Strangers to Lovers by Jade Lotus

It was usually pretty sunny in Southern California. But on this particular day, something was different. It rained...all day. Definitely a sign of a shift in the matrix; a glitch in the simulation. But this didn't cause any discomfort to Ashley. In fact, Ashley loved the rain. Growing up in Seattle, rain was like breathing. It wasn't a normal day if she wasn't drenched halfway to school or splashing around in the puddles in her childhood backyard with her siblings. That's why the move to California for college was so strange for Ashley, hardly any rain. Until now that is. Now she was content to hear the patter of water surrounding her entire apartment. Although at this point, she did wish the rain could take a break just long enough for her to finish her paper which in and of itself was its own challenge.

Ashley had been pounding away at the keyboard for hours and yet still not managed to string together any cohesive thoughts. She was too distracted. She pushed back from her desk, removed her glasses from her face and rubbed the bridge of her nose as she stared out the window in her bedroom. It was raining so hard now she could no longer make out the cars that were parked across the street. Even the street lamps were nothing more than blurry, hazy bulbs. Trying to rid herself off any further frustration, Ashley decided it was time for a mental break. Staring at the computer screen any longer wasn't going to make any of the words she typed more coherent. And so she ventured off into the main floor of her apartment just to create space from the madness that awaited her back in her bedroom.

Upon entering the living room, Ashley felt an immediate calm. "Finally", she thought. "Now I can hear myself think". Aside from the rain of course. Suddenly another familiar sound decided to creepily enter the room, Ashley's stomach. It growled with a vengeance. When was the last time she'd eaten? She could only remember the cup of coffee and the hint of a granola bar she managed to devour before becoming consumed by her paper. And that was early in the morning. There's got to be something in the fridge that she could have before getting back to the daunting task of writing a college level paper about the hypothetical scenario of a collapse of the world's economy. Why the hell did she pick that topic?

Without much thought, Ashley walked into the kitchen to find something to eat when all of a sudden there was a knock at her door. Curious. Who could that be? No one Ashley knew would ever knock on the door, let alone show up without texting first. Obviously this couldn't have been someone Ashley was familiar with. Ashley vocalized a "who is it?" as audibly as she could from her kitchen. Knowing there was a high chance that no matter who responded, she wouldn't know who it was. A voice did answer back. A deep, but crisp voice saying: "Hey Umm it's Jason, from down the hall" Jason from down the hall? Who the hell is Jason from down the hall? Ashley slowly walked toward the front door to get a peak of this Jason character through the peephole.

Through the hole stood a tall man, with soaking wet brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He was dripping from head to toe, clearly having just come from outside. Once in full focus, Ashley did recognize Jason. He moved into the building around the same time as Ashley about 3 months ago. The two never really said more than hello and goodbye to one another the few times they bumped into each in the hall. Ashley didn't even know his name at first but she did recall finding him quite charming. Ashley cleared her throat and slowly opened the door. "Jason? Umm hey there. What can I do for you?" Jason brushed some wet locks of hair from his eyes and stood up tall to speak. "So sorry to bother you but I'm locked out of my place. I ran outside to grab something from my car and I completely forgot my keys and phone in the apartment. Is it ok if I can make a quick phone call to the landlord for a spare?" Ashley pulled the door open wider and nodded. "Oh sure of course! Come right in!"

Jason thanked Ashley and slowly walked into the apartment making sure to not get water everywhere. "Do you mind if I just take off these wet clothes?" Ashley nodded again, not taking into consideration that in just a few moments a half naked man who she barely knew would be standing around in her apartment. "So sorry about this. I promise I'll be gone as soon as possible." Jason said as he removed his wet shoes, socks, and shirt from his body. Ashley obliged. " Oh it's no worries. Happens to all of us" As Jason removed the final soaking wet item of clothing, Ashley stared at him, almost unconsciously.

