Chapter 1 "…First Sight"

When Spencer first met Ashley it wasn't love at first sight.

Well, not exactly.

It's not like Spencer didn't find Ashley aesthetically appealing, because she did.

She really did.

Ashley was after all a stone cold fox, and the sudden fire works going off in Spencer's heart and the pirouettes in her stomach were a true testament to that fact.

But Spencer didn't believe in love at first sight.

No matter how attractive she found certain brunettes or how acrobatic her insides proved to be, she just couldn't bring herself to believe in such a serendipitous way of choosing a mate. Not even after meeting the unnaturally beautiful brunette with the perfect smile and charming dimple, who she just couldn't stop staring at.

But it wasn't like Spencer was lustfully staring at Ashley; because she wasn't, she was more like skeptically staring, in a suspiciously skeptical sort of way. And it wasn't because she found Ashley to be freakishly good looking, although she'd already learned never to be trustful of beautiful women, but because Ashley was witty and funny and looked people in the eye when she spoke and even complimented Spencer on her blue top, and Spencer just couldn't trust that. How could she?

And it's not like Spencer couldn't appreciate that Ashley could hold her own in a table full of artsy folk, with the likes of people named Tallulah and Boyd, and switch between conversations about Dadaism and Ximena Sariñana and Lynch films, and yeah maybe Spencer couldn't deny that it was hot, but still, she was wary.

And maybe if Spencer had known that Chelsea secretly invited Ashley to this dinner for the sole purpose of them meeting and in fact falling in love at first sight, because let's face it Chelsea did believe in that stuff, she'd probably be less vigilant.

Probably.

But how could Spencer have known that this was Chelsea's intention all along? Chelsea didn't even know.

Well not initially.

The day Chelsea first met Ashley at a fancy art gallery opening and the brunette introduced herself as 'a big fan', Chelsea thought that she was quite beautiful and maybe she'd set this gorgeous girl up with her friend Aiden. But then as the conversation progressed and she found that this gorgeous girl who was also a fan, was actually intelligent, she dismissed that idea completely. And when Ashley revealed that it was her ex-girlfriend who introduced her to Chelsea's work, Chelsea nearly squealed with joy because she'd finally found the perfect match for her sister-in-law/best friend Spencer.

And it was then, when Chelsea impetuously invited Ashley to a not yet existing dinner party; that the dutiful best friend dreamed up the greatest union since Salt first shooped with Pepa.

And even though Ashley probably had a laundry list of awesome things to do, because Ashley always had awesome things to do, she agreed to go to this sketchy dinner party, because, well, she really was a fan.

And Chelsea was thrilled but also panicked, because now she had to throw an impromptu dinner party for eight in two days. But it was for Spencer, and as she'd said many times before "I'd do anything for that girl." And she would. She'd even go as far as throwing a fake dinner party in honor of the summer solstice, which was a stretch because even though Chelsea was an artist she was no hippie.

And because Chelsea didn't want to wreck the spontaneity that would be their fateful first meeting, she didn't reveal her mischievous scheme to anyone. Not even Archibald, her favorite art mannequin and long time confidant.

So when Ashley actually showed up, alone and with an assortment of pricey alcoholic beverages to said dinner party, Chelsea was insanely giddy. She knew this was meant to be. Even if it was hardly considered fortuitous to show up to a dinner party one had previously agreed to attend. It didn't matter. Chelsea was sure that Spencer and Ashley would meet, fall in love and have a fairy tale love affair… Or at the very least, Spencer would get laid.

Now don't get it twisted, Chelsea by no means meant to imply that Spencer couldn't get laid or pull her own chicks. That wasn't the case at all. Chelsea just thought Spencer needed a little… push. Really. Because Spencer was absolutely gorgeous, in that classic, blonde, blue-eyed, refreshing beauty kind of way. And she had the most amazing sincere smile that made her eyes sparkle, and most men want to ditch their wives and spend lifetimes making her do just that.

But Spencer wasn't into that.

And it didn't matter either way because she rejected even the most minuscule advances from the many beautiful women that fancied her too.

