‘’I used to have tea like this all the time with Joshie,’’ Mrs. Larkspur held up the pot again.
There was his name again. She had apparently wanted a tea break from the sun.
I rubbed my neck and felt some of the hotness melt onto my fingers.
‘’He should be coming back any day now,’’ she clucked happily.
I awkwardly curled my fingers around the lime green cup.
Ash nudged me and I glared at him.
‘’Can you pass me those crackers?’’ he whispered pointing to something on the table.
‘’Are you stupid? Those are napkins,’’ I flatly said.
He squinted and rubbed his blue eyes, looking seriously confused.
‘’Sorry Lia. I mean Dahlia,’’ he stopped to grin.
I rolled my eyes at his wacky nicknames for everyone.
‘’I just thought I could call you that since your real name is super long? And I kinda forget things..so is Lia okay?’’ Ash looked excited.
I froze, sipping the tea and scalding my tongue. Tim used to call me that all the time.
And I loved when he did it.
‘’Hey Lia come on over here.’’
Or
‘’Hey Lia when’s dinner ready? I’m starvin marvin.’’
Mrs. Larkspur looked at both of us, her hair pulled back so tight, it looked painful.
‘’How’s your sister doing dear?’’ she clucked to Ash.
I pretended to take great intrest in my old sneakers that had stained coffee on them.
Wonder why.
Ash started blabbing on about something that I didn’t take notice or care in.
I did catch the word hospital.
‘’Who’s going in there?’’ I snapped back to reality.
‘’Nobody. Hey, it’s getting pretty hot out again, maybe we should just call it quits for the day,’’ Ash stood up.
Humph.
Whatever, it’s not like I really cared much.
His cup of tea shook back and forth and I held it still.
Mrs. Larkspur plopped her straw hat back on her head and smiled at the sky.
‘’You guys are dismissed. Thank you so much for the help dearies,’’ she kissed his cheek.
A huge pink lipstick stain was imprinted on Ash’s face.
‘’Uh..your welcome. I’ll get..I’ll get going now,’’ he hurried down the deck and off to his car.
I watched him grab the car door and yank.
‘’Wrong side!’’ I yelled through my cupped hands.
Ash stood there and then turned around, shielding his eyes from the sun.
He hadn’t heard me.
I rolled my eyes and ran over, yanking the other side open for him.
‘’Maybe I should just drive you home,’’ I started, feeling like my cheeks were on fire.
He got into the passengers seat and wiggled his eyebrows.
‘’Mush!’’
I hit the gas pedal and enjoyed watching him getting chucked back in his seat like a moron.
‘’Nice to feel this power again,’’ I cackled.
Ash wiped his face and seemed to be laughing along with me.
It was almost identical to Tim’s. Low, but high pitched and slightly gravelly.
Butterflies flew around in my stomach and I sat back in the seat, slowing down my speed.
No need for another person to know.
‘’Turn down this road,’’ Ash was curling his hands into small binoculars.
I clicked my blinker on and had the urge to pop on the radio.
But I guess he liked silence because he waved my hand away from the knobs.
‘’I’ve got an ear infection,’’ Ash tugged on it.
I don’t think that would make it any better.
‘’The Doctor said listening to loud music would danger my eardrums and might even rupture the cortex,’’ he made a face.
What even was a cortex?
‘’O-kay,’’ I hit the gas when he yelped out a ‘’here!’’
I observed his large house which was a small cream colored thing. The shutters were a weird purple.
A huge black dog was pacing up and down the crab grass filled yard.
‘’Thanks for the ride. I mean..thanks for crushing my glasses too,’’ he snickered.
I think Ash was too much of a goody two shoes for sarcasm.
He just needed to leave it to me.
‘’Um..yeah I guess I’ll go now,’’ Ash shut the car door and walked slowly up the path.
I pulled in and quickly ran out of there as fast as I could.
He sure was...interesting.
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