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Ryan never took me on a date, and he still kissed me. What makes Ash so special that he has to follow some unwritten guideline for kissing a girl? Why did I reveal so much of myself tonight? Maybe he doesn’t like me and just doesn’t know how to get out of the tangled web he’s woven me into. He credits me for saving Shawn’s life, so maybe this was some guilt trip he’s putting himself through in retribution…
I want to punch him in the face and slash off his dreadlocks and then channel an adrenaline rush big enough to pick up that fifty-pound weight and throw it at him. A dozen ways to cause him physical pain manifest in my mind. Then Ash tucks the stray hair behind my ear and his touch makes me slow down the violent thoughts and digest what he had told me.
Maybe he didn’t kiss me, but he did say that word that girls cling to like a security blanket. The word we repeat to ourselves when falling asleep at night. Yet. He hasn’t taken me on a date, yet.
Chapter 14
I wake on Thursday morning to mockingbirds singing outside my window. A ray of sunlight streams through the curtains and cuts across my arm like a laser beam. I draw in a deep breath and stretch, enjoying the moment. It’s a workday, the sun is shining, and I am still in bed. Opportunities like this are rare for a girl who works at the most popular motocross track in the state.
There are no races at Mixon this weekend because Dad and his crew are prepping the track for the national race in six days. Everyone on the track staff juggles extreme excitement and the fear of failure with how the races will turn out. My dad has the most pressure on him, but he shows the least amount of stress. Last night at dinner he had told me to sleep late and enjoy my day because Friday and Saturday I’d be reporting to the track at four in the morning.
I get up long enough to close the crack in the curtains and then crawl back into bed. It’s only eight and I can probably sleep until at least noon without anyone caring. I am supposed to work later this evening, since it’s a last chance practice before the track closes for the week, but Dad isn’t expecting me until after lunch.
I snuggle under my comforter, close my eyes for a few moments and drift into a light sleep.
The rumble of dirt bikes was all around me. It was dark, dusty and I was standing in the middle of the track at the top of a jump. I should run away before someone crashes into me, but I couldn’t move. Ash walked out of the dusty air holding a trophy as tall as me.
“Oh Ash,” I swoon, running into his arms. “You won.”
Knock, knock, knock
My eyes burst open and focus on the while ceiling. Someone knocks on my door and whoever it is has ruined my dream of Ash. The dream was so real I could almost feel him. And now he’s gone.
The knocking continues. I roll onto my stomach and tuck my head under the pillow while pressing it into my head with my arms. “Come in,” I yell into the sheets with the raspy voice of someone who has just been rudely interrupted from their peaceful slumber.
“I can’t believe you’re still in bed.”
My sleepy mind must be playing tricks on me because that sounded exactly like Ash. Footsteps walk around my bed and to the window. I hear the curtains shimmy open. I dare to peek under my arm just in time to see Ash dive onto my bed and rip the pillow away from me.
A squeal escapes me as my eyes burn, adjusting to the bright sunlight flooding into my room. Instinctively, I grope for the comforter and pull it to my nose, protecting me from the intruder. Okay, well he isn’t a dangerous intruder, but he is a boy and he is in my room. This is a first.
“How did you get in here?”
“Your little brother. I always knew he was a good kid.” Ash leans on his elbow and looks at the portion of my head that’s visible.
“I’m gonna kill him,” I mumble into the comforter over my mouth. Of course, by “kill him” I mean, “shower him with love and praise” but Ash doesn’t need to know that.
“So what are you doing here?” I ask, following it with, “Not that I mind or anything.” I’ve never seen Ash so…horizontal. He’s making my rational thinking to convert into fuzzy brain slush.
“I went to visit you at work and Mr. Fisher said you were still here,” he says, hopping off the bed to examine the collection of photos on my dresser. I hope he doesn’t notice the pink frame in the back that holds an embarrassing photo of me with birthday cake all over my face. Of course, he does. He picks it up and smiles. “Cute.”
As much as I’d love to yank it away, I’m stuck immobile under the sheets, thrilled to see Ash, but vulnerable laying here with no makeup and tangled hair. This is the first time Ash has seen me without an hour of primping. So far he hasn’t gouged out his eyes and ran away screaming, so maybe that’s a good sign.
An awkward moment of silence passes where I get a fleeting panic that what if he can read minds and holy crap, I just embarrassed myself. Ash lifts an eyebrow, making my mind-reading paranoia fly through the roof. “Are you naked under there? ‘Cause if you are, I should leave.”
“NO,” I snap up in defense, throwing the comforter
off me, revealing my modest pajamas with kittens on them. At least they match. I turn on the TV and toss him the remote.
“You stay in here. No moving,” I warn him as I duck into the closet, closing the door behind me.
Ash behaves and doesn’t make a sound in the half an hour it takes me to throw on a decent outfit and dress my face in just enough makeup so it looks like I’m not trying too hard. When I emerge from the bathroom, Ash’s eyes dart straight to me though his head stays facing the TV.
“How do I look?” I toss out the line, hoping for a compliment. He shrugs, giving me a quick look over. “Normal.”
“Thanks.” I head to my door, motioning for him to follow. “That’s exactly the answer I was looking for.” Snark shows through my voice, but I hold my head straight and head for the stairs. Ash follows me down the stairs and, one step behind me, he whispers into my ear, “Normal for you is pretty adorable.”
“Wow, you drive a stick shift?” I ask, noticing the gearshift as I climb into Ash’s truck. This is the first time I’m traveling by vehicle to the track instead of walking through the backyard.