She never really gave Jason a hard glance. Again, he'd only been in that apartment complex as long as she had and they barely spoke to one another. She knew he was attractive, from his face alone. The chiseled jawline, the perfectly lined beard and mustache. His pool blue eyes. That much was obvious. But she never thought she would get a chance to see his full body, until now. Well now she was just feeling silly. Staring longingly at a guy she doesn't even know. She shook the thought and started toward her bedroom. "I'm going to go grab my phone, be right back" Jason acknowledged Ashley's leaving of the room and stood by the doorway patiently. Ashley quickly grabbed her phone from her work desk in her bedroom and came back to hand it to Jason. "Here you go." She said preemptively unlocking her phone so he could have immediate access to call the landlord. "Thanks so much..." Jason's voice trailed off. He was just now realizing that he did not know her on a first name basis. Ashley saved Jason the embarrassment of asking and simply responded, "Ashley." Jason nodded kindly, "Thank you, Ashley."

Jason quickly gave a call to the landlord while Ashley meandered around her living room. She did her best to keep her eyes from roaming over Jason's frame. But it proved to be very difficult. It had been some time since Ashley had men on the brain. After an unsavory break up with her ex boyfriend Derek, the last thing she wanted was anything serious. Granted since the break up she's had the occasional hook up or two but nothing ever went any farther than that. Plus she had no problem breaking out her favorite toy whenever she needed to take the edge off. Yet, here was a man, a man she barely knew, standing in her living room wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs, and she couldn't look away. Ugh snap out of it, girl.

Ashley watched as Jason finished up his phone call with the landlord. He hung up the phone and walked over to Ashley to give it back to her. "Thanks again! He should be back here in about an hour." Ashley placed her phone in the back pocket of her jean shorts. "That's good news!" "It sure is." Jason walked back over to his pile of wet clothes. He bent over to pick them up and began folding them. Without thinking, Ashley asked pointedly, "You wanna just let that stuff dry here? I've got a washer and dryer if you need it." Jason looked toward Ashley. "You sure that would be alright? I don't want to impose." "Sure it's totally fine. Come on." Ashley, motioned Jason to follow her to the back of her apartment to the storage closet that housed her washer and dryer set. "I really appreciate the help, Ashley." "Don't mention it."

After Ashley and Jason successfully loaded his wet clothes in the dryer, the two walked back into the living room. Not wanting to be in a room of awkward silence, Ashley spoke. "I feel like you and I have seen each other many times yet we're complete strangers." What a strange thing to say. Why would she say that? They were strangers. He literally didn't even know her name until she said it. However, Jason's response surprised Ashley. "Yeah, I felt that too. Kind of the reason why I knocked on your door first." Ashley's eyes grew but she tried her best not to let Jason see. All she could muster was a short, "really? Me?" Justin looked toward Ashley almost as if to assure her he was being sincere. "Yeah, I mean I've seen you in passing for a while now and I've just never got the nerve to say anything, except hello of course" Ashley, completely taken by surprise, walked over to the couch and plopped down absentmindedly. "I see." "Yeah" Jason rubbed the back of his neck anxiously and rocked back on his heels. Ashley didn't know how to immediately respond. This was such an awkward, strange event unfolding in her apartment. What would she say? What could she say?

Before she began to wreck her brain with all the possible outcomes and phrases she could muster, Jason spoke again. "Anyway, this definitely wasn't how I imagined it going. Was hoping to introduce myself under better circumstances." Ashley slightly chuckled which caused Jason's shoulders to loosen. "Well to be honest, I always wondered what your story was. I mean you're one of the few people I don't know on this floor." Jason stabilized himself and straightened his frame. "Really? You know everyone but me?" Ashley shrugged slightly. "Well no, not everyone but most people. A few friends of mine even." Jason nodded quietly and shuffled his feet. "Guess I should have introduced myself sooner." Ashley looked at Justin trying to get an idea of where he was trying to take this conversation. But under that blue eyed gaze was nothing more than a man who was just as nervous and unsure as she was.

