All The Good Things

Chapter 16 - "Let go of your fears."

Ash examined and reexamined Zach's remark about dads and by the end of the day she was convinced it had been aimed at her. But she didn't understand why their casual analysis of Jason had suddenly turned hostile.

She planned to ask him in their psychology class the next day but he wasn't in class. She waited for a chance to ask him but suddenly Zach was like a ghost.

When he finally reappeared four days later, it was in line at the Busy Bean during their lunch rush. She looked up, ready to take the next order, and came face to face with him.

"Can I get a medium latte? And can I get that with a 3D foam cat on top?" he added with a smile.

"We're fresh out of foam cats, but I can offer you a nondescript blob," she quipped back.

"Sounds cutting edge."

"No, it's rounded," she corrected him dryly.

"I'll take it," he chuckled.

The sound was surprising and it made Ash smile for a moment until it snagged on something in her brain. Something about Zach chuckling felt incongruent, but the next moment he was walking away. The next customer placed their order and she didn't have time to think about it again.

Her whole shift, she kept a vigilant eye on the back table he was sitting at, prepared at any moment to find he had disappeared again. But he stayed through the lunch rush and into the quiet of the afternoon.

She was checking the back table for the hundredth time when something one of her co-workers said caught her attention.

"It's the most fun I have had in forever," Sonia said.

"What's so fun?" Ash said, butting into Sonia and Riley's conversation.

"This new exercise class I took!" Sonia said, aiming her enthusiasm fully on Ash as Riley quietly escaped to the back room.

"It's so fun," Sonia repeated. "And it's free. You should try it Ash. The teacher is amazing and I walked away feeling like I could take on the world!"

"What is the class?" Ash asked.

"It's like a combo of Pilates and Yoga," Sonia said. "The atmosphere is amazing and the teacher is world-renowned. They are holding free classes on the Main Green every day this week at three. You should try it out. I'm going back tomorrow."

Ash watched as Sonia talked and could see the enraptured feeling on her face.

"Sounds interesting," Ash said. "It's at the Main Green?"

"At three," Sonia nodded. "I would go with you today but I have class."

"Maybe, I'll check it out," Ash said.

"You should! You'll love the..." but Sonia got called into the back by their boss and never got to say what Ash would love. But she didn't need to. Ash was sold. She had her next attempt at fun.

She was suspicious that an exercise class could produce such a strong reaction, and that suspicion was what made her want to check the class out. It would be a bonus if she ended up having fun and she had something to report back to Dr Ellerson.

Her eyes moved to Zach's back table as she thought about Dr. Ellerson. She shouldn't keep this opportunity to have fun all to herself she thought as she walked over to his table.

"My co-worker just told me about a fun event happening this afternoon. Wanna check it out?"

"A fun event?" he asked.

She nodded. "It's some sort of exercise class. She said she walked away feeling, and I quote, 'like she could take on the world'." She guessed Zach would also find that reaction curious. But he only looked at her blankly. "Doesn't it sound cultish?" she added when he didn't give her a good response.