Chronicles of a Pessimist 19

The block party was just as fun as Candace imagined it would be and, despite what many would’ve thought, it was a great place for a first date, especially since she and Kevin seemed to like the same kinds of things. She felt a little hesitant bringing him to a place with lots of people and dancing, considering his previous injury, but upon hearing about the non-stop-music night at the nearby club, Kevin was the first one there.

As the crowd started dying down, they left, but the night was still young.

“Bet this is your first time kissing someone in lipstick,” he laughed as they sat down to catch their breaths.

“I still can’t believe you let me put makeup on you,” she playfully punched him on the arm. “Looks good on you, though.”

“Why thank you! And you can do it again, if you can recreate one of those KISS guys’ looks on me. But seriously, could you?”

“Absolutely!” 

“Neat. Now, if I could find three more guys to make the whole band…” he thought out loud. “We could really rock this Halloween. It’s coming up, by the way. Or hey, how about dressing up together?”

“Hmm, that does sound fun,” she mused. “We’ll just have to settle on who we want to cosplay.”

“Pfft, whatever we do, you’ll look hot,” he complimented.”

“Hmm, you sure know how to sweet-talk a girl.”

“Tell me more about yourself,” Candace asked as they walked through the streets on their way home. They could’ve taken a cab, but after the block party ended, there were many others clamoring for a ride home and they could walk a bit. 

“Like what?” he asked. 

“What do you like, other than TV, that is?”

“I like a lot of things. I like good food, sleeping in on weekends, doing things that aren’t always healthy for me… oh, and going out with pretty girls.”

“Hmm, plural?” she cocked an eyebrow.

“Not at the same time, of course,” he gave a small chuckle. “In all truth, I want to be with someone I really vibe with. Always had. But I haven’t always had the best success in that aspect.”

“Josie.”

“She’s not even the first one,” he sighed. “I ended up getting chased out by angry husbands twice before. Twice! How does that even happen?”

“Either you’re crap at seeing through people’s lies or those women were really good at lying,” she supposed.

“I’m thinking both,” he agreed. “What about you? Any crazy exes I should know about? Just checking.”

“No, no one crazy. There is my old high school boyfriend, but we broke up two years ago and he doesn’t even live here anymore. We’re good.”

“Oof. Good to know.”

“So, what are we doing? Want to come back to mine?”

“Sure, but it’s a bit of a walk. We really should find a cab,” he told her.

“That’s the plan. Now that the crowd’s gone, we should be able to get home easily. We’ll just have to be quiet, since Ash’s probably sleeping.”

“I can’t believe we’ve been out on the town for so many hours,” she told him as they arrived at her house. It was already dawn, which meant they spent the whole night out.

“Kind of like that movie from the trilogy, no?” he referenced the Before series.

“You know that movie?” she asked in surprise.

“Of course, it’s pretty famous,” he shrugged.

“Hmm…it is.” She recalled her ex, who would always complain when she wanted them to watch a “girly” movie. It looked like Kev was more mature about such things.

“You know, this is pretty romantic. We’re getting to watch the sunrise together,” he smiled, inviting her to sit down and watch it with him. 

The two of them observed the sun come up, not talking much. This was nice all by itself.

“By the way, are you sure this is ok? Me staying over with you?” he asked afterwards.

“Of course, why wouldn’t it be?”

“Well, I don’t know. Your brother might have an issue with a guy in your room…”

“Ash’s ok with me dating,” she shrugged. “He’s protective, but not unreasonable. Although, I don’t think we should do anything sexual today. I’m not sure if it’s safe for you yet.”

“Yeah, I get what you’re saying. To be honest, I don’t think it’s a good idea either, because I’m minutes away from falling asleep,” he laughed. “And that definitely won’t make a good impression.”

“Hey, it’s all good. We’re both exhausted. Maybe in a little while, we can plan a real romantic night?”

“I’m all for it.”

---

 

The next morning, Kevin was still at Candy’s, after they woke up late. Going outside for some fresh air, he was startled with snores coming from Ashton’s room. Looking inside, he found the older man in bed, deeply asleep.

