The New Humans

Chapter 25

The blond girl said goodbye and departed. Ash left too. Owen offered to accompany him, but Ash couldn't deal with his company; he needed to reflect and calm down, but try as he might, he could not stop thinking about what a total idiot he'd been. He got on the subway and thought about Miriam's expression when he had thrown the ice cream on her. As he walked home, it occurred to him that she had looked annoyed every time he'd spoken to her. There was no hope for Ash now; she would never forget an evening like that. After that experience, she would never go out with him again.

He took out his cellphone to check his notifications and saw that he'd received a message from Adam an hour earlier in response to the morning's call: Sorry, I was at work. Do you need me? All the frenzy over the date with Miriam had made him forget that story for a few hours.

He considered waiting until tomorrow to contact him; he was not in the mood to conduct an interview. But on second thought, Adam would be at work tomorrow and wouldn't be free until later. At least if Ash took the opportunity to talk to him tonight, the evening wouldn't be a complete waste. Maybe it would be good to talk to Adam. He felt like talking to a friend, but not Owen. Owen's suggestions had led to catastrophe. Adam was older and had more experience with women; maybe he'd have better advice.

Ash sent him a message: Can I come over now?

The reply came a few minutes later: Sure.

He took the subway to Adam's house. Adam opened the door wearing a T-shirt and shorts and dripping with sweat. "I was just finishing up a workout. Please come in."

Ash crossed the living room and sat on the sofa.

"Do you want some iced tea?"

Ash nodded. Adam went to the kitchen and returned shortly after with a bottle of iced tea and two glasses. Sipping the cool sweet drink brought Ash a little relief.

Adam sat opposite him and gave him a questioning look. "Why that face? You look like your cat just died."

Ash offered a polite smile and rubbed a hand across his eyes. "No, sorry, it's just been a bad evening. I went out with a girl, and it didn't go too well."

"What could have happened that was so terrible?"

"I spilled ice cream on her."

Adam made a puzzled face, certainly not expecting anything so extreme, but then gave his usual smile. "That doesn't sound so bad. It's nothing that can't be fixed. There's always next time."

"Do you think so?" Ash said.

"Sure. If she had behaved with you like you did with her, wouldn't you give her a second chance?"

"Well, yes, I think so," answered Ash.

"So why shouldn't she do the same?"

This logic relieved Ash a bit.

"Just out of curiosity," Adam asked, "how did you manage to spill ice cream on her?"

"Well . . . I was a little apprehensive about the evening and ended up making a mess of things."

"You mustn't feel like that. A lot of people think that with women you need to overdo it to make an impression. Instead, the secret is to be yourself."

Ash almost groaned out loud. It was the exact opposite of what he had done.

"Admitting one's mistakes and weaknesses is a sign of strength and maturity," Adam said, "and girls appreciate it."

Adam finished his tea and poured another glass. Ash wanted to take advantage of that moment to ask him about Crane, but he didn't know how to start.