Complicated.

8b:

Spencer handed her credit card over to the young man working the cash register and watched him quickly slide it through the card slot connected to the computer screen in front of him. She lightly tapped her fingers on the counter top as the receipt for her purchase printed out. He handed the card back with the receipt wrapped around it. "Thank you." She put the card and receipt away, and stayed where she was, waiting for the order.

She was surprised at how well she had managed to hold herself together. Ever since the phone call the day before, she had spent a lot of time brainstorming as many excuses as she could possibly think of to get out of what would surely be an uncomfortable situation. Another talk with Aiden was what got her to go through with it. After six years, he knew how to talk her into just about anything by using the simplest tactics: charm, persuasion, guilt. He always got her to give in.

Her gaze drifted to the table Ashley had snagged over in a corner by the stage. The brunette was slouched forward in her chair with both elbows on the table, one hand holding her head, the other fiddling with her cell phone.

Ashley Davies was not a transparent, easy to read person. She kept most of her feelings well hidden from those around her. Spencer had picked up on this while they were dating, and eventually learned how to read her. An ability she still seemed to possess, four years later. Ashley was trying to hide it, but Spencer could see. See the same nervous, unsure look she had seen on her own face that morning, in the mirror. Ashley was freaking out. She didn't want to be here. That was obvious. So what made her come? Spencer had one guess: Aiden. Ashley wanted to see him. She said so herself on the phone. Aiden was the only reason either of them showed up, and he wasn't even here. Every minute Aiden didn't walk into that café, she grew more aggravated. She didn't want to be left alone with Ashley any longer.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when three large paper cups, fitted plastic lids and cardboard sleeves attached, were placed in front of her. "Thank you," she said, reaching for the cups. The boy behind the counter smiled at her before waving forward the next customer in line.

"Need help with those?"

Spencer turned her head toward the voice. "Finally," she muttered, giving her friend two of the cups. "Where the hell have you been?"

"I'm only a few minutes late," Aiden answered, taking the coffees being handed to him.

"Try fifteen," Spencer corrected the man.

"Really?"

"Yes. We said ten o'clock, remember?"

"Yeah, sorry. I must've lost track of time." Aiden looked down at the two cups in his hands, then at the one Spencer was holding. "I see three coffees here, so I'm assuming Ashley showed."

"She did. On time, unlike you."

"Again, I'm sorry. It was hard to get away. Friday's are one of our busiest days. I told you that." The dark-haired man started looking around the room, obviously searching for Ashley. "Where is she?"

"She got us a table in that corner," she said, motioning toward the area Ashley was sitting in.

Aiden turned in the direction she showed him, but remained standing where he was, until Spencer gave him a little push to get moving. He glared back at the blond.

"Aren't we going over to the table?"

"Give me a few seconds. You're not the only one who's nervous here."

Spencer stared at him with a lifted eyebrow. "You're nervous?"

"Well, yeah. It's Ashley."

Spencer didn't say anything else; she understood. She just gave him a small nod and waited until he was ready.

When they reached the table, Ashley was standing beside it, hands clasped in front of her, a nervous half-smile stuck on her face. "Hey," she said, staring at her old best friend.

"Ashley Davies," Aiden said as he set the coffees on the table and stepped back, looking the small woman up and down. His mouth bent into a big grin. "I can't believe it's been four years since I last saw you. You look amazing." He pulled the small woman into an unexpected hug, gave her a gentle squeeze, which she returned, then quickly released her. "Of course, you always have."

"Thank you." Ashley looked up at him, smiling. "You don't look too bad yourself." She lifted a hand and touched his hair. It was longer and styled in a layered cut, with the longest part stopping a few inches below his jaw. "I love the hair."

"You do?" Aiden rubbed the back of his head. "I'm still getting used to it."

Spencer, who was standing off to the side watching the two reunite, quietly walked around them to the chair opposite where Ashley had been sitting, leaving the seat between them to Aiden. Once Ashley and Aiden were at the table, the three of them sat there, quietly gripping their coffee cups and staring at each other.

Aiden glanced at Spencer, then Ashley, and chuckled lightly. "So, this is weird. I never thought the three of us would be brought back together again."

"Me neither." Ashley lifted her paper cup to her lips and sipped her hot coffee through the whole in the plastic lid. She wiped her mouth and set her cup down in front of her. "Not that this isn't nice. Seeing you guys again. I just never really expected it."

