Chapter 14: A Picture's Worth…
Spencer's POV
"Okay, now tilt your head to the right a little and look down," I instruct calmly as she pulls her knees to her chest and threads the fingers on one hand through the sand.
The sun is setting in the sky just over the ocean, causing the most amazing plethora of colors to bounce off of the waters.
She does as she is asked and I snap another picture of her as her eyes lift just slightly, her long dark eyelashes practically masking completely the deep brown irises underneath.
"You're beautiful," I announce simply, earning a soft smile. I snap the camera again just in time to capture the intimacy of the moment, and then lower my camera to my side.
She lifts her eyes completely to me and we lock our stares upon one another.
"So beautiful…" I repeat, taking a step towards her. She lifts a hand to me and pulls me down onto the sand next to her.
"Let me see that," she urges, grasping for my camera.
"Uh uh…" I protest lightly as I hold my camera behind my back. "I'm the photographer," I insist, this time earning an adorable pout.
She presses her lips against said pout, and I feel myself relax into her. Her tongue traces my lower lip before she slides it into my mouth, bringing her hands up to cup my face tenderly.
I feel myself get totally lost in her sweet, wet kisses, not realizing she is about to take advantage of the moment.
As my tongue meets hers, I moan softly and press my body firmly against hers.
Her arms slide down my back, and as our kiss deepens, I feel her grab my camera and pull it from my grasp.
"Ashley!" I cry out, and she giggles as she pulls herself up from the sand and backs away from me, positing the camera in front of her eye.
"What's your assignment again?" she inquires innocently as I lean back and prop myself up on my hands, crossing my legs loosely in front of my body.
"To take a beautiful picture," I remind her.
She smiles lovingly before snapping several shots of me.
"Then turn one of these in, and you're bound to get an A," she states, dropping the camera from her face before staring seriously at me. "An A+ actually."
"Ash…" I shake my head at her as she snaps several more pictures of me sitting in the sand, smiling at her with a look that can only be described as one of complete adoration. "I have to take the picture to get the grade, silly."
"Then take one of yourself. It's the only way to complete the assignment." She crinkles her nose at me and I melt so hard I think I might sink into the sand.
"Come here," I request softly and she sinks to her knees in front of me. I gently take the camera from her hands, and position it with my left hand as I pull her to me by her chin. "Kiss me," I whisper, tilting my head, cupping her gently where her cheeks meets her jaw line.
She smiles before threading one hand through the side of my hair, and then presses her lips softly against mine.
SNAP!
"There…" I pull back and set the camera into the sand. "Now that's beautiful," I nod, earning yet another heart-stopping nose crinkle. "But that one…that's just for you and me."
…
"SO…Jordan is coming over in a bit to study for our test Friday," I inform her nervously as she clears away the last of our dinner dishes. I observe her face fall momentarily before she re-groups, so to say, and forces a supportive smile.
"What time?" she asks calmly as she leans down to kiss my lips quickly before making her way into the kitchen.
"Seven or so. She's having dinner with her BOYFRIEND, and then she'll be over," I emphasize pointlessly, knowing full well Ashley does not give much deference to anyone having a boyfriend.
You're only straight till your not.
She's said those words to me many, many times.
She's had boyfriends.
I've had boyfriends.
Her preferences changed back in high school when she met a girl at a party.
Mine changed when I met her.
Well, not so much changed as became clear, but you get my point…
"Super," she calls back, and I hear her turn the sink on.
If Ashley is rinsing dinner dishes, I am pretty sure she's trying to distract herself.
"Babe, you're going to be nice, right?" I ask hopefully as I hear her begin to load the dishwasher.
"When am I not nice?" she retorts defensively and I literally have to bite my tongue and count to ten.
Um, try the minute you met her.
I'll keep that thought inside for now.
"Ash, just be cool, okay?"
I wait for her response as I fish into my back pack and pull my Intro to Photography book out.
She doesn't respond at first, and I feel my nerves kick in. I glance at my watch and note its just a few minutes to seven. Swallowing hard, I glance over my shoulder to see Ashley standing in the doorway of the living room.
And she's wearing a pair of Aviator sunglasses.
And she has her arms crossed over her chest and is leaning casually to one side, tilting her head cockily.
What on earth?
I open my mouth to speak but she beats me to the punch.
"Baby, I am the epitome of cool, a'ight?" She presses her lips together and juts them out.
Again, 'cockily' is the only description I can come up with to describe her actions.
I stifle my laughter at the sight and attempt to level her with a disapproving glare.
"What?" She lifts her hands up, palms flat on both side of her head, and then lowers the Aviators down so they are resting on the bridge of her nose. She squints her eyes at me and then winks. "I can be a part of the cool club, baby."
