"Hi, um Ashley, it's Roger. Roger Davis from last night." Roger asked nervously into the phone.
"Yeah um... I remember. Hi Roger. I'm… I'm glad you called. What's going on?" she asked attempting to curb her excitement.
"Nothing much. I just thought I'd call you like I said I would. I was just wondering what you guys are doing tonight?"
"I don't have any plans. What do you have in mind?" she asked playing with the phone wire.
"I was thinking you, me, Mark and Kelly could hang out." he suggested.
"Like a double date? That sounds like a good idea." she smiled.
"OK cool. Do you want us to come to Queens or do you feel like coming in here and meet us at the Life Cafe." he asked nervously looking around the room.
"I'd much rather come into the city and meet up with you guys."
"OK great. We'll see you at the Life Cafe. Does 7 sound OK?" he smiled, trying to reign back his enthusiasm.
"Perfect. I'll see you later. Bye." she smiled before laying down on her bed.
"OK bye, Ash." Roger said as he hung up the phone smiling. He couldn't stop staring at the phone number that was still written in pen on his hand.
"Did you call her yet?" Mark asked as he and Collins walked into the loft.
"Yeah, I just got off the phone with her. We're meeting her and Kelly at the Life Cafe at 7." Roger said calmly as he walked over to the couch and plopped down.
"Who, that girl you met last night?" Collins asked sitting next to him.
"Yeah, she's really cool." Roger said staring at the phone number again. He hadn't stopped staring at it since Ashley printed it on his hand and knew the phone number by heart already.
"Look at you, boy. She's more than cool." Collins said putting his arm around Roger's shoulder.
"Shut up. She's the first girl that I actually feel really comfortable with." Roger said smiling before he got up to stand by the window seat.
"I can tell. You must really like her." Collins said looking back at him smiling.
"Yeah I do. She's funny, beautiful and she loves boy bands. What's not to like?" Roger said smiling as he looked out the window.
"Boy bands, like New Kids on the Block and Menudo?" Collins asked laughing.
"Yeah, so. I think it's cute that she would tell somebody that about herself." Roger told him looking back at him.
"She must really like you if she was willing to admit that to you. That's cool." Collins said smiling before directing his attention to Mark. "And who's this Kelly?" he asked teasingly as Mark looked away.
"She's Ashley's roommate. At first she was just talking to me to get info on Roger, but then we started talking about ourselves and I think she likes me." Mark said blushing.
"That is really cool. I'm so sorry I had to miss your show last night. It looks like I missed a lot." Collins said as he looked at the clock. "Oh shit, it's almost 5, I got a Life Support meeting to go to. I'll give everyone your regards. Good luck on your double date." he continued smiling as he left the loft.
"I gotta get in the shower. We're meeting the girls soon." Roger walked away from the window seat and rushing to his room so fast he almost over shot it because he was sliding on his socks.
"Calm down Roger, we have plenty of time." Mark said laughing at him.
"I have to shower, shave, blow dry my hair." Roger said standing at his dresser to pick out clothes.
"Roger, why do you need to blow dry your hair?" Mark said laughing harder.
"If I don't it'll do that curly thing it does. And I hate that." Roger said picking out a sleeveless button up shirt and a pair of light blue jeans. They were less worn than the rest.
"Roger has a date." Mark teased sitting on Roger's bed.
"It's... it's not a date. We're just hanging out. The four of us." Roger said picking out a pair of socks.
"Oh yeah, like you ever get this crazed over your wardrobe and your hair when we're just hanging out with Maureen, Joanne and Collins." Mark said laughing.
"Mark, why are you giving me shit about this?" Roger asked looking over at him.
"I'm not. I'm just playing around. I think it's cute that you're getting all worked up over a girl you talked to last night for 2 hours and didn't kiss." Mark said smiling at him as Roger got a towel out of the closet.
"I know, but Mark, she is the first girl I've talked to since Mimi left and I really like her." he said looking back at him.
"I can tell. Just let me know when you get out of the shower so I can go in." Mark said smiling before leaving the room.
"No problem Mark." he smiled going into the bathroom.
An hour and a half later, Roger was standing by the door waiting for Mark feeling very nervous.
"Are you ready, Mark?" Roger asked putting his leather jacket on as Mark rushed around the loft putting his camera in it's bag.
"Yeah, but Roger we're gonna be early." Mark said laughing.
"I wanna meet them at the subway." Roger said rushing into the bathroom to look in the mirror one last time before he and Mark rushed out the door.