Instead Spencer chose to spend most of her free time working on her documentary, only stepping out of her techie lair every once in a while to cook fabulous meals for Chelsea's art friends or to put on lavish gowns and look beautiful and schmooze and charm potential film investors. Because aside from being stunningly beautiful, Spencer was also kind of a whiz with a wok and a gown, an often tested and regularly validated lethal combination.

So really, Spencer didn't need help in the chick department, except for maybe the part where she wouldn't date them.

And no matter how hard she tried to hide it, Chelsea knew Spencer was lonely. She knew she needed someone, even if it was just for sex. At least if only to get her feet wet, in a non-literal, non-fetish sort of way of course. And although Chelsea didn't know much about lesbian sex, she figured that like most sex things, it was probably better with a partner. And a really insanely, good-looking partner probably could hurt either.

And even though Chelsea was 'no 'mo,' she could appreciate the hotness that was Ashley, because she was also kind of amazing with her knowledge of art and all things cool and her humble sort of down to earth yet confident personality. And maybe Chelsea kind of had a straight girl crush and maybe under different circumstances… but tonight wasn't about Chelsea's bi-curiosity, it was about Spencer and her need to get laid and maybe, just maybe, fall in love.

***

So there they were, at the dinner table, which Chelsea cunningly arranged so she sat across from Spencer and Ashley, where she could see first hand the sparks she was sure would fly. Because really, if Chelsea found herself having inappropriate sexy thoughts about the recent brunette addition to the circle, then she couldn't even begin to fathom what the bona fide leszie in the group was thinking.

But much to Chelsea's dismay, the highly anticipated and much expected 4th of July fireworks spectacular that would be their momentous first encounter was hardly even a show. Because Spencer was being strangely reserved, and sure Spencer was sometimes reserved, but not to this extent, at least not with Chelsea's art friends.

Spencer was usually quite charming when it came to the inspired, sometimes pretentious folk that would meander into Chelsea's select circle. She would often have them swooning and fawning over her by the end of the night, regardless of how great they thought they were. It was quite amusing really; they'd all end up the same; all moony eyes and stupid grins, infatuated by the unattainable blond, all of them certain she was the one.

But tonight was different.

Tonight there was no swooning, no charm, no knee weakening, butterfly flapping, million-dollar, 'gift from the gods' smile.

…Just a quietly pensive blond, picking at her extraordinarily tender organic foie gras.

...and an extremely sullen sister-in-law/best friend cursing higher beings for the injustices of the universe. Seriously god; 'what did it take for Spencer to fall in love?'

And sure, anyone with eyes would classify this as a total and colossal failure because Spencer was just not having it and Chelsea was kind of losing it, but luckily Ashley was still Ashley, and Ashley kind of liked Spencer.

And even though Spencer didn't know this was a set up, Ashley did, because she'd been ambushed/set-up many times before, and frankly Chelsea wasn't as couth as she prided herself to be. And normally Ashley would run right out the front door the moment she'd realized the scheme, but Spencer was absolutely beautiful and Ashley decided she really wanted this blond, and really who was Ashley to stand in the way of true lust…even if Spencer was doing most of the standing.

Ashley was not deterred.

Because Ashley just wasn't the kind of girl that waited for things to happen, especially not stunning blonds with gorgeous blue eyes that wouldn't stop looking at her, kinds of things.

And Ashley was no chump, she knew that Spencer was more likely scrutinizing her than checking her out, but still, she liked a challenge and Spencer was definitely threatening to be challenge. And, really hot, unbelievably gorgeous challenges were by far Ashley's favorite. So honestly, she couldn't find a reason not to be intrigued.

It was probably Spencer's eyes, Ashley surmised, that were making her all indulgent and curious, because they were soft and radiant and sparkly, especially when she spoke to Chelsea or laughed at her brother Glen's obscene jokes. And Ashley remembered someone telling her that the eyes were the windows to the soul or whatever, and she thought that if this girl's eyes were any indication, then this chick was either Mother Teresa or a Saint or something. Then Ashley smirked, out of the blue and to herself which was odd but whatever, because she thought of all the inappropriate things she wanted to do to this angel, that other angels probably wouldn't approve of. But she remembered she really didn't care if it was frowned upon, she was Ashley Davies, and she'd corrupt an angel if she wanted.

