And then the kiss goodnight—wow! Sure, he’d been thinking about kissing Ash for a while, but he had been afraid to initiate anything. Thank God Ash wasn’t as shy as he was.
He grabbed his phone and typed a quick text to Ash.
I’m home safe and sound. Thanks again for a wonderful evening. Hope we can do it again soon.
That wasn’t creepy, was it? Before he could change his mind, he hit the Send button.
There was no response at first, and Ker of course began to second-guess himself.But he kissed me, so he had to want to do it, right?
Before he had a chance to overthink it too much, his phone dinged. A message from Ash.
Thanks for letting me know UR home. I enjoyed tonight with you too. And we’ll definitely do it again. Sleep well.
And with that, Ker got ready for bed. He fell asleep with a smile on his face and with thoughts of Ash and his extremely soft lips.
It was unseasonably warm as Ker strolled down the street, heading to A Helping Hand—some might call it a second summer, with bright sunshine beating down and almost no breeze. Ker didn’t care what you called it; he enjoyed the warmth on his face as he walked. He was in a very good mood that had carried over from the previous evening. And the weather wascertainly helping. Anxious to see Ash again this morning, he picked up his pace a bit.
As he approached the center’s parking lot, he skidded to a stop, shocked but happy to see Ash leaning against his vehicle, sipping from a take-out cup.
“Good morning, Ker,” he said, a bright smile lighting up his face. “I was pretty sure I saw you walking down the street when I pulled in, so I figured I’d wait and say hello to you.”
“Hi, Ash,” Ker replied. He smiled back. “How are you doing this fine day?”
“Better, now that you’re here.” He tossed his cup into the trash bin near the door, and they entered together.
The kitchen was bustling with activity. Joyce saw them come in and grinned. “I’m so glad you’re both here. Ker, can you get started on those dishes, and Ash, please help Dean chop some ingredients for a salad? We got a donation of baked ziti in meat sauce from a local restaurant, so we’ll serve that with the salad today.” Orders given, she scurried out of the kitchen. The guys washed up, donned a pair of aprons, and got to work.
They moved from job to job as their morning progressed, washing, prepping, serving, and washing again. They said their goodbyes to the other workers and some of the regulars who were there for lunch and then stepped out to the parking lot.
“Do you have any plans for this afternoon?” Ash asked.
“No. Just heading home. Figured I’d watch a movie,” Ker answered.Did Ash have something else in mind?
“Whew,” Ash sounded relieved. “I was hoping you didn’t have anything important to do. Wanna go for a ride?”
“A ride? Sure.”Anything to spend more time with you.
“Excellent. Get in.” Ash pointed to his SUV.
Once they were buckled in, Ash turned to Ker. “Do you need to stop at home for anything? We’ll probably be gone for a few hours.”
“No, I’m good. I’m getting the impression you have somewhere specific in mind for this little adventure,” Ker added as Ash pulled out of the lot.
“Oh yeah. Do you want me to tell you, or would you like to be surprised?” Ash turned and grinned.
“Oh, it’s definitely more fun to be surprised.” Ker suspected that Ash would like it better if he could surprise him, and that was fine with Ker, so he’d gladly play along.
Ash turned onto Summer Street and headed out of town. When he got onto Route 495 and then Route 95, Ker’s interest piqued even more, and he almost said something. But rather than spoil the surprise, he just fiddled with the radio and chose some light rock.
“Is this okay?” he asked, not really knowing Ash’s musical tastes.
“Sure. I’ll listen to almost anything. Mom taught all us boys to have an appreciation of all kinds of music when we were growing up.”
When they reached New Bedford, Ash exited onto Route 140 and said, “Just a few more minutes.”
Ker was still unsure as to where they were headed, so he said, “Other than the fact that I know we’re in New Bedford, I’m completely baffled.”
“I’ll give you a hint in the form of a question if you want. Actually, it’s something I should have asked you earlier,” Ash admitted.
