It had started off as five minutes. Then ten minutes. Once it was nearing fifteen, however, he started getting anxious. Generally after waiting this length of time, Ash would be getting suspicious, but as he grew up with the delinquents, he knew he could trust them. After all, they all came from the same area of work. Should he call? Should he message them? What if the boss called them in for a last minute mission? His eyebrows furrowed, his face falling whilst his hands fished in his pocket for gold plated Iphone. He wasn't one for brand names, however it was the Companies phone. In all honesty, when Ashby was first recruited - he took it on his behalf to make sure the security system was stable and secure. In other words, he sent prank calls and configured virus's to infiltrate K:S:M's system. As a typical twelve year old did. He wanted to know what he was working with. Even though the virus he coded was abnormally difficult to cease, the security wall that they had set up was so much more impressive. Even so, that at 2 in the morning when his house was held up by gang members (only for them to be disappointed as they Realized he was only a trainee), he begged them to teach him how to create a firewall that powerful. All phone calls were recorded and all emails were secured. Text messages were the only safe option, and if you wanted to delete the recordings? Good luck, you were better off dead. There was a rumour in the company that one time a Seven Stars member (one of the rivalry gangs) had been recruited for training, and tried to hack into the system and exchange information with another gang. Needless to say, he didn't do a good job. Just as he was about to call Jackson, his phone buzzed - indicating he had received a text message. Opening the message, Ashby started walking forward, in hopes of finding a free table to claim for the four of them. From: Niri To: Ashby Message: Hey birthday boy! Happy twenty-first! Officially legal, how does it feel? Sorry we are making you wait! We finished a mission later than expected and got hold up. Had to ditch the car, my favourite too! The Cadillac! See you in thirty minutes to an hour, depending if we get caught up again! Don't miss us too much! ;) Ashby chuckled slightly, before continuing to move, his fingers hovering over the buttons in order to reply to such a flirtatious, teasing message. It was no secret Niri had a crush on him, yet he was never able to Replicate the feelings. If he had any feelings. Last time he checked, he wasn't exactly "programmed" to have feelings or romantic attraction. They said it was too much of a distraction. As he was about to press the, 'send' button, Fully immersed in his texting. He failed to notice the blur of chocolate hair and pale skin, until it resulted in a collision. Normally he was always on edge, aware of his surroundings, he should have known today was no different. It never was. He cringed softly at the bone-chilling crack as her head made contact with the floor, cursing himself even more for not observing his surroundings properly. Genuinely worried, Ash quickly dropped to one knee as she sat up, sky blue eyes wide open in shock and surprise, his words coming out in a rush and panic. "Are you okay? Oh my god! I'm so sorry, here, let me help you." Gently tugging on her hand, he stood up and kept an arm secured around her incase she collapsed, supporting most of her weight. "Here, sit here." Ashby suggested, his voice soft, worry evident in his tone. Carefully putting her down on the seat and helping her sit up right properly, he took a step back, ruffling the back of his hair slightly with guilt, a small lopsided, nervous smile laying on his lips. "Hold on, I'll get you some ice." He took another step back, flashing a small playful grin. "Don't move~." He joked softly,(meanwhile mentally face palming for the insensitive and out of character behaviour) before making his way over to the counter. After successfully retrieving the ice, he walked back to the injured girl and kneeled Infront of her, tilting his head and pressing the ice against the back of her head gently. Now that he was up close, Ashby couldn't help but notice how she resembled an ethereal being. She was simply gorgeous, to put it bluntly. Long chocolate brown strands danced by her waist in layers, her eyes a mix of Gray and blue. They reminded him of clouds on a rainy day. Her complexion was flawless, pale like snow, her cheeks red as a rose. She was simply breath taking. Once he remembered to breathe and gather his thoughts, he cleared his throat again, the words, "are you okay?" Coming out in a bare whisper. 'I'm okay, I'm so sorry I ran into you. Are you okay?' Ashby bit back a small chortle, smiling lightly at the young girl. Here she was, wondering if he was okay, even though he ran into her. It was amusing, yet sweet. "I'm perfectly fine, just worried. Don't apologize, I was the one who should have watched where he was going. I'm very sorry you got hurt." Looking behind him, he remembered he had heard the sound of clattering metal colliding as well, and his eyes landed on a few gold coins. Turning his attention back to the injured, nameless (for now) companion, he hummed softly. "What were you going to buy?" The question appeared out of thin air, hanging low in the awkward, apologetic atmosphere that surrounded both parties? "Oh, uhm, I was getting another cappuccino but then, you know." Ashby nodded, taking her hand slightly and replacing his on the make shift ice pack with her own, standing up. "I'll be back." He smiled, watching as she was rendered speechless - trying to process what he was saying. Walking back along the way they had moved from, ash started retrieving her strewn money with little hesitation, making a bee line for the counter. It didn't take them long to make the coffee - thankfully, and taking out his own wallet, he placed a five dollar bill on the counter. "Keep the change. Thanks for your help." He smiled gratefully, and walked back to where he had left his patient. With each step he took closer, he could feel his heart thump faster in his chest, a similar feeling to when he went on his first mission. Nervous? Adrenaline? Who knew. He wasn't sure if he wanted to embrace this new feeling or to push it away. "Here we are, m'lady. I asked them to add some vanilla in your coffee, especially since you hit your head, the sugar should help keep you awake and keep your blood sugar high enough." Ashby rambled slightly, placing the hot cup of coffee on the table next to her, realisation dawning on him. "Oh! And--," he trailed off, his hands fishing for his wallet again, before he pulled the coins he had collected from their earlier mishap - putting them in their rightful owners hands. "Your coins back. What kind of gentlemen would I be if I didn't pay for a drink after running you over?" That's when it happened. Where he was sure he was back on day one. She smiled at him, her eyes crinkling in the corner, the light shimmering off her iris like silver, and he felt heat rush up to his cheeks. His heart stopping for a second. The once confident and sexy - yet respectful - attitude was gone, and was replaced with a rather shy alternative. "Thank you." He heard her whisper, and he looked back to her with a small smile in retaliation. "Anytime." @abbeymaine
