It was SO MUCH HARDER for me to write from Ashley's perspective than I thought but alas, here we are. Again, I apologize for the delay. I have no one to blame but myself and my forgetfulness. This chapter would not exist without the lovely Islanda, who suggested I write a chapter from Ashley's viewpoint. I didn't think of it before mostly because I rarely think of Ashley (oops) when it comes to fanfiction. It's not that I don't like her - I like her just fine, actually. I don't know what it is.
12 April 2012
She should have never left England.
The wet grey climate was not favorable among most but there was something about the atmosphere that brought Ashley more peace of mind than any amount of sunshine ever could. And as pretentious as it was, the entire culture – the people, the fashion, the language – was definitely more her speed. England was her home; deep down, a part of her probably always knew.
So what on Earth was she doing in Los Angeles? She pondered this thought as she maneuvered through the Sunset Strip hiding from the rays of the sun underneath a large dark sunhat she found while thrift shopping in downtown London that she was at least grateful she was finally getting the chance to wear. Of course the answer was obvious: her roommate back in London really wanted to come ("Just think of the shopping, love! Ahh, I've got hearts in my eyes!"), and really, even though they were complete opposites, the girl had come to be like a sister to her. How could she say no? Still, that didn't mean she had to be enjoying herself.
"Babe, please do try and lighten up, will you?" said Laney, her roommate, her raspy voice bright and cheerful. She stretched out her arms, bags grasped firmly in hand, and inhaled deeply. "Don't you just LOVE the smell of pollution?" she laughed, turning back to look at Ashley who was managing a smile in response.
"Ah!" Laney exclaimed as they came across a small boutique. "This one looks absolutely charming! Only follow me in if you're going to get rid of that pesky little rain cloud you've been carrying around with you since we've gotten here."
Ashley rolled her eyes and followed the petite brunette in. They were greeted by various rows of colorful sundresses and cardigans. Laney quickly selected a few for herself and a darker, tiny number that she insisted would work wonders with Ashley's curves. The two girls headed to the back of the shop where the dressing rooms (well, not so much rooms as they were booths) were set up.
After slipping into the dress, Ashley stepped out of the room to get a look at herself in one of the full length mirrors. As she studied her reflection and decided that she would indeed make the purchase, she heard a familiar – much too familiar – voice coming from the front of the store, deep and masculine. "You're overreacting!"
"I'm so not. Jesus Christ, I think I need to reprogram the word 'no' into my vocabulary. The crap I let you talk me into…," said another voice – female, but also familiar – just loud enough for Ashley to hear within the close proximity of the small shop.
Ashley popped her head out to peer around the corner. Her suspicions has been correct, surely enough. Craig Manning and Ellie Nash.
They were still hanging out together?
He laughed as he slipped his arm around her shoulders and guided her towards a rack of cocktail dresses and accessories. "Even if you do, Miss Nash, my persistence will always out-charm your best efforts to resist me and you know it."
Ellie rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the gut.
"Fucking great," Ashley muttered under her breath.
"Damn straight, gorgeous!" Laney said as she exited her dressing booth, giving Ashley's butt a light slap. "You look fucking amazing!" She adjusted the neckline of her own selection in the mirror and pinched her face. "Maybe a smaller size. Wish I was graced with your bountiful curves, love."
Ashley smiled and headed back to change into her regular clothes. She briefly contemplated hiding out there until she was sure they were gone but decided that they were all past that. Besides, things didn't necessarily end on bad terms between any of them. They were all still relatively friendly.
She was just being silly.
She changed and walked out of the dressing booth confidently, the dress draped over her forearm. She exhaled deeply and told Laney she was going to browse for some accessories to go with her dress.
"Yes, there's the Ashley I know and love! Get some shoes and we'll go out tonight and celebrate being young and beautiful!"
Ashley maneuvered her way through the tightly arranged layout of the boutique until she stood behind one of her oldest friends and her former flame. She was hyperaware of the placement of Craig's hand as it rested gently at the small of her back as he helped her sort through the rack of garments in front of them.
She tried to ignore it as straightened her posture and composed herself. "Craig? Ellie?"
Ellie turned around first, her eyes wide and full of surprise. "Ashley! Oh my God!" she erupted into a fit of giggles as old girlfriends often do and shoved the dress she had been contemplating to the side as she threw her arms around her. "What are you doing in L.A.?"
Ashley shrugged as she offered Craig a polite smile and nod of the head. How do you greet someone with whom you have such an intense and checkered past? "Oh, you know, my roommate dragged me out here. It's her first time in America so we've just been doing really fun tourist-y things. What about you?"
Ellie's eyes darted over to Craig for a split second. "I… sort of live here now."
"Oh?" Ashley replied. Had she kept in touch with anyone she went to high school with other than Toby, she probably wouldn't have been so surprised.
"With Craig."
