Lauren and Harry got to go inside because they were barely wet, but Anne-Marie made Ashton and I sit outside on the picnic table on the porch. She said it would only take her 10 minutes to make lunch, but it felt like 10 years.
"Hey," Ashton said, trying to make an effort to talk to me," that was fun."
"Oh...yeah. Lauren and Harry are so fun! You're lucky. My brother, also named Harry, never does anything with my family anymore. I'm sorry for getting your glasses wet."
"So 'kay. They didn't break."
"Good. Um, so... you seem like a really good brother. Harry and you are so alike."
He took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt,"Yeah. I'm kinda step in like a dad, since- uh, never mind. I don't know if Harry want me to tell you about him. Our dad."
That comment was incredibly awkward because Harry had already told me about his dad.
"Actually, Ashton, Harry already told me about your father. I'm sorry for bringing that up. I don't like talking about my a**hole of a father either. "
He looked stunned, from either learning that Harry had told be about their dad, or that my dad was unpresent at all times, too.
"I'm sorry-" "Abby," I finished for him,"it's Abby."
"Thanks. And if you don't know already, I'm Ashton. That was really stupid, because you already know my name, but, uh, nevermind. I'm such a dork."
"You are a dork, Ashton. A very cute dork. I like that," I said as I lightly touched his nose with the tip of my pointer finger. I smiled shyly, and waited for him to talk.
"Thank you," he said as he smiled and looked down at the ground,"Abby, I was wondering, if, um, this is so hard to say but: wilyagoutwithme?"
"I'm sorry Ashton I didn't hear you, can you say that again?"
He took a deep breath and prepared to speak again."Abby, so you want to go out on a... a date sometime? I mean, you don't have to say yes, you probably already have a boyfriend, you're so pretty-"
"Ashton," I said, trying to get him to stop rambling.
"Was that a yes," he asked,"or a maybe?"
"Ashton, it's a yes."
There was a loud crash of plates as Anne-Marie dropped our lunch on the porch. We knew she was eavesdropping, but she was trying to make it look like she hadn't been. I guess she was just so surprised that I had said yes to Ashton after pretty much just meeting.
"I'm sorry about your lunches. I tripped on the ledge form the kitchen," Ashton and I exch a smirk, because we knew there wasn't a ledge between the kitchen and the porch," I'll get you guys something from Nando's, but Lauren will come with me. Watch Harry please, you two, and I'm banning you from the sprinkler. We'll leave in 5 minutes, so Abby can go and get dressed in dry clothes. Ashton: get some different clothes on, too."
"Okay, Anne-Marie. I'll be right back."
When I left, I avoided Ashton's gaze, to make things seem more natural. I saw him enter the house, and I to my house to actually get dressed.