STEPHANIE:

      I'm so shocked when Ash leans in and kisses me that for a split-second I totally freeze, completely unable to react. But then a little voice in my head seems to whisper, "You might not get this chance again, so make the most of it, dumbass!" so I wind my arms around his neck and kiss him back for everything I'm worth, until we have to stop for breath.

      "Wow!" I manage to say after a few seconds. "Where did that come from? Not that I'm complaining, but this isn't exactly something I was expecting."

      "Neither was I," he admits, as he runs his fingers through my hair. "But I'm not the least bit sorry, and I hope you're not either."

      I hesitate for just a second, then look up into his eyes, trying to read what I see there. "Ash... Please tell me you're not drunk, because I don't think I could deal with hearing you say that, and then telling me tomorrow that it was just the booze talking."

      He sort of tilts his head toward the railing, where the glass he carried out is sitting, still at least three-quarters full. "That's the first alcohol I've had all night, hon. I'm stone-cold fuckin' sober, and I meant exactly what I said. In fact, why don't you let me prove it?" Before I can even try to process the question, his arm circles my waist, pulling me closer, his mouth covers mine again, and all I can do is tighten my grip on him, because my legs don't want to hold me up.

      When he finally comes back up for air, he leans his forehead against mine, eyes closed, and breathing somewhat raggedly. But after a minute, his beautiful dark eyes open, and look into mine. "You're shaking, Steph. Are you getting cold again?"

      Without even thinking about it, I reply, "No, it's actually more like 'Pretty In Pink', when Annie Potts said, 'My thighs went up in flames.' I'm the complete opposite of cold right now." His eyes get wide, then he throws his head back and laughs, and as I finally register what just came out of my mouth, I can feel my face start to flame, too. "Oh my God, I can't believe I just said that," I mumble, dropping my face into his chest.

      He slides his hand under my chin and lifts my head so I'm looking at him. His laughter has subsided, but he's still chuckling a bit, and his eyes are sparkling as he says, "I have to admit, no one has ever said that to me before, but I think I'm gonna take it as a compliment." Then his lips curl up in a rather mischievous grin as he drops his hand from my waist to my backside, pulling me in even closer, and I can most definitely feel how he's been affected. He leans in, and I can feel his breath stirring my hair as he whispers into my ear, "And in case you haven't noticed, my thermostat is up pretty high right now, too. You'll just have an easier time hiding it when we go back inside." 

      "So it is," I agree. "I guess that means we should wait a bit before we rejoin the madding crowd. So why don't we sit on that bench over there for a bit?"

      "Well, I'll do my best, anyway," he rejoins, and we move across the deck to a wooden bench next to the wall behind the door. I sit down, and he rather cautiously lowers himself down next to me, then takes hold of my hand. "Okay, shall we talk?" he inquires.

      "Yeah, I guess we should. What brought this on, anyway?"

      He hesitates for a few seconds, like he's gathering his thoughts, then says, "Honestly, I think it's been in the back of my mind for awhile. Since the night we went out, at least, because I can't remember the last time I enjoyed myself that much with anyone. I really enjoy spending time with you, Steph, and I think I'd like to do a bit more of that, and see where it goes. That is, if you're interested."

      "If you're actually serious, I'd have to be a complete idiot not to be!" I tell him. "But just answer one question for me, okay?"

      "What's that, hon?"

      "Why? I mean, I'm obviously not the type of girl you normally go out with, so I'm not sure why you'd... I dunno... Like me, I guess I'm trying to say."

      His expression instantly becomes quite serious, and he almost seems to be confused as he looks at me. "What's not to like!?" he blurts. "Stephanie Logan, you are smart, creative, and extremely talented, and you're an absolute blast to hang out with! You don't pretend to be somebody you're not, and you're one of the sweetest, most thoughtful, honest girls I've known in a very long time. And in spite of what your ex, or that guy in college, or whoever it was, seems to have made you think, you're a very attractive woman. My would-be competition certainly thought so this morning!"

      "Your what?" I question. "What, or who, are you even talking about?"

