New Year's Eve
Kai's parents had always loved to buy a ton of fireworks. They had enough property that they could shoot off whatever they wanted and not bother anyone. Kai would have friends over to do it when he was growing up, and it became a family tradition. Luna obviously loved it and looked forward to it, so we planned to spend New Year's Eve with them even though Kai wasn't with us. Carly from the restaurant was close to her sister, Hannah, and Hannah had two young boys. They all came as well, and Kai's parents loved it.
I was in Kai's mom's kitchen with Carly, and everyone else was outside. It was 8pm, and they had been shooting fireworks for over an hour. One of Hannah's boys came to us and announced that in ten minutes it would be time for the grand finale. We thanked him, and then Carly turned to me.
"Ash Adams came to see you at work today," she said, once the door was closed.
"I know," I said, since she knew I had talked to him. I had seen her after he came into the restaurant that morning, so I wasn't sure why she was bringing it up now.
"I just thought you might have plans with him tonight."
"No, uh, he, we're not quite to that point. I’m not really making obvious plans with him or anything—for Lu's sake. I'm just… I’m not ready for that with Ash."
"He was cute today. He brought you a flower."
"I know."
"That's so sweet. Did he ask you to do something with him tonight? I thought I heard that."
"Yeah, but he knew I had Lu."
"You've been hanging out with her since you got off work. Hannah and the boys are going back to her house after this, and I'm going home. Lu could hang out with me. She could spend the night, and I'll take her home in the morning."
"I couldn't."
"Why not? I’m not doing anything. I have to get back home to Jimmy as soon as I leave here. (She was talking about her dog.) Come on. It's been a while since Lu spent the night with me. Would you go see Ash if she came to stay with me?"
"I mean, yes, theoretically I could, but I wasn't expecting to do that. I am not dressed or anything. He's at a party."
"Don't you want to go with him to a party? He brought you a flower. What's wrong with you? Do you know what Ash Adams looks like?"
"Yes, I do. And he's about to get famous."
"Did he get that role?"
"Yes, and he leaves for L.A. next month. He'll be gone all of February."
"They're filming it already?" she asked.
"No, they're filming later in the year. This trip is Ash and Sam spending time with the director, getting to know him and what he wants. And also the characters they'll be playing and the songs and everything."
"It's the guys from Den of Thieves, right?"
I nodded because she knew about the role Ash had auditioned for. Den of Thieves was a 90's grunge band whose tragic story rocked the country and made bigger headlines than Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. The director was a young guy, the son of a famous director, and the movie was anticipated. Sam was just getting notoriety as an actor, but he had been doing it for years and had a lot of experience. Ash, however, was a nobody in Hollywood. He wasn't even actively trying to be an actor. He had done a few scenes in Alex's series, but it was nothing compared to the task that lay in front of him with this movie.
The director believed in him, though. Ash flew to L.A. recently to spend the day with him, and he got the news the following day that he got the role. He was nervous about it, and I had been hyping him up for the last few days since he found out. That was another element of me getting feelings for him, but I didn't say as much to Carly right then.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Kai's mom said, coming into the kitchen with us.
"No, not at all," I said, smiling at her. "Are we ready for the finale?"
She shook her head. "Not quite yet. I just came in to get Hannah's little boy some more mittens. He won't stand by the heater."
"He won't stand still at all," Carly said, laughing. "Thanks for letting them come over."
"Oh, we love it," Nana said. "Ted's been talking about what kind of fireworks he's going to get for the last month." She paused and looked at me. "Would you and Lu both want to spend the night?"
It wasn't out of nowhere for her to ask, but I didn't think we would stay, and I shook my head.
