The Right Girl

CHAPTER 5
ASHTON’S POV
I woke up the next morning, my head uncharacteristically not pounding. I grabbed it to make sure it was still intact, then saw my reflection in the mirror. I was wearing the same outfit from last night, and that’s when it hit me: John and I had had our first date yesterday. I smiled to myself, taking my hair and flipping it underneath as I placed it into a messy bun and picked up my cell phone absent-mindedly, flipping through the stupid drunken texts that so called friends had sent me last night, until I found one with actual substance.

Good morning, love. Brunch at Java’s at 10? Let me know. -John

I smiled to myself, loving how he paid attention to our conversation last night. I had informed him that our love of Java’s, a cute and local cafe in downtown Phoenix, was mutual, and that no matter how drunk or wrecked I got the night before, my internal alarm clock always woke me up by, at the latest, 9.

I typed back quickly, walking to the bathroom as I did so.

I’d love that. Pick me up at 10?

I slipped off my clothes from last night, turning on the hot water as I washed my face and got rid of all my make-up. I jumped into the shower, giving myself a quick wash-down, before getting out and blow-drying my hair. Only after my hair was completely dry did I like back at my phone to see John’s response.

Of course. See you then :)

My heart fluttered, and I blushed at my reflection in the mirror. I cracked my fingers anxiously and washed my face again with my morning wash, brushing my teeth and plucking a few stray eyebrow hairs. I walked back out into my room and chose a pair of ripped, dark wash denim shorts and a light-colored floral tank top. I braided back my front layers, pinning them back as I gathered up all my stuff and headed downstairs just as John called me to tell me he was here.

When I walked out, he was standing at the driver’s door. He greeted me with a polite kiss on the cheek and a tight hug, walking around the car with me so he could open the door for me like the gentleman he was. He circled back around the car and got into the driver’s seat just as my phone rang, signaling my mom was calling. I sighed and picked up the call, turning down John’s radio, which was blaring Death Cab for Cutie today, another one of our mutual favorites.

“Hello?” I asked impatiently, not wanting my mom to take away from my time with John.

“Hey, darling, how are you?” She asked with her heavy Northern drawl. My mom was from Massachusetts, and had met my dad at Harvard. Both of them were business geniuses, and that showed by the fact that they were always gone on one business trip or another. The only reason they were still married is because they interacted so little, they didn’t even have enough time to fight.

“I’m good, how’s...” I trailed off, not remembering where she was. Then it me. “How’s Seattle?”

“It’s going excellent, I just gained us a new major contact up here, but you’re not interested in that. Are your grades still exceptionally stellar?” She asked me. I looked over real quick and saw that John was watching me out of the corner of one of his eyes, his other eye watching the road fully.

“Yeah, Notre Dame shouldn’t be attracting their acceptance letter anytime soon,” I said, forcing a small chuckle out for her sake. My mom also laughed on the other end of the phone.

“Oh, you must remind me when I get home to set up a meeting with my friend Bill’s son, he’s a freshman at Notre Dame and you two used to play all the time when you were younger and...”

From there on out, I blocked her out, responding every so often with “mhmm”s. I had serious technique of pretending like I was listening when I wasn’t and getting away with the other person never knowing I had been ignoring every word they had said.

“Well, darling, I’ve got to go. Keep up the good work, I love you, and I’ll be home soon,” she said, the same ‘goodbye’ she always left me. I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, bye, Mom,” I said, hanging up the phone. I put my phone on my lap, and John still watched me out of the corner of his eye. I looked over at him and laughed, asking, “What?”

“Why didn’t you say you loved her back?” He asked, honestly curious. He knew that I wasn’t discomforted by anything anybody said for the most part. If he wanted to know, then kudos to him for being curious and actually wanting to get to know me. He deserved a reward for trying, and that reward was the answer.

I shrugged. “How can you love someone you don’t even know?”

“Oh, c’mon, she’s your Mom, you know her,” he argued, turning onto the street Java’s was on.

“She’s only my Mom because she gave birth to me, not because she ever acted as a Mom. My first word was Mommy- but it was directed towards my nanny. I was a mistake, unplanned, the one flaw in my parent’s plans. They had decided to never have kids, but they got careless one night, and that’s when I was created. Although they’re not rude to me, I don’t think they realize that I don’t feel the love through all the things they buy me,” I said to him.

“Well, I mean, that’s got to help, doesn’t it?” John asked. I shoved him, and he cracked a smile as I chuckled and shook my head. He parallel-parked, getting out and opening the door for me again, lacing his fingers through mine as he led me into Java’s.

“So, why do you seem to be in such a good mood today?” I asked him after we had sat down. The smile that he had placed on his face back in the car hadn’t fallen even a bit since.

“Well, besides the fact that last night, I had the best night of my life with the most beautiful girl in the world, and now I’m having brunch with that same girl,” he said as I involuntarily blushed, and he grinned at my new-found shyness, “I found out this morning that University of Arizona wants me as a new recruit for next year.”

“What!?” I cried, grabbing his hands across the table. “That’s great, John! I’m so happy for you!”

He shrugged. “They’re just one of the best baseball colleges in the nation...”

“Oh trust me, I know. I follow college sports, not major league. They’re paid to do what they supposedly love; college players are fighting to become one of those, sure, but it’s an interesting fight,” I said. John gawked at me, his hands reaching up to stroke my arms.

“I think I’m in love with you, seriously,” he said. I laughed, my heart racing as he grinned easily and our waitress came over to take our order. She looked at both of us, and I knew she was an underclassman at my school who obviously also knew who John was, and was surprised by the fact that we were here together. She quickly shuffled away after taking our orders, but I saw her slip her cell phone out of her pocket, probably to text her friends that she had seen John and I together. But unlike some guys I had been with,

I didn’t care who knew John and I were together.

Because I was damn proud that he. Was. Mine.