She starts laughing her ass off and the tension I’m feeling eases up a bit.
Why was I so worried?
She’s my best friend and would never do something to intentionally hurt me. Her laugh has always been contagious, so I soon find myself laughing right along with her. Then I come up with a brilliant idea.
“Mom, why don’t we stop at the pub for dinner. Flynn’s working tonight and you both can meet him. Plus they have amazing burgers.”
“I’ll drop you two off there. I’m pretty tired and have an early meeting in the morning.”
Mom has been killing herself with work these days. She’s avoiding reality by putting her all into work. She’s up and gone before I wake up every morning. Even though we spend our evenings together, she is still putting in ridiculously long days by going in so early.
This divorce is starting to get to her. She’s lost weight that she didn’t have to lose and her face is sunken in. I swear she’s aged ten years since we got here. Every night she cries herself to sleep, but she doesn’t know that I can hear her.
As twisted as it sounds, it gives me hope for the future. Hope that she’ll want to get the family back together if she becomes miserable enough.
“You get some rest, Mom, and I promise we won’t stay out too late. Just a quick bite and then we’ll be home.”
“I trust you, Ashtyn. Don’t worry about rushing home but try not to stay out too late. I’m your mom and still worry.”
I lean over and give her a hug before jumping out of the car. As we make our way into the pub and find a table, the familiar chords of a song surround me. We aren’t sitting for very long before Chloe spots Flynn.
“Oooh, check out the hottie up on stage. And he has a guitar, totally my type. Hey, Ashtyn, take a look at him.”
She doesn’t even have to tell me. I’m already transfixed. Flynn’s voice washes over me as he sings.
Flynn and the hottie are one in the same.
He finishes up “Sugar, We’re Going Down” by Fall Out Boy. I hear the familiar start to “Good Riddance” by Green Day, and Flynn’s voice floats through the pub. My whole body melts into a puddle. I’m glad I chose for us to come here because it’s been horrible not being able to see each other. As he hits his last note, Flynn’s eyes lock right onto mine, and he gets the biggest smile.
“OMG, Ashtyn, super-hot band guy is looking right at us and coming this way.”
He is in fact heading toward our table. I get up and meet him halfway. He grabs me into a hug before planting a very passionate kiss on my mouth. The electricity that moves between our mouths is insane, and I release a small moan, forgetting where we are.
Grinning like an idiot, he leans back and says, “I missed you this week. Texting and talking on the phone don’t come close to being able to hold you in my arms.”
How did I get so lucky to find a guy like Flynn? I give him a quick peck back as I swoon a little inside.
“I missed you too. I didn’t plan this, it just sort of happened. I hope you’re okay with meeting Chloe because I’m pretty sure she’d be pissed if I don’t walk you over to the table after that display.”
Smiling down at me he replies, “Then let’s go.”
I say, “Hey, Chlo, this is Flynn. Flynn, this is my best friend, Chloe.”
Chloe is sitting there with her mouth hanging wide open, completely speechless, but she composes herself quickly and jumps up from the table. “Hi, Flynn, it’s nice to meet you. I’m not sure if Ashtyn has told you anything about me because she’s told me nothing about you.”
Letting out a low chuckle, he says, “It’s nice to meet you, Chloe. I’m not sure if I should feel like a dirty little secret here or not but that could be kind of hot.”
My cheeks start to heat up in the familiar way that they do whenever I’m around Flynn. I can’t believe Chloe just said that. Wait, yes I can. That’s so completely Chloe.
Blunt and no filter.
I feel silly thinking it would be love, maybe lust, at first sight with those two. They’re looking at each other like friends would. Nothing more.
Flynn’s arms are still wrapped around me. He catches me looking at him and winks. Obviously, he isn’t mad about the situation, but I feel silly about not telling Chloe about him. He gives me another kiss, but this time just a quick peck.
“I’m glad you stopped by, babe, but I have to get back to work. I won’t be off for a few hours, but I’ll text you later.”