"Yeah, same here. It's kind of crazy that you picked Corey to be your roommate."

"I didn't pick her, exactly. My other roommate, Jenna, suggested her. They work together. But after I met her I knew she'd fit right in. She's great."

"Oh yeah, Corey's awesome. Has she cooked any dinners for you guys yet?"

"Uh no. I don't think so. I work nights, so..."

"You should ask her to cook for you some time. She's one hell of a cook. Seriously. I've crashed a few of their little 'romantic dinners' and snuck myself a plateful of whatever she had prepared." Aiden grinned. "She's good. Like better than Mama Dennison good."

Ashley smiled. "Oh, really? I didn't know that."

Spencer chose not to say anything during the whole exchange, wishing she were away from the table, or someplace else entirely, instead of where she was right then, listening to her best friend and ex-girlfriend talk about her current girlfriend. Awkward Moment No. 2. She rolled her eyes and reached for her coffee. This is going so well.

Sensing his friend's discomfort, Aiden finally changed the subject. "We should get something going here. I mean, we're here to catch up on each other's lives over the past four years, so let's do that." He glanced at the woman on his right. "Spence, you want to go first?"

"Me?" Aiden nodded. She flicked her gaze over to Ashley, who was now leaning back in her chair with her arms folded across her chest. "Uh, sure." She licked her lips as she tried to get her thoughts together. "Not much has happened in my life really," she started, looking away from Ashley. "I guess most of my focus has been on school. I stayed in New York up until I graduated, then moved back here and started working as one of the photographers for a small fashion magazine, which I was lucky enough to get with the help of a friend back in New York."

"How did you get into photography?"

Spencer lifted her eyes, landing on Ashley's intense stare across the table. She held the woman's stare for a moment, then turned away, choosing to look at the plastic lid on her coffee cup instead. "I kind of went through a hard time my first year of pre-med. I wasn't adjusting to the school or the city as well as I thought I would, and the workload was just too much. I couldn't keep up. By March I was very close to failing one of my classes."

Ashley sank further into her chair. Although it wasn't said, she had a feeling their break-up was part of the reason Spencer had been struggling so much back then.

"After a lot of soul searching, I decided that becoming a doctor just wasn't what I wanted anymore. It was something I was doing to please my mother. Which I've already told you, I think. Anyway. I stopped taking all of my pre-med courses and started looking for another major. A friend of mine told me about a photography class he was in at the time. I had never really considered photography before, but it sounded interesting, so I looked into it.

"The first time I walked around the city taking pictures with this little vintage Cannon camera that I had found at a small shop in the village, I knew I had found what I wanted to do. I swear, it was as if somebody had flipped a switch inside my head. I went through six rolls of film that day. I walked around, taking shot after shot, feeling like I was on a drug-induced high or something. It was amazing."

Aiden turned to Ashley. "Have you seen any of her work?" The brunette shook her head. "The stuff she does for the magazine is great, but her personal stuff is where she really shines. She takes the most gorgeous pictures." He looked over at Spencer. "Where's your portfolio?"

"At home," the blond muttered a little shyly. "I don't take it everywhere I go, you know."

"Well, you should show it to Ashley some time."

Ashley smiled slightly at the blond. "I'd really like to see some of your work."

Spencer glanced at Ashley, surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah. That is, if you're willing to share it with me."

"I didn't think you'd be interested."

"I am."

Spencer smiled. "Okay."

After a sip of coffee, Aiden cleared his throat. "I guess I'll go next." He set his cup on the table before starting. "Obviously, my basketball career didn't work out; I didn't make it to the big time," he smiled, showing that he wasn't too upset about it. "So, I had to find something else I was good at. I'm still working towards it, but I'm on my way to becoming a personal fitness trainer. I have a year of school left to go. This year would've been my last, but I had to put it off to take care of an important responsibility that I've recently acquired in my life."

Ashley stared at him with a confused look on her face. "What are you talking about? What kind of responsibility?"

"I, um," he stuttered, sneaking a look in Spencer's direction, "I had a son."

"Oh." Ashley was stunned, and not sure how to respond. "That's, uh..." Aiden had a child, he was a father, and Spencer was a photographer and dating her new roommate. She picked up her cup and took a large swallow of her hazelnut mocha. "Wow."

"Funny, that was my response when I found out," the man grinned. "Except I had a bottle of Jack Daniels to get me through."