This was weird. He was already almost asleep, with Candy by his side, when he heard someone walking around and the door being opened. He assumed Ashton was leaving for work, but he was asleep in here right now, which meant he was just coming in at that time!

“Hey, you see that too?” Candy came outside, nodding towards her brother’s window.

“Yeah.”

“He’s been acting strange all month. I’m just really worried,” she admitted.

“I’m sure it’s not that serious. We came home in the morning too,” he reminded her.

“Yeah, but we were on a date and there was a party. Ashton’s never been the partying type and he always says he’s got no time for dating. So, what’s going on?” 

“What’s worrying you?”

“Everything. After Anna told me how her boyfriend’s addiction came out of nowhere, I’m just imagining the worst. I mean, do I need to be concerned, do I need to have an intervention for him? I don’t want to overstep any boundaries, but I don’t want to be that person who says nothing when there’s a problem.”

“Have you tried talking to him?” Kevin asked.

“Sort of, but he always manages to give a half-answer,” she admitted. “I just hope he’s ok.”

“Let’s keep an eye on him, then. Just in case.”

The young couple were in the middle of watching the latest installment of a popular romantic comedy when Ashton finally emerged from the bedroom, still groggy.

“Morning,” he mumbled, taking in the two.

“Afternoon, more like. Late afternoon,” Candace parried back.

“Oh?”

“You’ve been out like a stone for a while now. Everything alright? You’re not sick, are you?” she asked.

“No, no. Just overslept, that’s all.”

“Are you going to the autoshop? Can you check if the AC and generators in the building are functioning right? Jas called a couple of hours ago, when he couldn’t reach you.”

“Yeah, sure. But why hasn’t he done that himself?” Ashton asked in confusion.

“Earth to Ashton! Jas and Anna are out of town, remember?” Candace reminded him.

“Oh, right! My bad, it totally escaped my mind. Yeah, I’ll check when I’m there,” he agreed and headed to the bathroom.

As soon as the two of them could hear the shower running, Candace shot Kevin a look. “See? That’s what I’m talking about.”

“Yeah… He’s definitely up to something. He’s super distracted. Although, he doesn’t look like he’s on any drugs… Weird,” Kevin agreed. “Are you sure he’s not seeing someone? I had this one guy friend who would completely lose it every time he got a crush – which was frequently.”

“If he’s seeing someone, why hide it?” she asked in confusion. “I’d only be happy for him.”

“Don’t worry about it. Like I said, he doesn’t look like he’s on drugs, and he doesn’t look physically ill. Whatever it is he’s hiding right now, eventually it’ll come out. I mean, we could try to tail him, but I don’t know how good I’d be,” Kevin offered.

“Nah, it won’t work,” she shot down the idea. “I did that a bunch of times when I was younger…”

“For real?!”

“Yeah, so now he’s really good at spotting me, no matter how well I hide,” she explained.

“OMG, you were totally that little sister!” Kevin laughed.

“Was? Whoever said I’ve changed?” she pecked him on the cheek. “I’m bad at keeping a lid on my curiosity.”

“It’s cute, but be careful, please. Sometimes, people get testy when others learn their business,” he warned.

“Don’t worry, I only do it to a reasonable extent.”

---

The previous day, while Candace and Kevin were getting ready for their party.

He was at Velour as soon as the club opened up, even though the crowd was not to his liking and the drinks were far too strong and overpriced.

It took him long enough to find her after that first time they’ve met, and he wasn’t letting her elude him again. He just couldn’t. Not knowing where she was or whether she was safe or not nearly drove him mad, especially after how they met.

Her friend gave a knowing half-smile when she saw him. He wasn’t sure if Delia actually liked him or if she was just amused by the whole situation, but she seemed to approve of his presence. Then again, Delia seemed to be amused by the male species in general. Rachel – not so much.

“You’re here again,” she zeroed in on him from across the room and approached, fuming. “How many times do I have to tell you, stop coming here!”

