8. Late Night Thoughts
I walked back into the kitchen, avoiding Aaron’s gaze on me. I moved pass him, where I had left a casual thin grey sweater on a counter.
“Did you hear...?” Aaron trailed off.
I was going to play innocent and pretend I had no clue what he was talking about but I heard myself mumble a “yeah… I did.” I felt a little awkward.
“So what do you think?” Aaron seemed so embarrassed that he couldn’t even look at me.
“I’m sorry it just not like that.” I shrugged and casually began walking.
“I don’t understand what’s it with you? Why are you so difficult?” Aaron roared pushing me against a stove blocking my exist. I felt my back beginning to heat.
“Get off of me.” I remained calm speaking every single word deadly as my hand trembled looking for something to use as a weapon.
“Tell me what it takes---” Before Aaron could finish I grabbed a hold of the frying pan and struck him in the back of the head. He shrieked in pain and I broke into a run.
Full speed, I ran without looking back. I ran up the deck like I had yesterday and sat in a corner where no one could see me. Unlike yesterday, the clouds were bitter gray, and the ocean was navy blue yet still so beautiful. I rummaged around through my tote bag until I found what I was looking for. I pulled out my little pink notebook. I flipped through pages. I laughed at how cute the lyrics I’d written when I was about six were.It hurt to even look at them even though just about all of them held happy memories. I turned to a blank page, one of many. I tapped my pen against my chin and thought for a minute.
“The sweet blue eyes shine like emeralds
But I knew never to trust
Not knowing what lives inside
No one would have guessed
It was one who'd burn me alive”
I thought for another minute but that’s all I had. I guess it had been the right thing to give up. I was no longer a good song writer. I threw my notebook in my bag a quickly headed for the suite.
~♥~
I lay in bed with my heart still drumming in my chest. "When will we have a first date?" I kept replaying it in my head. I continued to visualize that stunning smile of his. Even when I closed my eyes I could still see it. I wondered if he’d read the tiny note I’d written him.
"Yo!" Alyssa jumped on my bed and plopped next to me.
"Alyssa! You scared me." I slapped her on her arm. “Don’t you know never to scare a Hispanic girl?”
“Well technically you’re Hispanic, Italian, and Philippine so…”
"Why are you still up?" I asked shaking my head. Alyssa would be the one to be this talkative this late at night.
"Can't sleep…” She shrugged her shoulders. “What were you giggling about?”
"What? I wasn’t giggling.” I looked down so she wouldn't see my smile in the dark.
"Yes, you were. I saw you when I came into your room to see if you were still awake. “She insisted becoming a little impatient with me.
I didn’t know what to tell her; that I kinda sorta was really attracted to someone I met briefly and that someone was her idol or that a psycho tried to burn me because I didn’t like him.
"I'm waiting Ashlynn..." she waved her hand in my face regaining my attention.
"She is hiding something isn't she?" Tori came into my bedroom and sat on the side of my bed rubbing her left eye. Apparently Alyssa's little loud mouth awoke her.
"I'm not hiding anything now go to sleep, will you?"
"So what happened down at the restaurant today?" Tori yawned.
“I got fired and this really handsome guy turned out to be a complete psycho. That’s all, goodnight.” I fell back onto my pillow and closed my eyes.
"Wait, what you do to get fired?" Tori asked.
“No, the real question is what the hot guy’s name is?” Alyssa said enthusiastically just as we heard heels clicking down the hall and soon after the main entrance opened. Alyssa and Tori both scrammed for their rooms and pretended to sleep, I did the same.
"As much as you can pretend to be sleeping, I already now you’re awake." Lauren switched on the lights offending the tenderness of my eyes. She then sat on my bed. I prepared for a lecture.
"Why? Why would you want to get fired?"
"I didn't do it on purpose!" I sat up and looked at her. Her flawless face read disappointment and it killed me to see her that way.
"If you keep acting up we will leave this ship before the cruise is even over."
"I guess I will go ask for my job back..." I sighed. Though I had no intentions of doing that.
"Well also...you are not allowed to spend any money besides three meals a day, no shopping, and so forth and your curfew is now eight pm."
"My curfew was eight pmwhen I was ten Laurie! This is ridiculous!"
"You're grounded, so enough said." With that she got off my bed.
"Goodnight!" She smiled as if everything was perfect and walked out the door.
"Agghhhh!!!" I screamed into my pillow. I couldn't be grounded. Just no.
In an instant Tori, Aly, Paige and even Kassandra sat on my queen sized bed.
"So does that mean, we have a curfew too?" Kassandra sat worried rebraiding her hair. I rolled my eyes. “I was only wondering.” She added simply and left the room everyone else followed her out.
I lay back onto my pillow and stared at my blackberry. This wasn't like me. I will not stay up hoping he would text me tonight. Never had I experience this. My heart racing and my palms shaking. Never. Yes I had a few boyfriends but they all ended in disaster. So I gave up falling too fast, too hard. Maybe it was why i rejected Aaron so badly. It has worked having my walls up ever since well that is until i saw him.
I had too many thoughts in my mind. There was no way I would sleep. I set my phone down on the nightstand just as it light up and buzzed .One new message. My fingers were frozen and I couldn’t get them to tap the screen. I took a short breath and relaxed a little. It was from a number that I didn’t recognize.
Ashlynn,
Me, you, tomorrow night? Eight thirty-ish?" ;) –J
“Wouldn’t miss it.” I replied.
I kept it short; I didn’t want him to think that I was too eager, though I did feel a tad thrilled. My thoughts started fading and soon after, I drifted into sleep.
