Not too many comments on the last chapter, but still- thanks to those who did review and to the rest of you who are at least giving this the time of day. Definitely appreciated! I hope no one is bored with this story. The whole idea behind this thing is to keep things light. There's a lot of angsty fics out there and I wanted to give you something a little less like that. There will be some drama down the road, but for now it's smooth sailing. I know chapters are on the short side and I apologize for that, seeming how I only update once a week. I can't promise anything, but the lengths will vary, some longer than others; just depends on what I needed to get out in the chapter. Anyway, enough of my rambling. Please leave your thoughts, comments really do encourage me. Plus, they make my day that much better. Thanks :)

I had met Ashley in the city for coffee like we had planned. She took me to this little café around the corner from her restaurant where the coffee was divine. We held easy conversation for about an hour before she suggested we walk around a bit. It was just after Christmas and the lights were still hanging around the city, so we strolled down a few blocks just taking it in while she talked a little more about her job. I thought the beginning of January constituted taking them down, but apparently the city is lazy this year.

Ashley is either insane or…insane. It was easily 30 degrees out and she only wore a light jacket. I would sum it up to her having been working in a hot kitchen all day, but I know that's not the case. She had shown up to my house the previous night in nothing but a thin t-shirt and low riding jeans with no coat period, and it was snowing.

Psycho.

I would have thought having grown up in a climate like L.A. that walking around with little to keep warm would have had her freezing, but I guess not. After all, it is winter in the Rockies. She seemed to enjoy the crisp air though and didn't mind the snow flurries. Don't get me wrong, I love the winter and snow, but I still bundle up. I'm not trying to shiver my way to frostbite.

Ashley mentioned that she hates driving in the city, so she takes public transport to work. Naturally, I had driven myself to offer her a ride home.

Ah yes, Spencer, you've still got it. Don't pay any mind to the graceful spill you took by overlooking that ice patch on the corner. Besides, it earned you a comforting ass rub, innocent or not. Sit on an ice pack later.

My plan to give her a ride home wasn't actually to get her to have me over. I just don't think beautiful young women like Ashley should be taking public transport at nighttime in the city. She's tiny; she wouldn't stand a chance if some low-life cornered her.

A shifty homeless man that was a bit too pushy about his request for a dollar once approached Charlie and I and when he invaded her personal space, she thrust her palm up into his nose, breaking it. She side-stepped him, walked away and without missing a beat began ranting about how if the asshole had wanted a sandwich she would be more than happy to oblige, but when all he clearly wanted was a couple bucks to placate his apparent crack withdrawal, that just wouldn't fly. I thought he was going to retaliate, but the loser sank to his knees sobbing like a 10-year-old girl.

My knight in shining butch.

But that's Charlie and even I wouldn't mess with her. However, I think we could both give each other a run for our money. Many of our dumbass college guy friends, including Micah, have tried to get us to jello wrestle on more than one occasion because they think two hot chicks who aren't afraid to duke it out is revolutionary. Apparently the pot is a big payout, but I'm not about to bother unless I'm seeing some of that cash.

Fucking pigs.

Ashley on the other hand, while she appears to be a real hard ass…really isn't. I doubt she has ever been in a fight in her life. Not to underestimate her, but I'd rather not test those waters.

We had gone back to her house that night and let me tell you, I all about shit myself when we pulled up to it. It was gigantic. Colossal, even. I tried to brush it off like it was nothing, but being Ashley, she had seen right through that. Actually, I realized I had done a worse job of covering my surprise up than I had hoped, when I felt a finger under my chin closing my mouth shut.

She just laughed and got out of the car without a word.

Inside Château de l'Davies was even more impressive than the outside. This house puts the houses you would have seen on MTV's Cribs to shame.

It worries me that Ashley practically lives here alone 80% of the time. She could get lost in this thing and no one would ever find her!

Okay, so that's not really what concerns me, but I think you get the picture.