      A big grin spreads across his face, and he asks, "Didn't Lylah tell you what happened at the office today?" I have no clue what he's talking about, so I just shake my head, and he explains, "Midori and Shane stopped by for a bit, and he even helped us pick out some pictures for the new ad layout. He has a big crush on you, he said that he'd ask you to be his girlfriend if he was older, because you're nice, and you have 'pretty smiles'. And he's right on both counts; you're one of the nicest people I know, and that smile of yours can light up an entire room."

      "Right back atcha," I reply. "You've got some major wattage goin' on yourself. And that was really sweet of him to say, he seems like a pretty great kid."

      "Yeah, he's pretty cool for a four-year-old. I suppose I should be glad he's not older, or he might give me a run for my money," he chuckles. But then he turns serious again, and looks me in the eye, saying, "But you haven't actually given me an answer yet, Steph. Do you think you might like to spend some more time together, and see if we can work out as... more than friends?"

      I lean forward, kiss the end of his nose, and say, "I think I'd like that very much. But there is one thing I think I should tell you."

      "What's that?" he inquires, looking a bit concerned.

      "That even though I'm very tempted, I won't be going home with you tonight," I explain. "I know from some of the conversations I've heard at the studio that this isn't an uncommon occurrence, but I really don't want to rush anything. We've both had fairly recent breakups, and I think it would be better for both of us if we make sure that neither of us is bringing in any leftover issues before we go to that level."

      I'm a little anxious, because I'm not sure how he'll react to this, so it feels like a boulder has rolled off of my chest when he says, "Well, I'd obviously be lying if I said that I'm not a little disappointed, but I suppose you're right. I'm hoping for a relationship, not a booty call, so it would probably be better if we wait until we have at least a couple of official dates under our belts. So when can we make that happen?"

      "Your schedule is a bit more locked down than mine, so you tell me."

      He pauses for a couple of seconds, then says, "Tomorrow night, then, around seven? We can go get dinner, and then find something to do, maybe a movie or something? And just the two of us this time."

      "I like the sound of that," I tell him. Then I feel another shiver run through me as the wind picks up again, so I suggest, "We should probably go back inside now, though, or everybody might start thinking that you've ditched your own party."

      "Yeah, I guess so," he acknowledges as we get up from the bench. "But before we do that, do you suppose I might talk you into just one more kiss, to tide me over until tomorrow?"

      "Oh, I think that could be arranged," I reply, stepping forward to slip my arms around his neck. "I wouldn't mind a little something to look forward to myself."

      But things don't quite go according to plan, because our lips have barely touched when the door opens, and CC and Danny come walking through.

      "Dude, he's gotta be here somewhere!" CC announces. "We've looked just about everywhere inside, so this is about all that's left."

      "Oh, c'mon, mate, this is Ash we're talking about," Danny retorts. "I'm sure there's some supply closet or office that we've missed, he's most likely in one of those getting some birthday nookie from one of the barmaids."

      "I dunno about that, dude. The last time I saw him, he was... holy shit!" CC exclaims as he comes around the door and nearly collides with me. He simply stands and blinks at us for several seconds before he finally drawls, "Allllll-righty, then. I gotta be honest, with ya, guys. This is not what I expected to walk into." 

      "Told ya, didn't I?" Danny snickers. "Okay, not a supply closet, and not a barmaid, but otherwise..."

      "Otherwise, stop being an asshole, Worsnop!" Ash snaps. "Not that it's any of your fucking business, but we've already decided that 'birthday nookie' is not on the agenda tonight."

      Danny puts his hands up and backs up a few steps, saying, "Whoa, chill out, dude! I was just joking, okay?"

      "Well, stop it!"

      He turns to look at me, and says, "I'm sorry, I never caught your name, but I apologize if I've offended you in any way. I would consider it a huge favor if you might consider not trying to scalp me, or anything equally detrimental to my well-being."

      CC bursts out laughing, and gasps out, "That was pretty much Andy's reaction after she whaled on Ash's ex. I think his exact words were, 'Never, ever, piss off the nice pottery lady'. Or something to that effect."

