Chapter 10

Ash

“I don’t know if I can go tonight,” Frank said.

“Are you serious? My ex, who broke my heart and wants me to sign a release so he can bash me on some reality television show, has invited me to his gig to sign the papers, and you can’t find the time in your schedule of couch surfing in my apartment to go with me?”

Frank shrugs. “What? I’m not feeling well.”

“Then take some Tylenol, because you’re going,” I said.

“Come on, Ash. Just tell him to come by after the gig. It’s not that bad.”

“He’s not stepping another foot in this apartment.”

“Fine, but you owe me,” Frank said.

“No. You owe me for me letting you stay here rent and bill free. Now get dressed.”

Frank stared at me as I stomped to my room, and when I turned around, there was a smirk on her face.

“Orgasms changed you girl,” she said. “I’ve never seen you this assertive.”

I grimaced. “Get dressed.”

Jason had left a note with Frank that she’d forgotten to tell me about. He had some gig with a play that his band was doing the music to, and he said he’d have the paperwork there for me to sign. He didn’t ask me to come, really. He just assumed I would since it was convenient for him.

Nice to know he was a changed man, I guess.

I dressed in leggings and a brightly-colored tunic top and slipped my feet into ballet slippers. I pinned up my blue hair that was starting to fade, and I figured I could probably go green. It would be a pretty color that matched my eyes.

I heard Frank stumbling around in the living room, probably trying to find that one crop top shirt she wore everywhere she went. She loved how it fit her boobs and showed off her stomach, and it almost always got her laid wherever she went.

“You’re not bringing anyone back here to screw,” I told her when I saw the shirt.

“Why not?” she exclaimed.

“Because I couldn’t have Mason in my own apartment when you came busting in. That’s why.”

I really didn’t want to sign this release. I didn’t want my private life paraded around on television. But who the hell cared about me? As long as they didn’t show any pictures of me on television or anything, it wasn’t like I was going to see it. I didn’t even own a television, much less watch it. I worked too much at the shop, and when I wasn’t working, I was putting together my jewelry pieces.

I figured if I signed this release, I could get Jason off my back for good and never worry about him knocking on my door again.

When we got to the auditorium, I realized we’d have to sit through the whole play in order to get to Jason. He left a note at the front desk letting me know where his room was backstage, but of course there were no tickets in the envelope. I handed the woman my card to pay for tickets for Frank and myself, praying to god my card wouldn’t be declined. When it wasn’t, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thanks for the ticket,” Frank said.

We took our seats and waited for the play to start. The thing was absolutely abysmal. The wooden seats were uncomfortable, and the play was in a mixture of different languages. I didn’t even know what was going on. There was an Asian character speaking in her own language and an Italian always yelling his lines in his motherland tongue or whatever, and I watched more people have fake sex on stage then I ever had listening in on the porn Frank watched on my couch late at night.

There was some random sword fighting and some off-key songs that were sung, and every once in a while I heard the band in the pit kick in and diddle on their instruments while people shouted in all sorts of languages onstage.

“What’s this supposed to be about again?” Frank murmured.

“Maybe it’s the orgy recreation of the Tower of Babel,” I whispered.

“I think the Italian guy has AIDS or something,” Frank said.

“I thought he had cancer.”

“He’s dying, right?” Frank asked.

“I think so. And he’s dating the French girl?”

“I think it’s the American one.”

“Does it really matter at this point?” I asked.

That was the thing about Frank. She really wasn’t there when you needed her, but when you wanted to have fun and know how she really felt about something, she was there in a heartbeat. And sometimes, what she had to say was incredibly funny, which meant she was really good at delivering expert advice with a spicy twist that left a smile on your face. She could tell you that you had ball cancer and still find a way to make you smile before prepping you for surgery.

I was sure there was something novel about the play, seeing as the auditorium looked sold out, but I didn’t get it. I scanned the crowd to see if anyone was just as confused as I was. When my eyes landed on the chairs in the corner, I saw a familiar face.

Mason.

“Oh, my god,” Frank whispered. “Look, look, look.” She was pointing and jabbing her elbow into my side, and I knew exactly who she was looking at.

“That’s orgasm guy,” she said.

I rolled my eyes. “He’s not a superhero.”

“That’s a terrible superhero name. I’m ashamed of you, Ash.”

“Whatever,” I murmured. I kept flickering my eyes over that way, hoping he would look over and see me, too. But before I lost myself in his profile, Frank jiggled my leg to catch my attention.

“I think I get it now. All of these people onstage are the unprepared understudies and the band forgot their sheet music, so they’re winging it.”

I stifled a laugh, and someone in front of us turned around and shushed us. Frank flicked them off, and I had to slap my hand over my face to keep from laughing. Thankfully the lights rose for what was apparently intermission.

Frank groaned. “Jesus, you mean there’s more? You think there’s alcohol in the lobby?”

“I don’t know, but my ass doesn’t have feeling anymore.”

I looked over and saw Mason getting up, and that was when Frank grabbed my arm and ripped me down the aisle.

“We should definitely go talk to him,” she said.

“Whoa. We are not going anywhere.”

“Oh, come on. What’ve you got to lose? You had a good time, right?”

“Of course I did. But it’s not like he’s going to want to see me after that.”

“And why not?”

“Because,” I squealed.

“Because why?” Frank asked.

“I’d be interested to know the answer to that question, too.”

I spun around on my heels and found myself face to face with the man I couldn’t get off my mind.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hello, Ash.” He smiled. “Frank.”

She nodded. “Nice to meet again.”

“And who do we have here?” A tall man with kind brown eyes and a head full of jet-black hair walked up beside Mason, and Frank’s eyes were instantly drawn to him.

