She stared at me for a minute and then another smile crept up her face. “Wow. You’re scared.”
Yeah. I was. But I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing that she was right.
“My fearless, independent, I-can-handle-anything big sister is scared.”
“Now you’re just being a D.”
“When’s the last time you…had some between-the-sheets action,” Ashley sang along to the lyrics of the song of the same title by the The Isley Brothers playing through the Bluetooth, “action?”
I took another sip of wine and avoided the question.
“A year?” she guessed.
I kept drinking.
“Two?”
I tilted my head back and finished off the entire glass.
“Three?!”
I set the glass down and wiped my mouth.
“Oh my god! Have you not had sex since Richie?”
My lips pursed and I knew she had her answer.
“Go.” She started pushing me off the couch with her feet. “Go to his house right now.”
“I just took a shower.” I held my hand up to my wet hair as exhibit A.
“Good. That means everything is fresh and ready.” Ashley waved her hand over her lap.
“Shut up.” My grade-school level comeback was all I could think of as my cheeks heated with embarrassment.
“Whoa! I’ve never seen you blush!” Ashley pointed her finger at me.
“Stop,” I repeated.
“You were just saying before you got in the shower that you didn’t get a chance to properly thank him for today, now’s your chance.”
“How do you make everything sound so dirty?”
“It’s a gift,” she beamed proudly. “Now, go. The princess is asleep. I have wine and Pacey.” She motioned down to her laptop which was paused on a young Joshua Jackson. “Go over and thank Mr. Hank.”
“Don’t call him that.” I stood, and I wasn’t sure if it was the wine giving me liquid courage, or what but suddenly Ashley’s plan sounded like a very good idea. “I’m just going to tell him thank you.”
She just smiled and nodded. “Yeah ya are. You’re gonna thank the hell out of him.”
I bit my lip and caught my reflection in the back door. I was wearing cut-off sweats and an oversized T-shirt. “Should I change?”
“Are you wearing a bra?” Ashley asked.
I shook my head no.
“Then no. Don’t change. You’re perfect!” She put her earbuds in and started playing the show on her laptop.
I thought about going and changing, but feared if I did, I’d lose my nerve. All I was doing was going over to tell Hank thank you.
Yep,I thought as I slipped my flip-flops on. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.