Diamond Pumps

12. Not so perfect

Misty was drying her hair with a towel when Ash left the bathroom, fully dressed. She watched him as he took out a suit jacket from the closet and put it on.

"Do you change clothes in the bathroom?" Misty chuckled.

"Why?" He turned around. "It's not your business."

Misty put her finger on her chin. "Are you self conscious about your body, for example?"

Ash rolled his eyes. He walked to his nightstand and sprayed himself with perfume.

"I mean, you sleep in the guestroom..." Misty nodded slowly. "Am I intimidating you?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty jealous of your boobs and hips." Ash mocked and picked up his phone and keys. "I wish I had them."

"Well, you shouldn't feel bad. You have a gorgeous tan, you're tall - you're quite good yourself."

"I was joking." Ash whispered.

Misty kept looking Ash up and down. "Is that why you don't want to share the bed with me? You're really that intimidated?"

"I don't need to share the bed with you!" Ash snapped. "I don't need to pretend to be dating you even in my sleep!"

"Your mom could get in and find us sleeping separated."

"A lot of couples don't sleep on the same bed."

"Ash, let me remind you that you were the one who came to me and begged me to do this." Misty put her hands on her hips.

"Why do you want to share the bed with me or even see me change clothes?" Ash chuckled. "You want to touch me? You want to have sex with me? Are you a pervert?"

"No." Misty shook her head quickly. "I just hate sleeping alone in the bed. I have a bad memory from it."

"Don't make this dramatic, okay? You brag all day long about being perfect and having the perfect life."

"You can make fun of me as much as you want." Misty grabbed the blow dryer and headed to the bathroom.

Ash was about to leave when she suddenly showed up at the door of the bathroom. "And for changing clothes - I just thought it was childish, you know?  We're two adults here, we know why we're here and we know our limits. Unless you were worried about losing control and cumming at my face, then keep changing in the bathroom like a fourteen years old boy who's embarrassed about his acne."

Ash narrowed his eyes. "Go dry your hair, Misty." he left the bedroom quickly.

"What?" Misty looked at Ash who was standing against the frame of his bedroom door. "Never seen me without makeup on? I even look prettier without it."

"I guess." She was sitting on the bed, had her pajama on. It was pretty late at night.

Ash walked toward the bed. He sat on the empty side of it.

"I'm not perfect." Misty brushed her long hair behind her ear. "Well, people also think models do drugs and sleep around - I don't do that either. So, I'm neither perfect nor a whore." She looked at him. "I'm just a regular model. Quite pretty than average, but I was just born like that."

"Yeah, you are."

"My mother put me to sleep this one night." Misty began. "I woke up the next morning and she wasn't there. Her things were gone too. She just fled, left a little girl behind. Just like that."

"Sorry about that..." Ash trailed off.

"I hate empty beds." Misty looked down at her hands. "That, and some others things too, like the smell of cheap shampoo and girls who pull their split ends instead of cutting them."

"And pizza." Ash smiled weakly.

"I don't like food in general. It betrays you." 

Ash looked blankly at the black screen of the TV hung facing his bed. "I never really knew the real reason behind you doing this."

"When you're at the top, people don't like you. You end up alone, with everything, but also with nothing." Misty smiled weakly. "Rudy was the only best friend I had, but he started liking me."

Ash looked at her. "Why don't you go for him?"

"I'm a dreamer." She let a chuckle. "I want to live a fairy tale, I want to be part of something exciting." She looked at Ash. "You popped out of nowhere, offered me excitement. I couldn't say no."

"And what's next?"

"If you get what you want, at least I'd have done something." Misty shrugged. "I would be in history - Misty Williams, Ash's ex - it's not bad."

"History..."

"Time is going fast and I need beauty sleep." Misty lay down. "Are you sleeping here? If you want to get up, you should before I close my eyes. It's now or never."

"The guestroom is cold." Ash lay down as well. "Do you snore?"

"No, do you?"

"How would I know?"

"Now you see how important it is to have a girlfriend. She can tell you about these things!" Misty nodded. "Like if your shirt is not tucked properly, or when you have food on your beard. It's very important."

"I use a mirror for that."

He chuckled as Misty slapped his arm. "Why don't you admit it? Women are always right! You can't survive without us!"

The two froze when they heard the doorbell ring.

"Are you expecting anyone?"

"No."

Misty put on a robe while Ash headed toward the door. He opened it, with the redhead slightly behind him.

"Hi..." Serena smiled broadly. "Am I interrupting?"

Ash opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Misty blinked.

"I was in the neighborhood." Serena brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I just wanted to say hi. I mean, I thought Ash was alone, so..."

"What?" Misty slammed the door open and stood an inch away from Serena. "What did you just say, you?"

"Okay, ladies, calm down." Ash panicked. "It's midnight and we all want to get to sleep."

"Ooh, miss Misty Williams doesn't want anyone to look at her guy." Serena threw the redhead a glare. "Am I standing too close to him?"

"Yes, you are." Misty hissed. "Back off."

Serena stepped to the back. "Alright, missus."

"Misty, Misty, come on." Ash shook her shoulder. "It's late." He flashed Serena a nervous smile. "Goodnight."

"Don't be nice to her! She came to sleep with you!" Misty complained as Ash pushed her inside the house.

"Sorry I made you do that."

It's really fine, Mrs. Ketchum.

"Thank you again."

Eleanor was watching Delia's face the whole time she was talking on the phone. "So?"

"She was with him." Delia licked her lips.

"Do you still think they're faking it?" Eleanor rolled her eyes. "I'm telling you! They're in love." She grabbed Delia's hand. "You're thinking too much about it - you even sent Serena this late to go spy on him! Delia..."

"It's not spying! I'm really worried about him. I'm worried she might be using him..."

"Just let him, okay?" Eleanor nodded. "Let him be with this woman. He's thirty. If she's bad news, he'll find out eventually."

"And if it's really fake and both are playing a game on us?"

"If it's fake, then it won't survive." Grandma explained. "It's going to die, sooner or later. Fake couples don't last. They die."

Delia sighed heavily.