"Ashley Davies, enough!" I lose my resilience as she begins to swagger across the living room, bobbing up and down with a profound limp.
"Listen, Cat…"
And I absolutely erupt as she takes a seat across the couch from me and sinks into it, throwing her arms back and spreading them over the back of the couch before cocking her head to the side, still peeking at me from over the top of her shades. "I'm just going to keep a low-pro, a'ight? Just gonna chill, maybe strum on the old six string, you know, keep it real chill, a'ight?" She sniffs and then pushes the sunglasses back up over her eyes before grabbing her crotch and then crossing her arms behind her head.
As completely obnoxious as she is being, I am halfway across the couch to attack her when the doorbell rings. I stop just as I am hovered over her, and she sniffs again before signaling that I should answer the door.
"Take the glasses off," I command before giving her a quick kiss though my laughter.
"Ah, no, Cat. These shades are a big part of my coolness," she informs me as I turn and attempt to glare at her, one hand on the door handle.
"Ashley…take them off." I raise one eyebrow at her and wait for her to comply.
She swipes them off of her face and tosses them to the side, not abandoning her little act for a second.
"A'ight, Spence, time to let SPAT in to play with the Cool Cats."
"If you call her SPAT to her face, so help me God…" I whisper through gritted teeth, recalling when I made her tell me the origin of that ridiculous nickname.
"Hey girl!" I greet Jordan innocently as I open the door to find my new friend waiting patiently on the other side.
"What's up, Spence?" she smiles as I step to the side and allow her into the loft.
I glance out of the corner of my side to see Ashley cringing at her shortening of my name, but ignore the look on her face as I close the door.
"Hey, Ashley," she says brightly as Ashley pulls herself from the couch and smiles fakely back.
"Jordan." She nods her head coolly and says nothing more.
Chirp.
Chirp.
Chirp.
"So how are you?" Jordan asks, attempting to break the awkward silence.
I could throttle Ashley right now. Five seconds into the study session and this is all she can muster up?
"I'm good. Real good." She responds before pulling me to her and kissing my temple. You?"
Okay, that's progress at least.
"Great!"
Oh God, does Jordan have to sound so peppy?
It's SO not Ashley's thing.
"Cool." I feel Ashley pull from me and begin to fumble around the couch for the Aviators and I slap her hand before pulling it into my own.
"Alright, well you gals get to it. I'll be in the music room working on some music if you need me," she informs me, throwing me a bit of a seductive look before nodding her head at Jordan again and making her exit.
Once the door to Ashley's music room latches shut, Jordan and I take a seat on the couch and she pulls her book from her own backpack.
"She hates me, doesn't she?" Jordan mutters, flipping her book open to Chapter Fourteen and then raising uncertain eyes to meet my own sheepish ones.
"Of course she doesn't, Jordan. Don't be silly." I try to sound convincing but her face fails to relax. "Ashley is just a little stressed out right now. She's supposed to be finishing Madison's album and she…"
"Spencer, don't worry about it, okay? I get it." She smiles brightly before pulling her book to her lap. "I can win her over," she announces, and I bite my tongue for the umpteenth time tonight. "You just wait. Ashley and I will be thick as thieves in no time at all." She shoots me a confident look before leaning back onto the back of the couch and pulling her legs up underneath herself.
And just then I hear the strum of a guitar, followed shortly thereafter by the sound of my 'sweet' girlfriend's voice.
"The language of love…
Slips from my lover's tongue…
Cooler than ice cream…
And warmer than the sun…
Dumb hearts get broken…
Just like china cups…
The language of love…
Has left me broken on the rocks."
Jesus, how the hell to I block her out?
I search for the remote to the stereo but it's nowhere to be found.
"But there's just one thing-
(Just one thing)…
But there's just one thing-
And I really wannna know…"
SHIT. I know this song…
"Who's that girl?
Running around with you?
Tell me…
Who's that girl
Running around with you?"
In my frantic efforts to find a source of sound to drown out Ashley's 'rehearsal', I glance up to find Jordan staring at me with an amused look on her face.
As if on clue, the volume of Ashley's voice increases exponentially.
"The language of love!
Has left me stony grey!
Tongue tied and twisted!
At the price I've had to pay!
Your careless notions!
Have silenced these emotions!
Look at all the foolishness!
Your lover's talk has done…!"
"Thick as thieves, Spencer. In no time at all…" She smiles again and I shake my head.
"Okay, so do you have your notes from today?" I shout over the now somewhat violent strumming of the guitar in the background.
"But there's just one thing…
(Just one thing)!
But there's just one thing…
And I really wannna know…
Who's that girl?
Running around with you?
Tell me!
Who's that girl?
Running around with you?
"Ahem, chapter 14, right? Aperture…"