There's Something About You (Ashley Purdy)

Chapter 5

I drive into Ashley's driveway three minutes after 9. Or I should say halfway down the street to his house. There are tons of people here. I walk up the porch steps and walk in through the already open door. I see people dancing in the deep purple lights, some people standing off to the side, drinking, and others just standing around talking. I walk in closer to see most of the people dancing are grinding on each other. I see Ashley come over to me.

"Glad you could make it. You look beautiful, Alex," Ashley smiles.

"Thank you. I'm glad I could come," I smile back. 

"You wanna drink or just stay sober this time?" he asks, pointing to the drinks.

"Go big or go home," I shrug, walking over to the table with Ashley. He grabs a bottle of beer and I grab a bottle of vodka and fill a wine glass. 

"Careful there," Ashley warns. "Have you ever gotten drunk before?"

"Nope."

"That stuff is strong."

"I know."

"Andy isn't gonna be happy you're doing this."

I stop pouring and look him in the eye. "Then he won't know."

"You can stay the night here tonight."

"Thanks." I continue to pour the vodka. I have an almost-full glass in my hands, now. I sip a little and Ashley is right, it's strong. I look at the bottle. This shit has 99% alcohol in it. It burns going down my throat. I really have never done this before. 

"You okay?" Ashley asks as I cringe at the burning in my throat.

"Fine," I mutter. 

"You know, this isn't how you should deal with a broken heart," he says.

"So you mean I'm not supposed to stay in my room for three days then go to a party and get drunk? Who knew," I say sarcastically. 

"Hey, it's not funny. You could get sick," he says.

"I imagine that happens a lot here," I say.

"Let's just say I have a bunch of paper bags for a reason," he laughs.

I take a bigger sip of the vodka. It burns a little more going down, but not unbearable. I look around the room and see Ashley hitting on some blonde chick. She's obviously had too much to drink and won't remember anything from this party unless she ends up pregnant. She stumbles over her own feet in some high heels and falls right into Ashley's arms. How coincidental for her. 

Ashley suddenly realizes this girl isn't as attractive as he thought, so he comes back over by me. I look at my drink and realize that most of the wine glass is empty. I finish it off and refill it with the same stuff I had before. 99 proof. 

"You're drinking vodka out of a wine glass," Ashley points out. 

"I'm aware. You don't have anything else, smart one."

Ashley puts his arm around me. "I'm just messing with you."

For whatever reason, when his arm is suddenly around me, my stomach gets butterflies. I don't know if it's my emotions or the alcohol. 

"You're gonna get that dress full of vomit. Everyone's getting out of hand. Why don't we go outside and get some fresh air. Talk," Ashley suggests. 

I follow him through the crowd of people. I sit with him on one of the porch steps.

"Are you excited to go on tour?" he asks.

"Yea, it'll be fun. Just kinda nervous about being away from home for so long," I admit.

"Our home travels with us. You'll learn real quick to love the bus," he assures me. 

"Are you sure?" I ask worriedly.

"Absolutely," he smiles. 

"Will the fans like me? I mean, I'm living with what many of those girls wish was their husband..."

"You're beautiful. They'll love you," he says with a wink. 

"Thank you," I say, catching myself blushing. 

"I see you blushing behind your hair," he jokes.

"Yea," I say quietly.

A few slow songs have played inside by now, and another follows. 

"Hey, Alex. Will you dance with me?" 

I nod. "Sure."

He takes my hand and we go inside. I put a hand on his shoulders and he puts a hand on my waist. I take his other hand in mine. We step together, almost in perfect harmony. Other people stare at us, drunk and confused as to why the host of the party is dancing with some newbie. I choose to ignore them and continue dancing with Ashley. Do I like him? What would Andy say? What would the fans think? I don't care. All I care about is this moment. 

"How would you like to go out with me sometime?" Ashley asks.

"I'd love to," I smile.