‹ Prequel: Is He for Me?
He Has My Heart
Chapter Twenty Three: Fire
Ashleys POV
"No, no ,no, no, no, no, no!" Riley mumbled under her breath as she scrambled from the bed.
"Who was it Riles?" I said as I rolled over in bed.
"Ash! They said my bar is on fire! I have to go..!" She said, frantically pulling on shorts and shoes.
My eyes widened. The Roof? On fire? Shit!
"Do you want me to come with you?" I asked, hearing the worry in my voice.
She stopped suddenly and I saw her face. I think she was praying this was some joke cause she looked like she was going to cry.
She nodded and threw me a pair of jeans. I was hoping for her sake that the damage wasn't that bad...
It was bad. Arriving at The Roof, it was surrounded by firetrucks, trying to put out the blaze.
Riley burst out of the car and ran up to tape, constricting the area.
"NOOO!" She screamed.
I came up behind her and hugged her waist.
"Its going to be okay" I whispered in her ear, trying to comfort her.
She started to cry uncontrollably and collapsed in my arms.
"NO, NO, NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" She screamed at the burning building.
Some of the firefighters looked over at us, but Riley didn't care.
I hugged her tight to my chest, but nothing seemed to help. I could feel her tiny fists trying to push me away, but there was nothing we could do.
Rileys POV
After a few hours, the sun started to rise and the sobbing had stopped for now. I told Ashley he could go home. Even though he was reluctant, I told him to pick me up later.
Majority of the blaze had been put out and they were digging through the ashes to make sure there were no embers.
I stood outside patiently waiting for them to update me on something. From what I could see, it was destroyed. Barely the frame of the building was standing, just the walls of the ground floor. It had basically collapsed on itself. My deck, my bars, my stage. Everything I had built in the last two years, gone.
I walked around the length of the tape multiple times before someone approached me.
"Are you Riley James?" Said one of the firefighters.
"Yes" I said weakly.
"Hi, I'm chief Don Mills. Had quite a blaze here" he said in a deep voice. He would have been in his mid thirties maybe. Hard to tell with the charcoal on his face.
"Nice to meet you. Do you know what happened exactly?" I asked, swallowing the lump in my throat.
"Not one hundred percentage sure yet, but it would have started around three in the morning and come from within for the levels to collapse like that. Do you know if you were having any difficulties with anything that we could look into?"
"Umm, we were having some electrical problems, but surely that wouldn't have started a fire, would it?"
"Its very likely."
"What do you suppose I do? This bar has been my pride and joy. What am I meant to do?" I said feeling hot tears spring to my eyes.
"Well, from whats left, you can't restore it. You'd have to knock it down and rebuild. Or you can sell the land."
I couldn't help but be shocked. There was no way I was selling the land! I rather rebuild than get rid of the place that made my move to LA easier.
"I'll be rebuilding thanks."
"Your call. We'll keep you updated if we find anything."
"Thanks chief" I said shaking his hand.
I stared at the remains of The Roof. So many memories. The first time I met Ashley. Where me and Kimber worked side by side.
Tears streamed down my face as I texted Ashley to pick me up.
When we walked in the door I flung my arms around Ashley.
"Hey, it's going to be okay Riles."
"I can't afford to rebuild it right now!" I said into his neck.
"You don't have to now. It can wait doll. You already have so much going on. How can you think of rebuilding it already?"
"Cause for the past two years that place has been my life. Before you, before Andy, it was my bar" I said letting him go and pacing the entrance.
"Okay, okay. I understand. Look, just waiting till after the wedding. It will give you some time to think about what you want to do, okay?" He said coming to hold my shoulders.
"I suppose. Just Ash, we can't have kids an-"
"No! Don't you dare say that! You don't know that! We haven't tried! And if you need help, we'll get it! Hope is not lost on that. I don't want you thinking negatively about it."
I was taken aback. I had never heard Ashley talk about my situation like that. Like, I knew he didn't want kids right now, but I didn't think he felt this strongly about it.
"Okay.. We might be able to have kids, but Ash, The Roof was my baby! Like your basses are to you! The Roof was all I knew when I moved here and now thats gone! I want to do it justice and bring it back!" It was the only thing I was passionate about aside from Ashley.
