Rainbow Boy
by Kay

After having spent over a month making hundreds of them a day, Ashley could make a sno cone with his eyes closed. And that wasn't just an exaggeration; he knew he could do it because he'd actually done so for his last customer.

She was a giggly, 16-year-old blonde who made it a point to visit the stand and flirt with him every day. Every day, no kidding. Ashley had no idea who could have the time and inclination to come the boardwalk every single day, but the girl managed to do it somehow. Oh, to have the leisure that this girl apparently had...

But Ashley wasn't about to complain about his summer job. It was better than some, he supposed. He had to make some money pay the college fees that his scholarships and grants wouldn't cover somehow. And besides, the job gave him a chance to scope out cute guys.

However, when Flirt Girl was around, Ashley didn't get much of a chance to do that. He surreptitiously checked his watch while she chattered on. Only half an hour longer before Eric came in to take over.

"Wow, you're so...efficient," she sighed, watching him make a pina colada cone for her friend. Ashley supposed that it was meant to be a compliment, but it came out sounding slightly dirty.

"Yeah, well after all the ones I've made this summer, I'd have to be brain dead to mess it up." Still, he figured it was a feat she might be able to accomplish. He wisely kept that thought to himself. "I bet I could make one with my eyes closed by now."

"Really?" she asked, sounding more impressed than ever. "Try it, then."

So he had.

Reach for the paper cone on the right side of the window, turn to the left, take a step forward, reach for the cherry flavoring (prominently displayed at the front since it was the most popular flavor), give two generous squirts of the liquid, wrap a napkin around the cone, ring it up, take the money, and deposit it in the register.

It was a repetitive process that was like second nature to him now, so he did it with complete and utter confidence. The bandana that the girl had teasingly demanded that he wear to cover his eyes didn't daunt him in the slightest. But then he pulled it off over his his messy hair and paused mid-motion.

Oh.

Ashley had to consciously keep his mouth from falling open as his eyes took in the sight of the most beautiful guy he'd ever seen. He was probably in his mid-twenties, with dark brown hair that fell down below his ears in glossy waves. He was darker than Ashley, with healthy skin that practically glowed beneath the sun, and his eyes were crinkled at the corners as he smiled.

At Ashley. Oh, my. After managing to halt his conspicuous and rather heated appraisal of the fine(gorgeous, amazing, godly) specimen of a male, Ashley met his gaze with a blush. And what eyes they were! Simple blue wouldn't do them justice...they were more cerulean, the color of pure tropical waters, not the dingy grayish-blue of the beach nearby. And they were sparkling with amusement at Ashley's apparent cease of brain function.

He stared in complete rapture for a while longer before he realized that Flirt Girl was still speaking to him. Ashley managed to bring himself back down to earth in time to hear the girl's "so I'll see you later, Ashley," before she turned away, flipping her hair for good measure. For once, he wished that she would stay longer so that he wouldn't have to face Mr. Gorgeous alone. He had a horrible feeling that he was going to make a terrific fool of himself the minute he opened his mouth.

"That was quite a show," Gorgeous said, a beatiful grin settling across his features.

"Huh?" Ashley blurted stupidly. Inwardly, he rebuked himself. Dumb look on his face? Check. Making a fool of himself? Check. Sounding like a complete simpleton? Check. Apparently, all systems were go for a tried and true "Ashley Angel Crash and Burn"!

"Oh, I was just impressed at how you managed to make a sno cone blindfolded while simultaneously keeping that girl from jumping your bones. Quite the feat, I must say," he said, leaning in to whisper conspiritorily. "She didn't look like an easy one to discourage, either. Kind of like a dog drooling over a steak."

Ashley felt a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Interesting comparison," he managed to get out without a squeak. Then he brought his mind back to the job at hand, albeit reluctantly. "Um, did you see something you wanted?"

His eyes immediately widened as the implications of his statement sunk in. The brunette raised an eyebrow. "What I mean is, uh, did you want a sno cone?" he amended lamely.

"Nah. I kinda lost my taste for them after last summer."

"What, did you eat a lot of them or something?" Ashley asked, tilting his head to the side.

"No, I worked here last summer. With Eric. Did he not tell you about me?"

"Um, not that I can remember," Ashley replied, thinking that yeah, he definitely would have remembered hearing about such a gorgeous guy. Eric must have been holding out on him. "Why, were you supposed to see him when his shift starts?"

The guy looked slightly confused. "Not exactly. He had to take care of his mother because she's sick. He asked me to cover for him."

