Prelude to kisses

Chapter 9

Ashton chose a small diner on the outskirts of town. Angie had advised her to arrive a few minutes late to make a stunning entrance and that's exactly what she had done. When he saw her walk in, she could see the bob as he swallowed hard. It was a chilly night, and she had worn a little red dress and forgot to take a coat with her. He had seen her rub her arms up and down and stood up to drape his coat over her shoulders before taking his seat across her. He had a wooden scent that clung to his jacket. She felt embraced by him. He looked marvelous in this light. He was dressed casually but very neat, keeping everything neutral. She loved the scenery here; foul plants and flowers donned the place and there was soft chatter around her that brought her a sense of peace and tranquility.

"My brother said he saw you at a printing shop today, do you work there as well?"

"Yeah, sometimes. My mom was really interested in opening a small business here and printing felt about right. I relieve Linda when I can". She didn't know why she had lied but he seemed to believe her as he moved the cutlery so the waiter could place their plates on the table.

He raised his glass for a toast, and she giggled at how cheesy he was as she raised her own glass.

"So, why architecture?" she asked, putting her glass back on the table. 

"When I was younger, I found a few of my granddad's drawings. I don't know what it was about them, but I fell in love. I don't know when exactly but at some point, I realized that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my life".

"That's impressive, as someone who didn't grew up around people in non-traditional jobs I can't really relate. I think that's a big reason I had no idea what I wanted to do after Metric. Now I'm glad I moved back home; I don't trust myself enough to say I would have gone to study something I loved if I had".

"You went to school in South Africa?"

"Yes, hmm this pasta is so good".

He laughed," You eat really well", his eyes were smiling rather fondly she didn't feel the need to think about what he could be implying.

"I have a good relationship with food".

"I see that. What do your parents do for a living?"

She finished chewing and took a sip of her water before answering, "My mom was a street vendor for a long time until she opened a cafe a year back. And my dad, well he is a mechanic. I don't know much about him apart from his job."

"Are your parents divorced?"

"Yeah, a long time ago. So, what's next after graduation?" She asked him.

"Well get a job for starters and settle into that. I don't really want to rush it you know. I feel like that's what I've done for a big part of my teenage years. Rush to finish high school, rush to get into university and now I'm just too drained to rush into other stuff".

"I get that, I think I'm still in that phase and I don't quite know how to get out of it. I don't even know if I want to get out of it."

"It motivates you. That's probably why you're holding on to it." She couldn't have said it any better and found herself genuinely smiling now.

"That sounds about right".

He looked at her sternly now as he said, "It also means you're not happy with where you are." He said in a matter of fact.

"I guess not".

The rest of the conversations where funny and less tense, Jackie felt herself easing into her seat as she listened and added her input. When they walked out of the restaurant he stood there just gazing up at the sky. "I'm fascinated by stars; I sometimes wonder of my mom is up there".

The night was dark, black with no moon in sight, only starts shone bright which was rare with all the city lights. When she looked up where he was looking, she saw he was staring at a group of stars gathered there, shaped like a heart. Her heart clenched and she reached out to hold his hand. Her granny was probably up there too. Smiling in that way only she could, shining down on them the same way she had shone on earth.

For a while they stayed there, just gazing up at the sky until he took her hand and led her to the car. 

"Come on, I will take you home".

The drive back home was silent, she appreciated that, it gave her a moment to really think about tonight and whether or not she had made a good decision by agreeing on today's date before Angie bombarded her with questions. He parked the car in her driveway and turned to look at her, "It's my mom's birthday today", He confessed.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I had no idea".

"It's okay". He said with a slight upturn of his lip.

"No, it's not, you should be with your family and..."

She didn't get to finish when he said, "It's been four years since she's been gone. We all kind of got used to it. My dad usually puts photos and videos of her for the family to watch but today I didn't trust myself not to break down. I saw you at the bus stop, you looked how I felt and suddenly I felt like you were the right person to spent today with".

"I understand. Are you okay, is there something I can do for you right now?"

He shook his head no, "You already have. I got through it because you were here. And I'm sorry that I wasn't honest from the beginning, you deserved to know".

"It's okay", she took his hand in hers again and squeezed. The front door opened, and Angie stood on the doorframe with her hands crossed over her chest. Jackie looked at the time, it was way past nine. They had a rule, that everyone was to be home by eight or call to say they were going to be late.

"I totally forgot, its late. I need to head inside", She told him.

"Thank you for tonight", he said before opening the door for her. She gave him a hug, returning the coat back to him before walking into the house.

Ashton remained in the driveway until she was safely inside, closing the door behind her. As he drove back home, he didn't know what was worse, going home to an empty bed and home filled with pictures of their mom hanged on the walls, lonely and untouched or leaving her behind and taking home her blueberry and vanilla scent in his brother's car...