Chapter Text
"So... I was thinking..." Ali started. Nervousness evident in her voice.
That got Ashlyn's undivided attention. She looked Ali in the eye and waited for her to continue.
"Can I... maybe take you out sometime?" She looked down to her lap. "Like, on a date."
Ashlyn looked at her for a second and felt the corner of her mouth turn up in a smile.
"You know- if that's okay with you...?" Ali added, fiddling with her bracelet.
Ashlyn composed herself to keep a straight face. "Sure." She said confidently. "I'd like that."
"Okay." Ali nodded and smiled. "Cool... How about tomorrow night?" She looked up slowly and waited for a reply.
Ashlyn kept her eyes on Ali and studied her before answering. "Tomorrow night sounds... good." She said definitively as she took the last sip of her beer and put it down on the table between them.
She noticed Ali's wine glass was empty as well.
"One more?" She asked and Ali politely accepted.
"I'll be right back." Ashlyn hopped up and walked inside.
She came back out to the balcony with a bottle of beer and walked up behind Ali. She bent down next to her and handed over the wine glass.
Ali smiled. "Thank you."
Ashlyn walked back around to her double-wide, armchair and flopped down before kicking her feet up to the railing.
"Took you long enough." She said slyly after a while as she looked out into the night sky.
Ali turned and raised her eyebrows- expecting her to continue, not noticing Ashlyn was messing with her.
"To ask me on a date." Ashlyn continued.
Ali scoffed lightly and rolled her eyes.
"You don't think so?" Ashlyn pressed on.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ali tried to clench back a smile.
"How long have we been dating?" Ashlyn asked, an eyebrow raised.
Ali pretended to think back and then slowly looked down with a devilish smile. "...Too long." She teased.
"Ohhh!" Ashlyn exclaimed through a laugh. "We can break-up if you want." She jokingly suggested. "I still have my little, black book somewhere. I can find another place to, ahem, "sleep" tonight." She winked at Ali.
"Ew." Ali put her hand up to put an end to the joke.
Ashlyn sat back in her chair- successfully having diverted her girlfriend.
"Four years." Ali said quietly after a moment. "We've been dating for four years. That's a long time." She realized.
"You're right. That is an awfully long time for you to not ask me on a date!" Ashlyn teased. "I can't believe you!" She pretended to be mad.
"Oh whatever." Ali smiled and rolled her eyes. Dates are Ashlyn's job anyway.
It was quiet for a while as they watched fireworks in the distance. The end of summer had come too soon.
Ashlyn stole a glance at Ali and could tell she was contemplating something but decided to let her have her thoughts. But Ali couldn't take it anymore. The curiosity was killing her. She had to ask.
"You didn't actually have a black book... right?"
Ashlyn turned to her with a furrowed brow. "What?" She was surprised (and amused) Ali would even think that.
"Nevermind." Ali turned back to her wine, embarrassed she even asked the question.
Ashlyn tried not to laugh but she couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. Eventually Ali joined with her. Laughing at herself.
"Stop laughing at me." She whined.
"No, Al. I didn't have a black book..." Ashlyn put her mind at ease.
"Thank you." Ali sat back finally.
"...It was red." Ashlyn continued the joke.
"Oh my goddd! I hate you." Ali tried to act like she wasn't amused but her laughter gave it away.
"It was big too. And there were like... six pages of girl's named Alex." Ashlyn pretended, very dramatically.
Ali threw a pillow at her but on its way it knocked over Ashlyn's beer.
Ashlyn was quick to grab it but the damage was done. The sudden jolt caused the beer to fizz and overflow, pouring all down Ashlyn's arm and dripping onto her bare feet.
"Ali!" She shrieked but she was still laughing.
And now Ali was too.
"Whoops!" She clenched her teeth in a guilty smile.
Ashlyn swung her hand over the edge of the balcony and shook it off but that didn't help much.
"Aw man. Now I smell like beer!" Ashlyn complained.
Ali reached for her other hand and pulled Ashlyn closer. She took the paper towel from under her drink and wiped Ashlyn's hand with it.
"Better?" She asked.
Ashlyn responded by bringing her leg up so Ali could wipe the beer off her ankle and foot. She smiled when Ali did it without protest. She was half expecting her to make Ashlyn do it herself.
Ali finished and looked up in time to catch the smile.
"Only because it was my fault." It was like she knew what Ashlyn was thinking.
...
Ashlyn came back outside with another beer just in time for the finale in the distance. She purposely stood at the railing, right in Ali's way, just to tease her.
"Ashhh!" Ali laughed.
"I'm sorry." Ashlyn still stood in her view. "Am I in your way?" She asked, pretending to be oblivious.
Ali scowled playfully and moved to the left to look around her. But Ashlyn followed. Then Ali moved to the right. But Ashlyn followed that too.
