Lost & Found

By monroserusher - 1 Review

Like most people, Hope Mitchell wanted to be loved by her parents. She was the kind of person most parents would be proud to have as a daughter. She had a high IQ, was a caring person, did a lot for her friends, never did drugs but had the odd drink, she never slept around, was in college, did all she could to prove she was independent and she was really pretty as well. Blonde hair, green eyes, slender figure, adorable smile which made her already pretty face stand out, hardly ever needed to wear make-up and she had a really great dress sense. However, none of this was good enough for Hope's parents. They told her she was stupid (they even liked to call her a female George Bush, which Hope found degrading), referred to her as a selfish self absorbed bimbo who didn't appreciate anyone but herself, were surprised that she was in college and hated that she could fend for herself. Hope's parents wanted to control her and stop her from living independently. In fact, they wouldn't let her get her own place, which was something she really wanted to do for years. Hope never confided in her parents about her problems. This was because when she was eighteen, she was raped at a party. However, when Hope told her parents, they just said, "Oh, that happens to lots of women. Deal with it." People would've been stunned that Hope could be related to these people. Thing was, she wasn't really related to them. She was adopted as a baby. Hope learned of this when she was home alone and found letters from a woman named Denise Jefferson. Denise wrote that she became pregnant and intended to keep her baby but her parents felt baby Hope would be better off with another family and had chosen a family who claimed they would give Hope a great upbringing. In secret, Hope looked up Denise Jefferson's family who told her she was now living in the US. That night, Hope packed her bag and sneaked off to the airport and got on a plane to Virginia, where Denise was now living. Hope knew meeting Denise would change her life but she didn't count on someone else to do this as well as that's exactly what happened to her

Hope was now in Virginia. She had never been in other countries before so this was obviously all new to her. She got herself an apartment as she knew it could take a while to find her mom. Hope met a woman who told her she knew Denise and knew where in Virginia she was living. She was told she was living in Arlington. Hope knew where to go now so she went over there as soon as she could. Hope had just made it to Arlington when her car broke down. She felt helpless as she had no one to ask so she stood around for a while hoping someone would see her and come over to help her. Hope got her wish moments later as someone did indeed come over to help her. He asked, "May I help you, miss?" Hope looked over at this man and was about to answer when she found herself being captivated by him. He had brown hair which was cut short, he had the most perfect cheekbone structure, captivatingly beautiful brown eyes, lips any woman could only dream of kissing and the most beautiful face overall. His dress sense was real cool also. He was wearing a pair of jeans, black t-shirt, black leather jacket and dark brown Converse shoes. It was a hot day so he was bound to be sweating underneath but Hope didn't mind. In fact, it induced a dirty thought. She stopped herself by thinking, "Hope, no thinking such carnal thoughts right now." Hope regained her composure soon after and answered him. She let out a little smile and answered, "My car broke down and I don't really know anyone so I was hoping for maybe a little help." The handsome man offered for Hope to get her car fixed. She smiled and said, "Thanks. How much will I pay you?" He answered, "You don't have to pay me anything. It wouldn't be fair. I only just met you. May I ask you for your name?" Hope answered, "My name's Hope Mitchell. May I ask you what your name is?" The man shook her hand and said, "I'm Asher Logan and I'm very pleased to meet you, Hope Mitchell." Hope smiled, "Same to you, Asher Logan," while shaking his hand. When Hope had her car fixed, Asher asked Hope if she'd like to go to his place for a while. She smiled, "Why not?"

Asher and Hope went for a drive round Arlington. He had never seen Hope before so he decided to give her a look round the place. Whenever Hope passed a house, she wondered if Denise Jefferson was living there. Any woman who appeared to be in her early forties had Hope's attention. She wondered if any of them was Denise. Hope decided to put that at the back of her mind and focus on the town of Arlington. Hope noticed she was being given jealous stares but then she remembered she was in Asher's company. Hope came across women who were just as captivated by Asher and his model perfect looks. She knew that most of these women just wanted to sleep with him. For the moment however, Hope was happy just getting to know him. The two of them decided to go to a bar together. Hope didn't drink much but hey, she was in a new town so why not have a drink tonight? When Asher and Hope entered the bar, both of them were greeted with staring eyes. Hardly surprising since they were both really attractive. Hope was new in town so she would've been a new face. On the other hand, Asher was one of the most recognised faces in town as he was adored by many a woman due to his good looks. Asher was also idolised by men in his town for that reason but he never let his popularity go to his head. In fact, Asher never saw the fuss his appearance created. He didn't think of himself as a looker. A lot of people liked that about him. In fact, that's what made him more appealing to women. As for the men in the bar, some of them were stripping Hope naked with their eyes. Hope was aware of this so this brought back flashbacks of when she was raped. She ran into the bathrooms and wouldn't leave for a while. Hope heard a knock on the toilet door. A frightened Hope slowly opened the door. It turned out a barmaid had seen what had happened to Hope and her and Asher tried to find where Hope had gone off to. Asher put his arm round Hope and asked her what had happened. Hope told him she didn't want to talk about it right now and she asked Asher to please respect her wishes. As Asher cared about her a lot, he agreed to respect her wishes

