Disclaimer: I own nothing. *SAD FACE*
Huuuuuge thank you to everyone who's still reading this! And thank you to all the people who reviewed, favourited, and alerted! I love you all! (: Oh, and sorry if anything's wrong…I don't live in LA, and I've never even been there, so…
I pull into Ashley's driveway a minute late. Not bad, considering I had to speed change, program her address into my GPS (I suck at directions), and drive there. I do a double-take when I see her house. I'm wondering if I have the right house when I kill the engine and get out. As I walk up to her front door, I can't help my mouth from hanging open.
It's big. No, wait, that's an understatement. It's huge. Enormous. Take your pick. The front of the sprawling house is the backdrop for flowers of every colour and kind. It's gorgeous. The house itself is extremely modern. The walls are a deep red-brown wood, with entire walls of windows. Also, there are balconies everywhere. There's a wraparound one on the second floor, and another two smaller ones on the third floor.
When I reach the front step, I ring the doorbell. Even the front door is impressive; it's large and made of thick wood. Suddenly I'm embarrassed to have offered for her to come to my house. What's she going to think when she sees my tiny apartment? What's she going to think when she sees my car? I wish I owned something nicer than my old beat up Honda Civic.
I'm lost in thought (read: worries) when the door swings inward. Even though I only met her yesterday, she's more beautiful than I remembered. She flashes me a smile and steps onto the porch. We say our hellos as she locks the door. As we walk back to my car, we fall into a surprisingly easy conversation. I don't have to try to talk to her. It just comes naturally.
"So, is lunch still a surprise, or can you tell me?" She bats her eyes at me. I nearly tell her.
"Hey! Don't do that! You almost tricked me into telling you! No, no, no. It's still a surprise," I say with a laugh.
She fake-pouts, but it quickly turns into laughter. We carry on a light banter all the way from her house to the restaurant. As I drive, I find my tension easing. Ashley doesn't seem like the type to judge based on how much money you do or don't have. By the time I'm parking, I've decided that she doesn't seem the type to judge based off anything.
"You like Chinese food?" It occurs to me that I don't know what she likes, so the whole "surprise" thing probably wasn't the best idea.
"Like it? I love it!" She exclaims as we make our way into the restaurant.
"Whew, dodged a bullet there," I say with a smile. "You're not lying to me, are you?"
"Never," she replies with a coy smile. I smile back before turning to the hostess to ask for a table for two.
We're seated immediately, and I'm eager for the waitress to leave so we can get back to our conversation. As soon as she leaves, Ashley turns to me.
"So why the topic you picked for your film project?" She actually looks like she's intrigued.
"Honestly?" I figure I'd better just tell her. If I said anything else, it'd be a lie. And there's something about her that really makes me want to be open to her.
"Wouldn't take anything else," she states.
"Well I actually decided yesterday after I saw you sing. You kinda…inspired me, I guess," I look down quickly, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks.
I don't dare look up. She probably wants to leave, because I've gone and creeped her out already. Instead, I feel soft fingers on my chin, gently forcing my head up. I life my gaze to meet hers.
"That is honestly the sweetest thing anyone's ever told me," she says softly. Her fingers linger a moment longer before she lets them fall. She blushes delicately, and it's adorable. Just like pretty much everything else she does.
The rest of our lunch went without a hitch. The food was delicious, and the company was the very best. Our conversation flowed from one topic to the next. The more I learned about Ashley, the more I liked her. I discovered all the surface-things people get to know after meeting someone. Their likes and dislikes, hobbies, and interests.
I also got to know some of the things people only know if you knew them when it happened to them, or you're really close. I was touched that she came out to me. She said that it was something newly discovered, and something she wasn't comfortable telling people about. Also, I learned that her inspiration came from the infamous rocker Raife Davies- who happened to be her father. Well that explained the house.
Raife died in a car accident a little less than a year ago, and his two daughters -Ashley and Kyla- inherited his fortune. Ash managed to keep out of the tabloids, which is why I didn't recognize her. She didn't really want to talk about it, so I didn't push it. I just had to ask one question though.
"So how come you're playing in bars then? I mean, you've got talent, looks, and your dad was a legend."
"Well," she starts slowly, "I never wanted to be famous because my dad was. I want to be in the music industry because I'm good, not because I have-" her voice falters, and I find myself reaching for her hand, "had, sorry- a famous dad."
Neither of us pulls their hand back. Instead, Ash gives my hand a light squeeze, and thanks me quietly.
"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to thank me, silly," I smile at her. "You ready to go?" When she nods, I pay the bill that's been sitting in front of us for a few minutes. I stand and walk over to her, pulling her into a hug.
We make the short drive to mine and Chelsea's apartment. I hold the door open for her, apologizing for the mess. She doesn't seem to mind. In fact, she looks enthralled by the paintings.
"Did your roommate do these?" She asks, gesturing to the art-covered living room.
"Yeah, she did," I inform her.
"They're beautiful."
"Thank you!" Chelsea emerges from behind a shelf of paints. I didn't even know she was home. She makes her way toward us, weaving between piles of her scattered art supplies. "I'm Chelsea, by the way," She says with a warm smile that's typical of Chelsea.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ashley."
"Nice to meet you too," she turns to me. "I'll get out of your guys' hair in just a second," she says brightly.
Chelsea's true to her word. She cleans her painting stuff up quickly, and is out the door in minutes.
"You're roommate seems nice," Ash muses.
"Yeah, she's great," I agree. "So, I'll go get my camera. I'll be back in a second. Uhm, just find somewhere you want to sit for this, and I'll set up."
She nods, and I hurry to get my equipment. When I come back to the living room, I find her sitting in front of the window. I kinda figured she'd pick there; it's the best part of the apartment.
"This view is breathtaking," she says, still looking out the window. "Is here okay though? Like can we film here or is the lighting off, or….?"she trails off uncertainly.
"No, no, this is good. It's perfect," I flash a white smile in her direction. "So, you ready?"
For the first time, I see a different side of Ashley Davies. She looks…nervous? She bites her lip, which just about drives me wild. No gulps and nods uncertainly.
"Ash? You sure you're alright?" I ask, concerned about her change in behaviour.
"It's silly. I just get nervous in front of cameras."
"I don't get it. How can you sing in front of people and be fine, but not be when you're being filmed?"
"I don't know. I guess it's just that I know I'm a good singer, so I don't have anything to worry about. But when I'm being filmed, it's just me and my personality. And I don't know if that's anything people would like." She looks so vulnerable and broken sitting there. I put the camera down and put my arms around her.
"Hey, hey, hey. Your personality is beautiful. Everyone's gonna love you. I promise."
"I don't know…" she says reluctantly.
"But I do. Why don't we just start off with you playing a song?" I offer, and she smiles gratefully at me.
A/N So I did manage to so this today, but it'll definitely be the last update for a week at the very least.