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Chapter 4: Set Up
Ashley realizes that she and Aiden are driving up to their favorite restaurant, and she automatically feels like a kid at Disneyland.
"OH MY GOSH AIDEN! YOU ARE THE BEST!"
"Hey what can I say, you are my best friend Ash, and where else would I take you?"
"Thank you. I needed this."
"I know. So are we going to talk about this?"
Ashley felt more comfortable talking to Aiden about everything troubling her. While she was on the road, she would call him almost all the time; to vent, to cry, to laugh; just to take her mind off of whatever was stressing her out.
"Are we?" She asks as she takes a huge drink of her sweet tea. That was one thing Ashley loved other than Spencer. Sweet Tea
"Yes. Tell me everything on your mind."
"God you're such a girl sometimes."
"It's why you love me."
"You're right. Ok. So where do I start?"
"Maybe when at the moment you realized you were moving back. I mean that's when it all would've started right?"
"It what?"
"Come on Ash…playing out the scenarios in your head like you were a character on Scrubs."
Wow…he probably knows me better than Kyla. Scrubs is my favorite show, I wonder how it would be like if…
"See you're doing it now."
She laughs hard, which is something that hasn't happened in a while, "Ok, ok," as she gets serious, "it didn't hit me until I finished the last show. I mean I had to make all those plans about moving all my crap to the new house, getting with Jen to figure out the decorator to hire, all that jazz, but the moment I stepped into my hotel room for the last night, everything came flooding back into my mind. I don't know how even begin to think about approaching it Aide…I want her back. I need her back. I just don't know how to even look at her without having a breakdown. She sent this back to me…"
Ashley places the ring on the table as Aiden sits in shock. Even he knew how much that ring meant to the both of them.
"Wow, Ash I had no idea."
"Yea no one did, I mean besides Jen. I've had it for a few months now."
"Did she write anything?"
"No. Just sent the ring. No letter, no text, nothing."
"Ouch."
"Yea, I mean I tried calling her right after everything happened, but obviously she wasn't going to run back with open arms…I took the hint and figured I would let her have her space, I also thought it would let me clear my head and devise this amazing plan to get her back the moment I stepped off the plane, but no luck there either."
"Well I think this welcome home party will be a great start? And it would be a party. Give you some liquid confidence; I'm pretty sure you will get her back Ash."
"Thanks Aide, I just don't think that it would be a good idea to have all those people there, then trying to win her back at the same time. Too much pressure."
"That is true. See, your head is clear! All you have to do now is just plan the perfect meeting thing…"
"Meeting thing? Haha, you're right, you are a guy."
"Thanks…hah"
"But you are also right. I need to think of something soon."
"Well, you should think of something now…I think they spotted us."
"They?" She asks as she turns around to see Kyla walking up and Spencer following.
"Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit."
"Ashley! Breathe!"
"Fuck. Aide, did you tell Kyla we were here? What do I do?"
"No! I just said we went out to eat. Act normal. Here they come."
[Cue hyperventilation]
"Hi babe! Hey Ash!" Kyla says as Ashley tries to hide behind her…oh yea, Ray Bans.
"Hey Ky…" Ashley says as she stares a hole into the table.
"Hey Aiden…Hi Ashley."
That's it….am I dead yet? Wait…HI? Fuck Ashley say something!
Ashley looks up to Spencer who's standing 3 feet away from her, "Spencer…Hi" as she smiles awkwardly to the blonde...
"Hey Ash so Aiden and I were talking about a welcome home…"
"Party. Yea, he told me," thank you for saving me Ky!, "I don't want one just yet. I need to get settled in. I still don't have all my stuff from the..." great, bring up the apartment you and Spence shared together…good move Ashley.
"Right, so babe, I'm going to take Ashley to this place…I'll"
"Call me later. Yea. I'll see you later Ash. Love you."
"Love you. Bye Spencer."
"Bye Aiden. Bye Ashley."
Ashley. Just the way that she said it hurt.
"Bye guys."
"Soooo awkward much?" Aiden asks as they part.
"Sorry about that Spencer. I had no idea we were going to bump into them."