Hope had decided to stay in Arlington for a while but she had nowhere to stay. She let Asher and Roxanne, the barmaid who found Hope in the bathroom know about this as she hoped they would recommend a hotel or B&B. Asher and Roxanne got the impression that Hope wanted to stay in a hotel or bed and breakfast but they felt she was too shaken up by what had happened so Asher offered for Hope to stay at his place but Roxanne was pretty persistent so Hope ended up staying with her for the night. Hope slept well that night. She spent most of the day outdoors and she had found herself completely drained by what had happened that night. She also went to bed feeling really happy as she had met the very handsome Asher. Hope found that Roxanne had a computer so she needed to check her e-mails but she decided to ask Roxanne if she could check her e-mails. Roxanne granted Hope her wish when she asked so the first thing Hope did was check her e-mails. Luckily for Hope, her parents sent no e-mails but she found a few from her friend Melissa. Hope clicked into her e-mail from Melissa, who asked Hope where she was. She told Hope her parents were freaking out as they didn't know where she was. Hope made Melissa promise she wouldn’t tell her parents where she was. Melissa knew Hope feared her parents and one of her biggest wishes in life was to protect her from her parents so she told Hope she'd lie to her parents and say she didn't know where Hope was. As Hope trusted Melissa, she told her she was in Arlington

After Hope sent the e-mail, she got herself showered followed by a long beauty routine, which was one of Hope's rituals in life. After that, she put on her clothes: denim shorts, check shirt and cowboy boots, which was one of Hope's signature looks. After breakfast, Hope set about finding a place to stay. Roxanne decided to help Hope with her house hunting. Hope couldn't exactly afford a house right now but she had enough saved for an apartment which she was completely fine about. Hope got herself a two bedroom apartment which she found to be pretty convenient. Hope decided that since this was her first night in her apartment, she'd stay in and watch some TV alone. Hope was getting herself ready for her night in when she heard a knock on the door. She answered the door and saw Asher standing there with beer and pizza. He said to her, "I was told you were having a night in so I felt you could do with a little company." Hope was only too happy to have a night in with Asher. Later on that night, Hope and Asher walked over to his place where they spent most of the night talking away to one another. Hope realised how much she appreciated Asher's company. She really found herself at ease with him. She also really enjoyed talking to him. Asher let Hope know he really appreciated her company and he was looking forward to meeting her again, a comment which really made Hope smile. When they had made it to Asher's place, they had coffee at his place for a while. Asher asked Hope if she'd like to come down to his place another night. Hope happily agreed to this. She walked home from Asher's place glowing with happiness

Next morning, Hope woke up to a knock on the door. She answered it and saw it was Melissa. Hope greeted her with a massive hug. Melissa had decided that since Hope was staying in Arlington for a while, she'd join her as well. Hope felt that Melissa deserved a tour of Arlington but she wasn't going to do this alone so she contacted Asher and Roxanne to see if they were doing anything for the day. Luckily for Hope, they both had some free time so they were really happy to show Melissa around town. Later on, Roxanne invited Asher, Hope and Melissa for a meal to a really good Italian restaurant, an invitation they all happily accepted. They were all at the restaurant that night where they all looked really happy to be in each other's company. Melissa was also enjoying the company of Roxanne and Asher and she felt really grateful that they made her and Hope feel really welcome. She was also really surprised by how down to earth Asher was. She thought that because of his looks, he'd be really cocky but to Melissa's relief, Asher never saw himself as attractive, which would've been off putting for Melissa if he did. Melissa did think Asher was really handsome and so sweet but she knew she didn't have a chance with him as there was only one woman she knew he had feelings for and that so happened to be Hope

In the weeks that followed Hope's move to Arlington, she still didn't find her mother but that didn't matter for now as she was the happiest she had ever been. Her and Melissa were living together, she was living independently and she had met Asher and Roxanne. Her and Asher had developed a real close bond with one another. They spent a lot of time getting to know each other. They would often go to each other's houses and share long conversations with one another. They even told each other things about themselves. Hope told Asher she would turn twenty three during the summer. Asher told Hope he would be twenty four in September so this made him a year older than her. They also told more about each other and what made them who they were as people. They talked about each other's interests. They loved listening to artists such as Michael Jackson, Elton John, The Police, Stevie Wonder and they also liked hip hop and R&B. Hope revealed she also liked boybands. Hope and Asher enjoyed watching shows like Blue Bloods, The Simpsons and X Factor. Asher revealed his guilty pleasure was Jersey Shore. Both him and Hope enjoyed comedies and horrors. They both liked to go walking, going to the cinema, hanging out with friends and having quiet nights in. Asher and Hope talked a good bit about their personal lives. He told her he had finished a three year relationship six months previously. He told her he had been arguing with his girlfriend for many months after she lied about being really ill. He told her his ex-girlfriend got really paranoid he'd break up with her so she told him she was really sick. When Asher discovered she had lied, he tried to forgive his girlfriend but he could never look at her in the same way. Hope found this story really disturbing but she admired him for being so honest with her. However, she couldn't bring herself to tell him about the rape and how her parents reacted to this. She also didn't tell him her reason for coming to Arlington as she feared he'd think she was using him