And yeah, she was smug but totally frustrated because this angel, her naughty kinky angel, wouldn't look at her. Well at least not like she wanted her to. And really, all Ashley wanted her to do was look at her. To gaze into her eyes long enough for her to swim into them and to the center of her soul and maybe if she was lucky drown… And wow, yeah, Ashley was being a total cornball, which was bizarre and unlikely and it made her feel kind of creepy. But she couldn't really help it, so she just kind of embraced it and thought that maybe she'd write a song about it, which was weird because Ashley didn't write songs. And even though it was confusing and conflicting, it was also intriguing and thrilling all at the same time, and she was totally kind of loving it.

So she kept watching, waiting.

But you know, not in a creepy way.

She hoped.

And maybe she was hoping to catch her looking or maybe catch her smiling, because Spencer had the most incredible smile, but mostly she was trying to confirm that she was actually that impossibly beautiful. And yeah, all her awesomeness and deity defiance aside, Ashley was still human and she couldn't deny her total attraction to this smart beautiful girl, who usually wasn't her type, because she liked them dark and dumb. And maybe Chelsea was right, despite how wrong she'd been so far, and maybe this was love at first sight… At least for Ashley.

And so the chase for love, or whatever it was, was on.

Ashley tried to engage Spencer in small talk, and Spencer obliged, keeping it just that, small: the weather was indeed nice, the new Michael Moore was good and god, it was like pulling teeth.

When dinner was served and quickly devoured, Spencer began to clear the dishes and hastily made her way to the kitchen. And Spencer was only somewhat surprised when Ashley walked into the kitchen carrying a handful of dishes, insisting that she at least help load the washer. And when the dishes were loaded and the washer was doing its thing, Ashley followed its lead and started doing her thing.

So she poured them a couple of glasses of the way too expensive champagne she brought along, and Spencer tried to refuse because she wasn't much of a drinker, but Ashley gave her this captivating flawless smile that made Spencer melt into goop, and she kind of had no choice but to accept the drink.

And it was strange really, because she'd been playing this game of hide-and-seek-and-avoid with Ashley all night, but she was so quick to give in to the brunette's charm that it was more like pathetic than strange. Then again, Spencer had always been terrible at games, so it wasn't all that surprising. Because as soon as the brunette smiled that perfect smile of hers, the one where her face lit up and her eyes squinted just right, all of Spencer's negative thoughts on beautiful women flew out the window. And really who couldn't trust that beguiling face? Hell, she would've given Ashley a kidney right then and there if she had asked for it.

"So, Chelsea tells me you've been working on a documentary…" Ashley commented, mostly as an icebreaker because although 'Can I get in your pants?' had worked before, she hardly believed Spencer would find it half as charming as the last girl did.

"Yeah." Spencer nodded taking a sip from her drink, and boy was she ever the wordsmith.

"Tell me about…" Ashley prodded, if only to prove that Spencer knew more than six words and OK, who was she kidding, she'd be perfectly content just standing near the blond, maybe while she smiled and they held hands and maybe some kissing would be nice… and Geez who was this mushy pod person in Ashley's body?

"Really?" Spencer's eyes widened and, score, she finally gave Ashley that smile she had been hoping for all night… And Ashley just might possibly have died.

"Yeah…" And suddenly Ashley was very interested in documentaries because the way Spencer's eyes lit up at the mention of them could only mean good things and Ashley decided it was a good thing when Spencer's eyes sparkled like that, so she chuckled despite herself. "Why?"

"Oh, it's just everyone is so tired of me talking about it, I haven't actually heard anyone willingly ask me to share…" Spencer chuckled too, finding Ashley's laugh and smile just way too contagious. And it was all so weird, but comfortable and pleasant, except for the part were she was nervous and wobbly, especially when Ashley leaned in closer.

