Rooming With Ash

Rooming With Ash: Chapter 13

By the time we made it back down to the bottom of the volcano, the sun was setting. We had arrived right on schedule and I found it ironic that throughout my wildly uncoordinated life, the one thing that I would be on time for was the demise of my longest standing relationship.

The ride back to the house felt much slower than the one leaving it had. Ash and I didn't do much talking while we were up at the peak, but the silence between us hadn't been an uncomfortable one. It was good – better than me actually saying anything. I had known that if I started speaking, I would end up saying things that I couldn't ever take back, and I wasn't mad enough at him to risk permanently ruining our relationship. And so the entire way home, I just watched the sun as it set slowly, not bothering to mention to Ash that I'd be calling Riley tonight. Every time I brought her up in conversation he didn't seem to want to talk about her so I figured this time would be no different. Besides, the conversation I wanted to have with her didn't concern him – not directly at least.

By the time we pulled into the house's driveway, the sun was in that weird stage of setting where the entire sky was a pastel purple and you could make out the face of the person next to you only if you leaned in very close.

I let out a breath, turning to Ash for the first time since leaving the mountain and took a good look at him. I was about to do all this for him.

Okay, it was for me as well, obviously, but it was because I wanted him.

"You going to go return the car to your friend now?" I asked him, my tone of voice making it clear that I wasn't convinced he and the owner of the car were actually that great of friends.

He chuckled, shaking his head as he opened his car door. "I'll do it in the morning," he said. "I'm gonna go take a shower now."

"Oh, I should do that too," I said, following him out of the car.

Ash's eyes flitted up to mine and I saw a devious glint in them before he lowered them back down to the key he was turning in the car's lock. I could see in his face that he wanted to smile, but he was keeping it under wraps, the only giveaway being the slight twitching of his lips.

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, trying my best not to let the contagiousness of his smile affect me. "What is it?" I asked him.

He now laughed, shaking his head as we walked up the cement path to the front door. "Bad joke," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "But it's not important, would you like to shower first?"

I shook my head, rolling my eyes at the joke that I had a feeling I already knew, but was too tired to press him about. "No, it's okay. I actually have something I need to do first."

He eyed me for a second, before deciding not to push it and instead nodding as he held open the front door for me. We made our way to the room, passing by Jaime, Brian, and Marissa who were in the living room playing video games, and as I turned to make my way down the bedroom's hallway, I spotted Asia and Tamara sitting outside on the back porch, facing the sandy beach. If only the events of my life could have been as straightforward as that relationship seemed to be.

When I finally got settled in my bed and the shower began to run, I picked up my phone, knowing it was time. This was by no means going to be an easy or straightforward call but if I thought too much about it then I knew I would talk myself out of it, and so I dialed Riley's number before I could convince myself not to.

I didn't watch as the phone rang, instead squeezing my eyes shut and praying that this would be like the last time – that she wouldn't pick up and I would have the go-ahead to wait another two weeks before trying again. But then would that be two weeks of me being honest with myself and Ash? Or two weeks of this painful and confusing limbo? I couldn't suffer through more of that. I wouldn't – especially not when I had a way out right in front of me.