Stop stroking and go try again

The thought of my missed opportunity frustrated me so much I couldn't finish. I had to do something, I had to say something! I was hard and throbbing for her, and Ashley was sitting on my couch completely oblivious... Argh!

I fixed my pants, adjusted my shirt, checked my hair in the mirror. I was ready to give it a shot. All I could think about were all of the times that I sat in my room while the girl of my fantasies sat alone in my living room watching TV, no doubt bored out of her mind. How many times had I stroked myself to sleep, having spent barely ten minutes in her company? Things were about to change. I owed it to myself to at least try. I took a deep breath and headed downstairs.

When I got to the living room, the TV was blasting an old Seinfeld re-run, but Ashley was gone from the couch. I checked to see if the bathroom light was shining from under the door, but it was not. I glanced into the dining room, but she was not there either. I headed for the kitchen... perhaps she got hungry? No dice. I stood in the middle of the kitchen looking around, but she was nowhere to be found. My eyes stopped as my gaze passed over the sliding glass door to the backyard-- it was unlocked, though the outside light was off. Had she gone for a swim in the dark in our pool? Maybe she was on the phone with her boyfriend. That was probably it.

I started to head back upstairs, when, as I passed back through the living room, I notice a picture missing from atop the entertainment center. It was my senior year photo that my mom had framed just months before.