I tried my hardest to act normal as Ash walked me home; I didn't want to keep staring at him like a crazy person. So, I looked out of the corner of my eye and tried not to turn my head too much.

His thin gray sweater was pulled tight over his strong square shoulders, and his arm was like a rock under my hand. Every part of him made my heart beat faster.

This wasn't how I was expecting my night to go. Those idiots calling me a bitch, yeah, I could have seen that coming, but walking home with the hot new guy was unexpected.

I was studying him, trying to find a flaw. Everyone had at least one, right? But, his body was just as perfect as his face; it was a little intimidating.

I needed to quit staring before he noticed. Opening my mouth to speak, I glanced up at his face, and my words caught in my throat.

He was looking right at me. Holy crap on a cracker! Was he watching me check him out?

He smirked at the panic on my face, "What do you think?"

Embarrassment rushed through me; I moved my eyes to the sidewalk in front of us with a nervous giggle, "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare."

He chuckled, "Don't be sorry. There's no need to be embarrassed either. I was doing the same thing. I just didn't get caught."

My eyes widened as I looked back at his face, and he smiled. He leaned closer to speak, "It wasn't really fair. My height gave me an advantage. If you were any taller, I might have been caught."

I had no idea how to respond to that. Thankfully, I didn't have to because he was still talking, "Your hair looks lovely like this."

The butterflies in my stomach were rioting. "Oh, thanks, I never know what to do with it." I had the absurd urge to twirl my hair, but I managed to control myself.

He reached over, taking one of the curls between his fingers, and gently dragged his hand down to straighten it. When he let go, it sprung back into shape, and he smiled. It was the strangest feeling; my hair seemed to be directly connected to every nerve in my body.

"You have two very good friends."

His sudden topic change threw me for a second. "Yes, I definitely do."

"It's nice the way you look out for each other." He shook his head and chuckled, "I would have said something to that boy, but Clara didn't give me a chance; and when I saw you standing up for your friend at school, I was surprised that you care so much."

His words instantly got my guard up, and my eyebrows pulled down, "Of course I care. Why were you surprised?"

He seemed taken aback by my reaction, "Please don't be mad. I didn't mean that as a judgment on either of you. I like your friends. They seem like good people."

I watched him for a second, and he seemed sincere, "They are. Sorry, I got a little defensive. It's just that Mark's like a brother to me, and the last year has been really hard on him."

"Then he's lucky to have you. Loyalty is hard to come by."

"Yeah, I think that's why the three of us are so close. We've always looked out for one another since we were little. What about you? Do you miss your friends since you moved here?"

"Not really." He looked immersed in his thoughts and spoke more seriously than I expected, "There are a few who I would like to see, but none so close as you and your friends." He shook his head and seemed to deliberately lighten his tone, "So what do you do for fun around here?"

"There's a movie theater, or I spend a lot of time at the park. We all like live music, so Coffee House is the place we go to most often. That was the first time we've seen your friend. She was terrific."

"Yes, she has a good voice. It's her gift," his eyes widened, and he glanced at me quickly, like he'd said something wrong.

Clara's attitude earlier must have made him think he shouldn't say anything nice about her, which was silly. "It is a gift. She's definitely the best they've ever had there."

He smiled at me with relief, which just made me feel bad. "Sorry about Clara. Whatever she's thinking always goes right from her brain to her mouth. She has no filter."

Laughing, he said, "Actually, I like that about her. You don't have to wonder what's on her mind. If she's angry, you know why very quickly." He said that like it was a good thing, and I guess it was.

We walked for a couple of minutes in comfortable silence. My heart rate calmed down; now, there was just a pleasant tingle in my stomach, letting me know that the butterflies were ready to jump back into action at the slightest provocation.

"So, do you have plans for the weekend?" he asked, causing a flutter in me.

Did he want to see me again, or was he making conversation?

"I won't be doing much. I'm a dog walker for a few people, so I have dogs to walk tomorrow morning and evening. Clara wants me to go with her in the morning for a hike that will take a couple of hours, but that's pretty much it."

"So after your morning dog walking, you're going on a hike, and then you'll do your evening dog walking?"

"Huh, yeah. When you say it all together like that, it sounds like I'll be walking all day tomorrow. I like being outside, though, and Clara's really excited about this hike."

"I prefer to spend my time outside as well," he beamed. "It surprises me that Clara feels that way though, she doesn't really seem like the outdoor type."

I laughed, "She is unquestionably an indoor girl. If she's going to sweat, she would prefer it to be in a gym, followed closely by a shower."

Ash nodded as though that fit better with the picture he had of Clara.

"This hike is different, though. It's more of a fun exercise class. She's gone twice already and loved it, so she talked me into going with her. Apparently, the guy that leads the class is the reason for going. She said it was a great work out, but he's so much fun the time flies by."

Ash gave me a huge grin, "I've heard of that; I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself. You have to let me know what you think." Looking around, he asked, "Are we much farther from your home now?"

"No, it's just a little way up the road." I thought we were having a good time, was he in a hurry? I tried not to let the disappointment show on my face. "If you need to get going, I'll be fine. It's really not much farther."

"Get going?" He looked bewildered, "You mean to leave you?" At my nod, he continued, "Of course not. I'm enjoying our conversation. If you're not in a hurry to get home, I thought maybe we could sit there for a while?" He pointed at the playground we were about to pass.