Melissa and Roxanne had come to notice Hope and Asher's friendship. They noticed they were spending a lot of time together. Melissa invited Roxanne to a bar one night. Asher and Hope were having another night in together so she didn't have to feel so guilty about not inviting them out. Besides, she had good reason to not invite Asher and Hope to their night out. She wanted to discuss with Roxanne about Asher and Hope. When they got their drinks at the bar, they headed outside where Melissa cut to the chase and said, "Topic of discussion: the obvious chemistry between Asher and Hope." Roxanne said to her, "Actually, Melissa, that was the exact thing I wanted to talk to you about." Melissa said, "They're falling for each other. It's so obvious as they're spending a lot of time with one another. Also, have you seen the way they look at one another?" Roxanne said, "The other day, Asher told me he thinks Hope is really beautiful." Melissa said to Roxanne, "I heard him saying to one of his guy friends that Hope is so stunning. In fact, he spent half the night talking to his guy friends about Hope and he never once said a bad word about her. It's the same with Hope. We were discussing men the other night and she said about other guys, "He's no Asher Logan." Doesn't that like state the obvious?" Roxanne said, "We need to talk to them." Melissa added, "Separately or else it might look weird"

A month after Roxanne and Melissa's conversation at the bar, both of them joined Hope for a girls night. Asher went for a night on the town with his male friends. They attended a strip club which Asher found very unappealing. One of the strippers gave Asher a lap dance. He said to the dancer that he couldn't accept a dance from her. He was later questioned by his friends about why he felt this way. His friends knew Asher didn't care for lap dancers but tonight he was very reluctant to accept a lap dance. Asher started to question it himself. He recieved a text from Hope telling him she was enjoying her girls night but she would much prefer a night in with him. Asher smiled when he recieved that text. His friend saw the message and said, "Ah, Hope Mitchell. That explained your reluctance." Another of his friends said in response, "I wonder if you realised you've fallen for Hope Mitchell." Asher went outside to digest what had been said to him then he received another text from Hope. He began to think about the strip club and he remembered when he refused that lap dance. He realised he did this as loyalty to Hope. He was also wishing she was there with him tonight. It then dawned on him. Why didn't he notice it? He had totally fallen in love with Hope Mitchell. He then smiled as thoughts of her entered his mind. He then went back to the bar with a smile. Meanwhile, Hope was in her apartment with Roxanne and Melissa where they were watching Titanic. Hope started to get butterflies in her stomach as that was one of Asher's favourite movies. At some points, she imagined Jack and Rose were herself and Asher. Melissa saw Hope smile then she said, "Please don't tell me Asher Logan caused that smile." Hope said yes but then said, "Oh no, I'm just enjoying the movie." Roxanne was like, "While thinking of Asher, who you so clearly have feelings for." Hope started to blush. Roxanne squealed, "You're blushing!" Hope giggled, "No, I'm not!," then smiled at thoughts of Asher. That night, she began to dream about Asher. She woke up with a strong longing for him. She began to think about her life since coming to Arlington. She then began to think about when he car broke down and how Asher helped her. She remembered how sweet of him it was to do this for her. She also remembered the attractiopn she felt since then. It was then she realised she wanted more than friendship with Asher. She had fallen deeply in love with him. That night in their apartments, Hope and Asher fell asleep feeling really happy

Over the next few weeks, Asher and Hope began to spend more time together as they were now aware of their feelings for one another. In fact, Asher decided to have Hope meet his family. When Hope met Asher's parents, she saw the contrast between her parents and Asher's. Asher's parents cared a lot about Asher and his brother Grant, who was a really handsome twenty year old. Grant also thought Hope was so hot but he knew she had feelings for Asher so he decided to respect that. Asher's parents asked Hope questions about herself, most of which she was really happy to answer. However, she got really cagey when it came to talking about her own parents. This was something that didn't go unnoticed by Asher. He had a feeling Hope was hiding something from him. She was hiding secrets not just from him but from other people. Even Melissa had no idea of the rape. Because of how indifferent her parents were to what happened, she never found it in her to tell Melissa. She didn't tell her about the adoption either. The adoption was another thing getting to her. Whenever Hope was by herself, she tried looking for Denise Jefferson but she could never find her. This would've destroyed her but then she remembered she met Asher and he had helped her keep it together. It was now summer and boy, was it warm outside. Hope, Asher, Melissa and Roxanne were invited to a pool party. Hope wore a really sexy red bikini which showed off what an amazing body she had. She also wore this with the intention of getting Asher's attention. As for Asher, he wore black swimming shorts which meant he had no top on. Not that anyone was complaining. It was clear that Asher spent a lot of time working out as he had such an amazing body. When Hope saw him at the party, she couldn't take her eyes off him. She decided to get his attention by taking off her pink sarong. Asher saw her doing this and smiled, "Hope, wow! You look amazing!" Smiling, she responded, "So do you." Melissa and Roxanne saw this going on and said, "They should have sex and get it done with." Hope and Asher got a room to themselves when they started to kiss each other passionately. It was clear they wanted one another. Asher and Hope were about to go further when she got another flashback. She screamed, "Asher, stop!" Asher got a little upset and asked, "Hope, are you alright?" She said to him, "I like you but I don't want this to just be about sex." Asher softened and said, "Alright, let's take this slowly." They then lay down on the bed and hugged one another

