No Time Like Now (Lesbian)

Chapter Thirty

Waking up at eight on Sunday morning is not the most ideal, or easiest, thing for me to do. I don't know why I thought it was a good time to get up; Aspen doesn't expect me until ten.

Whatever, I'm awake.

Once Mom leaves the house for a girls' day out, I get into action. Money's in my sock, hair's in a braid, black dress makes me feel like a badass. Unless Aspen wants me to bring a weapon, I'm set.

Should I text her about that?

Never mind, I don't have time to wait for her response.

Aspen seems to agree with me; as soon as I park in front of her apartment, she zips out in a blur of blues and greens. Other than a 'hi', there's no small talk as she stuffs her bag by her feet, no jokes as she tells me where to get to the city from here.

Even as I'm driving she's quiet, concentrating in front of the mirror as she applies a couple coats of lip gloss.

"You remember which exit to get off?" Aspen asks, putting away the small bottle. She's neutral, not like her usual self. She might as well be talking to someone she teamed up with for a project and is making sure they got their half done.

Nodding, I switch lanes on the highway to avoid an 'exit only' lane. Voicing my response doesn't feel appropriate. It's better if I keep quiet.

The few times I take my eyes off the road to glance at the passenger, she's staring back at me. Each time, my nervous hands grip tighter on the wheel.

Eventually, she speaks up again. "I'm going to talk because yesterday wasn't good. I called some clients and let them know I won't be taking appointments today. You can't imagine the amount of yelling I had to hear."

She's right. I can't imagine some douchebag yelling at who must be the sweetest person I know.

"It's not even a regular thing I do," she vents. "I've kept my hours open and never did less than I promised. I don't know what I did to offend them to let them know I won't be available for one day."

I can relate.

"So, with that on my mind, I'll probably come off as bitchy today. Sorry," Aspen apologizes.

To my surprise, I open my mouth. "Everyone's got a breaking point. Don't be sorry for reaching yours."

"Aw, thanks. I needed to hear that," she smiles.

Seeing the Aspen I'm familiar with eases my tension. My now-sweaty hands loosen the grip.

"Oh." She points ahead. "That's the exit."

"Right."

With her help, I find decent parking along the side of a wide street. There's no sign against parking to be seen, and no meters to pay. Thank God. I was worried I'd have to part some money for it; I don't have much to begin with.

For a couple streets, I think we somehow found ourselves in a pink, romantic part of the city. Suspicion creeps in as we walk block after block, the display of romance going on an endless stream. I've counted three different chocolate shops, five anniversary-varied shops, and some normal shops every city has speckled in between.

In other words? The city looks like how Cupid would set up his gift shop if he turned his profession into a tourist trap.

"This is the city you wanted to explore?" I ask, thinking we accidentally drove to the wrong one.

She looks around. "Yeah, I recognize a couple landmarks here while I was researching online."

"Are they aware Valentine's Day was a month ago?"