Grinning as we turned toward the playset, I said, "I have plenty of time. Do you want to go down the slide or across the monkey bars?"

"I thought we could sit on the swings," he smiled as he reached down to take my hand and playfully bumped his shoulder into mine.

My heart did a little flip as I realized Clara was right! He did like me, like me!

He released my hand as we reached the swings so we could both take our seats. I was surprisingly relieved. I was really enjoying the hand holding and the nervous feeling that came with it, but I need a second to think.

I pushed back with my feet as far as the swing would allow and then lifted them. Swinging forward, I was pleased with the little breeze the movement created on my skin.

"I haven't done this in years. I loved to swing when I was little; it was my favorite."

Ash just smiled, watching me as I started to swing higher, relaxing into the familiar rise and fall. I let my mind wander. I hadn't had a crush on anyone since middle school when Andy James got a puppy.

OK, fine. That might've been more about the puppy than Andy. Sure, I'd been on a few dates, but I'd never felt this constant buzzing excitement around any of them.

What was so different about Ash? I mean, obviously his looks, but I'd never cared much about that before. Was Clara rubbing off on me? No, I didn't think that was it. He was gorgeous, but he was also caring, and he seemed like a sweet person.

Looking over to the swing next to me, I realized it was empty. I didn't have to look far to find Ash. While I was busy in my own world, he'd made himself comfortable on the grass next to the swings.

I relaxed my legs and came to a stop. He was lying there looking up into the tree limbs above him.

"Having fun?" I asked.

He turned his face toward me with a little smile, "Yes, I am. This is all I need, a peaceful night to spend outside, in beautiful company."

I felt myself blush. Thankfully, it was too dark for him to notice this far from the street lights. I stood up and went to sit next to him on the grass, leaning against the swing set's wooden side. "Tell me something else about you."

"What would you like to know?"

"I don't know anything. Tell me about your family. Where are you from? Why did you have to move here?"

He smiled at my rapid-fire questions, "Well, I didn't have to move here; I wanted to. I suppose I just needed a change, and I happen to have someone here that was willing to let me live with her."

"So you didn't move here with your parents?"

Ash closed his eyes, "My parents died when I was small; a friend of theirs raised me." He sounded so sad; my heart broke for him. I rested my hand on his arm.

His eyes snapped open, and he looked right into mine. The sadness was gone, replaced by wonderment. Even in the dim lighting, his eyes seemed to glow; the green was so bright. It must have been the way the street light was shining on them, but it felt so strange; I didn't want to look away.

"It's alright," he spoke softly, "it was a long time ago."

His words snapped me out of my trance, and I had no idea how long we'd been sitting like that. Only seconds? Or was it minutes?

When I didn't respond right away, Ash sat up, crossing his legs, his arm moving from my hand. He was closer now, though, and still staring into my eyes.

I gave my head a little shake to clear it. "That must have been so hard for you. I'm sorry. I don't know what I would do without my mom. My dad died before I was born, I never knew him, and she never talks about him; I think it's just too hard for her."

Ash gave me a little nod, "So we've both had losses. But you have your mother and your friends, and I have a few people too. I have Fawn, who I came here to live with. She's someone I hope to emulate. It's refreshing to spend time around a heart as kind as hers."

Sometimes Ash said things that sounded too old for him. I mean, who says things like that? But he's been through a lot; I guess he had to grow up fast.

"That's nice. I'm glad you have someone you like to live with here. Is it just the two of you?"

He shook his head, "No, there are four of us in the house now. Me, Fawn, my friend that moved here with me, and Dahlia."

"You live with Dahlia?" I tried to keep my mouth from falling open, but geez Louise! How was that not mentioned earlier?

At my reaction, he let out a little laugh, "That sounds much more intimate than it is. It's a big house, I'm gone most of the day, and she spends most of her time in her room. Tonight was the first time I've spoken to her in days."

My eyebrows came down, "That must be a massive house. I mean, even if I wanted to avoid Mom or Mark, that couldn't last long at our place. Well, maybe with Mom, but that's because she works a lot of crazy hours, there's no way I could avoid Mark. He's not really one to be ignored."

"I didn't know Mark lived with you. Where's his family?"

I shook my head in disgust, "His parents live less than 10 minutes from us. They kicked him out when he told them he's gay, so he moved in with Mom and me."

He looked confused, "I don't understand. How would that affect the family? Was he promised to a female who would benefit them?"

I cracked up, "Right? But, a lot of people here think there are only two ways to live, their way or the wrong way."

He sat quietly for a minute before saying, "What a sad view to have. To me, our differences are what make life interesting and beautiful."

I smiled, "Thanks for your help back there; Clara would have been livid if Toby had messed up her shirt. Now, they're probably going to give you a hard time, too, though."

He laughed, "That's alright. I'm not worried about them." Standing, he reached a hand down to help me up, "It's getting late. I better get you home. Isn't Clara waiting for a call?" He gave me a little smirk.

I put my hand in his, and he pulled me easily to my feet. We walked down the hill away from the park without him releasing my hand, and I was glad.

Being with him was still causing a nervous excitement in me, but I wasn't questioning my feelings anymore after talking for so long. I definitely liked what I knew about him so far, inside and out.

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