2 1.7 Thank me later

One fine afternoon, Ashton's phone rang.

"Why aren't you online?"

That was the first sentence she heard when she picked up her phone. She hadn't got around to fix her computer just yet. Its been frying for days. Her online presence is the least of her worries right now.

"A hello would be nice," she pointed out. Being a perfectionist, she always find herself correcting people before she can think twice of it.

"Yeah, hello, Ashton," said the voice behind the phone.

"What's up, Cyclone?" Ashton was quick to regret correcting people; plus, she finds it awkward to hear a polite Cyclone.

Mental note, let Cyclone be Cyclone.

"Look, this is such a short notice," he begins. "Connor's gonna be at the bistro by 7 tonight. You're on?"

"Huh?!" she was caught by surprised. It was a few days ago when Cyclone tried to play matchmaking, which she thought was sort of fishy. She didn't thought he would actually go through with his ideas. "Uh, well, let me think -"

"C'mon, girl, he already said yes," he blurted. "You ain't gonna stood him up, are ya?"

"He actually said yes to you?" the fact that a person like Connor would agree to Cyclone's weird propositions, baffled her.

"For the record, he said 'sure' cause I said you were okay with it -Ah! Wait. Don't interrupt me," he knew what she was gonna say about it. "Secondly, he didn't say yes to me, he said yes to you."

Ashton sighed, he used her to get Connor to say yes?

"Why are you setting me up like this?" she mumbled to herself, though audible enough for Cyclone to hear it.

"Who said I was setting you up?" he was grinning again, she could hear it in the tone of his voice. "I'm setting up the both of you."

The play of words gets on her nerves but she didn't let it irritate her further. It's just the way Cyclone is, she thought. Something she had to put up with till kingdom come.

There was a long pause of silence; Ashton's side, mostly. It seemed like a busy street on his side; plus she heard some constant steps. He must be on the go or something.

"At least tell me, whats in it for you?" she asked. She wonders if he has a hidden agenda with this setup.

"The very least? I was sort of hoping he'd stop backpacking to every corners of the world," he replied. "Kinda sick of his souvenirs all over my loft till I ain't got no corners left!"

"You can't be serious," she chuckled, part in disbelief, part for the pun.

"I'll tell you whats serious," he started agonizing. "Imagine me waking up every morning and see Connor de Frio in every little gizmo, totem, momento and all that thingamajig he got me... I feel so gay. - Not happy gay, like gay gay."

"Then tell him to stop giving you already," she was still chuckling.

"If that had worked out well, I wouldn't have gotten him a date," he scoffed. "Anyway, would it be a relief to you if I said, he never dated anyone before?"

Upon hearing that, Ashton could not tell whats her reaction. It was either disbelief, amazed or relief. It could be one thing or another. ". . . Why is that?" she had to ask.

"Lets just say, he grew up in this town, " he explained. "And he didn't had his eyes on any of the local girls here."

"Am I not local already?" she tried to bail herself out.

"C'mon, I'll owe you one favor for this," Cyclone resorted to pleading. "Please?"

Another long pause.

"Fine, I'll be there..." she finally gave in. She couldn't say no now, could she?

"Sweet!" he uttered in sheer victory cry. "Have fun tonight, m'kay!"

"I hate you," she said a matter of fact.

"Sure, thank me later!" and he gleefully hung up.