Page 190 of Hot Mess
“See, there you go. Being all romantic again.”
He cracked a smile. Then he looked out toward the mountains and rubbed a hand over his face. He still seemed a bit stressed, maybe. From seeing his family? Residual discomfort?
Actually, he looked kind of… antsy.
Was this boring?
I looked around. Honestly, the view was nowhere near as good as the one from his place. Plus, the rooftop was pretty grungy. The chairs were garbage.
Okay, this place was totally ghetto. Actually, it was literally ghetto, like as ghetto as any neighborhood in Vancouver got.
Why did I think it would be a good idea to bring him here?
“What are you thinking right now?” I asked him.
“I’m thinking I’m jonesing for a smoke.”
Oh. “Like… a cigarette?”
“Yup.”
“You can’t smoke those, Ashley,” I informed him. “They’re very, very bad for you.”
He snickered. “Thanks. I wasn’t aware.”
“Anyway, I have something better. If you want, I have top quality cannabis we can smoke.”
He looked me over with a heated gaze. “A nice girl like you?”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s practically legal, yo.”
“I’ll take it. Though if you have a cigarette…”
“Nope. Sweet leaf only, my friend. But it’s in my apartment. We can get it in a few minutes, if you want to come in…”
Hoo, boy. Did I just invite him into my apartment in the middle of the night?
Yup. I sure did.
The way his pierced tongue slid slowly over his bottom lip said it all.
“What are your favorite bands?” he asked.
It was such an abrupt topic change, I laughed a bit. “Um. What?”
“Bands. Who do you listen to? I mean, besides Def Leppard.”
“Okay. Uh… Lots of bands.”
“Everyone says that. It’s bullshit. Be specific. What bands do you actually listen to, like right now.”
“Okay—”
“And don’t say the Penny Pushers or I’m leaving.”
I laughed. “Why?”
“Because then I’ll know you’re kissing my ass.”