"It's so funny seeing you like this. This must be the way you were in high school." Mark said laughing as they rushed to the nearest subway station to the Life Cafe.
"Oh quit it." Roger laughed as they walked swiftly to the train station.
"Um… what are you guys doing here? I thought we were meeting at the cafe?" Ashley asked coming up the stairs seeing Roger and Mark standing at the top of the steps.
"Yeah, we just thought we'd pick you up on the way. Since we were here and everything." Roger said playing it cool.
"Right." Mark said laughing looking at Kelly who was smiling at him.
"Shall we go?" Roger said looking down at Ashley.
"Sure." she said smiling up at him.
"So has he been as pathetic talking about her as she was talking about him?" Kelly asked quietly walking with Mark behind Roger and Ashley.
"Probably worse." Mark said as he and Kelly laughed.
"Yeah, Ashley didn't sleep at all last night and she started getting ready as soon as she hung up the phone." Kelly said as they watched Roger and Ashley flirt with each other in front of them.
"Great. This is gonna be a long night." Mark said laughing as Kelly looked at him.
"It doesn't have to be." she said smiling at him. Obviously flirting with him.
"So what did you guys do today?" Ashley asked looking up at Roger.
"Just hung out at our place. I was writing some songs. Nothing exciting. How about you?" he said looking down at her with his hands shoved in his front pockets.
"Laundry. I hate laundry." she said smiling at him.
"Me too. But it has to get done, right?" he said opening the door to the cafe.
"I know." she said laughing as she entered the cafe first.
"So should we order some drinks?" Roger asked taking his leather jacket off and hanging it on the back of the chair.
"Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll take a beer." Ashley said smiling at Roger as he sat down.
"OK. Two beers. How about you two?" Roger asked looking at Mark and Kelly.
"I'll take one too." Kelly said smiling at Mark.
"Me too then." Mark said smiling back at her.
"OK. Beers all around Ryan." Roger called out as the waiter came to the table.
"Sure Rog." the waiter smiled before making his way to the bar.
"I had a really good time last night." Ashley said smiling over at Roger.
"Yeah, me too. I was so wired when I got home that I was up most of the night writing songs." Roger said laughing as the waiter returned to the table with 4 beer bottles.
"Me too. But I was writing in my journal." Ashley told him taking a sip of her beer.
"You never told me you kept a journal." Roger said sitting back in his chair.
"Yeah, it's a hobby." she told him looking up at him.
"That's really cool. I write music and you write in a journal." Roger said laughing.
"That is cool." she said as Mark and Kelly just looked at each other rolling their eyes.
"You guys are too much." Mark said smiling at them.
"Can we go outside? Alone?" Roger asked Ashley quietly.
"Sure. We'll be right back." Ashley said laughing as Roger took her hand and led her out the front door.
"Can you believe them?" Kelly asked smiling at Mark.
"Yeah, I can." Mark said drinking his beer.
"So." Ashley started looking up at Roger.
"So." Roger answered back shoving his hands in his front pockets standing in front of her.
"Roger, would you just kiss me already, please? This awkwardness is killing me." Ashley said taking a hold of the front of his shirt and bringing her towards him.
"I'm sorry. I'm not really good at this first kiss stuff." he told her smiling down at her inches from her face.
"Roger..." she began before he took her face in his hands and kissed her. It was the perfect first kiss. The hair on the back of Ashley's neck stood on end and she got chills up and down her spine, even though it was mid May and the weather was very mild. Roger's heart almost pounded out of his chest.
"How was that?" he asked smiling at her.
"Pretty good." she answered giggling.
"I'll give you pretty good." he laughed before kissing her again more passionately this time.
"Now that was great. We should go back inside. Kelly and Mark are probably exchanging awkward glances at each other." Ashley said laughing.
"Will you go out with me? I mean... will you be my girlfriend, Ash? Please?" he asked her before kissing her one last time.
"Of course I will Roger. But if you keep doing that, I'm not gonna want to go back inside." she said laughing into his chest.
"OK Ash. Let's go." he said putting his arm around her before opening the door for her. When they got back inside, they were surprised at what they saw.
"Kel?" Ashley said laughing out loud.
"Mark?" Roger said laughing along.
"Sorry, we got bored waiting for you guys. So, are you guys dating yet, or are we still doing the awkward thing?" Mark smiled releasing his lip lock on Kelly as they smiled at each other.
"I don't believe it." Roger said laughing pulling Ashley close.
"Oh shut up. Like you two are ones to talk. We saw you kissing outside." Kelly said laughing with Mark's arm still around her back.
