Chapter 14
Ash
He knew that Audrey was on her way to the party.
He also knew that Mason had been charged with going upstairs to get her.
There was no way for Ash to take a break.
He had worked this gig for his cousin before, and he knew the parameters.
It wasn't just any party gig. Ash was playing guitar and doing vocals with a drummer and bass player that his cousin wanted him to use.
They were jazz guys from the university.
Ash had played this gig with them before, and they got along fine.
The gig was two full hours, from ten to midnight, and they were to play non-stop.
They were always set up in the basement, and a lot of the party guests congregated down there.
Ash didn't play much jazz, but he had been working on his skills in the last few years since he had been playing this gig. The first one had been an eye-opening experience, and he had put more effort into it since then.
The music demanded his attention, and he had no time to go meet Audrey when she arrived.
The basement had a wall of windows that opened up to a sprawling patio on the backside of their house.
The fireworks would happen at midnight, and they would be clearly visible from the small platform where Ash and the band were set up.
There were a lot of people in the basement and on the patio, and there was a lot to look at, but Ash spotted Audrey the minute she came down the stairs.
She was wearing a black dress. She told him she would be. She had her hair pinned back, with pieces of it coming down around her face. She knew how to style her hair and how to look beautiful and carefree while also being put together.
She seemed real compared to all these other women. Ash saw a different side of women when he performed on stage. The women at this party were especially forward. Maybe it was because they had money and they thought he was impressed by that.
Either way, Audrey was not the same as the others.
Things were real between them. She was the type of girl he wanted to build a life with, and he didn't have patience for games and secretive flirting from married women.
He felt awkward just thinking about it. But there she was.
Audrey, standing there like a vision. Mason was next to her, smiling and dressed in a suit.
Ash stayed focused on the music, but he was keenly aware of Audrey.
She had only been in the room for a minute when someone crossed over to the place where she was standing with Mason.
He was aware of her introducing the guy to his brother.
Audrey was standing there talking to two young men, and Ash was stuck behind a microphone, having to concentrate and pretend that none of this bothered him.
She was too desirable.
Maybe she was too beautiful for him.
Maybe he needed someone he would be less jealous of.
Ash played and sang, and Audrey kept talking to the guys.
It was her, looking gorgeous and bold in black, and two men, one on each side, all laughing and conversing.
Others came up to talk to them as well, but all he could see was Audrey with a man on either side of her.
They were far enough from Ash and the band that it shouldn’t have been a distraction.
About half of the crowd was watching the band, and the other half, especially the ones further on the patio, were talking amongst themselves.
Ash made eye contact with Audrey while the bassist was soloing, and she smiled at him. He could tell she was happy that he looked her way. Ash was totally smitten. How was he going to be away from her for all of February? How was he going to miss Chicago? He felt terrible about it.
They were taking things so slowly that this month-long break made him feel like he would lose too much traction with her.
He felt like he might lose her, period. She was like a cloud—impossible to take hold of.
Ash concentrated on playing and tried to be oblivious to Audrey's interactions in the room.
She had been forewarned that he wouldn't be able to talk to her until after he sang Auld Lang Syne at midnight.
That song was a big part of the evening.
All of the party guests made their way to the basement and patio, and before long, the room was jam-packed, and Audrey was on the other side of about a hundred people.
He could see her, and he knew that she would soon be swept away in the tradition that took place at the stroke of midnight.
There was a drumroll, and Ash led the countdown.
Mason kissed a girl who was standing by and volunteered herself. This left Audrey standing next to the guy she knew, and he watched as they smiled and awkwardly half-hugged each other. She glanced at Ash after that. He was still busy on stage, but he made eye contact with her.
He performed the famous New Year's song, but it only took a couple of minutes.
The crowd knew what to do, and there was no way Audrey could avoid it.
After everyone had kissed their respective dates, they all fell into the pattern of crossed-arm handshaking in small circles of anywhere from four to ten people.
Audrey was in one of the bigger circles, and she smiled and went along with the tradition while Ash sang the whole song.
They always played at a pace that people seemed to enjoy.
But this year, it was difficult for Ash not to rush through it.
The fireworks were going off, and he was too far away from the beautiful princess on the other side of the room.
They finished the song, and everyone cheered while bigger and better fireworks started. Ash was finished for the night. He was aching to get close to Audrey. How was she not next to him already? Music was cued to come through the speakers just after he finished his song.
Everyone continued with the cheering and talking as the fireworks continued.
Some people were watching, some were talking, but it all seemed like a blur to Ash because he could not get his guitar off fast enough.
He turned and took it off. He looked at his fellow musicians, and in one sentence, he told them it had been a pleasure playing with them and excused himself.
He left his guitar where it was and headed to the place where he knew she was standing.
Audrey had seen that he was finished, and she headed his way.
They caught up with each other in the middle of the basement.
She went into his arms for a hug. Her arms were cool to the touch, and her skin was soft and smooth.
Her back was warm. He could feel it through the fabric of her dress.
He loved her dress, and most of all, he loved having her in his arms. She pulled back and smiled up at him as she broke away.
"I want to kiss you," he said quietly, staring at her.
"I know, me too, but everyone's looking at us."
It was the truth. Ash could feel the stares.
He had been on the mic for two hours, and some of the attention in the room had stayed on him when he left the stage.