It was now six months since Hope moved to Arlington. Hope and Asher had been dating for a couple of months but he never yet told Hope he loved her. Mainly because he feared he'd scare her off. This was the same for Hope. She felt the same way but she didn't want to sound too eager. One night, Asher planned to surprise Hope by arranging a romantic dinner for the two of them. He got dressed up really well by wearing a suit but decided to wear Converse to make his suit more him. Hope wore a silver dress with matching sandals and had her hair in loose waves. She also wore no make-up as Asher liked her with no make-up on. Asher had laid out a romantic candlelit dinner and had some Motown love songs playing while preparing dinner as he knew Hope loved Motown. Hope knocked at her apartment door. Asher answered the door and saw Hope looking really beautiful. He hugged her and breathed in her scent. He smiled, "You smell nice." She smiled, "Same to you." The two of them were now having dinner together. Asher complimented Hope and told her how beautiful she was. This caused Hope to blush but she still managed to tell him he was handsome. Asher smiled and said thanks. He held Hope's hand and said to her, "Hope, I brought you here for a very good reason. There's something I've been meaning to tell you but I'm real nervous about saying it." He took a deep breath and was about to say it when they heard a knock on the door. Hope went over to answer. It was her parents and they brought a security type with them. Hope said, "Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?" Hope's parents told her they had been spying on her for the last six months and they especially knew her reason for coming to Arlington. Hope's father also said, "We also know who your father is." They then presented a picture of Mitch Logan, Asher's father. This meant Asher was her brother so Hope knew she couldn't see him anymore. Broken, Hope told Asher she couldn't see him anymore

Hope returned home to Ireland. She began to think of her time in Arlington as a total waste. She failed to find Denise and she had fallen in love with a guy who turned out to be her brother. Hope's parents decided they didn't want her out of their sight any longer. They told her that she would have a better life if she stayed with them. Hope and her parents moved to a remote isolated village. They told her she could no longer keep in touch with Roxanne and Melissa. They also told her she wasn't allowed to make any more friends. They did let her go to college but she was to come home straight after. Hope felt so alone. She began to miss her life in Arlington. She missed Asher. She never stopped caring about him but she knew she could never be with him anymore. She also missed Melissa and Roxanne and the girls nights they had together. She also missed the many years her and Melissa had been friends. One evening, Hope's parents went out to a pub. As Hope had been a "good girl", she was allowed to stay at home. She decided to find her phone and get in touch with Melissa. She found that but she also found something else. Hope's mother wrote a detailed letter describing how they managed to keep Hope under their control. She read about how they hired the spy, which explained the burly security guy who was with Hope's parents that night in Arlington. She also read about how Denise Jefferson wrote letters to Hope over the last few years but her parents hid them from her. The next sentence shocked her to the core. Her parents were so determined to keep Hope in their sight they felt they had to lie to her so they told her the ultimate lie, that being Mitch Logan being Hope's birth father. Hope was in shock. Her parents had lied to her. Mitch wasn't Hope's father so this meant her and Asher weren't related after all
Hope felt so betrayed. She waited for her parents in their bedroom. When they got home, she coldly said, "You lied to me." Hope's mother said, "Hope dear, what on earth could you be talking about?" She cried, "You told me Mitch Logan was my father. Mitch Logan, Asher's father. Asher, who I'd fallen for!" Hope's mother said, "Sweetheart, he was leading you astray." Hope scathed, "Because me made me feel welcome? Because he showed me happiness I never knew even existed?" Hope's father tutted and said, "Poor naive Hope. Always looking out for number one." Hope screamed then said, "I had enough!" She set out to grab her things and run but her parents locked her in and called her "a spoilt little brat". Undeterred, Hope still set out to leave her parents. That night, she secretly grabbed her things along with Denise's letters and set out to run. Her parents were standing at the door. They coldly said, "Going somewhere?" She cried, "Out of here!" Her father said to her, "Walk out that door and I swear, you will never come back!" Hope was like, "Fine! I don't care what you think anymore," then took one last look at her parents and their house of horrors and walked away