I find it intriguing how quickly I've come to care about her and her all around well-being. I've never been one to be overly protective of any of the girls I've dated in my past. I was a good girlfriend, sure, if you can even call it that. But I liked my space and they liked theirs. And the ones who didn't, well… They never lasted long. With Ashley, it's like we can't get enough of each other. I won't lie that it scares me a little, but not really in a bad way. It's just not what I'm used to.

It's been 3 weeks since the night we met. We've spent as much time as we can together, but our busy schedules have weaseled their way into my Ashley time. She's been working long hours and I've started back up with school after the winter break. I'm so glad this is my last semester.

I work a part-time job at a bar & grill just outside the city and I get off work most nights around the same time as Ashley. The nights I do, I insist on giving her a ride home. She protests that she is perfectly capable of getting home on her own, but I tell Miss Independent to shut her trap and get in the car. She just smirks and gives in. She told me if I referenced Kelly Clarkson one more time, she was going to lose my number.

So what did I do?

I deleted it for her while she was making us dinner on one of our nights off. She called me the next day to ask about our plans for Friday. Good luck losing my number when you've memorized it, Davies.

So that's where I sit now. Reminiscing about my clever shenanigans. I'm broken out of my thoughts when I feel a handful of popcorn bombard me in the face.

"Ashley!"

"I have been trying to get your attention for the last 2 minutes, you space cadet! What the hell are you over there smiling to yourself about? You look pretty pleased about something," she says through a hearty laugh.

I just stay silent and face forward, absent-mindedly putting a few pieces of the offending popcorn now resting in my lap into my mouth and chewing contently, pretending to ignore her.

I can see her incredulous look out of the corner of my eye and I'm trying not to laugh.

"Ugh! You are impossible, Spencer," she says while getting up and making her sexy way into the kitchen.

What?

Everything she does is sexy.

I just laugh to myself and a minute later she returns with another beer. She plops down on the couch next to me and cracks it open taking a swig and breathing out her delight with an over-dramatic "Ahhhhh," then smacking her lips together.

Cue my inquisitive eyebrow raise.

"Excuse you? What about me?" I ask while shaking my empty bottle in her face.

She shrugs and takes another sip, looking over at me innocently. "I asked you 3 times if you wanted another one. But no. You were lost in your head, no doubt fantasizing about sex."

"I was not fantasizing about sex!"

She has a disbelieving look on her face as she goes back to paying attention to the movie we were watching…in her home theater. Yeah. Like an actual in-house mini theater, only with really comfy couches instead of those awful seats they settle for in real movie theaters.

Truth is, Ashley and I still haven't had sex. I know, right? After that first night, you would have thought us to have jumped each other by now. But to be honest, I've never felt so content with waiting for the right time. Don't let me mislead you; I want her. I really want her. It's not that we aren't ready for it. I think we are both just enjoying getting to know each other as people first. We could have chosen any time over the last few weeks. I've spent a lot of my nights over here lately. Even though we haven't spent too much time together due to her work and my school, I've been finding her house much more inviting than my own.

Micah is taking this semester off and he has been having people over during the week and on the weekends. Charlie, bless her heart, apparently has no problems with that. Her and I are both in our last semester, but I for one need peace and quiet to study. I'm not about to blow any one of my grades at the home stretch. I can't be upset over it though. Charlie and I decided to take a semester off last year and Micah was just starting his sophomore year. Needless to say, he failed a few courses due to distraction.

If it hadn't been for Ashley, I would be sleeping at my parent's house. Love them, but no thank you. Ashley has been great about letting me hang around and get my homework done and I've even progressed to bringing a few pairs of clothes and an extra toothbrush because I sleep here more often than not.

I know what you're thinking.

U-HAUL in progress.

Well...I say to hell with you.

Back to the no sex thing-

"You're thinking about sex still," she accuses, never taking her eyes from the screen.

