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."
