"Just text me when you pull up, and I'll come out and meet you on the street."
It was exactly fifteen minutes later when I got a text from Ash. It was cold out, and I felt a gust of wind as soon as I opened my bedroom window. I had to laugh at myself for sneaking out of my own house. My bedroom window was nice and big, and it opened easily, but I was a good five or six feet from the ground, and I had to jump down and then climb onto a nearby air conditioner unit to close my window again. I was out of breath by the time I finished it all and made my way through my backyard.
I walked slowly through my yard, catching my breath and letting the cold air hit me. I felt thankful that I had to walk around the house and down the driveway before I would encounter Ash.
I saw his truck once I made it to the street. It was parked in front of my neighbor's house, and it was running with the parking lights on. As I got closer, I could hear music playing. The door popped open just as I reached for the handle, and I opened the door to find that Ash had leaned over and was now settling back into the driver's seat. He glanced my way, smiling at me as I sat down.
"What are we doing?" I said.
"Hanging out," he said, simply like it was no big deal.
"I mean, where are we going?"
He turned down the music a little and shrugged.
"I've never been in your truck," I added, looking around.
"Oh, welcome."
I smiled. "Thanks. It's clean."
"Is your car dirty?" he asked.
My smile broadened. "No, I'm just remarking on yours. I imagined if you're doing construction, you'd have… I don't know… construction crumbs everywhere. Sawdust or whatever."
"I try to dust off the crumbs before I get in," he said, grinning at me. "Speaking of crumbs, I'm hungry," he said. "Playing makes me hungry. I don't know how, but it does."
"I could see how it would," I said. "Your brain and your body are working hard. Although I'm finding I'm not like that. After a Chicago rehearsal, I'm not hungry at all. Maybe it's all the nerves. You probably get less nervous than I do."
"I get nervous," he assured me. "It just doesn't stop me from getting hungry."
"What are you hungry for?" I asked him. "And what are our options at this hour?"
"I think Montana Brewing," he said. "Or fast food."
"What are you hungry for?"
"For you to make me something," he said, making my heart flutter.
"Really? I can do that."
"No pressure if you're tired. I can eat anything."
"We'd have to go to my restaurant. Is that what you were talking about? Because I doubt we should go back in there," I said, gesturing to my house.
"Yeah, I hadn't thought about it when I said it. I guess I assumed we'd go back in your house, but the restaurant's cool. Could we do that?"
"Of course," I said. "I didn't bring my purse, so I don't have my keys. Let me run to my backyard."
"Your backyard?"
He smiled and shook his head, and I had flashbacks of seeing him on stage and hearing him sing. His singing voice came through in his speaking voice, and being near him hadme feeling melty. And then he flashed me that smile. It was too much. Ash was irresistible. I found him impossible to resist.
"I have a spare key hidden back there," I said.
"To your restaurant?"
"Yes. And my house. I'll just grab it real quick. That's easier than going back inside."
