Ash's Marriage Trigger - 8. Chapter 8- Bon Apetit

By the end of work on Friday, Ash’s mind was overstressed and his body was over-stiff. While his department had managed to get seventy-five percent of their work accomplished, he was haunted by the remaining twenty-five. He needed to figure out a way to push all work-related thoughts out of his head until Monday.

Cove: Ashley and I picked up a pumpkin swirl cake for dessert. I’ve never seen her so excited for a visitor, not even for family.

Goddamn it.

Ash glared at his phone. He’d completely forgotten he needed to be ready by a quarter to seven to visit the Mitchells. Hadn’t he set an alarm for it?

This ain't a story of the fall from former glory~ This is more an allegory for what's wrong with my soul~

“Oh, sure, now you remind me!” Ash groaned when the alarm song began to blaze.

He tossed his phone on the couch and made his way to the shower. What the hell was he going to wear? If there was one good thing about worrying about meeting the Mitchells, it was the fact that all of his work-related concerns fluttered right out of his head like a dole of doves being released.

After a thorough shower, Ash dug for his favorite pair of black ripped jeans and then agonized over his footwear. Work shoes were out of the question, as were the black boots that his mini-me helped him tie up. Running shoes felt far too casual. In the end, he was down to two high tops. One was a black pair of Converse he used to wear through high school and college. The other were of a similar shape, but featured a dark grey color with black laces and ridges.

When Ash lifted his gaze, he narrowed in on a thin, grey pull-over hoodie that was of a similar shade and his decision was finalized. He finished the ensemble by tugging on a stiff short-sleeved black shirt with thin white stripes over the hoodie for an added layer and folding up the sleeves of the grey hoodie up to his elbows. The reflection in his full body mirror seemed decent enough. He had brushed back his golden brown hair, but a few segments defied him and fell over his face. His caramel-hued skin tone surprisingly worked well with the grey, and his copper eyes looked vibrant by comparison.

By the time he checked the time on his phone, he realized he was already a half-hour late.

Fuck..

::::

Ten minutes later, Ash had parked in the driveway of the Mitchells’ household. They had freshly-mowed grass and a row of plants that bordered the front patio. The property was a decent size. A great place to settle down and raise a kid in. Ash felt far less accomplished by comparison.

He rang the doorbell once and it was opened before he even had a chance to press the button a second time. Cove had on a black slim fit 3/4ths sleeve shirt with the first two buttons undone and a pair of grey slacks. The only reason he wasn’t caught raking his gaze from head to toe was because the other man had done the same and their gazes lined back up at the same time.

“Bigger-me!” Ashley greeted as she rushed right past her father as if he wasn’t there to cling to one of Ash’s legs in a hug. She wore a pale blue dress that time. “Halloween is tomorrow and I’m gonna be Wednesday Addams!”

The copper-eyed man leaned down to lift the kid into his arms. “Wednesday Addams?” He questioned with a snort, the words aimed at Cove. “Just what have you been allowing your kid to watch?”

Cove motioned for them to go inside before answering. “You’d be surprised how many 3D animated renditions of media you can find. I found one just the other day that portrayed a version of The Taming of the Shrew.”

“Yeah, that sounds even worse,” Ash admitted despite Cove’s immediate defense of it. “I’m still more of an Addams Family kind of guy.” Ash set the little girl back down onto her feet and she rushed over to the living room.

“Young lady, don’t forget that dinner in a little bit,” Cove warned.

“Okay, daddy,” was her response, but her eyes were still glued to the tv as she pressed the play button on the remote to continue whatever they’d been watching.

Cove then motioned with his head towards the kitchen and Ash walked over with him to help. He handed him the plates as Cove loaded them according to the right helping size per person. When Ash took a look at his own plate, his jaw dropped. Saffron risotto? Wasn’t that a bit too pricey a meal?

“I remember your love of risotto,” Cove said as he placed his daughter’s bowl across from where I sat.

“I mean yeah, but saffron?” Ash responded. “I hope you didn’t go out of your way to get premium grade threads.”

“I have my connections,” Cove countered as he took the seat next to Ash. He then called Ashley over. “Dinner time!”

The little girl skipped into the kitchen and shooed her father’s hands away as he tried to help her onto her seat. She had an independent spirit already? “Time to dig in. Eat well!” She declared as she lifted her fork in a saluting gesture and locked gazes with Ash.