Finally finding my voice, I nod my head and sigh. “Okay, I’ll talk to you later.”
We sit back down and I can feel Chloe staring daggers at me. I know she wants details from me, but I decide to just wait for the inevitable twenty questions that she’s about to throw at me. I finally look up at her and she has the biggest smile on her face, which puts one on mine.
“Seriously, Ashtyn, what the hell?”
“What the hell, what?”
“Your mom made it sound like you were just hanging out with some guy. What’s going on with you guys? Have you had sex yet? Please tell me he has some hot friends.”
I just laugh. Talk about random questioning. I compose myself before answering her.
“We are just hanging out, sort of. I honestly don’t know what’s going on between us, Chlo.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“We haven’t talked about it. I like spending time with Flynn and he seems to feel the same way. And no, we haven’t had sex, just kissed a lot. Really hot kisses.”
My body starts to tingle just thinking about those kisses.
“As for hot friends, I haven’t met any of them yet. But he’s in a band. I’m sure we’ll meet them soon.”
With her immediate curiosity satisfied, Chloe drops the subject. A waitress comes by and brings us some food. We look at each other and up at the waitress, not understanding. We didn’t order anything yet. Weird.
Not one to ever stay quiet, Chloe speaks up. “We haven’t ordered anything. I think you delivered this to the wrong table, hun.”
The waitress looks her up and down and I feel a full-out bitch fest coming. If it weren’t for me, Chloe wouldn’t have any girlfriends. She’s the kind of girl that other girls hate because she’s gorgeous and gets attention from guys. Plus she doesn’t give a shit and says whatever is on her mind.
I find it refreshing, but her bluntness can be a bit much for some people. There’s an epic stare down going on. I’m scared and curious to see where this is going to go. I let out a sigh when I see the decisiveness in the waitresses eyes as she turns her attention to me.
“Flynn told me to bring this over. He also said not to worry about it because he took care of it.”
I smile up at the girl and thank her before Chloe gets a chance to say anything. “Please tell Flynn we appreciate it very much.”
She smiles at me before turning around to walk away.
“Jeez, Chlo, you can be a real bitch sometimes. I’m just glad I’ve never been on the receiving end of your wrath. The girl was just doing her job.”
Chloe places her hand on her chest and feigns innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t want the poor girl to get in trouble.”
We both just laugh it off and I look down at the food she brought over to us—cheeseburgers and Shirley Temples. I get the biggest smile on my face and look over at the bar where Flynn is looking right back at me. He remembered what I ate that first night. Totally swoon-worthy.
I’m lost in his eyes, but the moment is broken when one of his little groupies beckons him for a refill on her skank juice. I’ve never been a jealous person before but I’ve also never had a reason to be.
With my ex, we were more friends with benefits than boyfriend/girlfriend. There was no spark or passion. Honestly, neither one of us was sad when things ended. Nothing even changed between us except for the hooking up part.
When we finish up, I notice Flynn’s super swamped at the bar so instead of going up to s
ay goodbye, I send him a quick text that he’ll get when he’s off work.
Ashtyn: Thank you for the food. I love that you remembered what I had that first night. Hope the rest of your night goes or went by quickly. Text me when you get off. <3 <3 <3
I don’t live that far away so it doesn’t take us very long before we’re in the backyard and lounging by the pool. Although I’m missing Santa Barbara, the summer nights here are enjoyable. There’s a slight breeze and all of the stars in the sky are shining brightly. I’ve never seen so many stars before in my life. Suddenly, Chloe jumps up and starts heading for my room. I start to get up but she stops me.
“Don’t get up. I’ll be right back. I’m going to grab something real quick.”
Confused, I sit there and wait for her to get back. I don’t have to wait long because she comes walking back out with both hands behind her back.
“I think we need a little something to liven things up a bit.”
She brings her arms around, holding an unopened bottle of whipped cream vodka. Throwing herself back down on the lounge chair, she opens the bottle and takes a healthy swig before handing it over to me.
