottle for a very long time.

But their hug was nice and Ash smelled good. He smelled like cinnamon, which was something she was expecting, but at the same time that wasn't his scent. He was always smelled a bit woodsy to her whenever they were this close. When they pulled away, Dakota raised her eyebrows at him working on the timing of their kissing. She chuckled a bit as a slight smirk crept onto her lips. "Working on the timing of kissing will help with my recovery?" she asked as she tilted her head to the side. "I'm not quite sure if I believe you."

[Ashley Bates]

A cuddle-holic? Ash wasn't so sure about the name but he couldn't really complain if it got Dakota in his arms. He would certainly welcome any cuddling he could get especially if it was with her like this because he liked being close to her and having her laying against him. It felt right and falling asleep with her like that had been nice. He didn’t know about Dakota but this was definitely something that he would be looking forward to in the future.

When they broke away from the hug Ash got the distinct impression that she was toying with him. He was a hunter and he knew when his prey was playing hard to get. Dakota for her part at least knew what she was doing and Ash, well he found it quite alluring. He wasn't the type to dance around issues however and where Dakota was involved that was doubly true. Dakota could play her games but Ash did want to kiss her and unlike last night this was a better time with both of them aware of what was going on.

"There's only one way to find out." He said as he reached up to stroke her cheek. She looked as perfect as ever in that moment. She had just woken up and had barely begun to recover from her hangover but Ash didn't care. To him she was that Aphrodite cowgirl that was still the object of his affection and that didn't appear to be changing any time soon. She had tilted her head to the side while she talked and Ash thought that was the perfect angle he had been waiting for. Without another word he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers once again.

[Dakota King]

Dakota felt okay to tease Ash just a little bit. It had been so long since they had been on good terms that she was savoring it. She was about to say something else to him when he shut her up with his lips. He was kissing her, not the other way around. He actually wanted it for once instead of her throwing herself into him.

Dakota closed her eyes as she kissed him back. She enjoyed kissing Ash and it was nice they were finally working on their timing. She didn't know how long she kissed him, but it was a while before she pulled away from his lips. “You might be right,” she murmured to him as a slight smile crept onto her lips.

[Ashley Bates]

They may have made some poor choices on timing before but Ash would never regret an opportunity he had to kiss Dakota. This one though was something special. They had finally gotten it right. Sure a lot of things were still up in the air but this moment was good, this kiss was right. Ever since that walk they had taken together when he had told her how he really felt things had been muddled by everything between them Now though, if just for a moment that had found their way back to each other.

When she pulled away Dakota seemed much better. Maybe his theory had some merit after all though secretly he thought it might be because they were finally working through the things that had been stressing them these past few weeks. Whatever the case Ash was satisfied with the response but hadn't quite had enough of her yet. "You know I'm willing to bet that a little more practice would do us both some good. It would be a shame to waste it since we finally did find a good moment."

[Dakota King]

Things were finally looking up for once. And to think, this whole ordeal started with her getting drunk because she thought she was horrible, even if Ash told her that wasn't the case, and now she was finally on a good terms with him once again. Maybe they could finally end the stuff that was going on between them, because Dakota knew she was absolutely miserable when she cut things off with Ash the first time around. And this time, she knew she didn't want them to end at all.

Dakota smiled at him when he mentioned something about letting a good moment go to waste. She chuckled a bit as she leaned in closer to him. "We can't have that, can we?" she asked before she pressed her lips onto his. Since it was a good moment, she figured she might as well get as many kisses out of him while she still could.