“Why?” he asked. “Am I bothering you so much?”

“Yes, you’re bothering me!” she exclaimed. “Seriously, Aileen, can you ban him from the establishment?”

“No can do, he’s a paying customer,” the bartender shook her head.

“Come on, hon, he’s adorable. What do you have against this cutie?” Delia asked with a laugh.

“Delia, don’t encourage him,” Rachel groaned.

“You need to relax, baby, and get that stick out of your bum. He’s not doing any harm by being here – he’s doing you a favor. Admit it, those losers are far less creepy when they see this big tall guy keeping an eye on us.”

“I don’t need anyone to keep an eye on me,” Rachel argued.

“And I don’t need a cappuccino every morning, yet I still have it. Chill, let the guy stay,” Delia told her firmly.

“Fine,” Rachel knew a lost game when she was in it. Lowering her voice, she told him, “At least, don’t drink anything with rum or vodka. They’re not of the best quality here.”

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy seeing her dance. But he also knew she hated this job, as opposed to Delia, who seemed to revel in the attention. While her friend was outgoing, playful, and always knew what she wanted, Rachel was always a little in her own head. He didn’t understand why she worked here, but he knew she needed the money.

He would’ve helped her find a better, safer place, if she’d let him. As it was, he was stuck in this limbo, being the weirdo stalker with a crush, but his conscience didn’t let him walk away and forget about her. Not after their first meeting.

His life definitely would’ve been easier if he refused Mike’s invitation to go clubbing. But who knew if another person would’ve stood up for her when that creep tried to grab her at the club?

Ashton was not a violent guy by nature, but many would’ve assumed otherwise from looking at him. As some friends told him, he had a Resting Grump Face. He was sure this played a part in why that awful man unhanded her and left without a fight that night. Then, a shaken up and terrified Rachel, accidentally separated from her friends at the time, ended up spilling why she was targeted by the creep, who must’ve recognized her from work – here.

This was why he felt it his duty to be here and prevent any more potential situations. He didn’t care how many times she told him to leave. He just couldn’t.

“You’re really just going to keep on coming here,” she confronted him after her shift ended. “Why? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

He shrugged. “It’s for my own peace of mind, believe it or not. I’m sorry, I know I’m coming off as a total creep.”

“You’re not,” she sighed. “Thanks for getting me the water back there. Pole-dancing is freaking exhausting.”

“No kidding. Talk about a major workout!” he agreed. “So, are you going home?”

“Pretty much.”

“Let me walk with you, for a little while at least. There’s been enough craziness happening in this city, lately.”

She considered it. She didn’t want to give him any more ideas. At the same time, the club did have some rowdy clients today and she didn’t want to be seen walking alone. Delia wasn’t joking when she said Ashton was an amazing deterrent against jerks.

“Ok, but just for a little while,” she agreed.

They walked in silence for several minutes, with her sneaking stealthy glances at this strange guy. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t find him attractive, and if things were different, she would have welcomed his advances a long time ago. Except, he didn’t really make any advances to speak of. He was just there, keeping an eye on her, making sure nothing went wrong during her shifts. It was all so strange.

“So, what do you do?” she asked, breaking the silence. “You know where I work, but I know nothing about you.”

“I’m a mechanic, part-time,” he told her. “Plus, I do some freelancing on the side.”

“What sort of freelancing?”

“Uh, I have this web page,” he tried to wiggle out of answering, before admitting “It’s a recipe site, mostly. I post recipes, pictures of food, meal prep instructions, that sort of thing.”

“Seriously? That’s pretty cool. You must be a good cook if you can run an active recipe site,” she realized. It wasn’t something she expected.

“I’m ok, I guess. Sometimes, I post exercise and workout recommendations and that kind of thing. My sister keeps telling me to start a YouTube channel, but I don’t know. Standing there in front of the camera and explaining stuff doesn’t seem like my forte,” he admitted. “When I just write things out, I can gather my thoughts and get it right.”

