The morning sun was not a welcome sight as it peeked through the curtains, it's blinding light forcing Ash to stir and open her eyes several hours too early. The pounding headache that followed was even less welcome. She groaned miserably as she forced herself upright.

The girl in bed next to her stirred, dragging the covers to herself but remained asleep.

Ash wiped her eyes groggily and yawned but froze mid-yawn as her brain was brought up to speed.

There was a girl in her bed!

She looked down at her outfit, relieved to see that she was still fully clothed save for her mysteriously absent top.

For further confirmation, she leaned over and pulled the covers away from the girl and sighed in relief. It was Tiana.

While Tiana had been drunk just like everyone else, Ash could vouch for her admirable self control. The girl must have been looking for a quiet place to crash early.

Without making a sound, Ash crept out of bed and, grabbing a shirt and a pair of sunglasses kept in her drawer just for this occasion on the way, she vacated the room. She had to deal with her hangover problem before she could sift through all her stupid actions of the previous night. All the ones that she had not blacked out through at least.

As expected, Caleb was downstairs in the living room picking up trash into a trash bag he dragged close behind him, and doing so while maneuvering around the bodies in curious sleeping positions scattered around all available surfaces.

"Good morning." She yawned.

Caleb paused from his activity and took in her appearance. His eyes lingered on the glasses as they raked over her form.

"Good morning, Trinity," he said. "You look like shit."

There was no ready comeback. Caleb had already showered and changed. His hair was back to semi-formal, slightly tousled perfection.

Even if she had a comeback, Ash's mind was not ready for conflict. Instead she settled on agreeing with him.

"I feel like shit."

"There's tonic in the kitchen. Secret family recipe." He winked.

"The only secret recipe in this family is my famous tainted brownies."

"I won't even justify that with a response," Caleb called after her as she sauntered to the kitchen.

She poured herself a glass of Caleb's concoction and downed it with a scrunched up face.

Her face was still stuck that way when Caleb walked in. A flash of light told her he had saved that moment away forever in his phone's gallery.

"Now that is birthday photo material."

"What is in this thing?"

"If I told you, you would not be able to keep it down, believe me." He tucked the phone away.

"I do, unfortunately."

Emily walked in, dressed in a different outfit from the one she had been wearing the previous night. The girl had practically moved in. She had her own closet and everything.

Ash couldn't understand why they weren't married yet. She shipped what they had going on. They were perfect for each other. It was obvious the way Caleb stood automatically and raised a hand in a side hug and she slipped into place like she fit there, and quite snugly too.

"Hey, Ash."

Ash flashed the peace sign and dropped her head on the counter.

"I'm gonna go drop Emily off. Hold down the fort until I get back."

"Sure, sure. Get out. Looking at you is hurting my eyes. Too much love. I'm basically melting."

She fished out phone from her pocket and the first thing that caught her eyes was the call log. Apparently she had made an hour and a half long call to someone. Hailey!

Try as she might, she could not remember anything about the conversation.

"Oh...what did I do?" she muttered as she dialed the only person who would have answers.

She answered on the first ring.

"Ash. You're up already?"

"Hailey, hey. Uh...yes I am. My head feels like a construction site but I'll live."

"I'd be surprised if it didn't." She laughed.

"About that... Apparently I called you yesterday."

"You did," she affirmed.

"For an hour and a half?"

"Mhm."

"What...um...what did we talk about?" She cringed automatically. "Nothing too embarrassing I hope."

"Er...for the most part, no."

"For the most part?"

"Well for the part that was English?"

"I'm not sure I follow."

"Ash, you drunk texted me in Spanish then called and spoke more Spanish."

"I...did...what?"

She put the call on speaker phone and proceeded to check the messenger app.

"Oh no..." she muttered as her eyes fell on the conversation, then the pictures, "Oh...no. Oh no!"

Hailey's laughter rang from the other end.

"I'm happy you're enjoying this," Ash scolded.

"I am. I cannot pretend I'm not," Hailey replied.