There was one place Hope wanted to go to and that was Arlington. She wanted at least another shot at finding Denise but she also wanted to find Asher. She had a lot of questions for him. Did her parents tell him the same lie about them being related? Did he still think about her? If so, did he still care about her? Hope remembered Asher had something important to tell her. She thought about that all the way on the plane journey. She was so apprehensive but still really excited. She had a lot on her mind. Hope was now in Arlington. She had no car with her this time so she had no choice but to get a taxi. She remembered Asher's address so she asked the taxi driver to take her there. She wondered if he was still living there. She saw his car so she knew he was living there. She walked up to his apartment door and knocked on the door. Asher answered the door. He coldly said to her, "Oh, it's you. What are you doing back in Arlington?" Hope was stunned by his harsh tone. She said, "Asher, please let me explain myself. My parents told me that you and I were brother and sister!" Asher said, "Your parents or should I say adopted parents told me about that. I went to my father and he actually denied it. I believe him since I know he doesn't lie unlike a certain someone who wasn't honest about her real intentions for coming to Arlington. That was some nice little stunt you pulled there. Using me so you could eventually get through to your birth mom! I guess that explains why you never wanted to have sex with me!" She cried, "Asher, there's another reason for that!" He angrily said, "Whatever it is, I really don't want to hear about it, Hope! Would you mind leaving my place now? I really can't bear to look at you!" She cried, "Asher, please!" Before she left, Asher said, "Good luck with finding your birth mom but you're on your own this time!" In despair, Hope left the apartment crying but before she did this, she tearfully said, "I might have kept secrets from you but one thing I've never done was lie to you. Just remember that, Asher"

Hope walked around the streets of Arlington alone. She wanted to see Roxanne and Melissa but she worried they'd hate her also so she had no one to turn to. Hope believed suicide was her only option. She wanted a quick, easy, painful death so she stood out in the middle of the road in a dark street where she had been hit by a speeding car. Luckily, she had been seen by a pedestrian so they called for help. Hope woke up in a hospital. She was disappointed her suicide attempt failed. She was then greeted by an attractive female nurse in her early forties. The nurse rubbed her shoulder and kindly asked her if her name was Hope Mitchell. Hope asked, "Yes, who are you?" The nurse said, "This might come as a shock to you but I'm your mom." Stunned, Hope asked, "Is your name Denise Jefferson?" The nurse said, "Yes, I was Denise Jefferson but I'm married now so my name is Denise Colton." Hope said, "Denise, this might creep you out but I originally came to Arlington to find you. I only found out about my adoption a few months ago. My so called parents hid your letters to me." Denise figured out that Hope was troubled and had nowhere to go to so she offered her a place to stay

Hope was now staying with Denise. She wanted to know everything about her mom. Denise wanted to know about Hope. She had waited twenty three years for this moment. Hope told Denise about her parents and how they treated her. She told her about how they made her feel she wasn't good enough and how they tried to stop her living independently. However, she couldn't bring herself to tell her about when she was raped. She never told her about Asher. Denise told Hope that she intended to raise her but her parents believed she was too young for a baby so it would be best if Hope was adopted. Denise told Hope if she could go back in time, she'd have kept Hope. She went on to have two more children who she loved but she never stopped loving Hope. After a few weeks, Denise and Hope developed a bond with one another but she knew Hope had more secrets. On the fifth anniversary of the rape, Hope locked herself into her room. Denise noticed Hope getting all cagey. She said to her daughter, "Hope, I know you're hiding something. Please be honest with me." Hope unlocked her door then broke down crying and told Denise about the rape and how her parents reacted

Denise began to cry uncontrollably. Her daughter was raped and the people who were placed in a position of trust just shrugged it off and because of this, Hope never told anyone, not even Melissa. Denise tracked down Melissa and Roxanne, who were still living in Arlington but missing Hope. She told them about Hope and what had happened to her. Both of them demanded to see Hope and find out why she had kept this terrible secret hidden from them. Meanwhile, Asher went out travelling to Europe. This was something he had intended to do for a while and he also saw it as another opportunity to forget about Hope. He eventually stopped off in Ireland. He ended up in a remote isolated village. He had no idea that Hope had lived there. He decided to pop over to a bar. When he was at the bar, he met Hope's father who asked him, "You back in touch with that whiny brat Hope?" Asher said no. Hope's father said, "Ashley or whatever your name is, you're better off. She was always whining about trivial rubbish. This one time, she was whining about something oh so trivial." Asher was like, "And what was that exactly?" Hope's father said, "She was whining about when she was raped." Shocked, Asher punched Hope's father in the face and shouted, "You are a worthless excuse for a man and I find it disgusting you have been given the title of father!" Tell your wife she's also a worthless individual! You both should not be classified as humans!" By the way, if I ever had a daughter and she grew up to be anything like Hope, I would be the proudest father ever!," then stormed out of the bar

Asher could not believe his ears. He thought about what Hope's father said then he remembered what Hope had said to him. She told him she might have kept secrets but she never lied to him. He also remembered that she would always end up freaking out when they tried to have sex. It wasn't that she didn't want to. It was that something terrible had happened to her and she never got the right help. He also remembered what he had said to her. He accused her of being a liar and using him to get in touch with her mother. He could not believe how badly he misunderstood Hope. He went for a walk round the village. He also used this as another opportunity to do some soul searching. He thought about Hope the whole time. He remembered the night her parents found her in Arlington. He remembered what had happened just before him and Hope heard that knock on the door. He was about to tell her something important. He was going to tell Hope he loved her. He remembered how he blocked out his feelings for Hope following the events of that night. He remembered how he hadn't dated anyone since then and how none of the women he met were like Hope. He then realised he still had feelings for Hope. Asher knew he had to do something about this. Go back to Arlington and find her