He found himself standing in front of her instead of holding her, and he couldn’t reach out and make it happen because there were so many eyes on them.
Music was playing, and there was romance in the air, though. It would have been easy to throw caution to the wind and kiss her passionately, but he knew he had to be reserved. He was going as slow as she needed to go.
"You found someone you knew," he said, trying his best not to be jealous.
She smiled. And gave him a regretful shrug. "One of Kai's friends," she said honestly. "I guess his parents live next door."
"His parents are the Culbertsons?"
She shook her head. "His last name is Faulk."
"Oh, yeah, I know that guy. I didn't know that was him."
"He looks a lot different than he used to," she said, nodding. She turned and looked up to the sky, pointing. "Hey, happy New Year," she said, gazing at the fireworks.
"Happy New Year," Ash replied.
He stared at the side of her face for a second, and he just couldn’t resist holding her.
He came to stand behind Audrey, looking as natural and casual as possible.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, letting her lean against him as they looked out at the fireworks.
He knew they would be able to see them more clearly from the patio, so he walked forward with her in his arms, causing her to laugh.
"Hey, good job," someone said to Ash, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Thank you!"
It was a lady, and she wanted to talk. She had heard about his movie role through a short chain of people that originated with Ash's mom. She said how she always knew he would be a big star.
Someone else used the opening to talk to Ash as well.
The second person wanted to talk about his music.
They complimented him on the set and said he was getting better at jazz every year.
Ash had talked jazz with the guy in years past, so it didn't surprise him to see that guy or have that conversation.
They had a back and forth, and Ash had stepped away from Audrey to shake his hand, but he never left her side.
He kept his hand lightly on the back of her arm while he spoke to other people.
She didn't pull away from him. She left her arm right where it was, right at the tips of his fingers. She would only have to shift to break the contact, but she didn’t.
He talked to four different people. They were his family and friends, and he knew there would be a lot of small talk to be made.
He knew a lot of people at the party, and he had been unable to talk to any of them in the last two hours.
All of them wanted to congratulate him on how good he sounded, and it was nice touching base with them all, but he was antsy to get alone with his lady.
He had missed a New Year's kiss with her, and that was a matter that needed to be resolved.
He introduced her to two of the people who came up, but the rest of them, he kept the conversation so brief that there were no introductions.
After what must've been six different encounters, he turned to Audrey, pulling her closer to him with a light grasp on her side.
She smelled like flowers and fruit, and her skin was so soft and velvety that he felt like he might die if he didn't get a minute alone with her.
"Can you come with me for a minute?" he said.
"Yeah, where to? Where are we going?"
Ash didn't answer. He just pulled her. He waved at someone from far off, but he didn't make a detour.
He knew where he was going. It was a laundry room in the basement that no one really knew about.
They didn't even make it that far. There was no one following them, and he stopped as soon as they rounded the corner and found themselves in a private hallway.
Ash pulled her into his arms. He leaned against the wall and pulled Audrey close, holding onto her.
"You're beautiful. I love this dress. I'm…
I… Happy New Year, Audrey. I didn't kiss you when it turned midnight, so just for the sake of it being New Year's and everything…
can I kiss you right now?" His hands were wrapped around her precious, delicate face, and she was leaning into him and looking at him in such a way that they both knew the answer.
"Yes," she said, urging him impatiently.
This made him smile. He was smiling when he kissed her, but his mouth quickly softened, and so did hers.
She leaned up, solidifying the contact, and Ash felt like he could just die.
He thought she wasn't coming at all, and then he had to watch her from across the room for the last hour while she conversed with other people.
He kissed her deeply, claiming her, covering her, holding her close.
She let out a little moan, which only encouraged him.
A few passionate heartbeats passed where they shared that close, intimate contact. He was aching with need, but he handled her with great care and a delicate touch that had her clinging to him.
"Happy New Year," she said with a smile when he finally pulled back. She was breathing heavily. Her body had been molded to his, and when he broke the kiss, she straightened and stepped back.
Ash put his hand on her back, pulling her near again. "Happy New Year," he replied. "I'm happy you're here with me."
"Me too." She smiled shyly and glanced downward. "You were so good tonight. I've never heard you play like that."
"I knew you hadn't. It's different from my band. I was wondering what you'd think."
"It was amazing. I loved it. We've talked about jazz. I told you I like it. You never told me you could play like that."
"I've been practicing," he said. "I'm trying to show off for someone."
"It's working. I’m not sure who you're trying to impress, but it worked on me."
"Good," he said, smiling at her. "You're not the person I'm trying to impress, but I'm glad you liked it, too."
She made a disgruntled face, and he smiled and squeezed her in such a way that she knew he was joking. "Is Lu good with your friend tonight? Is she happy there?"
She nodded and smiled at him—a thoughtful smile. "She is happy there. She loves Carly, and Carly has a dog. Lu gives him spa treatments."
"That sounds like it could go either way for the dog," he said, smiling.
She laughed. "Jimmy loves it," she said.
They were quiet for a few seconds, and then Ash tilted his head forward like he was listening for something. "We missed the fireworks," he said quietly to her.
She smiled and squinted. "Did we, though?"
There was nothing he could do but kiss her again. He was trying to take things slow with her, but it was difficult. One minute, she was being adorable, and the next, his mouth was on hers again.
They were in that hallway for a few more minutes—up until they heard someone coming and had to break apart.