Ding.
Meet me outside in five minutes.
Not what I had expected.
What about Hemingway? I replied. I didn’t need to do this. I had been so proud of myself when I hadn’t jumped at getting to go out with him tonight. Now here I was about to mess that up by seeing him anyway.
Please was his next text.
Closing my eyes, I sighed. I wasn’t going to be able to say no. My parents were already in bed, and so were my little brothers. I could pay off my sisters to be quiet.
Okay, I finally sent back.
I was weak when it came to Asa Griffith. Before I had gotten to know him, it was who I thought he was that I was fascinated with, but now that I knew him, I wanted to be around him. I liked having him smile at me. The way he smelled and the sound of his laugh. Asa was all I’d hoped for and more.
Deep down I wanted him to feel the same, but hoping for that would be a disaster. The pain I’d felt all week seemed minimal now. I was fine. This was fine. I could do this.
I stood up and slid on a pair of cutoff jeans that I’d discarded earlier. Glancing down at the top I had on, I decided to leave it. I had never worn it in public. It was too revealing. I slept in it. Tonight, I was being brave. I was showing him I could be as sexy as the girl today or the redhead he liked so much. Slipping on my sandals, I headed downstairs and out the back door without seeing either of my sisters. Checking to make sure the key was in its hiding place, I shut the door and locked it behind me.
The lights from Asa’s truck dimmed as he pulled into the parking lot. I hurried over to the truck before he could get out. We had to go elsewhere in case my momma woke up and looked outside. Opening the truck door, I climbed inside.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey,” he replied, and then the door closed behind me and it was too dark to see his face clearly.
“Do you always dress like that for Hemingway?” he asked as he pulled out onto the road.
“Yep,” I replied. “I dress this way for all the great literary geniuses.”
“Damn,” he muttered.
Smiling, I was pleased with myself. I hadn’t been awkward. The darkness gave me courage, I realized.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
He glanced at me, then back at the road. “I hadn’t planned that far. I just wanted to see you. Didn’t think past that.”
My smile grew and the butterflies in my stomach erupted. He wanted to see me. I’d been here all week, but I didn’t ruin the moment by pointing that out.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“Not really,” I replied.
“Too late for the movies,” he said.
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“Nash went to Tallulah’s. We could watch a movie at the apartment,” he suggested.
“Okay,” I agreed. I liked that idea a lot. Being alone with him sounded wonderful.
He chuckled then and shook his head.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he replied.
I didn’t believe him, but I didn’t push it. I was in his truck. If I got caught, my parents would lose their minds. But this was all worth it.
You Like Horror? CHAPTER 25
ASA
Was she wearing a bra? I was trying not to study her too closely on our way up to Nash’s apartment. The truck had been too dark for me to tell. I didn’t think she could wear a bra with that top, but I wasn’t sure.
I unlocked the door to Nash’s apartment and stepped back so she could go inside. “You hungry? There’s ice cream in the freezer unless Nash ate it all. Good chance there are cookies or some baked stuff Tallulah’s mom sent over.”
“Ice cream and cookies sound good,” Ezmita responded.
Hopefully there was still ice cream. I headed for the kitchen and sure enough, more cookies were on the table on a covered platter. Those arrived several times a week. Tallulah’s mom was a saint. “There’s the cookies,” I told her, pointing at the table. “Check those out. I’m sure there are several different kinds. I’ll see if the ice cream survived Nash.”
Opening the freezer, I chanced a peek at her again and I was almost positive there was no bra. The shirt was black, so it was hard to tell even in the light.
“Oh! These are chocolate with vanilla drizzle!” Ezmita exclaimed happily.
“And there is half a gallon of chocolate cookie dough ice cream. We got lucky,” I said, pulling the container from the fridge. When I turned back to Ezmita, she was taking a bite of cookie. She saw me looking and grinned. Damn, she was cute.
I grabbed two spoons and a paper plate. “Here, fill it up. I’ll eat whichever ones you choose,” I told her. She took the plate and carefully chose two of each kind. There were three different cookies.