      I look at Ash and raise an eyebrow. "I don't know... What do you think?"

      He looks up at the ceiling, like he's actually considering it, then grins and says, "Yeah, I guess we can let him slide. This time, anyway." Then he sort of waves a hand between the two of us and says, "Steph, this smartass is my buddy, Danny. He seems to fancy himself as a singer. And Dan, this is Stephanie... my potential new girlfriend."

      The second these words pass his lips, we're all slightly startled to hear a small crash, like breaking glass. Everyone looks around, and we see Alice, Jinxx, Jeff, Jazy, Lylah, and Macy standing in the doorway gaping at us, and a broken beer glass next to Macy's feet. "Excuse the fuck out of me, but when the hell did this happen?" she questions. 

      "Oh, about five minutes ago, give or take a minute," I tell her. 

      Alice and Jinxx are both grinning like idiots, and she practically bounces over to us and flings her arms around me. "Steph, this is absolutely lovely!" she enthuses. Then she turns and hugs Ash, and says, "I hope you realize how lucky you are, because if you muck this up, I will personally break every one of your fingers."

      "Oh, I'm sure you would," he replies. "If she didn't beat you to it, that is. And yes, I'm well aware that I'm extremely lucky, so even though we're still just in the... exploratory phase, if you will, there's no way I'd be stupid enough to screw this up."

      "What does that mean, exactly?" Lylah inquires.

      "I'm pretty sure that he's referring to the fact that we already discussed this before y'all showed up," I explain. "And we're gonna take things kind of slow, and be sure that we're a good fit before we actually declare an 'official' relationship."

      "Which is why I called her my potential new girlfriend," he adds. "So now that we've got this cleared up, why don't we head back inside, before the wind blows us out into the shrubbery?"

      We go inside to rejoin the party, and the news apparently travels pretty fast, because within less than five minutes, we have people coming at us right, left, and center, congratulating us and joking around by offering me tips on how to "put up with him".

      "Take my word for it, he's a handful," Markie cheerfully announces.

      I grin back, and inform her, "That's okay, so am I."

      Eventually, things start to wind down, and everyone starts heading out, until it's finally just me, Macy, Lylah, Alice, Jinxx, and Ash, who has insisted on helping us clear up, even though we tell him that he doesn't have to. We're talking as we pack everything up, and the conversation circles around to our upcoming visits to the police station, which seems to trip something in his brain, because he suddenly asks Lylah, "Who were you talking about earlier, when he made that crack about you and him getting it on?"

      "Can you be a bit more specific?" she responds..

      I'm a bit puzzled myself, but when he says, "When you made that comment about someone being alive and well and crashing the party," I understand what he means.

      "He means the 'Chipper Dove' comment," I say. Then, turning to look at him as I scrape out the cobbler pans, I explain, "It's a reference to a character in a book, and the movie they made out of it. Have you read, or seen, 'The Hotel New Hampshire'?"

      "Sounds vaguely familiar, I think."

      "The movie had Rob Lowe and Jodie Foster in the main parts, and Chipper Dove was the asshole character in that movie," Lylah explains. "That last crack he made was very similar to a line in the movie, which is what made me remember it."

      "Yeah, the book was a lot better than the movie, and it was written by one of my favorite writers, but it was still pretty bent," I add.

      "How do you mean?"

      "Because in the course of the book, it covers gang-rape, prostitution, plane crashes, terrorism, multiple deaths, a character with so much social anxiety that she spends the majority of the story wearing a bear suit, real bears as pets, and a very inappropriate relationship between two siblings, if you get my meaning."

      "Sounds positively charming," he deadpans. "Who the hell wrote that, anyway?"

      "That was John Irving, the same guy who wrote 'The World According To Garp' and "The Cider House Rules', which they also made movies out of."

      "I've seen both of those," he replies. "I liked 'Garp', but I'm a Robin Williams fan anyway. The other one was just about as weird as the one you guys are talking about."