Asher got the first available flight to Virginia. He looked back at the time he had known Hope. He also remembered what a sweet, loving person she was and what a wonderful friend she had been to him. He also remembered how the people of Arlington really liked her. He began to feel really happy as he believed him and Hope would reunite. He thought of everything he was going to say to her. He had now gotten off the plane and found there was a taxi heading to Arlington. When he went to Arlington, he went to find Hope. He went to see Roxanne and ask her where Hope was. Roxanne told him Hope was in Australia for three months. Asher was also told Hope would be coming back in four days. Asher decided to use those four days to get in touch with Denise, buy presents for Hope and write her cute love letters. He also made her a photo album of all the good times they had together. Denise began to realise Asher had feelings for Hope but they ended up parting on bad terms. She suggested Asher be a friend to Hope before he makes a move on her. Asher decided to see Hope in private and explain himself and then tell her how he feels. It was now the day of Hope's arrival back in Arlington. Her friends decided to hold a party in their local bar. Asher decided to dress up in jeans, Converse, leather jacket and t-shirt as he knew Hope liked it when he dressed like that. He attended the party early. He was the first one in. He helped to get the party ready and he even greeted the arriving guests. It was now Hope's time to arrive. Her friends were so excited to see her again but nowhere near as excited as Asher. Hope had arrived at the bar. She was as beautiful as ever. She had her hair tied up, her skin had a really healthy glow, she was wearing a black dress with silver sandals and she had really nice perfume on. Asher went over to Hope. He told her he had something to tell her. First of all, she had something to tell him. Hope wanted Asher to go first. He told her, "No, you go first." She told him, "I'd like you to meet my boyfriend"

Hope called out for her boyfriend who came over to her and put his arm round her. the boyfriend had long scruffy blonde hair, was covered in tattoos, had a moustache, was dressed in a white tank top, scruffy jeans and black boots. In a rough Southern accent, he asked Asher, "Who are you?" Hope said, "Terry, this is Asher. Asher, this is Terry." Asher awkwardly said, "Hello, Terry, then shook his hand." Terry went straight to the bar for a drink which left Hope and Asher time to make conversation with one another for a small while. Asher said to Hope, "You're looking well." She smiled, "Same to you." Asher asked Hope about Terry. She told him he was thirty five years old, was from Alabama, soon to be divorced and really into motorcycling. Hope asked Asher, "Anyway, tell me, what did you want to say to me, Asher?" He couldn't really tell her his feelings so he told her it was great to see her again. Hope felt a sense of disappointment inside her. Asher walked away from Hope and spent some time hanging out with his friends then he walked home and spent the rest of the day drinking beer and thinking about what he had lost

The next morning, Asher woke up feeling slightly hungover. He began to remember why he got drunk the night before. Hope had a boyfriend. He spent so much time trying to forget her that by the time he rediscovered his feelings, Hope was moving on. Hope woke up next to Terry. She sighed in despair. She remembered meeting Asher the night before. She remembered Asher told her he had something to tell her but then he told her it was great seeing her again. She wished he told her something like he still cared about her. Living with Terry was no fun. He spent more time with his "biker buddies" than he did with her used vulgar language, played really loud heavy metal when she tried to get to sleep and didn't appreciate her. It also didn't help that she still had lingering feelings for Asher. Six weeks after she arrived back in Arlington, she came home to find Terry with a suitcase and a woman with a lot of tattoos. He told her he had found someone else and was leaving Hope. When Terry had gone, Hope called Roxanne and Melissa who helped her clean out her apartment to rid it of Terry. They were cleaning under her bed when they found a box underneath. They had never seen that box so they had a look in it. They found letters written for Hope. The writing looked really familiar. It was Asher's writing so of course it did look familiar. She opened them and saw they were dated from the days she came home from Australia. She read them and cried after each letter was written. Asher had poured out his feelings in each letter. He wrote things like she was so perfect and amazing and no other woman will ever be better than her. She also saw he had been buying her some presents, some of which were expensive items like a necklace. Hope really appreciated Asher's efforts. Her friends then found the photo album Asher made for her. It was that photo album of their pictures together. She also saw he wrote little notes about each memory. She was amazed he could remember some of these events. Roxanne said, "You know what that means, Hope? You need to go find your man and get him!"

Roxanne's words were playing in Hope's mind again and again. She did indeed need to go see Asher. With that in mind, she went into her car and drove to Asher's place. She noticed he wasn't in so she waited outside. She parked the car somewhere else as she didn't want to be seen as too desperate. When she was waiting, she thought about Asher and how she couldn’t wait to see him again. Hope then saw Asher getting home. She watched his car get in and she watched him come out. He then opened the passenger door for someone. That turned out to be another woman. They went into the apartment block with their arms round one another. All Hope could do was watch this and feel tears stinging her eyes. She sped off home then ran into her bedroom crying loudly. Meanwhile, Asher had met Camille at a bar. She was the woman Hope saw him with. Asher had spent the last few weeks thinking about Hope and how he never told her how he felt. He remembered how he had come so close to the moment twice but something had always stopped him. He began to think maybe Hope was never meant to know his feelings so he felt it would be best to move on and find someone else but for now, he was happy to have the odd one night stand here and there. He said to himself, "Hope's obviously doing this with Terry right now. Besides, I'm a single guy so I'm not hurting anybody"