"We will. I promise."
"No, no ,no, no, no, no, no!" Riley mumbled under her breath as she scrambled from the bed.
"Who was it Riles?" I said as I rolled over in bed.
"Ash! They said my bar is on fire! I have to go..!" She said, frantically pulling on shorts and shoes.
My eyes widened. The Roof? On fire? Shit!
"Do you want me to come with you?" I asked, hearing the worry in my voice.
She stopped suddenly and I saw her face. I think she was praying this was some joke cause she looked like she was going to cry.
She nodded and threw me a pair of jeans. I was hoping for her sake that the damage wasn't that bad...
It was bad. Arriving at The Roof, it was surrounded by firetrucks, trying to put out the blaze.
Riley burst out of the car and ran up to tape, constricting the area.
"NOOO!" She screamed.
I came up behind her and hugged her waist.
"Its going to be okay" I whispered in her ear, trying to comfort her.
She started to cry uncontrollably and collapsed in my arms.
"NO, NO, NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" She screamed at the burning building.
Some of the firefighters looked over at us, but Riley didn't care.
I hugged her tight to my chest, but nothing seemed to help. I could feel her tiny fists trying to push me away, but there was nothing we could do.
Rileys POV
After a few hours, the sun started to rise and the sobbing had stopped for now. I told Ashley he could go home. Even though he was reluctant, I told him to pick me up later.
Majority of the blaze had been put out and they were digging through the ashes to make sure there were no embers.
I stood outside patiently waiting for them to update me on something. From what I could see, it was destroyed. Barely the frame of the building was standing, just the walls of the ground floor. It had basically collapsed on itself. My deck, my bars, my stage. Everything I had built in the last two years, gone.
I walked around the length of the tape multiple times before someone approached me.
"Are you Riley James?" Said one of the firefighters.
"Yes" I said weakly.
"Hi, I'm chief Don Mills. Had quite a blaze here" he said in a deep voice. He would have been in his mid thirties maybe. Hard to tell with the charcoal on his face.
"Nice to meet you. Do you know what happened exactly?" I asked, swallowing the lump in my throat.
"Not one hundred percentage sure yet, but it would have started around three in the morning and come from within for the levels to collapse like that. Do you know if you were having any difficulties with anything that we could look into?"
"Umm, we were having some electrical problems, but surely that wouldn't have started a fire, would it?"
"Its very likely."
"What do you suppose I do? This bar has been my pride and joy. What am I meant to do?" I said feeling hot tears spring to my eyes.
"Well, from whats left, you can't restore it. You'd have to knock it down and rebuild. Or you can sell the land."
I couldn't help but be shocked. There was no way I was selling the land! I rather rebuild than get rid of the place that made my move to LA easier.
"I'll be rebuilding thanks."
"Your call. We'll keep you updated if we find anything."
"Thanks chief" I said shaking his hand.
I stared at the remains of The Roof. So many memories. The first time I met Ashley. Where me and Kimber worked side by side.
Tears streamed down my face as I texted Ashley to pick me up.
When we walked in the door I flung my arms around Ashley.
"Hey, it's going to be okay Riles."
"I can't afford to rebuild it right now!" I said into his neck.
"You don't have to now. It can wait doll. You already have so much going on. How can you think of rebuilding it already?"
"Cause for the past two years that place has been my life. Before you, before Andy, it was my bar" I said letting him go and pacing the entrance.
"Okay, okay. I understand. Look, just waiting till after the wedding. It will give you some time to think about what you want to do, okay?" He said coming to hold my shoulders.
"I suppose. Just Ash, we can't have kids an-"
"No! Don't you dare say that! You don't know that! We haven't tried! And if you need help, we'll get it! Hope is not lost on that. I don't want you thinking negatively about it."
I was taken aback. I had never heard Ashley talk about my situation like that. Like, I knew he didn't want kids right now, but I didn't think he felt this strongly about it.
"Okay.. We might be able to have kids, but Ash, The Roof was my baby! Like your basses are to you! The Roof was all I knew when I moved here and now thats gone! I want to do it justice and bring it back!" It was the only thing I was passionate about aside from Ashley.
"We will. I promise."