"Hey, you want something to drink?" Ashley broke the tension with some friendly conversation. Nothing wrong with offering the poor man a drink considering what he's been dealing with today. "Sure that'd be great." Jason replied with what he felt was a bit too much excitement. He had to dial it back or he'd blow it, he kept telling himself. But Ashley didn't even pick up on the anxiety that Jason was trying too hard to hide and she rose from the couch to fetch drinks from the kitchen. She sauntered over to the fridge and ran off a laundry list of potential libations for the both of them to consume. They both settled on a crisp can of light beer. "Sorry I don't have anything stronger" Ashley noted embarrassed that her fridge read very much like it was owned by a financially strapped college student. "It's all good." Jason replied. "A cold beer never hurt anyone." Ashley laughed slightly and cracked open her can. "Fair enough." The two perched quietly on Ashley's counter top, enjoying their drinks. The rain was becoming deafening at this point. Ashley had been trying to break the tension since Jason showed up but it was to no avail. He was just so....attractive. Like really attractive. In a way that almost made her upset she didn't know about this level of attraction when she saw him in the halls randomly.

Ashley always felt she looked rather plain. She could clean up well, no mistake but she didn't go out of her way very often to put on a lot of makeup or dress up all the time. She was very much a tank top and shorts kind of woman on the inside. But at this particular moment, with this particular man standing next to her, she couldn't help but wish she at the very least had on some eyeliner or mascara. God what did her eyebrows look like? Shaking the thought of how hideous she kept trying to convince herself she was, Ashley took a sip of beer and started the conversation anew. "So, you're in my house, your clothes are drying in my dryer and you're drinking my beer. I think it's high time I just learn who you are." Jason laughed and nodded in agreement. "Yes that would be fair wouldn't it?" Jason took another sip of his beer, sat it down on the counter and rubbed his hands together. "Ok, ask me anything you want to know."

Ashley didn't expect him to be so eager to share his life story with the class, but she didn't hesitate to start figuring out just who the hell this man was. "So, how long have you lived in California?" "Oh, my whole life. Born and raised." Hmm, it made sense. He definitely had that California look. And of course no one likes to stereotype, but if you asked Ashley to physically describe a California Male in his early to mid 20s, Jason would be a spot on comparison minus not having blonde hair. But you could tell from his build he was very athletic. Even if he didn't show hard cut lines you can tell he cared about his body. "What about you? You from Cali?" Jason asked. "Umm no. I moved here a couple years ago for school. I'm originally from Seattle." She was so nervous even though this whole question and answer portion of the conversation was her idea. However, Jason's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Really? I've always wanted to go there."

Ashley matched his eager vibe. "Yeah?" Jason laughed slightly. "Yeah, I heard it's nice in the summer. Although, I'm sure being from there you don't mind all this rain." Ashley looked out the kitchen window right behind them. The rain was still pouring heavily. Looking back Ashley did miss home but she was happy in California. Even with all the rain. Cali is nice, but I definitely prefer this rain" Ashley replied, taking another sip of her beer.

The conversation continued on. Both Jason and Ashley slowly opened up with one another never delving into any topic that was too serious. They talked about their favorite movies and music. The foods they enjoy, their childhood pets. Just random but casual friendly conversation. This went on for some time until both Ashley and Jason finished their beer. Jason pulled his body from the edge of the kitchen counter and voluntarily grabbed Ashley's empty can, placing both of them in the trash can near the island in the kitchen. Jason turned to Ashley and sighed contently. "Well that hit the spot. Thanks again for the beer. I owe you one" Ashley motioned to Jason "Yes you do."

They both laughed together, with the laughter somehow bringing their bodies closer. Not too close, but just close enough where it was noticeable. Jason looked into Ashley's eyes and found himself staring into her deep chocolate brown eyes a little too long. But for some strange reason, his eyes couldn't move. Ashley noticed him staring at her. How couldn't she, he was practically boring a hole through her. But she was just as unable to avert her gaze as he was. And so there they were...staring. Is this how this worked? Ashley had never felt such an attraction to someone. Someone she didn't even know despite the game of 20 questions they played minutes earlier. He was looking right at her and she was looking right at him but neither of them wanted to look away. Right up until the moment where their stares were becoming more intense, a loud buzzing rang out from the back of the apartment. This noise caused both Ashley and Justin to blink, breaking them out of their trance.

