Chapter 13
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
Ker
He kissed me! I guess that means this was probably a date, right? Oh my God, why am so I fixated on the word ‘date’? Ker smiled to himself.
After thinking about it for a moment, Ker decided it was because he’d never really dated anyone. He’d had a fair number of hookups, and any time he had seen someone more than a couple of times, they’d both agreed to keep it casual, so it had never felt like a real relationship. But somehow, this felt different. Ash was someone special, and Ker was determined to do anything and everything he could to make this work.
Tonight was so much better than he could have expected. It was always great spending time with Ash, but there was something extra about tonight. Meeting Finn and Clay certainly factored into that. They were both very nice, and Ker decided he wanted to know them better.
And then the kiss goodnight—wow! Sure, he’d been thinking about kissing Ash for a while, but he had been afraid to initiate anything. Thank God Ash wasn’t as shy as he was.
He grabbed his phone and typed a quick text to Ash.
I’m home safe and sound. Thanks again for a wonderful evening. Hope we can do it again soon.
That wasn’t creepy, was it? Before he could change his mind, he hit the Send button.
There was no response at first, and Ker of course began to second-guess himself. But he kissed me, so he had to want to do it, right?
Before he had a chance to overthink it too much, his phone dinged. A message from Ash.
Thanks for letting me know UR home. I enjoyed tonight with you too. And we’ll definitely do it again. Sleep well.
And with that, Ker got ready for bed. He fell asleep with a smile on his face and with thoughts of Ash and his extremely soft lips.
It was unseasonably warm as Ker strolled down the street, heading to A Helping Hand—some might call it a second summer, with bright sunshine beating down and almost no breeze. Ker didn’t care what you called it; he enjoyed the warmth on his face as he walked. He was in a very good mood that had carried over from the previous evening. And the weather was certainly helping. Anxious to see Ash again this morning, he picked up his pace a bit.
As he approached the center’s parking lot, he skidded to a stop, shocked but happy to see Ash leaning against his vehicle, sipping from a take-out cup.
“Good morning, Ker,” he said, a bright smile lighting up his face. “I was pretty sure I saw you walking down the street when I pulled in, so I figured I’d wait and say hello to you.”
“Hi, Ash,” Ker replied. He smiled back. “How are you doing this fine day?”
“Better, now that you’re here.” He tossed his cup into the trash bin near the door, and they entered together.
The kitchen was bustling with activity. Joyce saw them come in and grinned. “I’m so glad you’re both here. Ker, can you get started on those dishes, and Ash, please help Dean chop some ingredients for a salad? We got a donation of baked ziti in meat sauce from a local restaurant, so we’ll serve that with the salad today.” Orders given, she scurried out of the kitchen. The guys washed up, donned a pair of aprons, and got to work.
They moved from job to job as their morning progressed, washing, prepping, serving, and washing again. They said their goodbyes to the other workers and some of the regulars who were there for lunch and then stepped out to the parking lot.
“Do you have any plans for this afternoon?” Ash asked.
“No. Just heading home. Figured I’d watch a movie,” Ker answered. Did Ash have something else in mind?
“Whew,” Ash sounded relieved. “I was hoping you didn’t have anything important to do. Wanna go for a ride?”
“A ride? Sure.” Anything to spend more time with you.
“Excellent. Get in.” Ash pointed to his SUV.
Once they were buckled in, Ash turned to Ker. “Do you need to stop at home for anything? We’ll probably be gone for a few hours.”
“No, I’m good. I’m getting the impression you have somewhere specific in mind for this little adventure,” Ker added as Ash pulled out of the lot.
“Oh yeah. Do you want me to tell you, or would you like to be surprised?” Ash turned and grinned.
“Oh, it’s definitely more fun to be surprised.” Ker suspected that Ash would like it better if he could surprise him, and that was fine with Ker, so he’d gladly play along.
Ash turned onto Summer Street and headed out of town. When he got onto Route 495 and then Route 95, Ker’s interest piqued even more, and he almost said something. But rather than spoil the surprise, he just fiddled with the radio and chose some light rock.