"Get away, you cheeky little thing. I'm gonna go hide away in my shower till this headache goes away." And solemnly swear off alcohol while I'm at it.

"Hey, before you go..."

Ash's thumb lingered above the end call button.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering... Like if you've got nothing better to... I mean if you're free later today..." Ah! There was that cute stutter. "Would you like to..."

"The café across from the bookshop?" Ash filled in.

"Yes. I love it!"

"Perfect. I'll meet you there at noon."

"You too. And Ash, last night you looked beautiful."

"Don't I always." Ash replied smugly.

*****

"I have to know and you have to tell me, what did we talk about for ninety minutes?"

They were at the café, two milkshakes between them and their hands inches away from each other on the table. Ash was stunning as always in a T-shirt and jeans and a shirt tied around her waist with minimal dark makeup that accentuated her grey eyes.

"Oh we didn't talk. You did," Hailey replied.

"I'm sorry...what?"

"Yes. You talked. I listened"

For ninety minutes?

"About what?"

"I was hoping you could tell me."

"Okay, what are you talking about?"

"You were speaking Spanish remember?"

"Oh, right. Well I cannot remember so..." The relief in her voice was unmistakable.

"Weeeeell, I may have recorded the conversation."

"You what?" Ash deadpanned.

"Mhm." Hailey dipped her head and sipped on her milkshake.

"Why would you do that?"

"I was going to translate it today."

"Bad idea! Very bad idea!"

"I know. Too much time and effort." Ash nodded emphatically as she took a sip of her own. "Which is why you will translate it for me."

The ensuing spit-take would have been greatly embarrassing if Ash had not snagged the napkin from the table in time. She did descend into a fit of coughing that drew attention to their table.

Hailey's eyes widened and she instinctively reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry."

Ash raised a finger, dissuading her from further apologies while she righted herself.

She took a deep breath and blinked away the tears.

"Why would you even say something like that? That's an even worse idea!" she said at least.

"Oh come on! Please!" She pouted and widened her eyes pleadingly.

"No. No. No way." Ash shook her head vigorously.

"Oh come on. I'll do anything." As an afterthought, she added, "As long as it's not illegal of course. Or cripplingly embarrassing."

"Well that takes out all the fun stuff." Ash shrugged.

Hailey's sigh was fluent.

"Fine. I'll do it. In exchange I want to spend tomorrow evening with you. A date." That last part was to ensure her meaning was sufficiently conveyed.

"Deal." Hailey replied at once. It was practically a win-win. A date with the hottest girl she knew and saving herself hours on Google Translate.

Still it made her question their relationship. She didn't like to be that girl but...what were they?

But that was a question she would not ask. Ash was comfortable and she had just gotten out of a relationship, she didn't want to make things awkward.

"Well shall we get on with it? You know, so we can get over it."

"Oh. Right. Sure." She produced the phone, accessed the recording and pressed play then placed it on the table between them.

Ash winced as her alcohol-addled voice came through the phone and looked like she was already starting to regret it. Still, she settled into her chair and as the recording sounded, she translated,

"Have you ever watched a fireworks display? I bet you have." She had spoken slowly in the recording with occasional breaks of silence so Ash continued to speak the same way. "The way the sky lights up in tiny explosions of bright stars. The strange excitement from watching the shower of light that follows. That was how I felt the first time I...kissed you?" She paused to process. Across the table Hailey looked elated. Ash had been able to subconsciously hold on to the memory. She blinked back the tears as Ash looked up at her for a moment. She recovered quickly and continued to translate, "I've kissed enough girls for it to mean plenty when I say there was none quite like you. You have the biggest brownest eyes I've ever seen. They remind me of coffee and dirt." Ash winced in clear pain. "I mean that in a good way, believe me. I love both coffee and dirt. Just, you know, not in the same cup." Ash slapped herself in the face. Deviating from the recording, she said, "The point I was trying to make here is you have beautiful brown eyes, please skip this torment.

