Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the plot.
A/N: You know, I wish great shows would stop being canceled and replaced with shit. Quit producing other horrible shows and let good shows, like South of Nowhere or Popular or Legend of the Seeker, be funded correctly. Shows like The Secret Life of the American Teenager are pointless and so obviously see through. Can I get an Amen?
End rant.
"You're ridiculous and I love it," Ashley said, laughing at Spencer. The blonde grinned.
"You know it's true. Mustard overpowers ketchup's taste and therefore gets put on first, so the ketchup actually gets a chance to be enjoyed," Spencer said.
"To be honest, I've never really paid attention to which condiment goes first. I just know that I like mustard and that I like ketchup and that I really like it when they're together," Ashley replied.
"You obviously have no appreciation for the art of hotdogs and hamburgers," Spencer said.
"Sure I do," Ashley said. "I appreciate that they're made. Without them, summer cookouts wouldn't be the same and my stomach wouldn't be as happy. If my stomach is happy, I'm happy. When I'm happy, everything is awesome. Therefore, I appreciate hotdogs and hamburgers just as much as the next non-vegetarian person."
"That's weak. It is a long lost art, like Latin is a lost language," Spencer said, shaking her head.
"I disagree. Maybe the every day use of the actual language is lost, but the English language and several others derive from Latin. Therefore, Latin is used every day. Especially if you work in the medical, law or musical field," Ashley argued. Spencer rolled her eyes.
"We're going to have to agree to disagree," she said. "We could spend all day arguing over pointless topics." Ashley shrugged.
"Okay," she agreed. "You know, I like that we argue, actually. It shows me that you take pride in learning things and having conversations with actual substance. That you don't only care about the most popular brand of clothing or the perfect shade of lip gloss."
"In the long run, that stuff doesn't matter. Sure, it helps people look better but if you don't have any intelligence to back up a stylish wardrobe, then you really aren't getting anywhere in life," Spencer said. "But I agree, it's refreshing to hold an actual conversation about something other than how good someone's ass looks in a certain pair of jeans." Ashley laughed.
At precisely that point in time, Ashley knew she had to have Spencer as something other than a friend. She was beautiful, extremely intelligent and outrageously funny. She had an awesome taste in music, she liked art and she loved food. There was no way Ashley was letting Spencer slip through her fingers.
"How would you feel about going out on a date with me?"
One hour later, Ashley was following Kyla into their childhood home for The Last Supper, as she liked to call it.
"Hi honey!" She was immediately taken into her father's strong arms.
"Hey dad," she said simply, hugging him back. They shared a smile. She and her father had always been extremely alike. From musical talents to mannerisms and personality, Ashley took after Raife in almost everything she did while Kyla took after their mother.
"How are you doing kiddo?" Raife asked. Ashley shrugged.
"I'm good," she said. Another one of their shared traits. They kept things simple and to the point, especially conversations.
"Your mother is in the kitchen," Raife said. "Go say hi." Ashley made her way toward the kitchen, doing as her father asked. Inside, the sight of Christine pouring two glasses of wine and Paula sitting at the kitchen bar greeted her.
"Hi mom," Ashley said, making her presence known. "Hi Paula."
"Ashley!" both women exclaimed, looking toward her. Christine enveloped her daughter in a hug before letting go. Paula settled for a quick half hug from her daughter's ex.
"How are you doing, honey?" Christine asked. "We know you've been busy. Have you been eating right? Are you sleeping at all?" Ashley rolled her eyes.
"Mom, chill. I'm fine," she replied.
"You look a bit peaky, honey," Christine continued.
"And clearly you've been watching your British soap operas," Ashley said, smiling. "Seriously, I'm okay. I've just been really busy with getting ready for the show."
"It will do well for you to take a break after this," Christine said. "You need to rest and your family misses you."
"Don't worry. My next tour isn't for another year and even then I'm only touring the states," Ashley said.
They were then joined by what seemed like every other person in the house. Ashley immediately felt a pair of arms wrap around her legs and she looked down and smiled.
"Aunty Ashwey!" Benjamin said. He smiled up at Ashley.
"Hey Benny Boy!" Ashley said. She bent down and picked Ben up before twirling him around in a circle. Ben laughed and held on to Ashley's neck.