"Yea Aiden, how about not telling your girlfriend where we're at next time!" Ashley says as she hits Aiden on the shoulder.
"It's ok Kyla, it was bound to happen. It had to happen."
"Fuck Ash! That hurt! And I didn't tell Kyla where we were at. If you ask me, that's fate telling you something."
As Ashley is about to hit Aiden again, she stops.
"You're right. It needed to happen."
"Exactly. Now come on, I do have somewhere to take you."
"Ok."
They drive off and head to the recording studio her father left her in his will that Ashley had left behind for Aiden to run while she was touring.
"The place looks great Aide. I knew you would take care of it."
"Duh…I can handle this!"
"Good, because I want you to be my partner."
"Really Ash?"
"Yes! Of course, who else would I want running the place my dad left me?"
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Now, let's talk about a raise…"
"Haha, you're too funny"
"Damn, it was worth a shot."
"A for effort?"
"Thanks."
They walk to the back of the building, where Ashley's office/private studio is at. Aiden plops down on the couch across from Ashley's desk, as she heads to the studio and starts playing the piano.
"Something new?"
"You could say that…I started playing it last night. I don't know where I'm going with it though…"
"It sounds to me like a love song Ash…"
"Does it? It's my subconscious."
"Riiiiight. Even your subconscious is telling you to plan something."
"Shut up."
She starts singing, not really having any verses or chorus, just singing along with the melody.
"Well it sounds good."
"Thanks."
"Now we just need Spencer to listen."
"Aide…"
"Yea?"
"Not that I don't appreciate everything you and Kyla are trying to do for me…"
"Oh, so you caught on…"
"Yea, I mean it was obvious, and you are my best friend. I think I know when I'm being set up…"
"Right. Look Ash I'm sorry it was something Ky suggested."
"No it's ok, that's what I'm saying. I'm glad you guys are trying to help out. I just think this time; it needs to happen between Spencer and me. No outside forces. Like I said it's too much pressure."
"Done. I'll leave it up to you. Just please let me know if I can help you."
"I will. Just no more set ups, please?"
"Ok, who are you texting? Or rather, who are you sending that novel to?" Aiden noticed that Ashley had been feverishly typing away throughout most of their conversation.
"What? Oh, no one, I'm just writing some stuff down"
Message Sent
"Ok, well let's get go so you can get your baby back"
"Aide…"
"Ashhh…I was talking about your car."
"Oh, yea, I knew that. Let's go."
With that, they leave the studio, back to Kyla's house because Ashley simply could not go another minute without her car. After all the touring, she needed to be the one driving…and she wasn't just thinking about her car.
"Ash"
"Hmmm" Ashley sleepily sounded back as she looked up to Spencer holding her
"Are you happy?"
Ashley smiled as she started placing soft kisses from Spencer's torso, making her way up to her neck, finally reaching her lips, "extremely happy," she whispered, "are you happy?"
"More than you'll ever know. Can we just stay in bed forever?"
"I want nothing more than to be here with you forever…"
"Ash? Are you…ok?"
"What…oh, yea I'm, I'll be," she realized tears were coming down, "Sorry Aide."
"Don't apologize. Ky's coming out with your keys. I'll call you later?"
"Yea, thanks Aiden."
"Hey Ash here, I didn't mess with anything!"
Ashley chuckles, but the smile quickly turned back into a frown…
"Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I thought it would make things a little easier…"
"Yea, well again, it was too soon. Look Ky I'm just gonna go home. I need to clear my head."
"Ok Ash, love you."
"You too."
Ashley never told anyone she loved them back; unless it was Spencer, and now with everything going on, she couldn't help but go back into her shell. Now she couldn't think of anything else but those blue eyes and the way they stared right through her when they met again. Spencer never looked at her like that; with no emotion behind it.
Breathe Ashley. You just need to breathe. Just need some time. Time to think, time to plan; just time to get everything back together. I just hope it's not too late.
Before she knew it, she's back in her studio, sitting in front of her piano, and music sheets spread out everywhere. If there was something Ashley could do to focus on something else, it was her music. But this next song…it wasn't going to be for her fans.