"The laundry!" Ashley said aloud even though she didn't mean to. Jason exhaled and smiled. "It's finally done!" Ashley walked past Jason just to remove herself from having to continue staring in his eyes. Jason followed right behind her. Ashley grabbed Jason's clothes from the singing dryer and handed them to him. "There you are! Warm and dry." Jason accepted the clothes. "Thanks again, Ashley. Really." "Don't mention it." She replied and Jason began to reacclimate himself with his clothes, getting fully dressed. Ashley watched as Jason got dressed. His clothes looked so different now that they weren't all wet and disheveled. Now the wrinkled dark blue t-shirt he was wearing was suddenly light blue and was loose fitting around his torso. She then noticed as he put on his jeans. His calves stretched and tightened as he slid into each pant leg. She tried her hardest not to look any further up. She managed this long not to stare at his crotch despite the fact that he was only just wearing underwear underneath the entire time. But this time she looked and noticed his bulge. He wasn't even hard, but he was....present. She quickly averted her eyes. What was she doing? She wouldn't like it if she caught him staring at her tits or something...right?

Ashley realized standing in the hallway was not the place to be so she worked her way back into the living room. She decided it was time to fill the room with other sounds. She turned on the television, sat on the couch, and put on a random channel. "Is Friends the only show in syndication anymore?" Jason said as he walked back into the living room to join Ashley. She shrugged and laughed slightly. "Yeah, it regained popularity that one time and now we're stuck with it." Jason sat down on the couch a few inches away from Ashley. "Damn millennials and their nostalgia '' he chuckled. Ashley reached for her phone in her back pocket to find out if there was an update for Justin's spare key. And like most landlords, there was no immediate response. "Nothing yet?" Justin looked over to Ashley. She shook her head. "Nope not yet." "Figures." Jason sighed and rubbed his arms anxiously. "Sorry it's taking so long. I don't mean to overstay my welcome." Ashley shook her head and reassured Jason that he was very much welcome to stay. "Oh trust me, it's no trouble at all. These things take time. It's only been a little over 30 minutes." Jason didn't even realize time had moved by so slowly. "Is that all?" he replied. "Yup that is all." Ashley responded while placing her phone on the coffee table in front of her.

The silence was back. Despite the fact that it was raining and despite the fact that Ross was insisting he and Rachel were on a break in the background...still silence between them. It wasn't awkward like before; now it was just frustrating. Why aren't they...talking? Connecting? Should they be? What would they even say? Ashley was getting beside herself. Once again this man, who had her beguiled, won't say a word. Was he that nervous? Was she doing something wrong? Was she not being clear that she was...curious about him? Maybe he just wasn't curious about her. Maybe she misread the entire event. Of course. She never was good at picking up certain cues, especially those of the romantic kind. Once she had a secret admirer in high school, and she was so oblivious to it the guy finally confessed to her it was him and she STILL didn't believe him. She didn't understand why she was like that, why she couldn't just be cool about stuff like this. Just as Ashley's mind began to slowly swirl into a never ending pool of self destruction, Jason spoke.

"Hey ummm Ashley?" Ashley snapped back to reality and turned to Jason. "Yes?" She said, reading his face hoping what was to follow was something positive. "I know we just officially met and all but I wanted to ask you...would you...want to maybe go out some time?" Ashley heard him. She heard him loud and clear. It wasn't even that loaded of a question. She could easily answer this question with literally a one syllable response. But she didn't answer. She just stared at him. Justin quickly tried to adjust his question. "I mean it doesn't have to be a date or anything. Just maybe go out for a drink or something?" Ashley brought herself back from her haze. "I'm so sorry. Yeah. Yeah sure that...that would be fun!" Jason bit his lip slightly, as if to really feel out this response Ashley was giving him. She seemed sincere but also really nervous. "Really? You sure?" Ashley nodded. "Yeah I'm sure. Grabbing a drink would be awesome." The corners of Jason's mouth involuntarily turned into a smile." "Great! That's great!"

Some time had passed and it was still raining; and they were still waiting. But this time it's not awkward or frustrating at all. Jason asking Ashley out opened up a flood gate for the two of them to talk freely and openly with each other. It was almost as if the two of them were getting a head start on the inevitable question portion of the night. And considering they already bonded earlier over a quick beer they seemed much more comfortable around each other now. At this point, awaiting for an update from the landlord wasn't much of a priority anymore...until