      "Not that 'Garp' didn't have its own share of oddball moments," I say, as I finish rinsing off the pans. "Hell, it would've been almost worth the price of admission when it was in theaters just to see John Lithgow in drag." 

      I start to reach for a towel to dry the pans with, but he scoops it up and reaches for the pan. "Let me do that, Steph. I'm here, I might as well make myself useful."

      "But it's your birthday, you shouldn't have to do the scut work," I inform him. "We set this up, so it's our job to clean up what doesn't actually belong to the center."

      He leans across the counter and kisses my forehead. "Thanks, hon, I appreciate the thought, but the way I figure it, the sooner we finish up here, the sooner everybody can get home. Then we'll all be reasonably alert to go fill out all the forms at the cop shop, and be done with it as early as possible."

      "He does make a good point," Jinxx observes, and starts to gather everything together as it's dried, placing it back on one of the carts. With everyone pitching in, we get done sooner than expected, and it's not long before we're loading the stuff back into my SUV. 

      Once this is done, Jinxx and Alice say goodnight and drive away, and as they leave the lot, Macy says, "We're gonna go wait in my car while you guys say goodnight. Unless you'd rather we go on ahead, that is."

      "No, that's okay," I reply. "I'll just be a little bit."

      She and Lylah head toward the car, and as they walk away, Ash reaches out and places his hands on my shoulders, rubbing his thumbs lightly across my skin. "So, is it all right if I kiss you goodnight?" he inquires.

      "Oh, it's way more than just all right," I tell him. "I'll actually be quite disappointed if you don't."

      "Well, we can't have it said that I disappointed a pretty lady, can we?" he laughs, sliding his hands up so they're cupping my face as he lowers his mouth onto mine again. And oh, my Lord,  this man can kiss! My back is up against the side of my car, so I can feel him responding to the contact again, and my body is reacting just as strongly, so I start to think: Maybe...?

      But then he breaks contact and backs up just a bit. He takes a deep breath, then says, "As much as I don't want to, we need to stop now. I don't want to take a chance on messing this up before we ever really get started, so I think I'm just gonna go home and stand in a cold shower for awhile before I go to bed." He drops one more quick peck on my lips and says, "Drive safe, hon, and let me know you made it home okay, if you don't mind. I'll see you tomorrow."

      "Nope."

      Giving me a puzzled stare, he inquires, "What do you mean, 'Nope'?"

      I raise my arm so he can see my watch, which shows that it's nearly one-thirty. "It's already tomorrow, so I'll see you tonight. And I'll call you as soon as I pull into the driveway, because I'd like to know that you've made it home in one piece, too. Good night, Ash."

      As he opens my door for me, he gives me a grin and says, "I think you mean 'good morning', don't you?" Then he gives me one more kiss before closing the door and heading for his car, and I fasten my belt and start up the car.

      Once I'm on the road, I crack the window to get some air, and look into the mirror to see Macy's car following behind me. I turn on the stereo and Taddy Porter's "Shake Me" starts blasting from the speakers as I work on trying to regain my composure, and try to comprehend exactly how I've wound up where I seem to be.

      I've been attracted to this man since I was sixteen years old, and never in a billion years thought that he'd ever be interested in me as more than a friend, if that. But here I am, actually about to go on an honest-to-God date with him, with the hope of more to follow. I've finally gotten the chance to have something I didn't think was possible, but there's just one thing that concerns me...

      Should I tell him?

      Up to this point, he hasn't shown any sign of realizing who I actually am, or, more correctly, who I was. If I need to, I can make sure that no one in my family mentions it, but there are still a few other people here that I knew before, so what if we run across one of them, and they actually recognize me? Would he still want to be with me, or even want to be my friend, if he found out that I was the fat, unpopular kid whose sister tried to ruin his life? But I also absolutely hate the idea of lying to him, so I'm going to have to give this some more thought before I make a definite decision.

      Until then, I guess I'll put that on the back burner, and just worry about a more immediate, but much less life-altering question:

      Did I remember to buy some more batteries? I certainly hope so, because I'm damn sure gonna need them if I plan on getting any sleep tonight.