The next week passed by in a blur. When Ash had called Mark to tell him she'd go for the trial, to say he was happy would have been an understatement. She'd pulled the phone away from her ear, chuckling at his excited yell. Ash had still been worried, but as the week wore on, she found herself caught up in the excitement of things. Her classes had congratulated her, asking her question after question and hugging her. Aprille had started taking over the business side of things already to prove to Ash that she could handle it and Ash would have to say that she was impressed. She didn't realize how much Aprille had known. James was ecstatic and wished her all the best. He took the studio very seriously. A little too seriously sometimes, in Ash's opinion, but she knew she was leaving it in capable hands. By the time the next weekend came, Ash and Chaz had everything taken care of. They had packed everything they thought they'd need, taken care of mail delivery, had the utilities shut off, and informed everyone they needed to.
Now, as they were sitting on the plane, Ash laid her head back and tried to get some rest, which was nearly impossible with Chaz talking a mile a minute. Good God, he hadn't shut up all week. Ash loved it that he was so excited about going there, but she wished he would give it a rest for just five minutes. It was about an hour before he finally wound down and fell asleep; his head resting on the small pillow the stewardess had given him. Ash sighed in relief. Staring out the window, she let her mind wander. She thought about the move and what kinds of opportunities she and Chaz would have out there. Surprisingly, he mind wandered to Chris, Mark's friend. He had looked familiar, but she just couldn't place where she'd seen him before. Ash snuggled down into her seat and closed her eyes. Oh well, she thought, I'm sure I'll find out when I get there. Before she could form another thought she was asleep.
~*~
"Ashtyn?"
Ash turned at the questioning voice and smiled warmly when she saw Mark. He was grinning at her and he closed the distance quickly, grabbing her up in a hug. He set her down again and asked her how the flight went. She assured him that it was fine and they went to pick up her and Chaz's luggage. Once they had everything, they walked to the waiting car, Mark and Chaz talking animatedly about L.A. Mark said they were going to go to her loft that he'd already gotten ready for her and Chaz and that they could relax tonight, but she had a meeting in the morning with Chris and his band mates. Ash looked forward to getting started working right away. She knew that it would be better to have her mind on work as soon as possible so she wouldn't think too much about home. She really wanted to give this a chance.
It wasn't long before they pulled up in front of the building where her loft was. They all got out of the car and Mark led Ash and Chaz up to where they were going to live while the driver started getting the bags out of the car. Ash had seen lofts before, but she didn't expect how huge it would be when she walked in the door. As soon as she stepped through, it was just open space. To the left was a small kitchen with a small cooking island. To the right was a small bedroom, which immediately became Chaz's, according to him. Further in, the room opened wider, the long windows streaming light into every corner. There was plenty of space for Ash to work on her dancing and she fell in love with the small alcove that was to be her bedroom. Mark was thrilled that she liked the place and before leaving, he let her know that a car would be there to pick her and Chaz up at eight in the morning. Ash needed to be familiarized with the men she'd be working closely with over the next month and their music. He left soon after, wishing her luck and telling her he'd see her in the morning.
"Mom," Chaz came bouncing into the kitchen where Ash stood, still unable to grasp everything, "This is so cool. I already love it here."
"Calm down champ," Ash laughed, "It seems great right now, but we'll wait and see what happens okay? We don't want to get our hopes up too high."
Chaz just grinned at her and Ash smiled, watching him trot back to his bedroom, already getting his things together to unpack. Ash turned and opened the cupboards, looking for a glass. The dinnerware that they had stocked the place with was fancier than anything she had back in Ohio. Everything was brand new and pristine. Boy, they sure go to a lot of trouble for someone who's only agreed to stay here a month, she thought. She opened the fridge to see if there was any juice and her jaw dropped when she saw what was inside. There was an array of juices, milk, soda, and all kinds of fresh vegetables and cold cuts. Stunned, she closed the door and opened the one to the freezer. It was jam-packed with what looked like a whole grocery store's inventory. Well, at least they were thorough. Music started coming from Chaz's bedroom and Ash walked over to the huge, picture windows, looking out over the city below. It was like something out of a dream. She expected to wake up at any moment, right back in her bed in Ohio. She wrapped her arms around her middle, hugging herself tightly and gazed out until the bright day darkened into the crimson hues of dusk.