"You have no luck at all, you do realise that?" Ashley said to me, with a dead-panned expression on her face.
"You think?" I muttered. Sarcasm was dripping from my voice. I folded my arms across my chest, and I couldn't help a little pout cover my lips. Okay, so I was acting a little childish.
"Wait," Ashley narrowed her eyes at me and moved a little further forward on the sofa. "You're not happy about this whole situation, are you?"
"You think?" I repeated. Sarcasm was strong and evident in my voice again and I even earned a chuckle from Michael.
"So, let me get this straight," Ashley mumbled as if she was trying to piece a puzzle together. "You wanted to kiss Hunter?"
I could feel my face flush red as I thought about answering Ashley's question. Although I did want to kiss Hunter, I didn't want to admit it aloud. Saying it would make this crush real and I still wasn't sure how to feel about it yet.
"So, I'll take your silence as a yes then..." Ashley deduced. "It's so cute! Don't worry; you will get your perfect kiss soon!"
I chuckled at her enthusiasm. I had no idea why she was so desperate for me to be in a relationship, she wanted me to be happy I suppose...
"We talked about our date." I smiled, knowing that it would send Ashley off another tangent, away from the habits of my lips. Michael seemed to notice what I was doing and sent me a cheeky wink, but he stayed silent.
My tactics worked because Ashley's eyes lit up, she grabbed my hands and began bouncing up and down on the sofa.
"Oh really?" She exclaimed. She then took a deep breath and I closed my eyes, bracing myself because I knew what was coming next. "Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!"
I laughed and fought my hand away from Ashley's grip so that I could use it to cover Ashley's hyperactive mouth.
"If you'd shut up for a minute," I said. "I will tell you."
And that's exactly what I did.
Needless to say, Ashley was more excited about my date than I was, which would be weird to an outsider. But it was completely normal behaviour for us. Hunter and I decided that we would meet up in a couple of days, which was perfect... According to Ashley. Because this meant that she could pamper me the whole of the next day in preparation for the date.
Ashley would have a field day.
We got to work straight away the next morning. God only knew why Ashley was so keen to get me ready. This meant that poor Michael got kicked out of the house (because Michael slept over again. I reiterate: why didn't he just move in?). He received a hug from me and a swift kiss from Ashley. He told us he would return tomorrow. Ashley advised him he should stop by after I had left because she went crazy when she got into makeover mode and all her attention would be on me rather than her boyfriend.
Someone remind me again why Ashley was my best friend?
As soon as Michael was out of the door, she grabbed my hand. She began ransacking my wardrobe once more, trying to find something suitable to wear. She would have to find something in one of our wardrobes because I refused point blank to go out and buy a new outfit. I knew how long we both took when we went shopping and it was not an experience I would like to relive so soon after the last time.
Eventually, Ashley had crawled to the back of my wardrobe and found a pair of denim, high-waisted shorts. The legs weren't too short, but it would leave quite a lot of my leg bare. Showing my legs didn't really bother me, though.
"Who knew you owned something stylish?" Ashley joked as she inspected the shorts. They were a little creased, but it wasn't anything that a good iron couldn't fix.
"I'm pretty sure you bought me those shorts." I joked in return, nudging Ashley in the arm. We both knew how hopeless I was when it came to fashion.
"Oh, yeah." Ashley mused, inspecting the piece of material in her hands. "Girl, I have good taste."
We both laughed as she folded the shorts and delicately placed them on my bed. Ashley claimed she had the perfect top to go with it. She went into her room and brought back a black crop-top, printed with small white flowers.
"See, I can still fit a bit of black into your outfit." Ashley winked, making a joke at my usually bland wardrobe.
She placed the crop top next to me and I glanced at it. I wasn't exactly against showing a bit of skin. Lord knew how revealing some of my costumes had been before. Only I didn't want to make it look like I was making a massive effort for Hunter. But because the shorts had a high waist, I didn't see it being too much of a problem.
Okay, so I needed to stop over-thinking these things.