Ashley smiled slightly, and wiped her bottom lip with her thumb. "It's just... a lot has changed. I didn't think so much could happen in four years."

"Oh trust me, a lot can happen in four years."

"I guess so," the bartender mumbled, fingering the plastic lid on her cup. After a moment of silence passed, she lifted her gaze and smiled. "I can't believe you have a son. You're a dad."

"I know, it's a scary thought, right?"

"No, of course not. It's just... weird," she said with a lopsided smile. "I bet you're a great dad."

"The best." Spencer smiled sweetly.

Aiden rolled his eyes at Spencer's comment, and leaned toward the dark-haired woman. "Don't listen to her, I'm not even close to being the best. I have a long way to go and a lot to learn," he said with a sigh. "Hey, do you want to see a picture?"

Ashley nodded.

Aiden reached into his back pocket and pulled out a black leather wallet. He flipped it open and removed a photo, which he handed over to Ashley. "His name is Jeremy. He's seven months old."

Ashley stared at the wallet-sized photo of a beautiful baby boy wearing a mini basketball jersey and tiny Air Jordans. "He's gorgeous," she murmured. Jeremy had a head full of dark hair, smiling brown eyes, puffy cheeks, and a cute, drooling grin. A moment later, she lifted her eyes and returned the photo to its owner. "Really, he's one cute baby."

"Thank you." Aiden's smile grew. "He takes after his father."

Ashley smirked, resting her chin in her hand. "So, who's his mother?"

"Uh, well," Aiden hesitated, flicking his eyes over to the woman on his right again.

Ashley followed his gaze, eyeing the blond at the table curiously. "I think Jeremy's pigmentation is a bit too dark for him to be Spencer's son," she teased.

Spencer released a small chuckle from behind the rim of her coffee cup. "Uh yeah. He's definitely not mine."

Aiden rubbed his stubbly jaw, suddenly getting a little nervous. "Do you remember Sherry Pena?"

"Sherry Pena." Ashley hadn't heard the name in years, however, it wasn't one she had forgotten. Her jaw fell open slightly. "Are you telling me you share a child with the girl who eagerly played the role of Madison Duarte's stupid little sidekick back in high school?"

"That was years ago, Ashley. People change."

"She is very different than she was in high school," Spencer quickly added, wanting to defend the mother of Aiden's child. "I think Madison had a lot of influence over her back then, and she just acted the way she did to fit in. She's a sweetie, really."

Ashley wasn't convinced. "Are you guys, like, together? Married?"

"No, no, we were never really together," Aiden replied, which brought Ashley some relief. "We went home with each other after a party one night. It was just one of those careless, drunken hookups. Stupid, I know. We tried going out on a couple of dates afterward, but we didn't have a whole lot in common, so we decided to just be friends."

"Of course you stayed friends, you have a kid together."

"Well, we didn't find out about that until a couple of months later." He continued, "I'm not seeing anyone right now. I've got too much going on. Work and Jeremy." He picked up his coffee and was about to take a sip but instead asked, "What about you, are you single? In a relationship?"

"Oh, uh, single." Ashley started playing with the cardboard sleeve on her cup, bending a corner of the flap down. "I haven't been in very many relationships over the years."

Aiden glanced over at Spencer before continuing. "What have you been up to?"

"Nothing really."

"Oh come on, it's been four years, you must've had something going on at some point. Have you graduated from college yet?"

Ashley wrapped her hands around her coffee and leaned against the table. "I dropped out halfway through my first year." She looked up at Aiden. "Back then, I was more focused on music than furthering my education. I had a band; we booked gigs all over California, and during the summer, we toured the country, opening for other artists."

"You're not in the band anymore?" Spencer asked, jumping back into the conversation.

"Ah, no. After my dad died, I stepped away and quit singing for awhile."

"What about now?"

"Right now, I'm on my own. I don't have a band. But I do perform at a few local spots on the weekends sometimes. Though, lately, most of my focus -- music-wise -- has been on the Danger Davies Music Program. Ever since my dad passed away, I've been trying to keep it going. He gave birth to it a few years before his death. We have several volunteers in the program, who are very talented musicians."

"What do you do in the program?" Aiden asked before taking a sip of coffee.

"We visit with two orphanages in the city three times a month; spend a few hours with the children, educate them about music, give them free lessons. When I'm able to go, that's what I help out with, guitar and piano lessons." She looked down at the funky, squiggly design on the table top, tracing the pattern with her fingertips. "Most of the kids at these places have no family, nothing, they're all alone in the world, and yet they're always smiling. It's amazing. I'm really happy to be apart of it."