Hope looked through Denise's medical cabinet. She wanted to find some pills. She felt so hopeless. Asher was moving on so there was no way he'd know how she was feeling now. For Hope, a life without Asher was no life at all. She found some painkillers and antidepressants. She went on to find a bottle of vodka. She crushed up both sets of pills and mixed them into the vodka. Denise was coming home from visiting her friends. She knew Hope was home so she got her a few things in the shop as she knew she'd be feeling down about Terry. However, when she came home, she unlocked her door and was greeted with the empty bottles of pills. She knew Hope was here so she knew she was the one who opened them. Denise found Hope mixing the vodka with the pills so she snatched them both off her. Hope hysterically smiled, "Great, you came to see me die so at least I can tell you my funeral plans while I'm still alive." Denise threw the lethal mixture down the toilet and said, "Great, I'm a hero! I saved my daughter!" Hope said, "Oh well, there are knives. At least I can cut myself." Denise slapped her daughter across the face and asked her, "What the hell has gotten into you?" Hope said, "I want to die! Doesn't that look fairly obvious?" Denise tied Hope to the bed then called Roxanne, Melissa and Asher

Asher was in the middle of foreplay with Camille when his phone was going off. Unfortunately, his phone was on silent so he never got to hear the call. Roxanne and Melissa stopped what they were doing and ran to Hope's aid. They tried calling Asher but unfortunately, he missed their calls. Roxanne and Melissa were stunned that Hope could do this as the last time they saw her, she was so happy. It then dawned on them that something may have happened with Asher. Melissa said, "Hope, we're your friends. You can tell us anything." Hope responded, "First of all, untie me from this God damn bed!" Melissa asked Denise could she do this. Reluctantly, Denise untied Hope from the bed. Melissa, Denise and Roxanne asked Hope what had happened. She told them about how she found the things Asher gave her following on with the letters. She then told them about how she went to his place but then saw him with the other woman. Meanwhile, Asher and Camille had just had sex with one another. Camille smiled, "That was great but it'll be a once off." Asher said, "I was thinking the exact thing." They both changed back into their clothes then he drove her home. He then drove back to his place where he saw he had missed calls

Asher saw he also had voicemails so he listened to them as he had a feeling they were urgent. He listened to the voicemails and he heard Roxanne and Melissa crying hysterically. They told him that Denise found Hope attempting suicide. Asher's face went white with shock. His heart stopped for a few seconds and his stomach turned. He immediately drove to Denise's apartment and knocked on the door. Melissa answered the door. She said to him, "I don't think you should even be here. Do you even know why she did this?" Hope saw who was at the door. She said to him, "Just back from fucking your skank?" Asher asked, "You know? But...how?" Hope gave Asher the box she had found earlier. She screamed, "I don't want your crap anymore! I had feelings for you but after two suicide attempts, I don't know if you're even worth the trouble!" Asher responded, "Two of them?" Denise realised Asher didn't know about Hope's first suicide attempt so she told him about the night Hope stood out in the middle of the road and allowed herself to be hit by a car. Asher also remembered that was the night she tried to talk to him when she came back to Arlington. He also remembered that was the night he accused her of using him. Asher said to Hope, "Why didn't you tell me, Hope?" She said, "Nothing you can say or do is going to win me round so I think it'd be best if you just walked out of my life and never came back"

Asher spent the rest of the night alone in his apartment. He could not believe Hope had attempted to kill herself twice. And it was all because of him! He had been the reason the woman he loved tried to end her own life. Hope and Asher had a long hard think about each other. They still loved each other but it was their miscommunication with one another that stopped them from being with each other. They needed to talk. As in really needed to talk. Next morning, Hope came over to see Asher. She told him she wished to see him. He told her he needed to see her as well. They both had a lot of pent up emotions inside. They talked about everything that happened then Asher asked Hope if she still had feelings for him. Hope wanted to say yes but she got scared and said no. Asher said to her, "At least I know where I stand now," then he walked into his apartment as he began to face the prospect that yet again, he missed his chance with Hope

A month later, Hope was still in Arlington but she was still feeling really sad. She was missing Asher more than ever. All she had longed for was him. She also wished she had dealt with things differently. Hope wished she had been honest with him from the beginning. She sadly thought, "Maybe if I'd be honest with him from the beginning, him and I would be happy together." She went over to see Roxanne that night. She told her about how she was feeling about Asher. She told her about when Asher asked her if she still had feelings for him. She told Roxanne that she wanted to say yes but she got really scared so she told him no. Hope began to get emotional as she thought about everything he and Asher had been through. Roxanne placed her arm round Hope and told her, "Give it another try. He did write you letters telling you how he feels." She sadly sighed, "Which I then threw back at him." Roxanne said, "Come on, Hope. Feelings don't just disappear like that. Go to see him. I'm sure he'll be so happy you called." Hope knew she had to man up. Man up and tell Asher how she was really feeling. Hope walked over to Asher's place. She was walking up to his place. She was really nervous walking up to his place. She had made it into the apartment block. She went over to his apartment door. She reminded herself it was now time to man up so she took a deep breath and knocked on the door