“I get you. You should totally do it, though. You’ll get a bunch of subs. People are likely to follow someone they…” she stopped herself before she called him hot. “They follow someone who knows what he’s doing.”

“Maybe you’re right.” 

By this time, they have walked most of the distance to her building.

“You know, I don’t just tell you to stop coming around because I’m mean and hate you,” she told him. “I just don’t want you to have trouble. Our boss is weird that way – if he decides you’re trouble, he can make things hard for you. And for me as well, but I actually work there, so…” Rachel explained her reasoning.

“I get it. And you don’t have to apologize, I’ve been a creep,” he grimaced.

“I’m not complaining, you were very polite,” she admitted. “Even when I yelled at you. Thanks for walking me home, by the way.”

“Oh, you’re welcome. It’s the least I can do,” he gave he a small smile. “You’re gonna be alright now?”

“Yes.”

“Well, take care,” he turned to leave as she started to walk towards her building, but at the last moment, something stopped her.

“Wait.”

“I still have your number from our first meeting,” she told him. “Here’s mine. If you’re worried, you can just message me, there’s no need to constantly be there physically.”

“That kind of defeats the purpose,” he frowned. “Can’t exactly do much over the phone.”

“That’s what we have the bouncers for. The might not look impressive, but I know they don’t want to attract the wrong kind of attention to our establishment and if something bad happens to a dancer… well, you get it.”

“That almost makes it sounds like your boss is involved in something sketchy,” Ashton observed.

“Oh, I’m fairly certain he is,” Rachel admitted. 

“That doesn’t make this sound any better!”

“No, no, really, it’s fine! I mean, he’s likely not the most upstanding of citizens. I suspect tax evasion or something along those lines. But plenty of businesses do it, and we’re their patrons on the daily without even knowing it. You really don’t need to come guard over me during every shift. Those guys at the club – they probably would’ve gone after me even if they didn’t know where I work. They just gave off that vibe.”

“You really want me to stop coming over? I thought getting lots of customers was good.”

“No offense, Ashton, but when was the last time you got a proper night’s sleep?” she asked. “Yeah, you look tired. And you just said you work as a mechanic. That’s not the sort of job where one should be skipping on their sleep. I know I haven’t been exactly nice, but I really don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I appreciate that…”

“Oh, and Ashton?”

“Yeah?”

The kiss took him by surprise. After the sort of exchanges they’ve had up to now, he was convinced he had her completely annoyed with him.

“You didn’t have to,” he told her after she pulled away. “This isn’t why I’ve been coming around. Honestly, it was mostly for my own peace of mind.”

“I know. This is why I did it.” She had already been with someone who believed affection was owed to them. She would spot that from a mile away, these days. Ashton was refreshingly different from that. “Now go home and sleep!”

He still stood there for a long time after she went home. While he did harbor romantic feelings towards Rachel, this really wasn’t why he kept on coming around.

When they met, his brain immediately made a parallel between her and Candace. What if it had been his sister in that position? He would’ve wanted someone to step in and do something.

And then, when she kept on telling him to leave all the time, he didn’t think she’d get over him being there.

But tonight was nice, very much so.

Go home and sleep. Right, as if his brain wasn’t racing at thousands of miles an hour at this moment.

---

 

“So, what took you so long last night?” his sister asked him, unaware of anything that went down.

“I walked home from the city,” he told her part of the truth. After leaving Rachel at home, he really did walk the entire way home. The guys were certainly surprised to see him riding up in the car this afternoon.

“Because of the block party?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

Even though there were many people at the city center after the party, the crowd dissipated fairly quickly, thought Candace. She and Kevin were able to get a cab easily and they didn’t see many other cars on the streets by that time. Ashton was clearly avoiding telling her something.

“Ok, bro. Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Sure thing, sis. Next time I see Ms. James from high school, I’ll make sure to tell her she’s cute. Isn’t that how it went with your prof?” he teased.

“Walked right into that one, I did,” she sighed dramatically. “Well done, padawan.”