She paused, a small smile creeping its way onto her mouth. "There's this nine-year-old girl, named Emily, at one of the orphanages. She is the shyest child I've ever met. When I first started out, she'd always keep to herself; she never wanted to socialize or participate. One day I stopped my session early and talked with her a bit. After that, I starting going in early to work with her one on one, since she wasn't comfortable with the group setting. We got really close. It only took me a few sessions to convince her to join the regular group lessons."

Spencer was paying close attention to what was being said and to Ashley's hands, which were in constant motion as she spoke. A characteristic Spencer used to tease the brunette about all the time when they were together. However, despite the teasing, she had loved it, and she was happy to see that it had stuck through the years.

"She plays the piano beautifully, but her voice, her voice is what amazes me. She has the sweetest little singing voice. Oh god, it's like--" she stopped. The grin she had on her face disappeared as she realized just how long she had been talking. "Sorry. I'm talking way too much here, aren't I?"

Aiden smiled at her. "I like it."

Feeling shy, Ashley shifted in her chair and forced herself from sneaking a glance in Spencer's direction. "Why?" she mumbled, her eyes on the young man sitting next to her.

"It's nice to hear you talk about something you're obviously very passionate about. I've never seen you like this before." Aiden's smile grew larger. "You've changed a lot."

Ashley quickly averted her eyes and shook her head. "No I haven't."

Spencer tilted her head to one side, looking back and forth between her two coffee dates, then stopped on Ashley. "I think we've all changed a little bit. Changing, growing up, it's apart of life. People do it everyday."

"See? You've changed."

Smiling, Ashley rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

The table fell silent again. Most of the catching up was over with. There was another half-hour left before Aiden had to get back to work and they needed something to fill up that time with. The dark-haired man grinned. "Do you guys remember the road trip we went on that last summer we were all together?" Both women looked at him, smiling and nodding. "I had so much fun that week."

"Me too." Ashley giggled. "Remember how we made Spencer use the bathroom in that field and a cow came out of nowhere and scared the shit out of her? She got piss all over herself."

Aiden barked, nodding. "That was hilarious."

"That was not funny," Spencer argued, shaking her head.

"It was to us. Well, until you almost cried," Aiden said, after getting over his laughing fit.

"I did not almost cry!"

They spent the remainder of their time together telling old stories, reliving the past, drinking coffee, and enjoying each others company. Then Aiden announced he had to leave. The two women gathered up their things and followed him to his car. Ashley programed his number into her phone, promising to call him over the weekend to hangout.

After Aiden drove off, Spencer and Ashley stood next to the empty spot where his car had been parked and stared at each other. The awkwardness from before was back. Neither knew what to say.

Ashley pointed to where her car was parked. "I'm over there. Where are you?"

"Around back."

Ashley nodded. "Do you want to walk with me to my car?"

"Yeah, sure." As they walked, Spencer slipped her hands into her pockets and kept her eyes on the ground. "I'm glad we did this."

Ashley looked over at Spencer. "Me too."

When they reached the car, Spencer turned to Ashley and said, "Listen, I know nothing has changed, everything is still really weird between us, but I realized something today." Ashley stared at her curiously, waiting for her to continue. "I've missed you, Ashley. I've missed having you in my life."

Ashley squeezed the strap of her purse as she felt a lump rise in her throat. She swallowed and diverted her eyes. "I've missed you, too," she admitted softly.

Spencer smiled. "I don't want to feel weird, or awkward every time I'm around you. I hate that feeling. It drives me crazy."

The brunette lifted her eyes. "What do you want?"

"I, I don't know. For us to be friends, maybe?" Spencer could hardly believe what she was asking. Just yesterday she was sure that a friendship with Ashley would never happen, that it wouldn't work, and now here she was, one day later, ready to form a friendship with her.

"Friends? You think we can be friends?"

"I know we've never been friends before. Not really. But I'd like to try." Spencer leaned against the side of Ashley's car, dropping her stare to the gravel. She removed her hands from her pockets and wrapped her arms around herself. "Do you think we can try?"

Ashley sighed. She knew that a friendship with Spencer could get complicated, but she wanted it, she wanted the blond in her life any way she could have her. "Yeah. Let's try."

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