"Now these are things I probably wouldn't say otherwise because of darned inhibitions but you have the most beautiful smile. They always seem to reach your eyes and they make your freckles pop. Even the ones on those—" She dragged her hand over her face. —"magnificent tatas." Hailey opened her mouth to speak but a look from Ash silenced her. "You are smart, sweet, funny, interesting and cute. You've got a great ass too and that's a...big bonus." Ash broke off to mutter 'Dear Lord, take me now.' then she went on. And despite the occasional and none too few pauses and the stark embarrassment and the muttering under her breath she didn't stop. Not until...

"Now this is something my sober ass wants to say but probably won't just yet..."

That was when she stopped.

Hailey watched her eyes widen and her cheeks flush just a tinge.

"What? What is it?"

"I don't think I should..."

"But you promised."

Ash had gone through some pretty embarrassing, provocative things already without a pause this long and with only little shame. This had to be huge. What was it?

Ash's face went blank and she nodded slowly, and as past her spoke, she translated,

"I like you Hailey. I like you a lot. And I know we've only known each other for a short while but I have to ask...ah...how do they do this again? Oh yeah...will you um...will you be my girlfriend?"

Hailey's lips went round but didn't quite make the sound 'oh'.

"Yeah..." Ash said.

The call went on but no further sounds came indicating it was at that point she had fallen asleep.

Hailey could have sworn she had never seen Ash so uneasy.

"You want to get out of here?" she offered.

"Please," Ash exhaled.

She paid the bill and was outside before Hailey could get her coat. When she did meet her outside, she had her eyes transfixed on some point in the noon sky.

"Wow," Hailey said with a short laugh although she was not quite sure what was funny.

Ash nodded but she remained speechless.

"You really are...interesting when you're drunk."

"Tell me about it," she huffed.

She started on out of the parking lot without checking to see if Hailey was following.

Hailey figured she was still reeling from the revelations of her drunken endeavors: the request and the kiss alike. But she couldn't let things stay awkward. If Ash did not want to deal with the gravity of her drunk actions she did not have to.

Pushing her short legs to propel her faster than Ash's longer ones, she maneuvered and put herself in Ash's path so fast the taller girl had to come to a sudden halt.

"Look I get it, you were drunk. It's not like you meant what you were saying. You don't have to be uncomfortable. Can we forget about it?"

Ash finally did look up and with a little smile she nodded. "Sure."

And Hailey's heart sunk.

But she had asked for it. Ash had not asked for one—not out loud at least—but she had given her an easy way out. She just hasn't expected her to jump at it.

So Ash could not see her countenance fall, she did as she had done, walking on ahead and waiting for Ash to catch up.

But Ash's hand latched onto her arm mid spin and the next second she was again looking into Ash's eyes.

"You know what? Wait. No."

For want of words, Hailey's reply was a slightly off-key "Okay?". There was something about Ash's firm assertive grip that made her feel like a pubescent teenage girl.

"What if I don't want to forget it? What if it is what I want?"

"Ash...what are you saying?"

"What if I meant it; drunk or not?"

"Well did you?"

Ash nodded.

"Well then why did you react the way you did? I thought you were embarrassed of me."

"Of you?" She laughed as if the sheer idea was simply ludicrous. "Honey, please."

When Hailey's confusion only increased Ash went on to explain.

"If anything I was embarrassed of me. That was not at all how I wanted to ask the question. It's not something to be proud of that it took Dutch courage to do it. I'm not afraid of anything. At least I'm not supposed to be."

"And what were you afraid of? That I'd say no?"

"Well only one way to find out." Near overpowering and assertive as always, she walked up to her so close Hailey had to tilt her head back to look into her eyes. "Hailey Summers, will you be my girlfriend?"

Hailey didn't know when it started but the next thing she was crying. She was that happy.

Standing on the tip of her toes, she kissed her. Ash wasted no time to respond with matching enthusiasm.

She pulled away first, breathless and curious.

"That's a yes, right?"

"Yes." Hailey laughed.

Yes yes yes yes! A million times yes!