Asher answered the door but when he saw Hope was at the door, he slammed the door shut. Hope knocked again but Asher shouted, "What do you want now, Hope?" She said she needed to talk to him. Asher answered the door but curtly responded, "I remember the last time you and I talked. I asked you if you still had feelings for me and I remember you answered no. I thought I knew where I stood with you, Hope." Hope tearfully responded, "I got scared, Asher. We've been through so much together and I got scared you would no longer love me but here I am now proving myself to you so here I am telling you how I'm really feeling. I love you, Asher Logan. I always have done. I tried telling you before but something prevented me from saying it so here I am now. Asher Logan, I'm totally in love with you." Asher told her, "I don't know how to respond to that." Taking it as rejection, Hope walked away from Asher's place crying. She had just poured her heart out to him and he told her he didn't know how to respond to it. Asher was in his apartment thinking about Hope and what she had said to him. He had been feeling that way about her since the day he met her. Why did he not tell her there and then? He realised he had to do it. Go and see Hope and be a man. Be a man and tell her how he felt

Asher went to see Hope. He knew he had to tell her how he was really feeling about her. He knocked on her door and nervously awaited for her response. Hope answered the door. As soon as he was in her apartment, Asher took a deep breath and said to Hope, "I need to be honest with you. I got scared also. Ever since I met you, my life hasn't been the same and there have been many times I tried to tell you how I'm really feeling. I actually came close to doing this but something stopped me before. The last time I tried to tell you my feelings, you told me you had a boyfriend. It was because of this I believed you were never meant to know my feelings. That's why I...I slept with that woman." He couldn't bear to say Camille's name in front of Hope but he attempted to regain his composure. He stammered, "After that happened, I saw that I missed phone calls from your friends. When I found out why you had done this, I'd been unable...unable to live with myself." He realised he was about to cry because of this memory. He said to her, "I'm still unable to live with myself. I still really hate myself for what I had said to you. You've got to realise I didn't mean it. You drive me crazy but that's because I am so in love with you. Let me say it again. I love you, Hope Mitchell." Hope started to cry happily. She said, "I love you so much, Asher Logan and I'll do everything I can to prove it to you for the rest of my days." Asher held her hand then he wrapped his arms round her. He then started to kiss Hope. This resulted in a passionate kiss between the two of them

It's now three years since this happened and Hope and Asher are still really happy together. After that night, the couple had an honest conversation with one another. She told him about her adopted parents, the rape and her two attempted suicides. Asher was devastated Hope had to go through so much in her life but he vowed that from now on, he'd be there for her. Because of the rape, Hope had been too scared to have sex with Asher. Three months into their relationship, the couple finally made love to each other. Hope had been seeking help and closure from the rape and this built a newfound strength between her and Asher. The first time the couple made love, it changed their relationship for the better as not only was Hope seeking closure from the rape but she also became pregnant. This wasn't planned but Hope and Asher decided to keep their baby as their child was something they created as a result of their love for each other. The couple now have a beautiful two year old son who they've named Franklin and are expecting their second child, a daughter who they're going to name Magic. Asher chose that name as he sees Hope and their children as perfect, magical people. The couple are known for being loving, devoted parents who would do anything for their children. People have said that little Franklin Logan is one of the luckiest kids ever as he has Hope and Asher as his parents and the same has also been said about Hope and Asher's unborn child. When Hope and Asher talk about their kids, they refer to them as their little miracles and the best thing that ever happened to them. Hope has also learned so much from her upbringing and knows that if her kids ever run into problems, she will be there for them. When Asher looks at the woman who gave birth to his son, he feels joy and happiness as he knows she's a loving, caring mother and he also prides himself on being a caring, devoted father, which Hope also sees in him

Parenthood wasn't the only joy Hope and Asher experienced. One of Hope's dreams was to become a scriptwriter and she wrote many movie scripts over the years. She recently saw the release of her first movie, which is expected to become a hit at the box office. Hope was a teenager when she discovered her love for film but until three years ago, Melissa was the only one who knew of the scriptwriting. When Hope's first film came out, Asher smiled at Hope and said, "Beautiful, this is going to be the first of many films you'll be writing." Also, Hope and Asher recently got married and moved up to Boston with Franklin but they still go to Arlington to visit their loved ones. Hope is now a lot happier than she was before she came to Arlington as not only did she meet some amazing people (one of whom is the love of her life) but she's also learned to be more honest with people. After Hope told Asher about the rape, he advised her to report it like so many others had told her to but she never found the courage to until a few months later when she had a run in with her attacker who was identified by three other women as their attacker. Hope also found closure from the rape not only because of this but she's also got people who love and support her. Moving to Arlington turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to Hope Logan as not only did she find her birth mother but she also found Asher (the love of her life), made some really great friends, experienced happiness she had never felt before, learned to live independently, eventually managed to put her past behind her, is now a mother to two beautiful children and is the wife of a very handsome man. Overall, Hope's move to Arlington was the best decision she had ever made

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