The Right Girl

ASHTON’S POV
I got into the car with Cora, who was sitting in the driver’s seat. When she saw the laugh that had been on my face after I had seen John’s surprised expression when I had kissed him, she rose an eyebrow and asked me, “So what exactly happened back there?”

“He just apologized for being a jerk, and for just assuming that he was just another hook up. He told me that he actually had really strong feelings for me, and always had. And I told him we should just take it slow and when I left, I kissed him real quick without him expecting me to,” I said, shrugging. Cora looked surprised, her eyebrows lifted. “What? Should I have not kissed him?”

She leant over and threw her arms around me. “No, no, it’s not that! I’m just so proud of you because you told him you should take it slow, and... I don’t know. You usually go into things really fast without really thinking about them in their entirety.”

I bit my lip. “Yeah, well, maybe it’s because I want this to work out. I mean, it’s not like I didn’t want other relationships to work out before... but I just want this one to work out even more than the others. Cora, I really think he’s different, and I might be stupid in saying that this early on when I hardly even know the kid, but he makes me feel different, a feeling I’ve never felt before.”

Cora smiled, pulling out of the parking lot and coming to a stop sign at an intersection as she looked over at me. She rose an eyebrow teasingly and said, “Maybe Ashton the Wild Girl is finally settling down.”

I shrugged, grinning as I looked out the window at the city of Tempe passing by me.

“Weirder things have happened.”

--

The next night, I was preparing myself for my very first date with John. He told me it was a surprise as to where we were going, but I should dress comfortably but formally. I wore a black dress with flowers all of it, a sleeveless dress that made my freckled shoulders and pinned back hair look more beautiful than it usually did. Cora came over as usual and helped me get ready so that I looked beautiful when John picked me up at seven o’ clock that night.

His jaw might’ve as well hit the floor.

“You look absolutely stunning,” he said, honesty flooding his voice as he took my hand and led me out of my house and to his car. I covered my mouth, grinning widely as I looked at his black Mustang, then him. He grinned and asked, “Like my car?”

“Like it? Love it!” I said, putting my hand on it. “I have a ’68 metallic blue Mustang, but the engine is getting fixed right now. It’s always been a little bit temperamental ever since I inherited it.”

“Oh please don’t tell me that you know cars,” John moaned. I looked over at him, tipping my head as he pushed me up against the car, his hands sliding around my waist. He leant down and kissed my neck as my head fell back, and I tried to control my feelings. This wasn’t ‘going slow’... but at the same time, I totally didn’t mind. John murmured against my neck, “There’s nothing hotter than a girl who knows cars. I don’t think I’ll be able to keep myself ‘going slow’ if you’re going to talk like that around me.”

I laughed, putting my hands on his chest as he looked up and met my eyes with his confident smile and beautiful blue eyes. “I think you’re just going to find any excuse to make out with me. At least try and keep it in your pants, O’Callaghan. No girl likes a desperate guy.”

“You make it much too hard,” he insisted, kissing my on the jawline this time. I gripped his shirt, and I felt is lips spread to a smile against my skin. He asked me, “You like that?” before he placed another kiss on my jawline, going back down to my neck.

“Oh, and you’re mad at me because I’m making it hard for you to go slow,” I said, my voice thick. John chuckled, kissing my neck again.

“Then maybe we shouldn’t go slow,” he suggested. I shook my head.

“I’ve got to be strong, and you should respect that. I’ll go at a regular speed if you tell me what we’re doing tonight,” I said to him, looking at him with a lifted eyebrow. He looked a bit surprised, and then he looked jokingly frustrated.

“Dammit, you know how to barter. Well, Ms. Roberts, I’m not telling you what we’re doing tonight, so I guess we’ll still have to go slow,” he said, pulling away from me as disappointment filled my being. I put a smile on anyway as he opened my door for me, closing it behind me as I sat down and put my seatbelt on. He did the same, pulling away from the curb and beginning to drive as Ivory blasted.

“You can change the CD if you want, play any music you want,” he said. I shook my head quickly.

“No, no, I love Ivory! Especially this song,” I assured him. He looked over at me, swerving his car a bit. He looked surprised again.

“You like Ivory?!” He asked, sounding excited. I laughed and nodded.

“I’m just full of surprises, aren’t I?”

“Well, I mean... Ivory is who my band is named after- the Maine, as in the Coast of Maine. We are all in love with that song, and so we decided to name our band after it,” John said as he took a sharp turn to the left, causing me to accidentally hit his arm. “Sorry.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” I said as I leant over and turned up the music, singing along with the music as the songs came over the radio. Finally, John turned into a grassy area, turning off his headlights.

“We’re here,” he said. I looked out the window, and saw tiny lights off in the distance.

“That was a quick drive,” I commented as I got out of the car. I looked around for John, and saw him walking towards me with a blanket. He took my hand in his free one, and we walked together towards the lights. I squinted my eyes and could make out buildings- the skyscrapers in downtown Phoenix.

John sat us at the edge of the cliff, lying down the blanket and bringing me down with him. We sat on the blanket and just talked as he brought out food from a basket I hadn’t even seen before- a nighttime picnic, if you will. He then brought out his guitar, playing mindlessly as we just talked some more, before I laid down, staring at the stars as he stared at me.

He laid down with me, putting his arm behind me as I rolled over and looked into his eyes, my own drooping. He smiled at me softly, pulling his fingers through my hair as he whispered, “Go to sleep, love.”

He pulled me into him, wrapping a blanket around the both of us as he began singing my favorite Ivory song, ‘A Song to Sing.’ He sang the whole song as I slowly drifted asleep, and he began to sing it again, finishing up with the second verse, obviously trying to tell me something.

“Swing, swing me around these weathered trees. Paint, paint me a love that we both need. Give me a chance before you leave for something lovingly, and stay with me,” he sang. He leant over and kissed my forehead, his breathing even as he leant down and picked me up. I was mostly asleep, but still partially awake to know what he was doing to me. I put my arms around his neck and cuddled up to his chest as he placed me in his car, driving me home.

He carried me in my house, somehow managing to unlock the door with the key that had been on top of the door frame. I must’ve told him in my confused lethargy where it was; he brought me upstairs, not worrying about my parents considering they were at some party all this weekend in the Hamptons. He pushed my hair out of my face, kissing me on the forehead and tucking me in as he left the room, shutting off the lights and leaving me with my thoughts.

The thoughts of only him.