TWENTY FIVE

“You know, it just occurred to me that I have never seen you drive,” Dave titled his head as though trying to detail her posture. “Now that I am seeing you behind the wheel, I think you look sexy.”

“Don’t flatter me if you don’t want me losing focus while driving.”

“So I make you lose focus uh?” Dave teased her further as he adjusted his slung arm to accommodate the seat belt.

Ashley shook her head at the fact that her cheeks were going warm so fast. They did not even have any chill. A simple remark and they were going red. “Just shut up and let me drive.”

“I am afraid I can’t do that.”

“Why?” She kicked the engine to life.

“The ride will be too boring for me. You heard what the doctor said, I need to engage in interesting activities pending the time my arm recovers.”

“I don’t think that involves disturbing me.” She briefly looked his way before accelerating the car to join the busy road ahead. “Besides, I thought no doctor had the right to tell you what to do concerning your health.”

“You just won’t accept the fact that I want to talk, right?” Ashley flashed a huge agreeing grin at the wind-screen , her shoulders doing a little shrug.

And he did not say anything anymore. At first Ashley was glad, but all it took was few minutes and she was craving to hear his sweet, rhythmic voice teasing her.
“So…” Her side eye managed to scope his unmoving figure as she continued to manouvre the vehicle.

“I thought you didn’t want to talk.”

She ignored his statement. “Did Emily come to see you?”
Ashley recalled her words during their last encounter.

“Yes, yesterday. That was the time you went to freshen up.”

“Oh,” her lips tucked in, Ashley wondered whether to tell him about Emily’s threat. On one end, it seemed silly that she would be reporting his friend to him because she said some words which could be empty.

But with her mind further searching, Ashley reasoned that she shouldn’t underestimate anyone as bitter as Emily. Maybe telling Dave would be a good idea. After all, Emily is his friend, he should know her to some extent to figure out whether her words are just words and nothing more.

“You know that I can tell that you want to say something serious, right?” Ashley gave a tiny smile as she swerved the car to the left. “What is bothering you? Do you need some *fixing*?”

Ashley gave a short hearty laugh as she made a joke within herself. “The way I am going, I think I will always need some good old fixing. But… no, I don’t need one right now.”

“Too bad, I was already working out how to put my good hand to use once I have had you park the car.”

“Oh please,” she rolled her eyes. “It’s just… the day you had the accident, Emily was around and I managed to have a talk with her.”

“Yeah?”

“You know that she likes you right?”

“Of course, she is my friend after all.” Ashley threw him a glare instantly. How was he so blind to Emily’s affection for him? As her eyes went back to the road, Dave immediately gave a sound of realization and said, “So, she likes me, but in a way…”

“She loves you, Dave. How can you not tell?”

“Uh... hello? I have better things to put my focus on.”

“Well, Dave, from my chat with Emily, she feels that you both will end up together and since I happen to be in the way, she threatened me.”

“Huh?”

“Emily told me that she is going to do all she can to get me out of the way so that the both of you can be together finally. I think you should talk to her to snap her out of the fool’s paradise she is living in before she hurts herself or even me.”

“I can’t believe Emily threatened you. And I can’t believe she thinks we would end up together.”

“Just have a good talk with her to set her straight before she causes a lot of damage.”

“I will. I am sorry you are getting caught up in all these.”

Ashley shrugged again. “I just don’t want to get hurt unnecessarily.”

“I promise that you won’t.” His promise was all that it took to push away the thoughts in her head that wondered if there was a chance that something was between Dave and Emily.

Ashley, realizing the journey was still long ahead, turned on the radio and they both went on to enjoy the ride with a talk here and there and some teasing in between like how old couples do.

~

“There is seriously nothing to eat in here?” Dave reached for the cabinet above him and ransacked through it.

“Well, you hardly keep foodstuff in this place.”

Dave faced her, his frustrated side coming out because of the hunger he suddenly began to complain of immediately they got back to his place. “You ate all of my chips I kept in my room!”

“Can you even call that foodstuff? Anyway, I have ordered for pizza, so stay put till it arrives. I will be back soon.” Ashley walked back into the living room.

“Where are you going?”

“To the supermarket. This place needs groceries.”

“Can you get some chocolates?”
Ashley turned to give him a questioning face. “I like them and it has been a while since I took them,” Dave shrugged as he replied.

Grabbing her purse, she said, “Okay. I will be back soon.”

“What? No kiss for the sick dude before you leave?”

“You can kiss your pillow if you badly need one. Bye.” Ashley chuckled to herself at the face of mock horror he made at her response. He was just so cute.

Thirty minutes later, Ashley was in the beverages section, dragging an almost filled cart behind her. As she debated whether to get a regular tea or pick the pack of green tea, Ashley made a brief contact with someone opposite her. At first, it didn’t occur to her that the hazel eyes she saw seemed familiar.

But then, few seconds later, her brain booted . And as Ashley made another eye contact, her heart began to pound so fast it felt like it would tear out of her chest.
“Mom…” she whispered into the intense air and the emotions that had been tucked away came rushing all at once.