Hand In Glove

Chapter 33

Gradually things started to feel normal again. Chloe did her thing, Ashton did his. They would eat dinner and sit together for a while afterward. She'd catch him glancing at her often. He would simply smile and look away.

One particular day, Chloe was downstairs doing laundry. Ashton came down and hopped on the treadmill. She pretended not to notice. Occasionally bending over to pick up an item of clothing from the basket, her eyes would betray her and look in his direction. It made it hard to concentrate on her task when he wore nothing but shorts, especially when he'd catch her looking at him.

Ashton wanted nothing more at that moment than to run across the room to where she stood. He imagined as he had many times before, lifting her up on that washer, wrapping her legs around his waist and making love to her. She was getting harder to resist, especially when he could see the want in her eyes.

But, no, he reminded himself. She was going to have to make the first move. It would have to be her choice. Anyway, he had a plan. He had ideas. He would have to earn her trust back and show her that he was worthy.

He had abandoned his resistance to her. He was now ready to be everything to her and even though that irresistible rosy glow in her cheeks beckoned him, he would wait for her to make that first move.

Later on that evening at dinner, Ashton came downstairs at his usual time and sat down at the table. Chloe had made lasagna and served him a generous portion. "I thought you might need a little extra tonight after that workout this afternoon," she said, winking.

"That's quite considerate of you, thank you," he said with a crooked smile. "I think I might have pushed myself a little harder than usual. I guess I was showing off or something. You see, there was this cute girl I was trying to impress."

"Oh, I see, and do you think you were successful?" She played along.

"I think so. I thought I saw her blush a little," he said, biting into a large forkful of the tasty pasta.

"Maybe you're right. Blushing is usually a good indication that she's into you," she said with a smile.

When they were done, Chloe washed up the dishes and Ashton helped her dry. "So, Chloe," he said, putting the last dish away. "I have a question for you." He took her by the hand. "Come, let's sit for a moment."

Chloe followed his lead and sat beside him on the couch. "Yes?" she asked after a long pause.

"I don't know if you realize it, but tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Now what would you say if I asked you out for dinner? Before you answer, let me sweeten the deal. I have made reservations at a very expensive, very exclusive restaurant. I had to really pull some strings to get us in so close to the date. What do you say?"

"You mean like a real date?" she said, caught off guard. She hadn't realized it was Valentine's Day tomorrow. It hadn't even crossed her mind.

"Yes, like a date. I think it would be a good place to start," he said, playing with her fingers, getting nervous. "Well?"

"Yes, okay. Thank you. I would love to be your date on Valentine's Day," Chloe said, giving his hand a squeeze. He smiled widely. "So, what strings did you have to pull exactly?"

"Well, I had to agree to sing a couple of songs. I hope you won't mind listening to me once again."

"Oh, Ashton, you know I love hearing you sing. That'll be really nice. Just you alone?"

"Yeah, just me and my acoustic guitar, and a couple of love songs."

"Love songs? Are they new? I don't recall you guys having a lot of those."

"Actually, they are new. They are Ashton Wright exclusives, not exactly Stick Shift Lips material." He smiled, shaking his head. "I want you to take the day off tomorrow. I want you to go out shopping, get your hair done, go to the spa. You know, do whatever it is girls like to do. Just meet me back here when you're ready. We'll be leaving for dinner at six-thirty."

The next morning Chloe let herself sleep in later. It was her day off after all. She woke up hungry and got dressed to make breakfast. When Chloe stepped into the kitchen she was pleasantly surprised to find Nick there with Ashton. Nick was cooking something on the stove.

"Chloe, guess who I found lurking on the front porch this morning," Ashton said laughingly.

"Hi, Nick," Chloe said, looking over his shoulder. "Pancakes? How sweet!" She gave him a friendly hug.

"Well, you know, it is Valentine's Day. I figured this clown would forget. I thought I should come over and show him how it's done," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, aren't you the charmer?" she teased, winking at Ashton who sat there looking like the cat who'd swallowed the canary.

"And look, Chloe, he brought you flowers too." Ashton motioned to a bunch of red roses in the living room. "Now, tell me, how do I compete with that?"

"Aw... you're just such a sweetie pie, Nick," she said, pecking him on the cheek. "I think I'll keep you both." She giggled.

"Oh, really?" Nick said indignantly. "What's this bum done for you so far anyway, besides cause you grief and disappointment," he said, smirking at Ashton.

"Well, apparently he's asked me out for dinner tonight, and he's given me a whole day off too."

Nick looked from Ashton to Chloe. "Oh, well, I see. I might just have to step it up, now that I've got some competition." He paused for a breath. "So, Chloe, you have the day off? I know... Why don't you come over to my place for a couple of hours," he offered suggestively.

"All right enough already. How are those pancakes coming along? I'm starving." Ashton laughed.

Having had her fill of pancakes and male bravado, Chloe excused herself. "Thank you, Nick, for breakfast and the flowers. It was very thoughtful of you," she said, winking at Ashton as she grabbed her jacket and car keys.

Chloe called Jill and they met up at the mall. They spent a few hours shopping and got their hair done in the afternoon. Apparently Jill had a date that night too. This made things easier. Jill did most of the talking. She did remind Chloe that she was still waiting for an invitation to meet the band.

"What about this guy you're going out with tonight?" Chloe asked.

"Oh come on, he's just some guy from my ethics class. I just said yes because I didn't want to spend Valentine's Day alone," Jill admitted. "It's pathetic I know. Tell me about your big date with your boss."

"Well, let me make you a deal then. I'll go on the date first, and then this weekend, you can come over and I'll fill you in. I believe they'll be at the house on Saturday, rehearsing. How does that sound?" Chloe suggested.

"Sounds like a great deal." Jill laughed.

"Good, now I will warn you, stay away from Jamie. Chris is kind of shy but Nick, he's a real charmer, you'll like him very much."

"Thanks for the update. I'll keep that in mind," Jill said with a smile.

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To be continued...

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Hand In Glove

Copyright © 2014 by Maria Bernard. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-9731474-5-2

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