The brunet blinked, surprised at her little salute. Wishing others to eat well before eating was a little tradition Ash and Cove had begun back in college. He passed that down to his daughter, as well? “B-Buen provecho,” Ash responded back, also raising his fork toward her. The motion brought a bright smile to her face as if it pleased her that her Bigger-me knew what to do.

“And bon appetit,” Cove concluded, doing the same.

The risotto was delicious. Not too soggy, not too salty, and simply bursting with flavor. Ash couldn’t remember the last time he ate anything similar. A loud burp had him glance at Ashley’s direction.

“Excuse me!” She gasped with a blush on her cheeks.

“Hey, never feel embarrassed about body functions,” Ash advised. “If we all held our gas in, we’d explode.”

The sound of the child’s trilling laughter filled the kitchen. “What? Eww! That can’t be true.”

“True or not, would you ever want to risk it?” Ash questioned as he firmly ignored the nonstop staring Cove sent his way. The girl was still grinning as she shook her head hard enough for her braids to sway. “I didn’t think so.”

When they finished their meal, Ash offered to wash the dishes. With a smirk, he found one of Cove’s aprons and tied it around himself. As he began washing, he felt Cove’s warm hand wrapping around the side of his arm and the copper-eyed man turned his head slightly toward him.

“I’m going to go brush my teeth with Ashley,” Cove said. “I’ll have a new toothbrush set aside for you.”

“Thank you.” Ash replied. Cove just kept surprising him with all the details he remembered about him. His love for risotto, their meal greetings, and even the need to brush his teeth soon after eating.

By the time Ash finished brushing his teeth with the brush Cove set out for him, Ashley was already in pajamas, the two of them waiting on the couch for him. “So, what are we watching?” Ash asked.

“Hotel Transylvania marathon!” Ashley announced as she shook a pillow sham over her head in excitement.

“Again, just what are you allowing her to watch?” Ash teased with a raised brow as he peered over at Cove.

“It’s for ages five and up. She’s nearly five.” Cove refuted.

By the time they were halfway through the third movie, Ashley was fast asleep with her head plopped on Ash’s lap. This bewildered Ash, since he firmly believed that children sought out the warmth and comfort of their parents, not a stranger they met once. Cove suggested tucking her into bed in her room, but Ash’s arms hovered over the child, unwilling to wake her up.

Cove gave a soft chuckle as he snuck his arms beneath the little girl’s head and legs and lifted her up with such ease and gentleness that Ash actually felt a touch of envy at the skill. He followed a few feet behind the taller man as he covered his daughter with a blanket and pressed a soft kiss to her temple. The silver-eyed man then gently closed the door on his way out. But the look he gave Ash as he came closer was anything but innocent.

“I think it’s time…I mean I better,” Ash stammered. “I should go.”

“I agree.”

Ash frowned in confusion. Wait, he was really kicking him out? Maybe he needn’t have worried.

“But, I don’t want you to.” Cove added as he persistently approached the other man.

As he took a deep breath through his nose, Ash didn’t realize he had been backing himself up all the way down the hall until his back pressed against the door to Cove’s master bedroom. Cove’s upper arms pressed against the door on either side of him. He gulped.

The silver-eyed man leaned down to gently bite the bottom of Ash’s earlobe before whispering into his ear. “Ashley’s finally asleep.”

Ash’s heartbeat, sporadic at first, steadily began to kick up. He had to escape. Why did he have to escape again? Cove had him trapped. Why was that bad? Before his mind was able to properly function, the taller man’s lips were on his again. He felt a bite and tug on his lower lip and then a warm tongue swept into his mouth as Cove all but sucked his breath away.

One of Ash’s hands gripped the back of Cove’s head while the other wrapped around the back of his shoulders. He felt a thick thigh pressing right against his constricted shaft and gasped. Shit. If they made too much noise, it’d wake Ashley. Ash would be absolutely mortified if the little girl caught them in the act of being entangled.

“Sh-she’ll,” Ash tried to articulate his concerns. “Ashley will see…”

But, Cove merely opened the door to the room, maneuvered them both inside, and locked it behind him. The lock. That was important. Why was it important? Right! Escape! It was too late.

“Oh, fuck me!” Ash hissed, cursing at himself.

“Oh, I fully intend to.” Cove confessed.

Ash had never felt like a caught rabbit before.