"Okay, that time, I was! But only because you brought it up before," I defend. I pause briefly, "I was not fantasizing," I say under my breath like a 5 year old.

I hear her giggle next me and she sets her beer on the end table beside the couch. She scoots over to me, pulling her legs up underneath her and snuggles into my side, planting a lingering kiss next to my ear before she rests her head on my shoulder, sighing contently after wrapping her arms around my stomach.

She looked like a little kid doing that, but it was cute and I'm not going to take a dig at her about it. Sarcasm is on a java break, but we both know it won't last very long.

We go back to watching the movie and I just enjoy having her close to me. We're watching some sappy ass love story- Ashley's choice. Some bafoon and his love interest are on a date and she's just gushing over his crap.

Please…

Then I realize that Ashley and I haven't really had much of a date or anything. We had coffee that one night, but I wouldn't exactly consider it a date.

"Hey, Ash?"

"Yeah, Spence?"

"You want to go out with me one night this week?" I ask naturally.

She lifts her head up and looks at me with a confused smile. "What do you mean? Like on a date?"

I nod. "Yeah. I mean, we don't have to-"

She interrupts, "I'd love to."

I grin. "I just think that it's about time we did something. We're either busy with this or that or just hanging out here. I want to actually take you somewhere, do something sweet for you; give me a chance to woo you. I never really cared about that stuff before you. You're kind of worth impressing, I guess."

I get a soft laugh in return. "You did hear me say yes, right? You don't need to entice me. I'm sold," she finishes softly.

I blush, but she just grabs my face and brings me in for a firm kiss that she chuckles into, causing me to smile.

Pulling back, she is still smiling at me, but it turns into a serious expression. "No pressure or anything…but you better have something really sweet and romantic planned for waiting this long to ask me out. Otherwise, I'll have to kick your ass."

I quirk an eyebrow and let her stew in her empty threat for a moment.

"Ash?"

"What?" She says in what she thinks is a take-no-shit attitude, but she has let her smile break through so she just looks like an idiot.

A cute idiot.

My idiot.

"Have you ever seen Space Jam?"

"I did grow up in the 90's, Spence. It was a must-see back then."

"Well, you know how in the end when the big bad monsters shrink back down to their dinky little selves with their shrill voices?"

She looks confused at the relevance of this question.

"That's what you remind me of when you try to act all hard… I can take you."

She gets the cutest scowl I've ever seen on her face at that.

"See if I go anywhere with you now, Carlin! How dare you insult me?" She is holding back her amusement, I can see it.

"You would go everywhere with me, Davies."

"Yeah, well…I don't have much of a choice. You won't stop stalking me."

I slap her playfully and tackle her on the couch and tickle her sides. She can't stop her laughter and I have used this to my advantage more than a few times.

"Spencer STOP! I'm gonna fucking pee my pants!" God I would lose it if that happened. "Get OFF me!" Her attempts are futile and it only encourages me to continue because her laugh is easily one of my favorite things about her.

She completely spazzes out, sending us falling off the couch with her landing on top, trapping me beneath her. Suddenly I'm not so in control. But the look in her eyes tells me playtime is over. She's still catching her breath from her uncontrollable laughter, but just smirks and leans in to claim my lips in a kiss that renders me speechless for the time being.

"You know I'm kidding, you nerd. I'd love whatever it is we're doing, even if you end up taking us to Chuck E. Cheese. But a hint: I really hope that's not what you had in mind."

What does she think, I'm like eight? And I hardly think that taking her to a place that smells like feet is anyone's idea for romance.

"Damn it, Ashley. Now you have completely ruined the element of surprise," I deadpan. "I guess I'll just have to amp it up then. But I'm not sure I can impress you beyond that glorious plan, so don't get your hopes up."

She snorts and mutters something that sounds like "retard" before leaning back in for another kiss, so I suppose I can let the insult go.

Okay, so. What to do for a first date when your romantic record ranks at an unimpressive average? Hmmpphh.