Ashlyn soon felt Ali's hand in her back pocket and was pulled back to sit on her lap.
Ali held her close and softly kissed the crook of her neck. Ashlyn gave up on harrassing her right then. This was better.
Usually Ali was the one sitting on Ashlyn's lap, but tonight felt different. Ali wanted to hold her and keep her close and just be near her. Ashlyn couldn't help but smile to herself.
They watched the finale and talked a little. Every now and then Ali would squeeze a bit tighter or drop a kiss on Ashlyn's shoulder blade.
...
When the fireworks were done. Ashlyn moved to get up, reluctantly. But Ali pulled her back down anyway.
"You're not going anywhere." Ali teased as she wrapped her in a tight hug on her lap. They curled up together and Ashlyn rested her head on Ali's shoulder. Ali kissed her forehead and smiled.
Ashlyn didn't say anything- she just nuzzled closer. She'd let this role reversal thing slide this one time. It was nice being held- feeling Ali's fingertips draw patterns on her back and Ali's smile against her skin.
...
"But really... I didn't have a black book." Ashlyn said a while later. "OR a red book." She wrapped an arm around Ali and watched her smile before continuing. "It was-"
But before she could finish, Ali gave her an expected jab to the ribs.
"Ow! You didn't let me finish!" Ashlyn exaggerated and rubbed the spot where Ali's elbow met her side.
"I already know what you were going to say. 'It was blue' or 'it was green' or whatever. You're sooo funny." Ali said sarcastically.
"No... what I was going to say was- It was... always just you." She said. Smoothly recovering from her original plan.
Ali knew she quickly made that up but smiled at it anyway.
"You think you're so smooth, don't you?" Ali shook her head.
"Look whose lap I'm sitting on. Hell yea, I'm smooth!" Ashlyn countered with another smooth comment.
Ali walked right into that one. She blushed and tried to hide it, as well as her smile, but both were pretty obvious.
Ashlyn kiss-attacked her cheek and ruffled her up a little bit as Ali giggled and tried to resist. Eventually Ashlyn settled for a kiss on the lips.
She pulled back after a moment but they both kept their eyes closed. Ashlyn felt Ali lean a little closer and nudge her with her nose, coaxing her to continue.
And Ashlyn did. She met Ali's lips perfectly and pulled her into a deep kiss.
...
They passionately made out for a while. Nice and slow, in perfect sync with one another.
Ashlyn still across Ali's lap, her hand around the back of Ali's neck, she moved to sit up taller. Ali's hands around her waist.
Eventually Ali pulled Ashlyn to straddle her. They never broke the kiss. They were so into it neither one realized their switched positions.
The kiss got deeper and Ali's heart practically melted when Ashlyn involuntarily let out a little sigh of pleasure into it. Ali was usually the one doing this and she now appreciated hearing it. It meant Ash was getting caught up.
With Ashlyn's hands on the sides of Ali's neck and Ali's still on her waist, they continued. Ali slid both hands up and under Ashlyn''s shirt. Pressing fingertips into her abs and then slowly trailing up her back.
Ashlyn smiled into her mouth and broke the kiss. Ali smiled too as they both leaned into each other and giggled.
"Are you trying to top me?" Ashlyn implied.
"Technically, you're still on top so..." Ali reasoned.
"You know what I mean." Ashlyn pointed out and Ali shrugged.
"Maybe." Ali said with an innocent smile. "Something wrong with that?" Ali challenged and Ashlyn just shook her head 'no' with a satisfied grin on her face. "Good." Ali replied and pulled her back in.
...
It went on for a bit longer before Ashlyn pulled back again.
"You taking me out is going to be like a first date." She smiled. Still caught up on the date aspect.
"It is." Ali agreed and leaned back in.
Ashlyn held her off and pulled her own shirt down (Ali had gotten it up under her arms and was about to take it off). She stepped off Ali's lap.
"What're you doing?" Ali asked in confusion.
"What kind of girl do you think I am?" Ashlyn feigned offense. "We haven't even been on a date yet and you're trying to take my clothes off!" She teased as she picked up the beer bottle and wine glass and started inside.
"Ashlyn..." Ali warned. She was a little worked up. "Ashhh!" She whined now and heard her girlfriend laugh in the kitchen. "Oh, come on!" She protested and walked inside.
"I don't have sex until at least the third date." Ashlyn kept it going.
"Yea?" Ali challenged as she backed Ashlyn toward the living room. "That's not what I heard."
Ashlyn dropped her jaw. "Ali Krieger, whatever do you mean?" She said with an innocent voice. She liked where this was going.
"I mean you..." She pushed Ashlyn back. "And I..." She did it again. "Fucked on our first date." She pushed Ashlyn onto the couch and straddled her.
"That wasn't even our first date." Ashlyn smiled as she thought back.
"My point exactly." Ali countered through a whisper and moved in to finish what they started.