"You've gotten so big buddy," Ashley said. Ben grinned and nodded.
"Mommy said I'm a big boy now," Ben replied. Ashley laughed and looked to where Chelsea and Clay were standing. She put Ben down before giving his parents hugs. She was then wrapped in large, strong arms.
"Ashley Isabel Davies," Glen said, smiling at his fiancée's best friend.
"Glen Marshall Carlin," Ashley said, returning the hug.
"Ashley!" Arthur said from behind Glen.
"Hey Mr. C," Ashley said, smiling brightly. However, her smile dimmed as she saw the one person she dreaded seeing standing behind her father. Her eyes met Spencer's and it seemed like the entire room got quiet.
Ashley couldn't deny that Spencer looked good. She looked more than good. She was gorgeous. From her soft blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes to her slim and fit figure and soft curves, Spencer was everything Ashley remembered her being.
Including the person who shattered her heart into a million microscopic pieces.
"Hey Ash," Spencer said softly, crossing her arms across her chest. Ashley breathed in sharply.
"Spencer," she said just as softly, nodding to the blonde. She didn't know what to say or do. So she didn't do anything. And if Spencer had a clue what to do, she didn't act like she did. She was just as frozen as Ashley.
"Well, dinner is ready," Christine said, interrupting the silence. That seemed to spur everyone into action and the chatter started back up. Ashley felt Kyla's hand on her shoulder briefly and she looked at her sister. Kyla offered her a small smile before walking into the dining room.
Ashley realized that she and Spencer were the only ones left in the kitchen. She glanced between her ex and the opening to the dining room and contemplated on whether she should leave or stay.
She chose to leave. She briefly felt guilty for doing so but then the anger and the hurt that always followed thinking of anything to do with Spencer settled in.
And fuck it. If Spencer could leave, so could she.
"So, Ashley," Arthur started. "What's your plan for the next few months?" Ashley looked up from her dinner plate, where her focus had been for most of the night.
"Uh…well, I'm ending my tour here and then I'll be taking the next year or so off to work on my album and work on my publicity," Ashley said. She shrugged.
"Nothing special I suppose," she added.
"Well sure that's special!" Arthur said. "When do you think your album will be out? I'm looking forward to buying it." He chuckled as he added the last part. Ashley laughed.
"Well, at the rate things are going right now, it should be ready to be released in a few months. I write all the songs that I play so really it just depends on how fast I write the songs. I've gotten a few of them done, but most are still in the process of being written," Ashley replied.
"Any chance we can hear one early?" Glen chimed in, grinning from ear to ear. Ashley snorted.
"If you decide to come to the show tomorrow night you may or may not get a sneak peak," Ashley teased, smiling back at Glen.
The conversation was soon after that steered toward Spencer and her growing career as a photographer. Ashley was quiet throughout, however, deciding to listen more than speak. She knew the conversation had geared toward Spencer because no matter how she or Spencer felt, their family still firmly believed they were destined to be together. And somehow, Christine and Paula, the conversation leaders, thought that comparing the two girls' successes would lead them to get back together.
Not likely.
However, there was a part of Ashley (and if she admitted the truth, that part was ridiculously large) that wanted to hear what Spencer had been doing. Sure, there had been a few small conversations about what the blonde had been doing with her life when she talked with Kyla over the phone but Ashley tried to ignore talking about Spencer all together. But sitting at the dinner table surrounded by her family (and another thing she hated to admit, but she did consider the Carlin's family still) hearing them talk about her ex's growing life also pained Ashley. Because what if Spencer had decided to still love her for the past three years? She wouldn't be reduced to finding out that some of Spencer's work was in the process of being considered for the Modern Museum of Art over chicken casserole. She would have been the first to find that out, from Spencer herself. And she would have wrapped Spencer in a hug big enough to cover the span of the universe. She would've been able to play the supportive girlfriend.
But Spencer hadn't decided to love her. And Ashley hadn't been able to be the supportive girlfriend. In fact, she hadn't been able to be anything. Spencer had decided to break her heart into a billion pieces that Ashley still wasn't able to find even after three years and Ashley had decided to relocate herself halfway across the world in return.
And when she thought about it, Ashley really hated Spencer Carlin. But most importantly, she really hated herself for not being able to stop loving Spencer Carlin.
