The Ship in Friendship

4. Sauce on their faces

"Angie's been popping in front of my face the whole morning. It's making me uncomfortable."

As much as Gary liked to see romance happen, he couldn't agree more on the fact that being face to face with a girl who stopped wearing bras at the age of eighteen was not totally comfortable. But he wasn't sure if Ash was uncomfortable for the same reason. Maybe it was just Gary?

"Why are you uncomfortable?"

"She goes around braless, Oak." Ash spoke in a low voice. "You can, like, see everything under her shirts..."

Yeeeh, same issue. "Well, she has the right to, you know. You know how Angie is like." She had a whole leg tattooed for God's sake.

"I understand. It's her body and she can do whatever she wants with it, but... she was standing way too close to me!" Ash complained. "She keeps standing way too close!"

"Yeah." Gary couldn't believe Angie was already making her move. How fast. Not even he was that fast with making moves and his friends called him the King of Romance. "Just... don't go around her?"

"I'm having lunch with her today."

Gary's eyes snapped wide open. He turned to his left, where Ash was seated, typing on his keyboard. "What?"

"She asked me."

"Okaay..." Wow, that was fast. Very fast.

"I couldn't say no." Ash tilted his head. "I wasn't going out for lunch today but she asked me and there isn't a lot of work pending, so..."

"It wouldn't hurt." Gary wasn't sure why he was still feeling bad about this. Angie was totally not his type but he had nothing against her, and Ash was his childhood friend. Why wasn't this making him happy for his friend? He wasn't- "Hey, what about Misty?"

Ash took a moment before saying, "What about Misty?"

"I..." Gary cleared his throat. "I was wondering..."

Ash kept staring at him.

"Uh, never mind. Just enjoy your time with Angie. She's cool."

"What do you feel like?" Angie was standing beside Ash as they waited for their turn in a small but popular restaurant near the building they worked at.

Ash looked up from his phone. "I'm taking a salad."

"That's it?"

"I was eating all morning."

"But that's so boring, dude." Angie put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. "Get something satisfying! Food is awesome." She turned to look at him. "I'm buying you a big taco with everything in it! You only live once, Ash."

"Oh no, don't!" He chuckled. "Come on! I really ate all morning!"

"Just watch me!"

When was the last time he's done this?

"See? It's awesome!" Angie got for herself a big sandwich too. In all honesty, Ash has never seen a woman eat like her before, just biting into the thing, sauce on her face.  Well, not that he was all the time surrounded by women eating food, but, uhm, Misty didn't eat like this and he didn't know a woman who ate like this.

She wiped the sauce with her fingers. "How's yours?"

"Totally worth it." Ash wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Nothing to lose anymore.

"I don't understand why people hate on food." Angie leaned forward, her sandwich in her hands. "I love food."

"Me too."

"Yeah, I know." She laughed. "It's just you and me eating those free donuts back at office!"

"I can't go a day without eating anything sweet."

"You'd love my baking, then." Angie smiled. "I bake a lot!"

"Do you?" Ash was surprised. The gamer girl, pixie haircut, green dyed bangs, tattoos, no bras was also into baking.

"I can bake for you." Angie leaned back. "You can come to my place sometime, we eat everything I bake, play some video games, chill. It'd be cool."

He and Angie weren't very close, but... she was fun to have around. She seemed to be alright. It's been a long time since he's been this comfortable with anyone, and his feelings for Misty were just torturing him. He thought he needed some time off to enjoy what he loves the most: video games and food.  

And plus, it screamed free sweets in Ash's ear. "Sure, why not?"

"How's Friday night?" Angie put her blue-manicured hand on the table.

Friday night were for their usual pizza and TV gatherings, but since Brock was going to be leaving soon and things were just going to get more awkward with Misty, shouldn't he be trying to find... better places to be at?

"Friday's perfect! I can't wait."