I gulp some down.
As the burn travels down my body, I hand the bottle back to her. We go back and forth for a bit, and I can feel the alcohol start to affect me. My body gets warm and tingly. Feeling pleasantly buzzed, I lean back while Chloe continues taking shots off the bottle.
“Do you ever think about what you want to do with your life?”
I take a peek over at her to see if she’s paying attention.
Taking another long swig she asks, “Where did that come from?”
I don’t even know. Maybe it’s because I’ve been hanging out with Flynn so much, and he already has a passion and a future mapped out. My summer plan of tanning, partying, and more partying feels shallow and pointless now. Feeling rather philosophical, or something, I tell her what I was thinking.
“We’re still in high school, Ash. We don’t need to figure out our lives until we go off to college. You just need to relax and enjoy life for a bit. Don’t worry about the future.”
Maybe she’s right. Why am I worried about something that doesn’t matter right now? I’m only eighteen years old. Sure, Flynn knows what he wants, but he’s also three years older than me. Must be the alcohol getting to me.
“I’m so happy you’re here, Chloe. My summer isn’t from hell anymore. It’s from somewhere other than hell.” I start laughing because I don’t even know if that makes any sense and it sounds funny. It must be funny, though, because Chloe starts laughing right along with me.
“Jeez, Ash, has it been awhile since you drank? Are you going to start telling me that you love me?”
I giggle. “I might.”
“I’m glad I’m here too. Much better than off in farmland with Grandma. Although, I might have missed out on a tornado taking me away to a mysterious land full of hot guys.”
“Uh, I think you got that wrong there, Chlo. They were munchkins not hot guys.”
“In my fantasy it’s always hot guys.”
I can’t help but giggle. Only Chloe would twist up a classic like that. But I don’t need to be taken away to a land like that. I don’t need a land full of hot guys when I’ve got the perfect guy already.
Chapter 9
Ashtyn
Ugh, hangovers are the worst.
Now I remember why I never drink. Of course, Chloe drank close to two-thirds of the bottle and woke up bright and sunshiney.
Sometimes I really hate her.
Somehow we made it to bed, but I passed out before Flynn ever got off work. I had a few text messages waiting for me this morning. Made my hangover a little better. Who doesn’t love waking up to texts?
Flynn: Off work now and why wouldn’t I remember what you ordered
Flynn: I recall you making a big deal over the Shirley Temple
Flynn: You must be asleep already
Flynn: Good morning. Do u have plans later today?
Ashtyn: Good morning. Sorry we started drinking last night and I totally passed out. No plans yet what’s going on?
Flynn: I figured u passed out. We’re having a party tonight, sort of a mini concert in the guys’ backyard
Ashtyn: A party sounds fun. We would love to come.
Ashtyn: That is if you’re inviting us.
Was that an invitation?
Or was he just telling me about the party so I’d know he’s busy? I’m always second-guessing everything with Flynn. We really need to figure everything out. It’s making me crazy not knowing what’s going on with us. If I were Flynn’s girlfriend, I wouldn’t be questioning whether or not he’s inviting me to the party.
Flynn: Yeah I’m inviting u to the party that would be a dick move to tell u about it and not invite u
Ashtyn: Well I don’t even have to ask Chloe to know she wants to go. Just let me know where and when.
He sends a long text including the address and directions for getting there. Doesn’t he know everyone uses GPS? It looks like the party is out by a lake. Not the same as Santa Barbara beaches, but it could still be fun.
Flynn: Everyone is showing up anytime after 6
Ashtyn: Okay see you then <3 <3 <3
Flynn: Later
I get up out of bed and wander in the direction of my bathroom. The shower is going and Chloe’s in there singing horribly off-key. I’m so glad she knows she’s a horrible singer because I wouldn’t have the heart to break it to her.
Barging into the very steamy bathroom, I yell, “Hey, Chlo, Flynn’s band is having a party later tonight. I told him we’d go.”
