Autumn Romance

The kitchen affair

I was set upon the kitchen counter and then he instantly started telling me what had happened and by the end of it all I was well and truly gob smacked. As I jumped off the counter (elegantly - I must say), I landed right in between his arms. His arms wrapped tightly around me and his breath lingered on my neck, he began planting kisses from my ear down to the bottom of my neck all well and truly leaving me frozen.

What just happened? I've practically been in this household for 2 hours and already we had some kind of thing going on? I had to push him away but my body craved him, my legs grew weak, my eyes were fixed on him as he brushed his hair back and began washing up the remainder of the dishes from throughout the day I'm guessing. I saw him handle each mosaic plate with care and not at all wanting to break the dish when his father came bursting in:

"Hi Ashlyn, sorry I couldn't say hello before, I was busy gardening, those rose bushes don't do themselves you know!" Said Mr Parker gleaming.

"It's fine Mr Parker, honestly" I said gleaming back although I had secretly hated every minute I had spent here so far. Well, in all honestly, I couldn't totally say that seen as Max was standing across from me looking as sexy as anything while washing those dishes.

I turned to look at him, the plate shattered on the floor and his head in his hands.

"I'm so sorry father, I know it was your favourite plate but I'm ... I don't know what happened. You shocked me coming in the door like that..." That's it, blame it on your father I thought. At least you have a father that can be here for you right now. My thoughts flashed back to seeing Addy and father stood at the door waving, what appears to be, their final goodbyes. If only mum had told me what had happened to cause us to move. She said it was for a new job, but in all honestly, I reckon there's something fishy going on.

"Max son, it's fine, just pick it up and I'll see what I can do."

Max's father was some sort of fixer-upper and he always liked to make things better. He was the heart and soul to the Parker family and he was always there when anyone was in need, but right now I needed to help Max sort this plate and I needed to go get some medicine for my headache and go to sleep.

Mr Parker waltzed out of the room humming to himself and grabbing something from the side of the door, he threw it to Max who had already started clearing up the shattered mess on the floor. I bent down on two knees and began to help him pick up the pieces but what I didn't expect was for him to take both my hands in his and demand me to go wait in the bedroom. At least now I could get my headache tablets and go and rest for a bit, but I couldn't help feeling a bit mean for allowing him to pick up the pieces himself. Anyway, I walked out of the door and stood there debating for a few seconds; attempt to find his bedroom in this ginormous mansion or go back and beg him, saying how I demand to help him. I stood there thinking and then Kayla showed up, slamming the door as always, dragging me back into the kitchen and setting me on a stool by the counter.

"So Max, anything you want to tell me?" Started Kayla while getting some milk out of the cupboard and pouring it into a glass. "Ash, do you want some?"

"Yeah sure..." I said.

Kayla handed me the glass of milk and sat down next to me, her glass of milk set on the counter and her legs folded over one another. She was analysing Max, I knew that look all too well and then she began again...

"Maxwell Parker," She said in a demanding tone.

"Shut up Kayla, I heard you the first time!" He shouted back picking up the remaining pieces of mosaic plate and throwing it in the bin. His hands began to bleed and he instantly turned on the tap, drowning out Kayla's voice and washed the blood off his hands.

"Max, I just want to know what's wrong with my brother," She said getting up and walking over to where Max was. She put her arm around her brother and pulled him back to the counter and told him to sit there and stay. God she was demanding at times, but I guess that's what you'd expect from here when she had two brothers, one of which was a huge jerk. Kayla began rummaging in the cupboard above her head for a box of biscuits and she handed us both one, me and Max and then she poured another glass of milk and slid it across to where Max was sitting. I gather that she has a thing with milk; I'll ask her tomorrow though.

"You're not the same Max as before, I think you know what I mean by now. All I want to know is... Has my brother's heart been stolen?"

I think we both had the same instant reaction. We both spat out the milk, laughed, fidgeted and then laughed some more. 

"What the heck Kayla!?" Laughed Max. "Do you not get anything? We're friends. Friends." At that point my mind had been broken into a billion pieces, never mind my heart or whatever felt for him. I don't know what felt for him at this point. It was clear that he wanted to be friends and nothing more. Well it also appears that he was laughing out of embarrassment, the kind: "are you insane, why would I like this girl?" Whereas I on the other hand was there thinking: "what! How would you guess that in the space of a few hours?" Awkward.

Kayla eyed us both and then walked out of the room smiling to herself. We were left to sit there in awkward silence, but then he spoke up... "Don't you... don't you... Ashlyn. Sorry."

He got up, kissed my cheek and left me to sit in silence, or what I thought was deadly silence and then there appear Dylan Parker.

"Ashlyn, do you want me to show you to your room for tonight? I'm guessing you don't know where it is?" I wanted to slap him. How could he pity me when before he had left a mark on my new jeans! But after much ado, I followed him out of the kitchen after rinsing my glass and leaving it to drain. We started walking up the stairs, Dylan behind me carrying my suitcase and me storming on ahead wanting to get away from this monster and that was when Max appeared at the top of the stairs with concern showing on his face.

"I was just coming to get you, I'm sorry I left you in the kitchen and didn't show you to your room Ashy." Why did he call me Ashy? Why was some form of concern plastered on his face and why was he glaring at his brother?

"Well you'll find bro, Ashlyn is pretty safe with me! I was the one who picked her up from the kitchen, something you simply couldn't be arsed to do!"

My headache had started to get progressively worse. I couldn't cope with all this shouting around me and I desperately wanted to get to bed and take some headache tablets, after all, it was 10 O'clock.

"Ashlyn, this is your room." I heard Dylan say at last. He carefully laid down my suitcase on the floor and I went inside. I was in awe, it was the most beautiful bedroom I had ever seen in my life!

"You can go now." Said Max angrily to Dylan and with that, Dylan was off down the stairs grinning like a fool.

Max led me inside, his hand on my lower back and once safely inside his hands were resting on either side of my hips. He showed me to the balcony and then he left me to observe the spectacular view.

"Goodnight Ashlyn, I'll see you tomorrow." And with that he was gone, leaving me on the balcony, the breeze surrounding me and the sound of birds whistling in the wind.