Ashley went off on one again, picking the shoes and the accessories, and I let her do that by herself. I had seen enough fashion items to last a lifetime today. She instructed me to take a shower (I didn't know how to take that), so I did it without question because I knew how crazy she got around accessories... Shoes especially.
After my shower, I walked into my empty bedroom and got into my pyjamas. I did not know what time it was, but I wasn't going out anywhere. I walked into the living room with my damp hair hanging limply around my shoulders. Ashley sat on the sofa with the TV blasting a documentary. It seemed that Ashley wasn't paying too much attention because she had her phone in her dainty hands. She was texting away and there was no doubt in my mind that she was texting Michael. She only got that dreamy look when she was texting her boyfriend.
Her head briefly came up when she heard me walk into the living room. "Did you have a good shower?"
I nodded as I sat down on the sofa next to her. "Yep," I replied.
"What are you doing?" Ashley asked as soon as my bum touched the soft material of the sofa cushion.
"... Sitting down?" It came out like a question, because what she was going on about baffled me.
"You shouldn't be sitting down," Ashley told me. "You've got a big day tomorrow."
"What?"
Ashley rolled her eyes at me. "You've got a busy day tomorrow, so I suggest you hop off to bed and get some beauty sleep."
"Who are you? My mother?" I joked.
"I'm serious."
I groaned as I stood up. There was no point in arguing with Ashley. She was always going to win, and the sooner you learnt that, the better.
"You know, you weren't like this the night before my audition." I pointed out. She always acted like a mother around me, but sometimes she was incredibly motherly.
"You've been to so many auditions. You know how you're meant to act before one of them," Ashley told me as if it made all the sense in the world. "But dating is a brand-new thing for you. You could get overwhelmed and understandably so. So, go on. Off to bed!"
I blinked once before letting out a laugh. "You really are something, Ashley," I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. "Night Ashley," I said as I turned around. I started walking towards my bedroom, throwing a wave over my shoulder.
"Good night, lover girl!" I heard her call back to me.
I chuckled as I pushed the door open to reveal my bedroom. I took my outfit for tomorrow off my bed and placed it on my desk chair, making sure nothing creased. Ashley would go berserk if my outfit were less than perfect.
I peeled back the covers off my bed and slid in and it was only then that I realised how tired I was. Yesterday was certainly eventful, and a lot also happened today. But I had a feeling that the events would pale in comparison to what was happening tomorrow.
I closed my eyes, but sleep did not greet me as soon as I expected it to. I didn't know why. It could have been nerves about tomorrow. Though I had spent alone time with Hunter before, I knew this was different. We were choosing to spend time together and we could laugh and get to know each other on a personal level instead of just running through songs.
Despite the nervous energy, I knew one of the largest reasons that I couldn't sleep was that I was excited. The thought of spending some alone time with Hunter, with nothing hanging over our heads, excited me. And if something romantic was to happen... Well, I'd let it happen.
And with those thoughts swirling around my head, I fell into a deep sleep.
***
I woke up the next morning with an air of excitement and anticipation. Strangely, for the early hour of the morning, I was in a good mood. I slid out of my bed and completed my morning routine.
When I had finished, I walked back into my room and got dressed. I placed my hair in a high ponytail, with my wavy hair cascading down my neck. A few wisps of hair escaped from the clutch of the bobble, but they framed my face nicely, so I left them there.
I was about to make my way out of my room when I passed my dressing table with all my make-up in a bag in the centre of it. I stopped and turned back around and decided to colour my face with a little bit of make-up. It was a special occasion, after all.
When I was fairly pleased with how I looked, I exited my bedroom and went to fetch myself some breakfast. After all the food had disappeared, I sat down on the sofa and occupied myself by watching a bit of television.
I heard a yawn from behind me and I turned around to see Ashley stood there, with droopy eyelids. She had wrapped her body in her dressing robe and her hair looked bedraggled. It was strange for me to see Ashley looking like this and not... put together.
"You okay?" I asked her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't sleep that well, to be honest." Ashley yawned as she dragged herself over to the kitchen area and poured herself a warm cup of coffee. She cradled the mug in her hands and brought it up to her lips. She let her head roll back and a sigh of bliss escape her mouth when she tasted the caffeine.
