Chapter 18
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
Ash
Ash woke, excited to get going. After spending a few hours working at A Helping Hand, he’d get to spend the rest of the day with Ker. He bounded out of bed, quickly showered, then headed downstairs to fix himself coffee and a simple breakfast of oatmeal with fresh strawberries.
As he ate, he scanned his emails on his iPad, trashing the never-ending slew of junk mail he received. He noticed a new one from the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Boston. In January they were showing The Lord of the Rings movies back-to-back on a Saturday along with some behind-the-scenes features—over eleven hours of Tolkien magic. He knew that Ker was just as much of a fan as he was. Would he want to go with me? I’ll need to remember to ask him this afternoon.
The short ride to Plymouth was uneventful, and as he pulled into the parking lot, Ker walked up to his car.
“Hey,” he said, kissing Ash lightly. “How are you today?”
“Better now that I’m here with you.” Ash smiled.
In the kitchen they worked like a well-oiled machine. The steady group that volunteered was used to each other now, and everything went smoothly with prep, serving, and cleanup. They were finished by one thirty, and as he donned his jacket, Ash said to Ker, “Whaddya want to do today?”
“I dunno. We could just hang out. I don’t want you to think we have to do something special all the time. It’s nice just to hang out with you.”
“Okay, then, how about this? When we had dinner on Thursday, I had also suggested beef stew, remember? Well, I checked, and there’s only one container left in my freezer, so I could make a batch and show you how I do it. That way you get a lesson, and I get to replenish my supply.”
“That would be great. I love beef stew, but it seemed too intimidating to try and make it myself,” Ker replied.
“Well, I’ve got a secret that makes it really easy. I use my Instant Pot. In fact, it’s so fast and easy, we’ll have time to make a double batch, so there’ll be plenty for dinner tonight too.”
As they got in Ash’s vehicle, he added, “Would you be interested in spending the night? I can swing by your place so you can pick up a change of clothes if you want.”
“You always have the best ideas,” Ker said with a smile. “Yeah, let’s do this.”
The first batch of stew had cooled and been packed up in individual serving containers while the second batch was cooking. They had cleaned up Ash’s kitchen and were now sitting in the family room to relax for a little while.
“Earlier today I got an email from a movie theater in Boston that does a lot of special events, and they’re showing the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy in mid-January,” Ash said. “I was wondering if you’d be interested in going with me? It’s an all- day thing, so it would be best if we stayed over if that’s okay. I have lots of points with Marriott, and there’s one right around the corner from the theater.” Ash was rambling, and he knew it but couldn’t seem to stop himself.
“Um, that does sound like fun, and an overnight at a hotel? That would be wonderful.” Ker’s shoulders bounced, and his voice trembled with excitement. “But when is it exactly? Would I need to take time off work?”
“No, it’s on a Saturday. Like I said, in the middle of January.”
“What about A Helping Hand? I don’t feel comfortable leaving Joyce high and dry.”
“That’s a valid point,” Ash conceded. “How about if I talk to her and see if she can get coverage for us? It’s still about a month away, so hopefully that’s enough time for her to find someone.”
“Okay, if she’s got coverage, then yeah, I’d love to go.”
“Excellent. After I confirm with Joyce, I’ll get the tickets and make a reservation at the hotel. I’m thinking we can head up there Friday night after work and come home Sunday morning. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, that should work,” replied Ker. “The movies were on a couple of weeks ago, but they ran overnight. I started watching the first one but just couldn’t keep my eyes open. It’s been a while since I saw them all back-to-back.”
“Me too. I think we’ll have a great time. Since the movies are long, they’ll do intermissions so that folks can take restroom breaks and get refreshments. I’ve gone up there before for different events, and I’ve always had fun.”
Just then, the Instant Pot beeped, and Ash announced, “Sounds like this batch of stew is ready. Let’s eat. Then we can pack up whatever’s left, and you can take some home.”
Bright sunlight streamed in the bedroom windows. That and a full bladder woke Ash from a restful sleep. He smiled, feeling Ker’s arms wrapped around him like a blanket. After they had eaten last night, he had managed to convince Ker to accompany him to his mom’s for dinner today. Since he had already agreed to stay over, Ash told him it only made sense for them to spend the day together.
At first Ker was hesitant, not wanting to intrude on Ash’s family day, but Ash had shown him a text he’d received from Muriel earlier in the week, expressing how nice it had been to meet Ker and how she hoped he would come to dinner again soon.
He slowly extracted himself from Ker’s arms, trying hard not to wake him, and padded to the bathroom to take care of business. By the time he returned, Ker was peering out at him through sleepy, half-opened eyelids.
“Hey,” he said in way of a greeting, his voice still hoarse from sleep.
“Hey, yourself, sweetheart,” Ash replied, snuggling into Ker’s warm chest. “Are you gonna sleep some more, or do you want to get up and have some breakfast?”
“Probably not gonna sleep.” Ker yawned. “But let’s just stay here and snuggle a bit.” He dragged his foot along one of Ash’s legs.
“Hmmm, something tells me you want to do more than snuggle.” Ash kissed him gently.
That kiss led to another, then another, and before he knew it, almost an hour had passed before they finally got up.