Ash (10:52 A.M.) Scarlett, I’m getting worried. I knew I shouldn’t have left you there

Evie (10:55 A.M.) Scarlett, where are you? Ash is freaking out. I’m headed home now

Dylan (11:10 A.M.) Morning, don’t forget I’m picking you up early today-5:00. Can’t wait to see you all dressed up. See ya soon

Ash (11:17 A.M.) I’m coming looking for you

Okay, first thing first. I needed to change Mason’s name in my phone. I wasn’t having a conversation when I had to look at the name Rat on my screen. I also noted his disregard to follow the proverbial three day rule, or whatever the hell it was where you had to wait a set period of time to contact someone so you didn’t look too interested or some stupid shit. I never quite understood the idea behind this, I mean if two people really liked each other and had a good time on a date, why would they torture themselves in not seeing or talking to each other for several days just so they didn’t appear to be what they actually were - interested in each other. SMH.

A sound out in the main living area startled me, so before I had time to mentally address the other messages and let Ash know that I was fine and that he could call off the search-and-rescue mission, I went to investigate. I opened the door and marched out still just in my tank top and panties only to see Evie and Ash sitting at the small table, drinking coffee. I froze.

“What are you doing here?” I asked Ash once the shock wore off.

“I was worried sick, Scarlett,” he explained as he stood up and walked over to me. “When you didn’t answer my texts all morning, I just got really concerned that something had happened. So I called Evie, but she wasn’t here so she didn’t know where you were. So we agreed to meet here to see if you were just passed out, like you were, or if we needed to try and find you.” When Ash reached me, he pulled me into a tight hug. “I was so worried, butterfly,” he mumbled into my neck. His arms that held me snug around the waist, relaxed when he finally accepted that I was okay, and they brushed across my bare ass cheek. A jolt of energy surged through my body the second his skin touched mine and his body tightened in response as well. My head snapped back and our eyes locked. We had already determined the attraction between us was undeniable, but to save my sanity I had to be strong enough to resist it. To resist him.

As he moved towards me, I took a step back, moving away from him. Ash stopped and cocked his head, obviously surprised by my action. He took another step in my direction, but I put my arm out to stop his chest and shook my head. “I can’t,” I whispered. “I’m sorry.” My eyes pleaded with his to not push the issue. I was surprised that I had mustered up the strength to tell him “no” one time, I wasn’t sure I would be able to do it again.

Ash seemed to understand what I was asking and he nodded his head. He reached his hand out to my face and brushed his thumb lightly over my cheek. “I’m glad you’re home safe, butterfly. I’ll see you tonight.” And with that he said goodbye to Evie, grabbed his coffee, and left.

As soon as the door closed, Evie jumped out of her chair and grabbed a pint of ice cream from the freezer with two spoons. “My bed. 5 minutes. Brush your teeth, pee, and whatever else you need to do because this is going to be a long one.”

Ten minutes later, I had responded to Mason and Dylan’s texts, freshened up, and sat fully clothed on Evie’s bed with a spoon of frozen vanilla heaven dancing on my tongue. She decided that she would go first on rehashing her night with Max since it was far less drama-filled and would take much less time discussing. Her story was pretty cut and dry. They went back to his place, did the nasty (which she claimed was “the best ever”), and he cuddled her and whispered sweet nothings in her ear until she fell asleep. They were awoken by Ash’s multiple calls and texts so their time together was cut short, but they had plans to see each other again later that day. She was completely smitten with him, and I was so happy that she had found someone she seemed to really like. I felt bad that I was the reason she was forced to leave Max, but she assured me that it wasn’t any big deal. She said she wouldn’t have wanted to miss the scene that had just occurred between me and Ash for anything.

“Which leads us to what’s going on in your head and heart, Sammy girl,” Evie said. I raised my eyebrow at her, “Sammy girl?” I asked, moaning in delight while I took another bite of ice cream. I had never eaten ice cream as breakfast before and I needed to do it more often. What an incredible way to start your day!

Evie’s voice brought me back to reality out of my sweet, creamy daydream. “Yeah, since you are letting other people call you nicknames these days, I thought that you were going soft on the issue.” I threw one of her numerous bed pillows at her head. “But don’t try to change the subject, I know what you are doing.”

“What do you want to know?” I asked her.

“Everything!” she squealed. “Ash, Rat, Dylan… tell me what’s going on with all of them!”

“Oh-kay,” I agreed, eager to talk to her about all of the craziness swarming around in my head. “Let’s start with the easy one. Dylan. On paper, he’s my perfect guy. He’s drop dead gorgeous; not only is he smart, but he’s goal-driven and ambitious. He comes from what seems to be a normal family; he texts or calls me every day; and we never struggle for conversation - we get along great.” I stopped for another bite of ice cream. The freshman fifteen was starting to make a lot more sense.

