“No problem.” Ash’s voice was soft and sincere. “Remember, I’m here for you. And that goes for when you’re at your folks’ too. I’m only a phone call away. You can call me anytime.”
“You’re amazing.”
“Thanks, but it’s just that I care about you, Ker.”
“I know. I’m just not used to that,” he admitted.
“We’re still on for this weekend, right?”
“Absolutely. Looking forward to spending it with you.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-TWO
Ash
Friday afternoon found Ash sitting at his desk across from Hank, filling out some reports and generally killing time.
“I may cut out early,” Hank told him.
“Fine by me,” said Ash. “It’s not like there’s a lot going on around here.”
His phone buzzed, and he saw it was a text from Ker.
Got any plans for tonight?
Not really. What did you have in mind?
I could drive to your house, and then we could start our weekend early.
I like the way you think. We can order a pizza for dinner and watch a movie or something.
Or something. :)
See you soon! <3
“From the smile on your face, I’m guessing that was Ker,” Hank said.
“Yep. We had plans to spend the weekend together, starting tomorrow, but now he’s gonna head to my place after work tonight.”
“So it’s going well between the two of you?”
“It is.” Ash grinned. “The more time I spend with him, the more I think he might be the one.”
“Really? That’s great, Ash. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks. In fact, I’m giving him a key to my place tomorrow.”
“Wow, so you’rethatserious,” said Hank, awe in his voice. “I guess all I can say is congratulations. And I really want to meet him at some point.”
“You definitely will,” Ash agreed. “Now let me finish this report, then I might just leave early too.”
Thanks to the timer he’d set up, the small tabletop tree that graced the front window of Ash’s home was already lit when he pulled in the driveway, giving the place a warm, cozy feel. He had a few decorations around the house, but frankly, he wasn’t home much, so he didn’t go overboard. If things worked out with Ker, he might need to rethink that.
He quickly changed the sheets on the bed, then stripped and showered. He wanted everything to be perfect for Ker’s visit this weekend. He had just finished dressing in dark jeans and a cranberry cotton pullover sweater when he heard a car pull into the driveway, so he bounded down the stairs to greet Ker at the door.
“Hi,” he said, letting Ker in.
