Wildflower | A. IRWIN

Part Four

     Ashton felt so much better when he woke up the following day. He was almost tempted not to get out of bed. It was warm, soft, and comfortable; he'd be crazy to get out. But the small heaven only seemed temporary when he was brought back to reality by his phone ringing.

He picked up and answered without reading the contact. "G'morning," he mumbled, sitting up in bed and stretching out his arms. He stopped mid stretch, eyes wide, "Iris! Hello, good morning!" Ashton stood up feeling awkward and not knowing what to say.

"Hey?" He heard her laugh on the other line. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything. You sound like you just woke up."

"No, I've been up for..." he looks back at the clock sitting on his bedside table displaying about a quarter after ten, "hours? Yeah hours."

"If you say so, Ashton. Now I don't know where a good restaurant is that is a reasonable distance between both of us. Do you mind choosing?" She asked hesitantly. Ashton was almost relieved to hear that. As weirdly excited and terrified he was to have dinner with this girl, he was worried that this could be some person's plan of trying to get him to a sketchy restaurant and abduct him. But if he chooses the restaurant, perhaps he can avoid an abduction. "Hello? Uh, did you hang up?" Iris's voice cut him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah uh, I can send you links to some so you can see if it's too far or not— or if it's not too much, I can pick you up if you'd like." Of course he mentally punched himself, thinking that he might get abducted in his own car. Has anyone told him stranger danger? No. Just a really pretty stranger who helps him and seems like the complete opposite of danger.

The line was quiet for a moment and to his relief she politely denied. "Sorry," she started off with, "but we just met and if this is a nice dinner, you'll ask me out and maybe you can pick me up other nights."

Ashtons brain shut off for a moment or two. "Is tonight a— are we going on a date?" Is that what she's hinting at? Why does this feel so complicated?

"Oh yeah, wait this is awkward," she paused, "you probably have a girlfriend and I sorta just asked you out."

"I don't have a girlfriend!" Ashton was quick to assure her. "I'm excited to see how tonight goes, whether it's a date or not, I'm excited."

"Alright, we'll see you tonight, Ashton."

"I look forward to it, Iris." He ended the call later and looked back over at his bed. As inviting as it looked to go back to sleep, he had a date to get ready for."