"This is a strange turn of events, isn't it?" Ashley said looking up at Roger laughing.
"I thought you'd be happy. You get to see Roger again." Kelly told her laughing.
"I don't think that'll be a problem. We're dating." Ashley said smiling at them still standing by the table.
"It's about time." Kelly said getting up to hug Ashley.
"He asked me after he kissed me." Ashley whispered as they hugged.
"That's so cute." Kelly said laughing then letting go of her roommate.
"OK Come on, let's sit down." Mark said smiling as Roger and Ashley sat next to each other and Kelly took her seat next to him.
"So what do you do Kelly?" Roger asked drinking his beer again.
"I'm an assistant at a fashion house in Greenwich Village. Me and Ash come to work together and then we meet up on Friday nights to hang out. She's been dragging me to see you every week for the last 2 months." Kelly said laughing looking at Ashley who was blushing.
"What? I like your music." she said as Roger pulled her close.
"Oh yeah, you like his music. She used to rave about that hot lead singer." Kelly said as Ashley kicked her under the table. "Ow Ash, what the hell?" she called out, looking over the table at her roommate.
"OK Kel, that's enough." Ashley said covering her face with her hands.
"What's the matter, Ash?" Roger said laughing looking down at her.
"It's embarrassing." she said putting her head down on the table.
"You don't need to feel embarrassed in front of me." he told her with his arm around her shoulders laughing.
"I'm glad you think it's funny. It makes me look like some psycho stalker." Ashley said lifting her head up to smile at him.
"But you're a better kisser than any of my other psycho stalkers." Roger said laughing harder as Mark and Kelly joined.
"Roger." Ashley whined mortified.
"I'm kidding. Come on. That's what I do." he laughed taking her into his arms.
"I know you're kidding. I'm sorry. I just get embarrassed easily." she said hugging him.
"She's not kidding. She didn't date in high school until senior year because she was afraid to tell boys she liked them." Kelly said holding Mark's hand on the table.
"Kelly, does everybody have to know every embarrassing detail about me? Why don't you tell them about the time I had the solo in the chorus and I choked. Literally. When it was my turn to sing, I had a coughing fit." she said covering her face again as she leaned on Roger's shoulder.
"But you're the one who talked to me last night?" Roger asked looking down at her curious.
"Yeah, um...I've never done that before. I liked you and just wanted to talk to you." she said lifting her head off of his shoulder to look him in the eyes.
"I like you too. From the minute I set eyes on you, I wanted to get to know you better." he said kissing her before pulling her into another embrace.
"It took me 2 months to get up the courage to talk to you." she told him quietly.
"Well I'm glad you did." he told her smiling.
"Um, Rog, me and Kelly are thinking of maybe going to the film festival at the 8th Street playhouse. Do you guys wanna come?" Mark asked looking over at Roger and Ashley who were busy in each other's arms.
"No thanks Mark. I think me and Ashley are just gonna hang out in the neighborhood and talk." Roger said looking down at Ashley. "Is that OK with you Baby?" he asked smiling.
"Yeah, I would really like that. Is it OK if we meet back at Roger and Mark's apartment, Kelly?" Ashley asked looking over at her friend.
"Yeah, that sounds cool. We'll see you guys later." Kelly said kissing Ashley on the cheek and hugging Roger. "Take care of my girl." she whispered in his ear.
"She's my girl too. Of course I'll take care of her." he smiled at her before she and Mark left. "So now what?" Roger asked looking at Ashley.
"Well, let's pay the check and blow this joint." she said smiling at him as he set money on the table and grabbed his jacket before they left.
"Why did you wear a jacket, it's not even cold out?" Ashley asked looking up at Roger whose arms were around her.
"Truth?" he asked as she nodded. "Because it looks cool and I really wanted to impress you." he said laughing as they walked towards the park.
"The New York City rock star was worried about looking cool for the Queens girl? I'm flattered." she said laughing.
"Yeah, you laugh. Chicks dig my jacket." he said laughing back at her.
"I can see why, but remember I'm the only chick who matters now." she said pulling him towards her to kiss him.
"Yes you are. Do you want to go to the planetarium to see the Pink Floyd laser light show?" Roger asked smiling down at her.
"I haven't seen that in forever." Ashley told him excitedly.
"I wasn't thinking of seeing it." he told her lifting is eyebrows at her.
"Ooooooh. I like the way you think." she said kissing him again.
"What? I like kissing you." he said looking down at her.
"Well I like kissing you too." she told him smiling before leaning up to kiss him again.