“Hello,” Frank said and held out her hand.

“Ash, Frank, this is my best friend, Winston.”

“Ash! Oh, hello! It’s very nice to meet you.” Winston beamed. He dropped Frank’s hand prematurely and picked mine up, and I smirked at the disappointment on her face when both men’s attention was turned toward me.

“I’ve heard a great deal about you,” Winston said.

“All terrible, I hope.” I winked.

“So, what brings the two of you to this production?” Mason asked.

“Ash’s ex is in the pit band,” Frank blurted out.

“Seriously?” I whispered. I looked back at Mason, whose eyes were locked on mine. My attention was so wrapped up in his stare that I hadn’t realized Winston had gone to get us glasses of wine until he returned.

“For the ladies,” he said.

“Thanks.” Frank smiled.

I tipped the glass up to my face and closed my eyes, downing the glass within seconds. Of course she had to go and say some shit like that. I lowered the glass and swallowed hard one last time. Just as Mason went to take a breath through those luscious lips of his, the lights in the auditorium began to blink.

“Looks like it’s back to the entertainment,” Winston said.

Frank smiled. “Maybe we’ll see you afterward.”

I handed my glass to Winston and thanked him for the wine before avoiding Mason’s gaze and pulling Frank back to our seats. The play started up, and I could feel my eyes rolling so far back into my head that I could gaze at the electrical circuits in my brain.

Then I felt my phone buzz.

“Did the wine take the edge off the awkwardness?” Mason asked.

I looked over at him. His head was cocked toward me, and I looked back at my phone after shoving Frank off my shoulder so she couldn’t read my conversation.

“You should be ashamed of yourself, texting during such an important piece in our country’s history.”

“I wonder if this is how everyone felt watching MLK, Jr., speak,” Mason quipped.

“Maybe more like Richard Simmons.”

A stifled chuckle rose from the crowd, and a big smile crept across my lips. It was nice to talk to him again, but guilt suddenly set in about forgetting him and our conversation earlier in the day.

“I’m sorry for not responding earlier. All of this sort of creeped up on me after work.”

“I figured once Frank blurted it out. Want to talk about it over drinks tonight?”

My gut lurched with happiness, and I did a little tap dance with my feet on the floor. The play, the music, and Frank all faded into the background as I typed my response. I couldn’t seem to send it off quick enough.

But then the reality of the night struck. I had to wait around for Jason after the show to see this paperwork, and I wasn’t sure if Mason would stick around that long and wait for me. So, I backspaced my message and drew in a deep breath.

“Well, I’m sort of stuck with Frank tonight.”

It wasn’t a lie, I supposed. I just didn’t want to talk about Jason with him anymore.

Or at all, really.

“Then bring her along. She seemed to like Winston, and he can handle a girl like Frank.”

I tipped my phone over to Frank for her to read the message, and she couldn’t nod her head quickly enough. She slapped my knee in happiness, and I elbowed her in her rib cage to get her to stop. I shot Mason a message to let him know we had plans then.

“Where would you guys like to meet?” I asked.

“We could take you guys there, if you’d like.”

“Well, we drove, and we can’t keep the car parked here for more than three hours at a time,” I shot back.

We debated over a location, and once we decided, I told him we’d see them there after the show. Assuming it didn’t take too long to see Jason, I’d never even have to tell him why I’d come to the show in the first place. After all, when you were going somewhere with a hot guy, you didn’t talk about your exes. I didn’t know shit about dudes, but I knew that much.

The show ended, and everyone gave a polite clap. When Jason shot up from the pit and took a bow, I just rolled my eyes and groaned.

“He should just blow it out his ass,” Frank said.

“Preach,” I said.

We made our way backstage while everyone else filed out of the doors. When I told the backstage director why we were there, he pointed us to where we were supposed to be. Frank and I waited outside the door for what seemed like ages, and the longer we waited, the angrier I got. Of course I had to see Mason at this, and of course he would invite us to drinks, and of course there was something standing in the way of what I wanted and what someone else wanted from me.

Fuck this shit.

Finally, the door ripped open and Jason loomed over me. He hadn’t bothered to re-dye his grown-out mohawk, and his piercings were sloppily laid into his ears. Looking at him now, I had no idea what had drawn me to him in the first place. When he thrust the agreement into my hands, it ripped me back to reality.

“Here,” he said.

I took the pen from him and slowly began to read the document, but he ripped it from my hands and flipped to the page I was supposed to sign.

“It just says I can talk about the relationship,” he said flatly.

“I don’t want pictures of me on national television is all.”

“The hell would they put pictures of you up?” he asked.

“Well, fuck you, too,” Frank spat.

Hearing him speak made my blood boil, and I couldn’t sign the papers fast enough. He tried to grab them from me, but I turned my body and glared at him. When I took out my phone to take pictures, he asked me what I was doing.

“I’m signing a legal agreement. I’d at least like a picture of it.”

Frank held up the papers while I took pictures of them one by one, and when I was finished, I handed them over to my ex. He yanked the papers from my hand and looked at the signed paper one last time. Then Frank had to open her big-ass mouth again.

“Well, if that’s all, we’re heading out. Got a couple of hot dates for some drinks.” She smiled.

“Whatever. Have fun,” Jason mumbled.

The door shut in our faces, the release gone. Frank and I just stood in the hallway looking like a couple of groupie idiots. Chattering little girls came up and started shoving us out of the way, wanting to meet the people who had “played that incredible music.” It was Frank who jostled my arm and brought me back to reality.

“Come on,” she said. “Let’s go get those drinks.”