"Oh! Well, that's great!" She tried to sound enthusiastic. She knew all about Craig and Ellie's… history. She had no idea that somewhere along the line that it had become the present.
Craig's eyes awkwardly wandered back and forth from redhead to brunette a few times before he cleared his throat. "You look incredible! The U.K.'s been treating you well, huh?"
She smiled again. "Yeah, it's been great. Wow, it is so good to see you guys again!" She said sincerely. A part of her told her she should really leave, but she had to wait for Laney anyway, so she carried on the conversation. She pushed through all of the old baggage. "Uh, so are you guys, like… together… now?"
She found it amusing that they harbored the same perplexed expressions on their face without even looking at each other's reactions. Ellie looked like she was about to open her mouth to speak, but couldn't quite form the words she wanted to say. Craig, not surprisingly, just sort of looked away.
Alright. Awkward question. She should have known not to ask.
She saw Laney walking towards her and thanked the heavens for the convenient change of subject. "Oh! This is my roommate Laney!" she motioned for Laney to come over. "Laney, this is Craig and Ellie. My friends from Degrassi that I told you about."
"Yes! Oh, it is so nice to meet you both! You've got no idea how much Ashley's told me about you both!" She shook both of their hands enthusiastically. Ashley was grateful for Laney's highly gifted people skills as most of the stories she's shared with her about Craig have not been positive ones.
She was just about to suggest that they all meet up while she was in town to reminisce and catch up, but she wasn't sure if she could. Yes, she was happy now and yes, she had moved on. But there was too much there between her and Craig, too many wounds that didn't heal soon enough, too much heartache. She couldn't really bring herself to do that to them, or herself, not when they seemed to be happy, if not a bit confused, about what they appeared to have together. Even if she kind of wanted to, it was too hard to even think about.
Her former best friend and her ex-boyfriend. She didn't want it to make sense.
But it also didn't seem like the polite thing to do; to run into some old friends you haven't spoken to in years in a different country and just say hello without offering to play catch up?
It was as if Laney read her mind – or maybe her face; was she being too obvious? – because she had her hand clasped around Ashley's arm, pulling the taller girl closer towards herself. "We need to go now; we've got a tour of the celebrity's houses planned and I don't want to be late," she glared at Ashley. "But we're staying at the Marriot Hotel just a few blocks from here, across from that posh restaurant. Please do stop by sometime before we leave in about two weeks. We're going out tonight but we plan to be in most mornings!"
Leave the ball in their court. Neither of them were probably willing Brilliant. Again, she thanked God for Laney. It wasn't as if Ashley's people skills were poor, it's just that Laney was so much better at handling these things as they presented themselves to her.
"We'll definitely try!" Ellie promised, though Ashley could hear the uncertainty in her voice.
They exchanged their goodbyes and paid for their things. Ashley exchanged one last smile with Ellie before walking back out into the blinding hot midday sun, leaving her past, as always, a question mark.
-x-
Surprisingly enough, Laney and Ashley received a call from the front desk the following morning at around 10 AM notifying them that there was a visitor in the lobby that wished to see Ashley. Ellie was waiting in the hotel café wearing a black tank and a pair of cut off shorts.
"Ellie, hey!" Ashley said, taking the seat across from her at the table. "This is a surprise!"
Ellie smiled nervously. "Hey! It's…. been too long." She paused. "I guess I just really missed you. I hope this isn't weird. I mean… with everything, and… I shouldn't have come, should I?"
Ashley laughed. "No, no. It's fine. Really. To be honest, I think Craig's presence would have made this awkward. This is… nice."
Ellie made a face. "Crap. He's out parking the car." She was silent for a moment as the air in the room became more tense before letting out a loud laugh. "I'm just joking. No, yeah, I agree!"
"Phew!" Ashley wiped imaginary sweat off her forehead. "So, uh, what's going on there? Between you and Craig, I mean."
She bit her lip pensively and looked at her as if to say, are you sure you want to talk about this? Ashley's expression encouraged her to go on.
"Well, I don't know what's there to say… I guess… it's complicated," Ellie let out a soft laugh before continuing, "but then, aren't things always with him?"
Ashley nodded in agreement. "So you two live together, huh?"
"Yeah, I mean. It was supposed to be a temporary thing when I first moved out here for a writing job but it's been, like… two years. I think we just sort of work as roommates, you know? There are no surprises with us. We've seen all there is to see." Ellie's face turned red as soon as she spoke those words. "That came out wrong, but you know what I mean, right?"
"I get it."
The two of them moved on and said nothing more on the subject of Craig Manning. They spoke about their careers and new friendships, their families and new homes. Ashley even told Ellie all about a new guy she'd been talking to back home in England and traded new personal info so that they could – finally – make good on their promise of staying in touch.
But not one more word was uttered about the boy who had a monopoly on broken hearts.
Hope you enjoyed it! It was the most challenging to write but also really fun, I think!