“Awesome, you know I’m always up for a party.”
***
I plug the address Flynn gave me into the GPS on Mom’s car and make sure Chloe knows where we’re headed. I absolutely hate driving but Chloe loves it, so we’re a match made in heaven. Honestly, anything with wheels feels like a deathtrap to me. But then again, I hate walking too. There’s no making me happy. That’s why someone needs to invent teleportation.
Pulling me out of my thoughts, Chloe starts asking a million questions again. Does she ever take a breath? “After meeting Flynn, I think it’s safe to assume he has hot friends, right? Maybe he surrounds himself with a bunch of ugly dudes so he never has to fight them for women. I should have asked for pictures before agreeing to this. At least we’re driving so if it’s lame we can just leave.”
“Seriously, Chloe? Flynn isn’t a manwhore, so he wouldn’t surround himself with ugly friends to get laid.”
“Okay. How old are these guys anyway? They’re in a band, right? Guess that means they have to at least be decent looking.”
“Flynn just turned twenty-one. I would assume all of his friends are around the same age and, yes, he’s in a band. They’re pop punk so I’m not sure if you’ll like them.”
She looks deep in thought for a minute and replies, “Oh! You mean like those All Time High guys that you like. I liked the guitar player, right? Who am I kidding? Of course I liked the guitar player.”
“It’s All Time Low, and yeah, Jack is the guitar player that you threw your bra and yourself at at the concert I took you to.”
Chloe has always been more interested in the musicians behind the music than the actual music. I learned early on in our friendship to only bring her to concerts with hot guys in the band. If the guys weren’t up to her standards, she would whine and complain the entire time.
“Oh, I think that’s the house over there. Why don’t you park the car here so no one can block us in.”
Chloe parks and we follow the music coming from the back of the house. I sent Flynn a text when we were pulling in so he’s already heading toward us. I can’t stop the stupid smile that’s plastered all over my face but I don’t want to either. No guy has ever made me so happy this quickly.
We haven’t discussed our relationship status yet, but I don’t want to be the first one to start that conversatio
n. Nothing worse than a needy girl in a relationship getting whiny about labels and statuses. It’s killing me inside not knowing, and I’m secretly hoping we talk about it tonight.
He wraps his arms around me and gives me a quick peck on my lips. That’s not enough for me, so I pull his head back down to me and deepen the kiss. When he lets out a low groan, I move quickly and plunge my tongue into his mouth.
The moment our tongues tangle, my whole body is on fire, like it could ignite right here. Chloe clears her throat, bringing me back to the present, and the earth-shattering kiss ends all too quickly.
Damn her!
“Hey, babe, I’m glad you’re here. Come meet the guys.” Flynn looks over my shoulder where Chloe is still standing. “Hey, Chloe, I was just about to introduce Ashtyn to the rest of the guys in the band.”
Not even beating around the bush a little bit, Chloe asks, “So these guys, are they hot? Or do you keep ugly friends around so you can easily get laid? I mean after that kiss I just witnessed, I wouldn’t think you would need to try very hard in that department.”
Flynn’s whole body shakes with laughter and he simply replies, “I’ll let you be the judge of that.”
“Well then, by all means, lead the way.”
We make our way over to where the guys are setting up their instruments on a stage. These guys are Chloe’s type. In no way could they be considered ugly. They’re nothing compared to Flynn, but she won’t be disappointed.
Two of the three guys look a lot alike, so I’m guessing they’re the brothers. They have the beach blond surfer look going and if I know Chloe like I do, she’ll have a tough time deciding between them.
The taller of the brothers is wearing very tight skinny jeans, a pair of Chucks, and a Marlowe band tee. Although I’m not sure I would call it a band tee because it says Marlowe across the top but has a giant picture of the guy’s own face underneath. I’m guessing this will be the guy Chloe goes for. He obviously doesn’t know what the word modesty means.
Finding Flynn Page 7
