a deadly storm, an unsolved disappearance, and a small town brimming with secrecy;
an outcast girl, a boy who only knows how to hide, and the world against them;
what could go wrong?
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The next morning arrives with a burst of orange and pink sunlight painted across a cloudless sky. Boo waits until midday to call Ashton, having spent the majority of the morning wrestling with a slight bout of indecision. When she finally presses the phone to her ear, her palms begin to sweat as the numbers mechanically dial. Each ring of the phone sends her nerves spiking through the roof. She briefly wonders how to play this; whether or not to come right out and tell him what she needs.
She doesn't have time to worry as the line clicks and a rich voice floods her ear.
"Hello?"
"Ashton, h-hey," she stammers, tripping over her words. "How are you?"
"Just peachy," he laughs. "And you?"
"Yeah, I've been good," she replies, keeping her voice cheerful. "I just wanted to say thank you for the other night at my house, after the break-in. And for everything else since that; I really appreciate all your help."
"It was my pleasure," he rasps. "Like I said, the cops in your town don't seem all too willing to help."
Boo scoffs. "You have no idea. The entire department is a mess."
"Really?" he asks, sounding oddly intrigued. "If you'd care to elaborate, we can talk about it over dinner."
Boo's heart flutters and she involuntarily squeaks a little in surprise. "Are you . . . are you asking me out?"
Ashton chuckles into the phone, and Boo knows that if she wasn't so smitten with Harry, she'd be all over this man. "If that's what you want, then yes."
She rolls her eyes while fighting back a grin. "Will you be getting down on one knee before or after dinner?"
He laughs loudly. "Oh, you're funny. I need to watch out for you."
Seal the deal, bitch.
"How about you watch out for me tonight?" she purrs, feeling a sense of victory when she hears his breath faintly hitch. "I'll be in Harrisford around eight."
"Eight is perfect," he answers smoothly. Boo lets slip a flirtatious giggle just to butter him up a little more. "Can I pick you up from somewhere?"
"I can meet up with you, don't worry," she answers quickly. "Just tell me what you're in the mood for."
"If I say you, is that the wrong answer?"
She giggles again, feeling her face flush warm. "Text me when you have a real answer, yeah?"
"You got it," he simpers. "I'll see you tonight, Boo."
"Bye," she whispers before finally hanging up. The call ends and she huffs a sigh of relief, flopping backwards onto her bed while staring aimlessly at her ceiling.
"Flirting is hard work," she mutters.
« • »
At five past eight, Boo pulls up to a restaurant that looks far too nice for even Harrisford. The front windows are all floor-to-ceiling, fairy lights are strung across the interior of the building, and the exterior is set up with pale bricks and dark wood. Fake ferns line the front walkway and Boo finds herself running her fingers over them absently as her car is valeted and she's escorted inside by a man in all black.
