Chapter 3 – Ash

“Ashlyn Frances, is that you? Don’t forget to take off your boots!” Mom barked from the kitchen. “And take your swim bag with you to your room—hang up your towel and suit too.”

What am I, like five? With an eye roll, I kicked off my shoes as instructed and trudged towards my room. Yes, I’d forgotten to remove them, but the formal speaking of my name wasn’t necessary. “Did you forget I didn’t have practice today? And call me Ash,” I said under my breath.

Mom poked her head around the corner and grabbed my arm, stopping me. I scowled while she put some of my stray hairs back into place behind my ear. “Your name is beautiful and you should be proud of it. It honors Grandpa, God rest his soul.”

My middle name was after my late Grandpa Frances, or Frank for short. I used to like it until Mom said it every chance she got. I quickly turned towards the stairs to escape, knowing a probing conversation brewed on the tip of her tongue.

“You’re home early. Is everything okay?” she asked behind me as I took the stairs by twos.

“Perfect,” I grunted.

“Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes—”

I closed my bedroom door so I couldn’t hear anything else and slumped down on my bed. Fin had flirted with me in the past, but that was—what was that? Was he about to kiss me and chickened out? Or did I read his signals wrong?

My cheeks burned remembering my willing response—hanging my lips out there, ready to be kissed. And just when I thought I had a grasp on the situation, he’d do something like this to my emotions. Hot or cold—never easy for me to read.

“Oooh,” I grunted, grabbing an innocent pillow and chucking it across the room.

I went to my window and looked toward their house. Trees blocked most of it from view, but his Jeep was visible enough. The sight of it rolled my stomach over. How one guy could be so adorable yet so frustrating irked me to no end.

If it weren’t for the fact that I’d lose my best friend, moving away seemed ideal.

Date: 2015-02-03; view: 813