"Why?" I inquired.
"I was worried about you all night." She replied. I gave her a confused look. "This is your first date... Like, ever. I want it to be good for you."
I smiled at how considerate my best friend was. It was times like this when I was so glad that I had met Ashley the first week of arriving at Mountview.
"You have nothing to worry about," I told her. "I can't control what happens. If it's amazing, well, that's great. If it's not, then I'll file it away under failed experiences and move on."
I didn't let Ashley know how desperate I was for this date to be great, though. I was keeping calm for both our sakes.
"Ugh. I admire your logical thinking." Ashley commented before joining me on the couch. The coffee mug was still secure in her hands. "I forgot to tell you, but you look fantastic. And as much as I want to be your personal stylist; your make-up is great."
"Thanks." I grinned.
"When's lover-boy coming for you then?" Ashley asked, seeming to have chirped up a bit. She must've finally realised what was happening today.
I rolled my eyes at her. "About noon."
Ashley nodded, thoughtful. It was around ten in the morning, which meant I had a good two hours to prepare myself mentally. I had to calm the hyped-up butterflies that were currently whizzing around my stomach.
Ashley and I had started to converse about something random when there was a knock on the door. The butterflies in my stomach returned, only ten times crazier. An excited glint had made its way into Ashley's eyes.
Ashley looked at the time on her phone. "A whole fifteen minutes early." She winked at me. "I like this boy."
I chuckled before getting up off the sofa, and I made my way over to the door. My legs were still in use and had not turned into a massive pile of jelly, knowing how nervous I was at that moment. How surprising.
I opened the door, and I saw Hunter standing there — looking as good as ever — with a sort of nervous expression on his face. It was good to see that I wasn't suffering through the nerves by myself. He had both of his hands behind his back.
"Hey." I grinned.
"Hey, yourself." Hunter winked, sending my heart beating ten to the dozen. He then bent forward so that he could get an unobstructed view of the living area. "Hey, Ashley."
"Hiya Hunter!" She said, not looking at him, only raising her hand from her mug to throw a brief wave at him.
Hunter looked a little confused, so I only rolled my eyes and patted him on the arm.
"She's not finished her morning cup of coffee yet," I explained, gesturing to my best friend. "She can't function without it."
"Ah." Hunter nodded and then he looked as if he'd only just remembered something. He brought his hands from around his back and he handed me a bunch of flowers. "For you." He simply told me as he placed them in my hands.
It stunned me. Hunter had brought me flowers. Like a proper gentleman. He kept on surprising me. I turned around and tried to find a suitable vase for them to stay in. Once they were secure in a vase, I turned back around and I saw Ashley looking at me with her jaw wide open.
What? I mouthed at her, shrugging. Now I felt a little embarrassed.
Flowers? She mouthed back. I nodded, not even trying to suppress the huge smile that spread across my face. Ashley winked at me. He's a keeper.
I chortled a laugh before returning to Hunter, not wanting to leave him at the doorstep on his own for too long.
"Sorry about that. Couldn't find a proper vase." I lied. Smooth. I then smiled up at him. "Thanks for the flowers, by the way. They're beautiful."
"No problem." He smiled. "Are you ready?"
I nodded before turning back to face Ashley. "See you later, Ashley! Don't have too much fun without me."
"Bye!" she replied, dead-panned. She then muttered, and it almost sounded sinister. "I will be anticipating your return."
Hunter and I both chuckled at her before I grabbed my bag and placed it over my shoulder. We both exited my apartment, and I shut the door behind me.
"Shall we?" Hunter asked once the door had closed. He winked as he held out the crook of his arm towards me.
I slid my arm through the gap and smiled — what I hoped was — flirtily up at him. I wouldn't know. This flirting lark was something I never excelled in.
"We shall." I grinned up at him.
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Hey guys!
Song of the chapter is Let It Go from Frozen because I just love it.
I hope you enjoy this chapter and keep your eyes peeled for the next one!
Until next time my lovlies!
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