Can't Love Christmas

Eleven

Ash went to the bar on Friday evening to find Rowan. She had texted him earlier in the week to find out about his hand, but all he had said was that it was fine, so she dropped it.

She sat in the booth they had first talked in, and he found her there a few minutes later.

"Fancy seeing you here. I thought you were avoiding me."

"Why would I avoid you? I thought you were back to hating me."

He let out a deep sigh, and rubbed his forehead before he slumped onto the bench opposite her. "Okay, let's get something straight. Stop assuming I hate you. I don't. I never have. I probably won't, but if I do how about I just let you know."

Ash's ears felt warm. "Okay. Sorry. Your text just seemed dismissive."

"You asked how my hand was, and I answered. How was that dismissive?"

"You just said 'fine'!"

"How else should I have described it? It's not bad, it wasn't good. Should I have said 'about middling on the road to recovery, still hurts a bit but improving incrementally day by day'?"

She pouted at the tabletop. "Well now you just sound sarcastic."

"And a bit wordy for a text message don't you think?" His grin was victorious.

"Fair enough. Sorry."

"It's okay. Are you staying, or did you just come to see if I hate you again?"

"I was going to stay to eat actually. Is that alright?"

He raised his eyebrows at her break from routine. "Of course. What can I get you?"

She tapped her fingers on the edge of the table. "So, I've never actually seen a menu here before, but I really just want a burger and fries. Is that an option?"

"Of course it's an option. What do you want on the burger?"

"Cheese, ketchup, lettuce, pickles."

"Okay. It'll be out soon. And to drink?"

"Coke would be great."

He headed off without writing any of that down, but Ash wasn't worried. She pulled out her phone and scrolled through Instagram, glancing up to thank Mandy when she brought over her pop.

It was a little under twenty minutes before Rowan brought over her burger. "Did you want to be alone right now, or do you object to some company?"

"Depends on the company."

"Well, I was just going to have some dinner myself, and I could eat alone in my office, or I thought I could join you."

She smiled up at him, "I'd like it if you joined me."

"Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes," he gestured to her burger, "don't wait for me, dig in."

By the time he returned with his own meal, Ash's hands were full and she had ketchup in the corner of her mouth.

"This is really good. Thanks, Rowan."

"No problem. So what are we up to this weekend?"

"Well, are you free on Sunday morning/early afternoon? And is your hand healed enough?"

They both looked down at his wrist. His sleeves were rolled up exposing his muscular forearms and the angry looking skin on his hand and wrist.

"I mean, it still hurts, but now it's more like a bad sunburn. Well, a few days after when it's still noticeable, but you don't wince every time you move."