“No, of course not. It’s in the garage. I think we are staying here for the day, Will has several items on his “honey-do” list to check off,” she said laughing. “Make sure you both take a jacket, the wind off the water is pretty chilly.”
“Ok. We’ll leave here in just a bit. I’d like to beat the car clubs out so we aren’t stuck in a bunch of traffic on PCH,” he replied and then looked at me and asked, “Is that good with you?”
I nodded as I took the last drink of my coffee, “I’m ready when you are. I just need to grab my hoodie and tennis shoes.”
Ash stood up, taking his cup with him, and said, “Give me ten.” He disappeared back into the house as both Crys and I both watched him walk away. I stood up to follow but before I got to the door, she spoke.
“Scarlett, I hope that you figure out whatever it is that you’ve got going on. I know the last year hasn’t been easy on you, but it hasn’t been easy on him either. You are both very vulnerable right now. You can help each other, but you can also destroy each other. Be careful.”
I didn’t turn around to respond as the tears pooled in my eyes. I simply nodded and continued walking into the house. Forgetting my woes for a moment, my heart broke for him as I wondered what had happened in their family in the last year. She had mentioned earlier that she had been in Houston to help their mom get her own place, so I assumed his parents had gotten divorced, but wondered if there was more to the story.
Regaining my composure, I rinsed out my mug and went upstairs to grab my things for the day trip. Ash was coming out of the room just as I hit the landing, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of how good-looking he was. He flashed me his beautiful smile and my stomach fluttered despite the fact I tried hard to be immune to his charm.
“Meet ya downstairs Butterfly,” he said as he passed by me.
I quickly found what I needed in my suitcase and joined him in the kitchen several minutes later. He had keys in hand, ready to go, so I followed him out the back door, off to hopefully find some clarity.
ASH
Hearing Scarlett say that she had sex with Max literally stole the breath from my lungs. That was definitely not anything close to what I was expecting her to say. I had assumed that her jack ass boyfriend had cheated on her, which I figured was only a matter of time once he had moved away. But to hear those words come out of her mouth… it was just fucking awful… for everyone involved.
I tried to put aside my personal feelings of disappointment and anger; no guy ever wants to hear that the girl he’s in love with fucked someone else. Period. And I didn’t really give a shit that she had cheated on Mason, but with Max? I didn’t know the guy all that well, but the few times I had met him he seemed like a pretty cool cat. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how he felt when Evie died or how he had managed over the last year. Surely the anniversary of her death was weighing heavy on him, and he was probably desperate to feel loved and wanted.
But Scarlett… my poor Butterfly… what was she thinking? What had happened? I wanted to ask her so badly, but I didn’t want to pressure her and push her away. I could only imagine the personal torture she was putting herself through. I had caught her a few times at dinner the night before, relaxing and letting go for a bit as she joked around with my sister’s family, but then a pained expression would steal her smile and I knew she was thinking about whatever was troubling her. I just had no idea what it was exactly.
I hoped a day out driving and some fresh California air would at least help her forget for a little bit. I knew I needed it as well because I had been tense as fuck since she had called. When I had left the book and note on her car, I really hadn’t expected to hear from her. I had thought with the whole Evie one year thing that she would probably be struggling, and that book had helped me find solace and support during the rough family times I had gone through recently. But to hear from her that very night, and then less than twenty four hours later, to have her at my sister’s house on the West Coast, was just pure craziness. I wasn’t sure what it all meant, or if it would lead to anything at all, I just knew that I had to take advantage of the time I had with her. I had laid out my feelings for her that day in the music shop, she knew where I stood, and I wasn’t going to push her on that. She needed an escape, she needed someone to talk to that wouldn’t judge her, she needed a true friend… and I had vowed to myself the day I hurt her, that I would be there if she ever needed me again.
After we were both settled in the Jeep, I turned to her and cupped her face in my hands, forcing her to look me in the eye. “I’m not gonna pretend that I’m happy about what you told me, but I want to try and understand why you did it. I’m not gonna judge you cause God knows that I’ve made some pretty awful decisions, but maybe if you told me the whole story, I could give you some helpful insight or advice. You don’t have to, but I just think it might help you feel better to get it off your chest.” She sighed and closed her eyes, clearly in agony over the whole thing. I kissed her forehead and released her cheeks from my grasp. “Whenever you’re ready Butterfly.” I started the engine, backed out of the driveway, and headed to Malibu Canyon.
Neither of us said anything for the first twenty minutes of the drive, but it was a comfortable silence. We just listened to the radio, I sang along to the songs that I knew, and she watched the scenery passing out of the window. When the latest Robin Thicke hit, Blurred Lines, came on, I naturally sang along with the catchy lyrics and even started dancing in my seat a little bit. I saw her try to sneak a peek at me out of her sunglasses and hide the smile threatening her lips. Seeing her face light up fueled the obnoxiousness of my performance, so I went all out as I sang the song for her.
A few seconds later she gave in and turned to watch me make a fool out of myself. I had pretended not to notice that she was paying attention, keeping my focus forward as I bopped up and down in my seat singing as loud as I could. At the part where he says, “You the hottest bitch in this place,” I abruptly turned to her and yelled it with a ridiculous look on my face. She couldn’t hold it in any longer, she fell over laughing. I tried to continue on, but couldn’t help but join her in hysterics after asking her “What rhymes with hug me?”
It wasn’t until the song was over that we were both able to sit upright and breathe normally without cracking up again. I looked over at her with a forced serious face and she nodded back at me with a similar expression, acknowledging that we were over it.
“You know that doesn’t make sense?” she blurted out. “Fuck me doesn’t even rhyme with hug me.”
That was all it took to get us going again. We spent the rest of the trip laughing and coming up with phrases that rhymed with hug me. Seeing her content and carefree during those moments filled my heart with joy. That was the Scarlett that I had missed, the Scarlett that I wanted back.