Nothing To Prove

9 He Ran Out of Salami

Samantha

"Okay, close your eyes," I smiled.

Ashton sat on my cinnamon bedsheets, his dark brows scrunched together. It was hard to contain my amusement at how out of place he looked. With his all-black outfit, terrifying Adam's apple, and facial hair, he looked stuck in a land of fairy lights and stuffed animals.

Butterflies hung from the ceiling, glowing purple. Strip lights lined the walls. Gold candle holders flickered on the carpet. Their warmth reflected on my sun shaped headboard, below a shelf with my favorite books and baby plants.

My safe haven.

"Open your eyes." 

"Jesus..." His angular face slowly stretched into a smile as he took in everything. "This is how you sleep?"

"Not always! I usually just leave one of my nightlights on. Stacy didn't like candles or string lights, but I love them. They remind me of stargazing, and I've always wanted to go. But you know, you need to be in the pitch-dark, so...this is my solution."

"I'll take you to stargazing," he said. His tone was so casual, I was stunned silent.

He's joking, of course.

"Oh." I laughed, sitting beside him on the bed. "Right, maybe we can do it for a photoshoot or something."

"And FYI, Stacy has no taste." He scowled. "What kind of a person doesn't like candles?"

"I didn't think you'd be the type." I bit back my smile at how he was staring at them.

"Why? What type of a person do I seem like to you?"

"A caveman."

He snorted, indenting his hollow cheeks with dimples. Gosh. My organs squeezed from the cuteness overload. Cutest caveman, I'm telling you.

"You haven't seen the best part yet, lie down," I said, flopping on my back.

"Oh-kay..." He lied back and put the salami plate on his chest, shoving a piece in his mouth.

"Jesus..." I chuckled. The smell of grease wrinkled my nose, but I guess he had the munchies. Besides, it distracted me from his spicy cologne and whatever that natural scent of his was. 

I turned on the projector and an anime show flashed on the ceiling.

"Whoa! Hey, that's pretty cool." Ashton lit up like a child, and I melted.

"Right?! It's the broke person's alternative for TV." I giggled. "Well, also the lazy person's. The only problem is if you're trying to eat while lying down, but you know, no pain no gain. A little bit of choking never hurt nobody."

He slowly turned with a devilish look, and I burst out laughing at the innuendo.

"I said what I said."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Stop." I tried to stop smiling so much. "Cara and I make dirty jokes all the time, you'll have to get used to it."

Because that's what this was. A casual, platonic friendship. Sure, maybe I had a little bit of a crush, but who could blame me? Ashton was amazing. But was it worth to ruin our friendship? Absolutely not!

People like him, who made me laugh so much, who made it safe to put my guard down, they were hard to find. At least for me.

"So do you watch porn on this?" he asked, ripping a salami slice with his teeth.

"Of course!" I joked, getting off the bed. Ashton chuckled behind me as I approached my media strategy (murder conspiracy) wall.

There were so many more pictures we had to replicate. We still had such a long way to go.