Ashley awoke earlier than she thought she would that morning and was showered and dressed by ten o’clock. By the time she had finished getting ready Nick was still soundly asleep. She opened the door to the guest bedroom a crack and peeked in on him. He had pushed the comforter to the bottom of the bed and his long arms and legs were sprawled all over the mattress. His blonde hair stuck out in ten different directions and his mouth hung slightly open as he took deep, steady breathes.
Butterflies crept into Ashley’s stomach as she watched Nick and remembered what had happened less than twelve hours ago. She had wanted him to kiss her and had actually been angry when the tea kettle had gone off. It was wrong for her to have those feelings, wasn’t it? Nick was her best friend. Kissing him shouldn’t have held the intrigue and the curiosity that it had for her. Ashley could almost feel his lips against her skin and his hot breath against her cheek. She clenched her eyes shut, willing the memories to stop, and closed the door back quietly.
She made her way downstairs and into the kitchen where she poured a glass of orange juice for herself. Sitting down at the kitchen table, Ashley sipped her juice and let her eyes skim the front page of that day’s newspaper, but her mind slowly drifted back to the six foot guy with the heartstopping smile asleep upstairs in her guest bedroom. What would it have been like to kiss Nick?she thought. What would it have felt like to have him hold me in his arms?
The doorbell rang shaking Ashley out of her thoughts. She jumped in her seat, knocking over her glass, spilling the little remaining liquid onto the newspaper. Cursing silently, she picked up the soggy newsprint and tossed it the counter on her way to answer the door, thoughts of Nick already quickly forgotten and replaced by what she would say to Preston when he repeated the inevitable question that he was expecting an answer for.
Ashley swung open the door, letting sunshine seep into the foyer. Preston stood on the threshold dressed in khakis and a white dress shirt underneath a navy blue sports coat. Ashley couldn’t help but think that Nick would have never been caught dead in a sports coat anytime before seven o’clock and not unless somebody had died, gotten married, or the band had won an award. Even then it was a stretch.
“Good morning, darling,” Preston stepped into the house without waiting for an invitation.
Ashley stepped back to let him in further and then shut the door, following him into the foyer.
“I can’t stay long. I reserved the tennis courts at the Club and I’m already running behind,” Preston reached into his sports coat and pulled out a velvet ring box, “I just need to know if you’ve thought anymore about what I asked you the other night.”
Ashley felt fear rise in her throat. Her heart race increased drastically and she glanced up the stairs willing Nick to wake up and walk down them.
*****
Nick awoke to the bright Florida sunshine streaming in through the blinds. He covered his face with a pillow and groaned. Summing up the courage to face the day, Nick removed the pillow and sat up in bed yawning. He looked around the room and tried to remember what city the band was in that day. Then he remembered. He was in Ashley’s guest bedroom and he had almost kissed her the night before, not two feet from where he was laying. The confusion from last night washed back over him as he stood and walked into the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and tried to flatten the strands of blonde hair that were going in all directions on his head. He gave up on his hair and rubbed his blue eyes, red from sleep.
After doing what he needed to do, Nick walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs, still wearing only the pajama pants that he had slept in. He hadn’t expected to see the sight that greeted him at the bottom of the steps. Not only was it Ashley, but she had her arms wrapped around the neck of a tall, dark-haired man and was engaged in a deep kiss with him. For some reason, Nick felt as if he really wanted to, he could have been sick at that moment, all over the stairs. His stomach tightened at the sight of them and he wanted to retreat back into the solitude of the guest bedroom and pretend that he hadn’t intruded, but at the same time, Nick wanted to stop the intimacy between Ashley and the guy who he automatically knew was Preston.
Clearing his throat loudly, Nick fought every urge inside of him and made his way on down the stairs towards Ashley. Slowly, Preston pulled away from her, the smug look on his face going to pure hatred the second his gaze settled on Nick. An embarrassed look passed across Ashley’s face as she met Nick’s intruding stare. She flushed under his gaze.
Of the three, Preston spoke first, “Who the hell are you?”
Resentment welled up inside Nick and he started to retort with a smart comment but Ashley cut him off, “Preston, this is my best friend, Nick Carter. Remember I told you about him? Nick, this is Preston.”
Nick reached the bottom of the stairs, meeting Preston’s accusing glare with one of his own. Nick extended his right hand, automatically noticing how feeble the other man’s grip was.
“Nice to meet you,” Preston spoke to Nick as if it were the hardest thing he’d ever had to do, “Ashley’s spoken of you quite a bit.”
Nick acted surprised, his voice taking on an arrogant tone “Really? She’s never said anything to me about you.”
Ashley gave her best friend a warning glare, “Preston, Nick’s home from Europe and he got in late so he just stayed here last night.”
“Just as long as he doesn’t make a habit of it, I don’t really care,” Preston smiled and laughed haughtily.
Nick stared at Ashley’s fiancé, resisting the urge to punch Preston right in the mouth and wipe off the fake smile that he wore. Nick just grinned as if it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard.
Preston turned to Ashley, “I must be going. I just stopped by to bring you this,” Preston took Ashley’s hand in his own and pressed his lips to her ring finger. It was then that Nick noticed the large diamond glistening on her delicate hand. Ashley tried to meet his eyes, but Nick turned away and walked into the kitchen. He heard Ashley say something about walking Preston out.
Nick snagged the last fresh bagel out of Ashley’s bread drawer and popped it in the toaster. He heard the front door close and then saw Ashley walk back into the room. He pretended to scan the soggy newspaper on the counter.
“Nick.” Ashley attempted to get his attention.
Nick looked up at her. “Does he bring you gifts like that every day?” he gestured to her left hand.
“Don’t be a smart ass.”
“Who’s being the smart ass? Maybe we could ask Preston.”
Ashley sighed in frustration, “You promised me you wouldn’t do this, Nick.”
“That was before I met Mr.-I’m-hotter-than-hell-with-my-capped-teeth.”
Ashley started to speak but noticed a putrid burning smell permeate the air. She looked over at the toaster. Nick had it on the darkest setting, “Nick, your bagel is gonna…”
Nick cut her off, “He had no right talking down to me like that. Who the hell does he think he is?”
“Nick,” Ashley fruitlessly tried to get his attention. Both had forgotten about the events that had occurred in the early morning hours of that day.
“I have to go play tennis at the Club, darling,” Nick imitated Preston putting emphasis on the word ‘darling’.
“Nick!” Ashley’s voice rose.
“What?!” Nick’s voice was equally as loud.
She pointed to the toaster that now had smoke rising from it.
“Damn it!” Nick cursed popping the bagels out of the toaster. He tossed the charred breakfast food on a paper plate, other obscenities coming out of his mouth, not only intended for the toaster.
Ashley shrugged and handed him the cream cheese that he had set out, “I tried to tell you.”
Nick’s eyes narrowed as he tried to scrape off some of the black with a case knife, “I like them burnt.”
“Sure you do.”
“I do.”
“You never have before.”
“What the hell does it matter to you?”
“You’ve never eaten burnt bagels before.”
“You’ve never been engaged before!”
“What the hell does it matter to you?”
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