"Oh! Yeah, he definitely failed to mention you to me..." Ashley trailed off, not knowing what to call him.

"Right, I'm JC," the guy said, holding out a hand and shaking his head at the belated introduction. "And I'm guessing that you're Ashley, right?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure I'm the only guy around with the misfortune of being named Ashley Angel," he replied, the corners of his mouth lifting in a sardonic grin. "Unless you can think of any..."

"Definitely not," JC agreed with a nod that sent his dark hair ruffling. A lock settled across his forehead, and Ashley itched to push it away, to follow it with his hand until it was tangled in JC's shiny hair. The logical part of his brain informed him that such an action would not go over well with a stranger, particularly not a male stranger who would probably kick his ass if he tried to put the moves on him.

There was a bit of an uncomfortable silence, and Ashley couldn't think of one intelligent thing to say to fill the gap. He was saved by a group of kids who came up to order, so he had a few minutes to compose his thoughts before he and JC were alone again.

"Thanks so much for covering for Eric. I'm sure he appreciates it. I know he's really close with his mom, so he must be glad to get to be there with her now. And I know I appreciate your help 'cause I can't afford to miss a night of studying," Ashley said, wondering vaguely why he couldn't seem to shut up sooner.

JC didn't seem to notice anything. "It's no problem," he said. "I owe Eric, and I'm glad that it's helping you out, too. So what would you be studying for?"

"I'm taking a couple of summer courses. My lit. class is really easy, but I'm not so great at biology. I have a big test tomorrow that I have to study for," Ashley explained, glad at JC's interest, whether feigned or real. Just looking at the guy, he didn't take him to be the insincere type, though.

"Ahh, biology. Yeah, that was never exactly one of my favorites either. But tell me, what are you testing over? It might be something I can help you with," JC offered.

"Cell mitosis," Ashley said shortly, pulling a face.

"Oh, god. I remember that...vaguely. I can understand why you'd want some time to study." JC checked his watch. "Well, since I'm already here, there's no harm if you take off a little early. I'll cover for you."

Ashley smiled. "Really? That's so nice of you."

"Yeah," JC said, grinning back. "I'll hold down the fort here."

Ashley grabbed his bag and motioned for JC to come around to the door that opened in the back. JC squeezed in next to Ashley, and then they were left facing each other in the tiny building. Ashley was very aware of their proximity, but he did his best to keep his mind on the task at hand.

"So, does anything look different from last summer?"

JC surveyed his surroundings critically. "Well, I notice that Eric's pin-up of Salma Hayek is gone, but it looks the same otherwise."

Ashley laughed. "Yeah, he told me about how it got ruined by some flying lime flavoring. Personally, I'm surprised it wasn't ruined sooner. It's a miracle for anything in here not to be coated in that flavoring after one night!"

"I'm sure Eric was really broken up about that picture, but he certainly didn't cry whenever my picture of Heath Ledger got ruined," JC grinned wryly. "And that's one thing that really sucks about this job."

Ashley was still hung up on the fact that JC had a picture of Heath Ledger hanging up. He hoped it wasn't just a joke that was giving him a case of false hope. "What's the thing that sucks?" he asked absently.

"The fact that the flavoring gets all over the place. You always have to shower immediately after work so that you're not sticky and rainbow colored," JC explained, shaking his head.

"Oh, yeah. That's for sure," Ashley answered, hoping JC didn't notice his jaw drop whenever he was talking about showers and being sticky. "My sister calls me 'Rainbow Boy' because I come home with stains on my hands and legs sometimes."

JC laughed. "Can't say that I've ever been called that, but I can identify with the stains. Sometimes it looks like you got into a box of gel pens that exploded all over your hands."

Ashley and JC shared a smile, and it was then that Ashley remembered just how close together they were. He lowered his eyes. "Well, I guess I'd better get going. Don't want to fail that test."

"Right," JC nodded in agreement. "It was nice meeting you, Ashley."

Ashley backed out of the building, waving. "You too, JC." He turned away and started for his car, but he heard JC calling his name when he was just a few yards away. He turned back to see JC leaning out the door.

"Um, how about I take you out to dinner tomorrow night?" JC asked, looking a little anxious. "You know, to celebrate a job well done on your test."

Ashley's face didn't let on his inner rejoicing. "How do you know I'll do a good job?"

JC thought for a minute. "Well, I don't. So maybe it'll be a consolation dinner."

Ashley smiled. "Yeah, I think I could handle that."

END.