A Love Trap

"Hello…" Ashley answered with a sleepy raspy voice. She was still half asleep and her voice sounded different than she would normally sound. However, her smoky nasal tone still had a seductive sound to his ears.

Andrew was still sitting in his car when he heard the voice on the other end of the line. He froze on the spot, just from hearing that, one single word. He sat dumbstruck and speechless with the cellphone still held against his ear.

Andrew was extremely tired after days spent solving a business emergency in another city. He rushed back to J City, driving all the way from the airport without a break. Feeling greatly fatigued, both physically and mentally, Andrew sat silently in his car. He had dark black circles under his bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep.

Even though it would have been wiser for Andrew to have driven straight home to rest, he couldn't help himself. He had to drive straight to Ashley's apartment. Andrew knew that it was late and that she would most likely be in bed sleeping. But he thought it might ease the deep longing that he felt for her, by sitting outside her window for a little while.

However, after a short while of gazing up at her apartment window. He pulled out his cell phone and scrolled down the contact list until he came to Ashley's name. He stared at the name on the screen and absentmindedly stroked the name gently with his thumb as if he was caressing her. The very first time that he entered Ashley's phone number into his cell phone, he had set it on speed dial. That way he could reach her within seconds. Andrew had gazed upon those string of numbers so many times before, that he knew them by heart.

After he stared at the screen and contemplated about it for quite a while, his thumb finally pressed on her name and the phone began to dial out the number. As soon as he pressed the button, his heart did a little flip in his chest. His feelings were mixed with both excitement and uneasiness. He sat anxiously waiting the phone to be put through.

And when Ashley had finally answered the phone, Andrew was surprised to find that he was too nervous to say anything. He had never been like this before, with anyone.

The longer the silence between them on the phone remained the more nervous Andrew seemed to feel. However, Ashley's patience was beginning to run thin.

"Hello?" she answered once again. But a little louder this time, just in case the person on the other end didn't hear her the first time. Yet, there was still no response at all.

Ashley was already annoyed that she had been woken up so late in the night. However, the fact that whoever it was that called her, wasn't even answering, was starting to make her feel angry. 'Who the hell is calling me in the middle of the night and won't even answer, ' she thought furiously.

"Who is that? I'm going to hang up if you don't start talking," she said frustrated. Ashley thought her voice sounded threatening and angry. But on the other end of the line, to Andrew, it sounded thick, raspy and slightly nasal with an almost flirtatious undertone. His cheeks even flushed a little when he heard her voice.

Ashley waited for a few seconds longer and was about to hang up when she heard a voice,"It's me..."

His voice was low and husky. When Ashley heard the familiar voice on the other end, she sat up and suddenly became wide awake.

She blinked her eyes a few times and then focused on the screen of her cellphone and read the name, Andrew Lu.

a gasp. She had nearly forgotten about him completely since she hadn't seen

that restaurant. Since then she had been so immersed in her cake shop that she hardly thought about him at all. She had been too busy to think about anything else,

called her just now that

murmured Ashley in a low

Andrew heard his name being called by Ashley, his

sounded so pleasant to his ears as it did just now. The tone of her

so near. But he contained his emotions and only spoke

they both

few awkward seconds of silence, Ashley asked,"So, why are you calling me so late

lip. He glanced up at the window of her apartment again and said in a low husky

out when she heard what he said.

was very late and Ellie would probably be in bed sleeping. She covered

say? You're downstairs, right now?"

Andrew replied instantly.

to the window and pulled the curtains apart. When she looked outside of the window she could see a car with its lights on, parked outside. Although it was very dark outside, the dim light that was coming from his car was enough for her to see Andrew standing

suddenly, unexpectedly he looked up at the window where Ashley was standing.

the window, she could still feel his gaze on her. She felt so anxious it was as if he was in the room

lip nervously and asked,"Why are you here at

what does he want?' she wondered.

down right now," he said in a

he ordered her what to do and the annoyance was clearly

have called me on the phone in the middle of the night, waking me up from my sleep. And now you expect me to come to your beck and call, ' thought Ashley

herself with the quilt. "No, it's late, you should

on the other end of the line. And just as she thought that Andrew had given up and decided to go, she heard a low commanding voice,"I'll come to you if you don't come down. Do you