“Why do I feel a ‘but’ coming up?” Evie asked.

“There’s a ‘but’ with all of them. If there wasn’t, we wouldn’t need to have this conversation, I’d still be laying in his bed,” I explained. “Whichever bed his is.”

“Good point.”

I continued on about Dylan, “So here’s the big ‘but’… we have been seeing each other for over two months and all he will do is kiss me. I mean, he did more with me physically, like feeling me up and stuff, the first night we met before he knew about me being a big V. Since then, it’s like we have a PG relationship and it’s just weird. Not to mention, he can’t really think that I believe he’s gone this long without getting some from someone.”

“You don’t know that!” Evie argued.

“I only see him one day a week, Evie! He has never even once asked me to do something on a day other than Saturday. Either he’s gay or he’s fucking someone else! But the topper of all of these ‘buts’ is that I really don’t care that much. It’s not that when he touches or kisses me that it doesn’t feel good, because it does and my body responds accordingly. I mean… look at him. You’d have to be dead to not find the guy hot as hell. But it is not even close to the way I feel when Mason or Ash touches me, it’s not even in the same universe.” I sighed in frustration. “All that being said, it is Saturday and I’m going on a date with him tonight. I at least want to give something with him a real chance. I’m going to try really hard to focus on Dylan tonight and not think about the other two, and we’ll see how it goes. Unfortunately, he’s the one that I’m the least into, he is the one that’s probably the best for me and will be the one least likely to break my heart.”

“That’s usually how it is, Scarlett. Welcome to the world of dating.” Evie gave me an understanding smile. “So where are y’all going tonight?” She asked changing the subject, and thankfully so because I needed to get going.

“I’m not sure, he wouldn’t tell me. But it’s somewhere fancy so I need to leave here in a bit to go buy a dress and shoes, if you want to come with. I’m actually pretty excited. It is my first dress-up date!” I squealed. “We can talk about the other two and last night while we shop.”

“Yay! I’m so excited for you!” Evie screeched with me. “I’ll help you get ready before I go meet Max. I won’t be going to Jacob’s tonight. Are you cool with that?” She asked me.

“Of course I am. Evie, you have to live your life. You can’t always be worried about me, I’m figuring this out… kind of.” We both burst out laughing at the uncertainty of my last two words. “Plus, we aren’t going either. Dylan is going to bring me back here since he said it will be pretty late.” Damn, that reminded me that I had told Ash earlier that I would see him later that night, but I wouldn’t. Then I realized that it would be the first Saturday night in over two months that I wouldn’t be sleeping in Ash’s bed, and a wave of disappointment washed over me. Not only would I miss the few hours that we normally hang out together, but also the night of the week that I slept the best.

As we headed out the door to her car, Evie said, “Scarlett, we haven’t even been here three months and you are already juggling three incredibly hot guys! I’m not sure if I should bow at your feet or stock up on tissues for future breakdowns or both?” She chuckled. “Better yet, I’m going to try to bottle up your scent and sell it.”

“What did you just say?” I thought I had misheard her.

“I said, ‘I’m going to try and bottle up your scent and sell it,’” she confirmed what I thought I heard the first time. “I think that you must have some distinct scent that drives guys wild… like eau de purity or virtuous body splash.” I laughed so hard I snorted. Where in the world did she get this shit? She continued, “I mean seriously, Ash acts like a jealous, possessive Neanderthal around you and Mason dedicated a fucking mini-concert to you in front of a bar full of people not two hours after y’all met. There’s got to be some virginity scent that you have and we need to figure out how to bottle it up and market it. We’re going to make a fortune on Essence de Scarlett.” By this point, she couldn’t keep a straight face any longer. We both died in a heap of giggles. When I finally stopped long enough to catch my breath, I told her, “Mason sang me those songs after I gave him a blow job. Maybe it’s not my smell, but my magical mouth.”

She shook her head at me, holding her side while still cracking up. “Come on, lover lips, let’s go find you a dress. And you bet you are going to tell me all of the juicy details about last night, I’m not letting it go.” I rolled my eyes and opened the passenger door.

Chapter 22

While we shopped, I recounted all of the previous evening’s events for her. I told her about how I had purposely tried to make Ash jealous and how Mason had known. I went into vivid detail about how completely freaking amazing Mason made me feel when his hands and lips were on me, that she was right in that it would be so much more intense than what I had experienced before solo. I had already told her the night before what exactly we had done, but she wanted play-by-play and I did my best to describe what happened.

It was when I got to the part of the story when Ash drug me out of the warehouse that I admitted to her he kissed me when we had first gone outside. She and Mina had come outside a few minutes after us, to check on me, but she had missed the beginning of our confrontation.