The Piano || 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬

|57|

At a loss of other conversation topics, they kept discussing the clip for a while. Ashley wouldn't admit it, but she loved the way Colby's gaze was definitely admiring at this point.

She was still holding her cup of coffee and went to put it away onto the coffee table when he made an especially broad gesture and accidentally knocked it out of her hand – pouring the entire contents over her pants.

Ashley cursed, jumping up. Colby paled and quickly rushed to the bathroom to get a towel while she was already back in her room, trying to get as much coffee as possible off the fabric. But it didn't help much, big stains were covering the blue fabric.

Feeling annoyance bubble up in her, she automatically dodged Colby's attempt to help, pushing him away slightly.

"Shit, I'm so sorry," he said, looking at the damage with a rueful expression.

"It's fine," Ashley said through her teeth because she knew that it was, and she shouldn't be angry. It was a mistake. But that didn't change that he'd ruined her pants. "It's fine, it's not like I only packed one other pair of shorts..."

"But that's good...?"

She shot him a glare. "They're white."

"Why's that a problem?" Colby asked, tilting his head. Ashley could already hear her annoyed tone before she spoke – that slow, overly patient voice she specifically used to get on others' nerves, even though she didn't want to.

"Colby. They're white."

"Yeah, how is that..." He looked up at her, frowning, until he saw her stern expression. "Oh."

"Yeah," she said curtly. "Now I don't have pants to wear."

Colby glanced over his shoulder at Sam, who was standing in Ashley's room, looking a bit clueless.

"Am I missing something?" he asked. "What's going on?"

"Then I guess we gotta get you new ones?" Colby said, ignoring his best friend.

"I'm not going to town anymore," Sam declared.

The brunet looked at Ashley. "You up for a quick trip?"

Well, she thought, it could be worse. "Sure. Not like we have any other choice, because I'm not going to walk around in coffee stained shorts."

Ashley kept her distance until they reached the car, and she could feel how cautious Colby was once he started driving. He repeatedly glanced over to her, sitting in the passenger seat. It was obvious that he didn't want to say anything wrong, especially since he'd started apologising profusely and she'd snarked at him to shut up.

"Sorry," she sighed after a while, running a hand over her face. "It's... yeah. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"Nah, you're good, it's no problem," he said, shooting her a quick smile. She reciprocated it weakly, not showing how flustered he made her. Everything about him.

"So, what are we looking for?" Colby asked when they left the car in a parking lot of the mall, slowly strolling through the building and looking around.

"Any clothing store," she replied, shrugging.

"You want to get some ice cream after?" he offered. Ashley couldn't help a smile.

"Sure."

Ashley kept her eyes on the store front to find something promising, when she saw a familiar face in one of the shop windows.

"Colby, look," she giggled, pointing at the Zumiez. The second he laid eyes on the poster a small chuckle escaped his lips.

"Oh my god," he laughed.

"Now we have to go there, c'mon," she said, pulling at his arm to force him over to the store. He seemed reluctant but followed her anyway.

She quickly found a fitting pair of simple, blue shorts, and proceeded to walk over to the racks with Sam and Colby's merch. Taking one of the shirts and holding it in front of her chest, she pretended to think.

"What do you mean, should I get it?" she asked, posing in front of the mirror. "Does it look good on me?"

Colby muttered something under his breath that she didn't catch, but he quickly cleared his throat and looked at her with a smirk on his face and his hands stuffed into his pockets. "Not bad," he chuckled, "but I can get you one for free anytime."

By now, at least a few people were staring at them, comparing Colby's face to the poster behind them to make sure they weren't mistaken. No one approached then, though, and Colby took the shirt and pants out of Ashley's hands and proceeded to bring them to the counter.

She already pulled out her card, but Colby shook his head. "Nope, I'm paying."

"No, you're not," she protested.

"I ruined your shorts, so I'm going to buy you new ones," he said, shrugging. "That's how it goes."

Ashley grumbled slightly but gave in, letting him pay for the stuff. Despite her attitude, she couldn't help but smile a bit, which he couldn't see since he was focused on paying.

It was past one o'clock already, so they decided to get something to eat before returning to the hotel. Ashley voted for burger and fries, so Colby went with it, and soon they sat in a stuffy McDonald's, sweating their asses off while eating lunch.

When she recalls the moment later, she doesn't even remember what they talked about; she just knows it was fun, really fun. Colby kept teasing her, but she enjoyed it a lot more than she thought in the morning. Maybe it was thanks to the fries, maybe thanks to the good company, but fact was, she felt really fucking good, considering she was still on her period.

"So, ice cream?" he asked after they left the McDonald's.

"I'm paying," Ashley declared, looking around for an ice cream bar or something similar. Colby scoffed but didn't get to protest before she spotted a place and rushed over. He was still carrying the bag, rolling his eyes jokingly at her eagerness.

"What are you getting?" he asked as they stepped to the queue.

"Chocolate, always," she chuckled.

He nodded. "Good choice, I'm going with vanilla though."

"Ew, boring," she said, nudging him teasingly. "Come on, vanilla? Of all tastes?"

"Come on, chocolate?" he mocked her. "Just as basic if you ask me."

She opened her mouth as if to disagree but had no arguments against it. "Okay," she said slowly, "fair point. But chocolate still tastes better."

They bought the ice cream, Ashley insisting on paying, and slowly trailed along the shops in the mall. None of them really felt the need to return to the hotel just yet – they'd been here for barely an hour, and even though the drive would take at least two more, there was no rush. Sam would be just fine without them.

But eventually, it was time to leave, so they would have enough time to prepare for the day's guests. Ashley was especially excited for today, she'd never filmed with the Sturniolo's – who she now supposed were today's guests – before, but she already knew them, so it'd at least be fun.

On the drive back, when Ashley was looking out of the window, watching the forest fly by, Colby suddenly reached over, taking her hand. He pressed his palm against hers, as if comparing them.

"Your hands are so small," he chuckled, glancing to his right to look at her. "How are your hands so small?"

"Eyes on the road, Brock," she scoffed. But she didn't let his hand go.