“Is this okay?” he asked, not really knowing Ash’s musical tastes.
“Sure. I’ll listen to almost anything. Mom taught all us boys to have an appreciation of all kinds of music when we were growing up.”
When they reached New Bedford, Ash exited onto Route 140 and said, “Just a few more minutes.”
Ker was still unsure as to where they were headed, so he said, “Other than the fact that I know we’re in New Bedford, I’m completely baffled.”
“I’ll give you a hint in the form of a question if you want. Actually, it’s something I should have asked you earlier,” Ash admitted.
“Okay.”
“How do you feel about animals?” Ash asked.
“Animals?” Ker was confused. “You mean like cats and dogs? I like them both, but I’m probably more of a dog person.”
“What about elephants or horses, or say cougars and owls?”
“That’s an interesting assortment, but yeah, I like all kinds of animals, I guess.” As Ker thought about it, he had an idea. “Wait, is there a zoo here? Are we going to a zoo?” Excitement colored his words.
“Yeah, we are,” Ash said. “Specifically, the Buttonwood Park Zoo. I’m guessing you’ve not been here before.”
“No, I haven’t. Now that I think about it, I have heard about it, though. Have you been before?”
“Yeah. I remember coming here as a kid once or twice, but then I came back a couple of years ago and was really impressed by how much it’s changed. They’ve turned it into a really nice place.”
Ash turned into the parking lot and found a spot. “You don’t think this is silly, do you? I mean, I know it’s mostly for kids and families, but I like animals and thought this would be a nice place to visit.”
“I don’t think it’s silly at all. I’m really looking forward to seeing it all with you.”
They had walked around for close to two hours, visiting the different enclosures and habitats for the various animals. Ker even managed to snap a few photos of Ash being silly, like trying to climb into the field where the American bison were roaming.
As they made their way back toward the exit and parking lot, Ash asked, “So what was your favorite?”
“Hmmm, the elephant, I think. They always seem so majestic and intelligent. Although the red panda was pretty cute too.”
“Yeah, I like the red panda too,” Ash agreed. “Not to change the subject, but are you hungry?”
“I could eat. I know we had a little of the ziti before we left A Helping Hand, but that was a few hours ago now.”
“Well, then, I’m glad I planned ahead,” Ash said as they reached his vehicle. He opened the rear hatch and pulled out a large, insulated bag and a smaller tote with a folded blanket sticking out. They walked to a small grassy area just beyond some basketball courts, and Ash put down the insulated bag and spread out the blanket. “I thought a picnic might be nice since the weather was cooperating.”
“What if it had been colder today?” Ker asked.
“I figured I would drive down to the beach, which is about ten minutes away, and we could eat in the car while we watched the waves.”
“Wow, you really did plan this all out!” Ker was impressed. “And the water would have been nice too. I love the sound of the waves.”
“We can certainly swing by the beach on our way outta town,” Ash told him. “Now sit and eat.”
Ker helped Ash pull out a few different containers of food from the bag. “Tell me you didn’t make all this before coming to the community kitchen this morning. I mean, I know you have mad kitchen skills, but this is a lot.”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t. I simply called my brother Mitch and told him what I wanted. It’s really convenient to have a family member who owns a gourmet food shop. I was able to pick it all up this morning on my way to Plymouth.”
“Wow, that is convenient.”
“So let’s see, we have an Italian grinder, chicken salad on a torpedo roll, some potato salad and coleslaw, a couple of bottles of water, and some lemon bars for dessert,” Ash said, pointing out the various items. Handing Ker a plate and some plastic cutlery, he asked, “Which sandwich would you like?”
Ker thought for a minute and then said, “I like them both, so I can’t decide. I think we probably need to share.”
“Perfect!” Ash exclaimed. “I was secretly hoping you’d say that.”
They made small talk while they ate, watching some guys toss a Frisbee around and seeing a couple walking a dog off in the distance. The day had turned out so much better than Ker could have imagined.
Before they packed up to leave, Ker leaned over and kissed Ash gently on the lips. “Thanks for a wonderful day.”
“You’re welcome,” Ash replied with a smile, “but it’s not over yet.”