Ashley smoothed out the wrinkles on her dress and looked into the mirror. She smiled and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, satisfied with what she was seeing. She took her lip balm from the table and applied it onto her lips, smacking them together in the end.

"Ashley.Your boy toy is here." Mayla's voice shouted from the living room.

Ashley rolled her eyes at what Mayla was referring to Dante as and grabbed her clutch off the table. "He's not my boy toy." she muttered angrily as she passed by Mayla.

Mayla smiled at her innocently.

She glared at Mayla when she felt a slap on her left butt. "What was that for?"

Mayla winked at her and threw herself on the couch. "For a little bit of luck in case you get lucky." She winked at Ashley and did some perverted motions with her fingers and tongue.

"Are you guys forgetting that I'm standing right here?"

Ashley turned around and blushed when she saw Dante standing there with an amused smirk on his face. She turned around and glared at Mayla who only looked at her innocently.

She turned back around and smiled at Dante. "Hi." she said softly.

"Hi." he grinned and her and held up a bouquet of flowers. "These are for you. I hope you like lilies."

I love lilies, she thought to herself.

She grabbed the bouquet and smiled thankfully at him. "Thank you. I love lilies. Let me find a vase to put these in and we'll go." Her whole body turned only to have her head bumped into another. "Ouch. What the heck Mayla?" she rubbed her forehead.

Mayla used one hand to rub her forehead while the other snatched the bouquet out of Ashley's hands.

She smirked. "I'll put them in for you. You go and enjoy your little date." She pushed Ashley aside and glared at Dante. "Hurt her in any shape way or form, and I swear, you will regret the day you met me."

Dante only responded to her response with a raised eyebrow. He looked passed her and smiled at Ashley. "You ready now?" He saw Mayla coming closer to possibly hurt him but he only put his arm out and pushed her head out of the way.

Ashley nodded her head and walked towards him. "Behave." she hissed lowly to Mayla while giving Dante a tight smile.

"I already don't like him." Mayla muttered back.

Ashley took Dante's outstretched hand. "Where are we going?" she asked him as Mayla closed the door behind her.

Dante grinned down at her.

Ashley felt her heart beating just a little faster. Her body began to heat up with the familiar blush coming to her face. She looked away from him. She didn't know what he was doing to her but she knew that she didn't like it one bit.

"It's a surprise." he winked at her.

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Dante grinned at Ashley and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the middle of the forest. "Come on." he urged her when he saw her looking around nervously.

"You didn't take me here to kill me did you?" Ashley looked up at him with nervous eyes and pouty lips. Lips that Dante wished he could kiss.

Dante shook his head, released her hand, and broke into a short jog. "If I did, you would already be dead."

He laughed when he turned around and saw her trying to keep up with him. He took her arm again and started pulling her along with him.

Ashley scowled at him and tried to move faster to keep up with him while trying her best not to trip and fall.

She knew that if she did, there would be a chance of her falling on top of Dante or even under him. She knew for a fact that Dante wouldn't mind that happening at all but she knew enough about his reputation to make her fear for her heart.

Dante was a well known player and Ashley wasn't in the mood to get played.

Ever.

"Come on Ashley. Can you run any slower?" he teased her, dragging her faster. He laughed out loud when she stumbled a bit, almost falling over but she caught herself just in time.

Ashley stopped and glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest. She raised her eyebrow up at him. "Can you run any slower?"

Dante grinned at her. "Nope. Not possible."

"Then no I won't run any faster." And being the mature person that she was, she stuck her tongue out at him.

He smirked. "Well then I guess I have no choice."

Ashley gave him a confused look "No choice but to—hey! What are you doing? Put me down!" she shouted, smacking Dante's chest as he ran while carrying her bridal style.

Dante laughed and started to run even faster towards his destination. "You gave me no choice, mia bella!" he shouted through the wind.

"Dante! I'm wearing a freaking dress." she shouted while holding onto to her dress at her knee, making sure that it didn't fly up.

"All the more reasons to sweep you off your feet!" Dante grinned and then placed her down on the ground, standing in front of her so he blocks her view. "Cover your eyes." He said softly.

"Why?" she whined, moving her face around him but it was to no avail as he blocked her.

Damn he was like a giant.

Dante smirked and shrugged his shoulders. He then smiled a true and genuine smile. "Just do as I say."

Ashley sighed and closed her eyes. She then felt Dante's hands covering her eyes and groaned. "I'm not going to peek."

"I'm not going to take any chances." Was Dante's reply. "Okay now, I'm going to guide you. Listen okay."

"Listen? Listen to wha—"

"Sh. Just listen."

Ashley rolled her eyes inwardly and let Dante guide her to the place that he was so dying for her to see as their first date. She held onto his arms as they covered her eyes and groaned when she felt her foot accidentally hitting a tree. "Dante, I'm going to fall."

