[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Before: Coffee Date


Ashley

Chris was staring me right in the eyes, the cake he'd baked on the table, the diamond ring that had come out of the center of it in my hand. I could feel my heart throbbing inside me, trying to shove my lungs out of its way to make more space. "Ashley, in the last five months," Chris said quietly, "You've changed my life. And I hope I've changed yours, too. You've been so good to me, and for me, and I've never been this happy..." His lips parted slightly, his one slightly chipped tooth peeking out under his lips as he smiled, "I can't picture my life without you. And I hope that I won't have to."

"Yes," I gasped, and he took the ring from the box, sliding it onto my finger. It looked beautiful against the paleness of my skin, catching the ceiling light and glistening, like ice. "It's beautiful," I said, looking up at him, "You're such a good man to me." I leaned forward and kissed him. I felt safe and warm and I wrapped my arms around him. He pulled me closer, and he pressed me against the refridgerator door.

The phone trilled from the wall beside me.

Chris's hands slid up my back and I laid mine on the sides of his face.

The shrill ring of the phone echoed in the kitchen.

"We should get that," I gasped. "Then we'll take this upstairs?"

Chris nodded, backed up and let me down, and I grabbed the phone from the hook. "Hello?" I called into the receiver.

"Hey Ashley."

I almost choked. I looked at Chris. He was cutting pieces out of the cake and putting them onto the plates. "Hi Nick," I said. Chris looked up, his eyebrows stitched together a look of concern on his face. "I haven't heard from you in... well, since... you know."

"Yeah," he said.

"How are you?" I asked. Chris licked frosting off his fist and came over. He stood beside me, pressing his ear to mine so he could hear Nick, too. I tilted the phone out for him.

"I'm.. you know, okay. I'm sorry I didn't call sooner..." Nick paused, "It's been a helluva year."

"Yeah it has," I answered.

Nick drew a deep breath. "Happy birthday," he said.

"Thank you," I answered. Chris pulled away and mouthed tell him about the ring at me. He gave me a thumbs-up sign and went back to the cake, grinning to himself.

"Having a good one so far?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, it's been good."

"Look, Ashley, I'd like to talk to you. Can I get you a coffee or something? Please?"

"Coffee sounds good," I said. Chris was waving his left hand at me, pointing at his ring finger. I waved him off. "When did you wanna get together?"

"I'm free now," Nick replied.

"Now?" I looked at Chris.

He frowned, but he also shrugged, indicating it was up to me. It'd been so long since I saw Nick, and the part of me that missed him desperately took over. "Okay! Where do you want to meet?" The part of me that had cried myself to sleep for a month was screaming don't be stupid, but I ignored it.

"How about the Starbucks on Sunset?" he asked.

"Okay. About an hour," I said.

"Okay," he agreed.

I hung up the phone and turned to look at Chris. He held out a plate with cake on it at me. "You didn't tell him," he said.

"I'm going to tell him over coffee," I said. I took the plate and dropped into the seat at the table next to him. I watched as he put a spoonful of cake into his mouth and chewed. Little crumbs stuck to his lips. I reached over and wiped them off. "You know," I said, "I told him an hour, and it only takes fifteen minutes to get there..."

Chris stood up and grabbed my hands, "C'mon!" We ran upstairs, laughing.




Nick

I sat nervously at a table and checked my watch.

I was going to say the words today. I was going to apologize for January, and tell her the truth about what I felt about that night and ask if she'd heard me when I said that I loved her when I called her from the crash.

If she'd just hurry up before I chickened out, anyway.

I ran my hand through my hair. It had been an hour and a half. I checked my phone. No calls. I wondered if she was going to stand me up, like to get me back for all the crap I'd pulled. But Ashley wasn't like that. And as if to prove that point, the door jingled and I looked up and there she was.

Ashley looked even better than I remembered. She had on a pale blue sundress and her hair was in this long pony tail that hung down over her shoulder. She looked around the cafe, and I stood up. "Ashley," I called. She smiled, and headed toward me, smiling, her eyes searching over me. She got about five feet away before her eyes focused on the scar. She stopped mid-step, her jaw dropped. "Hey," I said, holding out my arms for a hug, "I missed you."

She shook herself out of the stunned expression, and took two quick strides forward to wrap her arms around me, "Hey," she said. She squeezed, patted my back, and pulled away. She looked up at me, her eyes focused just slightly to the left of my eyes, on the scar.

It was the first time she'd seen it, after all.

It was shocking, the first time you saw it.

"What? This old thing?" I waved my fingers at it.

Ashley's eyes focused on mine. "Sorry," she apologized, her cheeks turning red. "I mean, I heard rumors or whatever, but I didn't - I haven't seen -" She licked her lips. "Did you order yet?" She looked away, pulling open her purse and looking through it.

"Not yet," I answered.

Ashley pulled her wallet out, "Well, let's get some coffee." She headed for the counter and I followed. She ordered a lite vanilla latte, and I ordered a large coffee, black. I whipped my credit card at the barista before Ashley could pull money from her wallet. "You don't have to do that," she said.

"It's your birthday," I answered. The barista handed me back my card.

Ashley half smiled, "You still don't have to buy my coffee."

"I want to," I answered.

"Well.. thanks," she said.

We waited for our cups in awkward silence, then carried them back to the table. Ashley put her purse on the table with her keys, staring down at her latte. I put my coffee down. "I'm sorry," I said thickly, "For everything."

Ashley looked up.

"I'm sorry I hurt you in January. I'm sorry for --" I looked around, then whispered, "For sleeping with you and then kissing that girl, and I'm sorry I didn't say I'm sorry before."

"I forgive you," Ashley said.

"And there's something I've been trying to figure out how to say to you for the last five months," I said, "Something I've felt for a really long time but I never knew it before..."

"Yes?" Ashley lifted her cup to her mouth.

The ring on her finger caught the sunlight streaming in through the windows.

I stared at it.

"You're engaged," I said.

Ashley looked at the ring. "Shit, I was going to actually tell you," she said. "I really didn't plan to just...flash it at you like that."

"No it's cool," I answered. I felt sick. "When did that... happen?" I asked.

Ashley laughed, "Like five minutes before you called, actually." She blushed, "That's why I'm a little late. We were, um, celebrating."

"Wow," I said. I felt like my guts had been pulled out my nose. "Congratulations."

Ashley smiled, "Thank you."

Suddenly I wished we'd gone for beers instead of coffee.

"So... Chris, huh?"

Ashley's smile widened even further, "Yeah. Who would've thought, huh? After all the time that we spent before, all that time I thought he was such a jackass."

"He is a jackass," I answered, laughing.

Ashley laughed, too. "You both were jackasses together," she said. "But he's really grown up since then. He's become a really good man. I'm lucky."

"I've grown up," I said.

"I'm glad," she answered.

I sipped my coffee.

"So what were you going to say before my ring so rudely interrupted?" she asked.

I drew a deep breath, "I don't really remember," I lied.

Ashley laughed, "You're such a blonde."

"I know," I answered.