Always a Friend

Chapter 59

I woke up the next morning, wishing it was still yesterday so I had an extra day to get mentally ready for the dance tonight. I felt like I should be ecstatic that I finally had a date for the dance, something I'd been working so hard on, or at least I thought that's what I was doing. Yet, here I was hours before the dance and didn't know whether I wanted to go. That would be rude and heartless to do to Ashton after he's paid for everything: dinner, flowers, and, I'm assuming, our tickets to get into the dance. So, it would be a bitch-move to tell him I've decided not to go to the dance. And it wasn't because of Claudia. I had decided to let it go and trust him. 

After I showered, I dried my hair straight so it would be easier for the beautician to put it up. I had a general idea of how I wanted my hair fixed, but nothing definite. Chloe, Sarah, and Ava were to meet me there later for their appointments. They all knew exactly how they wanted their hair and makeup to look. I was envious of them sometimes. I took one last look in my full-length mirror, shrugged, and headed downstairs to my empty kitchen. I knew I was the only one home because I heard the front door close as I walked out of the bathroom after my shower. She couldn't even tell me she was leaving. 

My foot hit the bottom step, and there was a knock on the door. I saw Ashton's dark blonde hair through the window next to the door. "Gemma!" He knocked again. 

"You've got to give me time to answer the door." I raised an eyebrow, smiling. 

"Sorry," he laughed. Are you ready to go get some coffee and maybe waffles?" He leaned forward and kissed me. 

"Yeah, let me go get my stuff." I motioned my thumb over my shoulder at the stairs. I closed the door behind Ashton, then turned and ran upstairs to slip on my sandals and grab my phone and purse. I stepped onto the top step and didn't see Ashton. "Ashton?" 

"Yeah? I'm in the living room." He walked out of the living room toward the stairs. 

"I thought you left without saying anything." I sighed. "Seems to be the theme of the day around here." His brows furrowed at my comment, but he didn't press the subject. I'm sure he had a pretty good idea of who I meant. "Coffee, here we come." I opened the front door and turned the lock upright so the door would lock behind us. I reached into my purse to make sure I had my keys before closing the door. I had locked myself out of the house a time or two and had to go over to Ashton's to wait until Mom came home to unlock the door. Sometimes, it wouldn't be until late because I couldn't reach her. I had to listen to Ashton tease me during that time, too, which made it go even slower. 

"Have you got your keys?" Ashton smirked, raising his eyebrows. 

I pressed my lips together and tilted my head. "I haven't done that in a long time. You ever going to let those times go?" 

"Hmm...Never." He laughed, clicking his key fob to unlock the car. "But I promise I won't bring it up as much." He peeked at me out of the corner of his eye as he started the engine. I knew exactly what he meant by his comment; he would still bring it up. I was never going to be able to live that down. 

We pulled into Sweet Escape about thirty minutes later, typical for Saturday morning traffic. We managed to get here between rushes because the parking lot had a few cars. Ashton opened my door for me, offering me his hand. He moved me out of the way and closed the door. He hit the lock button and then shoved his keys in his pocket. "Let me guess, your usual?" He opened the front door for me. 

"I don't know. I'll have to see." I walked up to the counter and studied the menu on the wall. "What sounds good?" 

"We have a new S'mores latte. It's so good." The barista behind the counter smiled, glancing at the menu behind her. "We have a  S'mores waffle, too. So good." She turned, moving her head so her dark ponytail would fall behind her shoulder. 

"Oh, the waffle sounds so good. I think I'll have that and an iced caramel mocha latte with oatmilk." I stepped to the side, letting Ashton order. He ordered the same thing. He pulled out his wallet and grabbed his debit card. I told him I would find a seat when I heard the famous ding of the door when it opened. I turned, looked around, and spotted a booth on the right wall. I slid into the booth as a group of girls walked up, glaring at me for taking their table. One with long red hair huffed and pressed her lips together, then motioned her friends to follow her. 

"What was that all about?" Ashton asked, sliding into the seat across from me. 

I glanced across the room, where they were sitting at a table. "I took their booth." I smiled. 

"Nice." He laughed, swiping his phone on. "I got us reservations at six tonight, so I'll be over to get you at five." 

"I'll be ready." I smiled, still wondering what I was doing. I had wanted a date for the dance, but deep down, I never thought my date would be Ashton. He was my neighbor and probably one of my closest friends. He knew things that Chloe, Sarah, and Ava didn't know. We had long talks on my front porch after his dates. Was I ready to jeopardize that for a relationship that may not work? I wanted a boyfriend, but I also wanted to keep my friend. 

"Here's your waffle and drinks. Enjoy," a girl with light brown hair said, setting the waffles down and then taking the drinks from a girl who was clearly staring at Ashton. She tucked a blonde strand behind her ear. The other barista shook her head, placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, and turned her around. The brown-haired girl glanced over her shoulder and mouthed sorry to me. I nodded and mouthed back, thank you. 

"You've got to try your waffle," Ashton said, taking another bite. 

"That good?" I laughed, picking up my fork and glancing down at the ooey, gooey marshmallows lying on top of melted chocolate drizzle. It looked so good. I took a bite and closed my eyes, enjoying the taste of rich chocolate and a hint of vanilla from the marshmallows or the waffle. I took another bite, wondering where this delicious waffle had been all my life. 

"Good, right?" Ashton laughed. 

"Oh, my god, yes. Wonder how long they're going to have this on the menu?" I turned and glanced around the edge of the booth, back at the menu on the wall. "I have a feeling it's just a seasonal thing." I sighed. "Which means we need to get another one next weekend." That's when it hit me. I didn't want to lose Ashton's friendship if we didn't work out as a couple. Not all couples can remain friends after a breakup, and I didn't want to be like one of those couples. I wanted to keep what we had and not ruin it because we tried to see if we could be more. Sometimes, you feel like you owe it to yourselves to see if you can be more, but in the end, you should've just stayed friends. 

"Everything okay?" Ashton asked, lowering his head. 

"Uh...Yeah..." I grabbed my cup, taking a sip of my latte. I had to make a decision soon. I knew either way, someone was going to get hurt. I glanced to the side, hoping he wouldn't notice the worry in my eyes. I peeked over and saw him glancing at his phone while eating his waffle. I returned to eating my waffle before he could ask me again if everything was all right.