"I understand, I sometimes get involved in my projects and it's like I have a one track mind, all I want to do is talk about it… so yeah" And Spencer gifted Ashley another dazzling smile, because she felt like Ashley gets her, and it was weird because it was usually her who was catering to people and making them feel like she gets them. And it wasn't like their conversation had any depth or substance for that matter, but talking to Ashley made even the most mundane subjects seem fascinating, because, I mean, look at her. And really, Spencer could have kicked her self for not flirting with her sooner. And wait was Spencer flirting?

And just as soon as Spencer started to catch her breath, because being near Ashley made her feel like she got the wind knocked out of her but like in that weird good way, the moment was over. And there was no need to catch her breath.

"Ashley, we need your expert opinion on …something …out here…" Aiden walked into the kitchen all moony eyed and grinning stupidly and really subtlety wasn't Aiden's strong suit, because apparently Aiden was kind of smitten with the brunette too.

"Ok, be right there…" Ashley responded, but she made no actual effort to be right there. And Aiden was still standing there smiling like a kid waiting his turn with the new toy and Spencer noticed and so did Ashley.

And the tension was suddenly kind of thick because Aiden kind of wanted Spencer to go away, but Ashley kind of wanted Aiden to go away and Spencer really couldn't process what she really wanted at that point because she was still trying to wrap her head around this whole flirting thing, which she never does, so it was disconcerting. And no one was budging and it was awkward. So Ashley finally gave in and conceded.

"Ok well …I guess I should go…" Ashley declared reluctantly, even though it was quite obvious she didn't really want to go.

"Ok, yeah" And Spencer was suddenly kind of disappointed, which was surprising because she was usually the one disappointing girls. But it didn't go unnoticed.

"Have dinner with me" Ashley said all too hastily like if she didn't ask right then she'd lose her nerve, which was weird because Spencer was kind of under the impression that Ashley was seriously confident and a little full of herself to ever lose her nerve.

"Oh I don't know…" And suddenly Spencer was the reluctant one, because as attractive and appealing and charming and sexy as she found Ashley to be, Spencer didn't date. It was her rule. And she was pretty sure that what Ashley had asked for, was in fact a date.

"Why not? You don't eat?" Ashley quickly recovered, because she liked Spencer, and really she wasn't going to get turned down, not in front of this guy, with his small shirt, big chest, and interrupting ways.

"No, yeah, I do eat… but…" And Spencer was actually faltering, because why wouldn't she want to go somewhere, anywhere, with this beautiful smart funny girl who made her feel tingly? And for the first time ever she thought that maybe her no dating rule was kind of stupid.

"Listen it's not a big deal…We'll grab some delicious food from this place I know, and, you'll tell me about your awesome documentary and I'll tell you about a few of my friends who are looking to invest in awesome documentaries… and it'll be great…" And Ashley was kind of like a used car salesperson, a really good one, and she was selling that dinner date like nobody's business.

"Oh… you mean kind of like a… business meeting …type thing?" Spencer asked hopefully, because technically a business dinner wasn't a date, it wasn't technically even considered a social event, but it did mean alone time with Ashley, so Spencer really wanted it to be a business dinner.

But Ashley was confused because although business was in order, she had the feeling that Spencer meant actual business.

And Ashley hardly ever had to deceive girls into going out with her, but Aiden was still hovering and being annoying, and Ashley thought that maybe he was Spencer's religious freak cousin, and it would make perfect sense, because why else would he be there? And she thought that perhaps Spencer wanted to guise their date as a business meeting, if only to be unoffensive to her large muscular cousin with the bangs and the affinity for homophobic religions.

"Sure, if you want to call it that…" Ashley shrugged, because no matter what the evening was called or what the pretense for it was, it would still mean a night with the gorgeous blond and the possibility of more heart fluttering smiles, so really it was a no-brainer.

"Ok" Spencer agreed and Ashley couldn't believe it.

"Ok?"

"Yeah ok" Spencer smiled and Ashley couldn't wait because a whole night with Spencer and her eyes and that smile meant she could die happy... And Ashley made a mental note to be a lot less corny on their date …or business meeting. Whatever.

And Ashley thought that if Aiden's perfectly chiseled jaw on the floor was any indication, then this was sure to be the beginning of something amazing.