Just Play Along

Seventy-Three & Seventy-Four

PART SEVENTY THREE

*Aston’s POV*

“Damnit!” I said harshly, dropping my mobile on the sofa in the front room as I hung up with Jess. I turned to look at the dinning area that I’d just spent the last half hour cleaning up and decorating. It wasn’t anything too crazy; I’d just pulled out a nice tablecloth and some candles, a bouquet of roses in the middle of the table, and my nicest plates set out.

If only Jess knew that I’d spent the better part of the afternoon agonizing over this meal for her. I’d somehow got the idea in my head that I needed to cook her favorite dish from scratch; something I soon realized was easier said than done. I’d been to the shops no less than three times to get ingredients, and I’d also finally invested in one of those food processor things so that I could grind the pesto up without having to do it by hand. And now she wasn’t even coming!

Sighing I stared into the kitchen, a layer of green mess everywhere from the basil leaves. I wasn’t the best cook, clearly. I had to debate with myself for a minute if it was worth finishing, but then I decided I would because I’d read I could freeze it for the future. The rest of the stuff could be used eventually.

I hated when Jess canceled on me, even though I knew she always had good reason. It just felt like sometimes she was dating her job and not me, like I was competing for her attention. No wonder one of the first things she’d ever said to me was that her job was her life. Girl should come with a sticker on her forehead!

Finishing up the pesto, I poured it into a storage container and put it away to freeze. I’d just half to boil some pasta and add it in the future. I took my time cleaning the kitchen, and then satisfied I was done I grabbed a beer left over from my party the night before and some takeout menus, bypassing the dinning room and heading up to my room.

I must have fallen asleep because I was stunned awake several hours later to yelling from downstairs.

“ASTTT!”

“The fuck?” I mumbled, sitting up in bed and staring over at the clock. It was nearly eleven at night. Apparently I was kidding myself earlier when I’d thought my hangover wasn’t that bad. I clocked the untouched beer and takeaway menus, sighing as I felt a pang of hunger in my stomach.

“ASTON!!”

“Coming!” I called back, stumbling out of bed.

Walking down the stairs I almost did a double take when I saw Jess stood in my front hall with her work bag slung over her shoulder and her heels kicked off by the door. I’d almost forgotten I’d given her a key to my house.

“Thought you were out,” she said, smiling at me, “Was just about to leave.”

“No, sleeping.”

“Oh! Sorry!” she said, “I called, but you didn’t answer so I thought I’d check here before heading back to Chelsea.”

“I’m right here. And so are you?” I said, stating my last bit as a question. I thought she’d said she was going straight home?

“Yeah,” she smiled, “Got done earlier than planned. Magically.”

“Wow.”

“And you said I had that blue dress here…”

“Yeah.”

“So I thought I’d come and try to catch the last bit of Valentine’s,” she smiled. I grinned and closed the distance between us, pulling her into my arms for a tight hug, “You sounded upset I wasn’t coming,” she told me, “So I tried my hardest to get done, for you.”