"Don't worry bella. I'll catch you." She could hear the smile in his voice and because of that, her own smile made its way to her lips.

"You better." She said with a smile.

"Of course. Now be quiet and just listen."

Ashley perked her ears up but frowned when she heard nothing. "What am I supposed to be listening to?"

"Sh."

She then heard it. It was soft but it was still there. It was like the sound of water hitting the pavement like rain but it was stronger than that. "Dante? Are we at a waterfall?"

Ashley felt her eyes being freed and her eyes widened when she saw the sight in front of her. "Ding ding ding. We have a winner." Dante whispered into her ear making her shiver.

Ashley looked at the waterfall in awe and closer towards it.

It wasn't big like most waterfalls, in fact, it was only about ten feet wide and twelve feet high. But nonetheless, it was still beautiful. The flowers surrounding it gave off the nature glow while the birds chirped happily on the trees.

"It's so beautiful." She whispered in awe.

"Yes. Yes she is."

Ashley turned to look at Dante. It wasn't surprising when she saw him staring at her. A teasing smile made its way to her lips. "Smooth."

Dante laughed and sat down on the ground. He winked at her. "I know."

Ashley laughed and sat down next to him. "So, this is your ideal of a first date?" she asked, turning to look at him.

He shook his head and smiled at her. "Depends on how special the girl is. If she's not then a movie would suffice but if she is then I would show her the beauties in everything and make sure that our date is special. Nothing like anyone have ever seen before."

Ashley smiled at him and looked towards the waterfall again. "So, what category do I fall under?" she asked in a joking manner but all in all, she was curious.

It was silence for a while and Ashley turned to Dante, seeing him looking at her with a smile on his face.

"You're special." He turned away from her. "You probably already know my reputation."

"You mean the sleeping around with random girls reputation?" though she meant in a joking way, a hint of bitterness seeped through.

Dante nodded his head. "None of those girls were special enough." He turned back to her. "But with you, you captivated me the second I saw you. I didn't just want to get you into my bed, I wanted to get to know you."

Ashley grinned inwardly to herself. "Oh."

Dante chuckled and continued. "With you, sex never came into my mind once. It was just you with your cute scowls, sarcastic remarks, and breathtaking smile. I found myself wanting to know more about you." he gave her a smile and kissed her cheek softly.

Ashley smiled at him. "I guess, I also want to know more about you also."

Dante grinned. "Well, I guess we're just going to have to bear with each other for the time."

Ashley laughed and leaned against him. "I guess so."

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Ashley felt the driver pulling into the driveway of her childhood home. She looked out the window and felt the familiar feeling of being rejected building up in her veins.

The house looked the same as it did fifteen years ago. The same color though this time more vibrant due to it probably getting repainted. The yard was as green as ever and the familiar cars still parked in the middle of nowhere.

"We're here Ma'am." The cab driver informed her with a gentle smile.

Ashley reached into her pocket and pulled out some euros and handed it to him. She smiled warmly at him and opened the door. "Keep the change. Thank you for the ride."

The driver tipped his hat at her. "Thank you ma'am. Have a nice day."

"Thank you. You too." She grabbed her stuff from the seat next to her and got out of the cab fully. She pulled the handle of the luggage up and started walking towards the front door. Her heart pounded heavier with every single step that she took.

Knocking on the door, she held her breath as she waited for someone to open it.

Her eyes glanced around and she felt tears coming to her eyes when she saw the plate that she had made for her father hanging from a tree. She walked up to it and touched it gently. A small laugh came out of her mouth and she smiled.

He had kept this throughout all of these years?

For the past fifteen years, Ashley had thought her father hated her but through this, she's starting to believe that maybe she was wrong. Maybe he didn't hate her at all. Just disappointed that she wasn't the type of daughter that he had wanted.

But through this, he has proved that he still loves her.

The door finally opened and Ashley wiped her tears away quickly. She turned around and smiled when she saw him.

Her father.

"Hi Papa." she whispered softly. Her eyes welled up with tears again and she smiled at him. "I missed you."

Ashley didn't miss the way that her father's eyes light up when he saw her. She saw tears of happiness forming around his eyes and she ran into his arms and hugged him tightly.

The familiar smell of cinnamon and wood was still on his skin and she never remembered ever being so happy to smell it.

"Papa." she whispered. "I'm home."

"Mia figlia. I have missed you so much." he whispered into her ears, kissing the top of her head. "I have missed you so much."

Ashley let her tears fall and she continued staying in the embrace of her father. She knew that at this moment, things will only start looking up. Before her father had remarried, he was loving and very supportive towards her.

In her heart, Ashley knew, that that father never left.

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