Hey There!!! This one is fairly short and i think i hate it...lol That thought is impending..but yea..i figured I should update..COMMENTS PLEASE!!! And thanks to everyone who has given comments so far!!

Oh..i'm starting a new one i think..im in the process of writing that one..but i was also wondering if anyone would like The Bakery to be finished...if so it would have slightly the same idea as this number..but traveling down a different road...but yea..if you haven't read the other, check it out and see...

Disclaimer: I don't own anything unfortunately...lol Just my ideas..

Chapter 7: Rewind

"She works 'til eight."

***

Aiden was a sneaky one, Ashley could attest to that, and far smarter than he let others to believe.

Because maybe he knew that she was going to pull up in the small parking lot of the quaint little bakery shortly before closing time. Perhaps he knew that the brunette would sit outside of the small building, contemplating whether or not she should enter.

Maybe he knew she would enter.

A tiny ding sounded above the brunette as she opened the door, enveloping herself in the dim lighting, immediately engulfed with the sweet floury aroma of freshly baked goods. There were few empty tables and a large booth to the back corner of the building, while in the center, were stands of already packaged breads, various mixtures of donuts, and other goods. Directly in front was a small area for the Deli, appearing to be already closed, while the far left housed the area for the bakery.

There, she saw three people, two who were much older and none of which had blond hair, with their heads down, assessing the day's budget as they talked quietly. After a few seconds the two older people excused themselves as they went into the backroom, arguing about something that Ashley could not hear. The brunette, still unnoticed, walked up to the guarded counter, causing the woman behind it to quickly glance up.

"This area is closed," the woman said irritatingly before glancing back down to the paper in frustration, then making a shooing motion with her hand. "There's still some baked goods out on the shelves."

Ashley smiled, shaking her head. "Still a bitch, I see."

The woman looked up, confused greenish-gray eyes meeting brown ones, before a small smile grew on her face.

"Ashley?"

"In the flesh!" Ashley beamed. "And Madi, I don't think it's a good idea to brush off customers."

Madison chuckled as she hurried her way around the counter. "Shut up and give me a hug!"

The two hugged tightly, as old friends do, before the Latina pulled away just enough to look at her. "Damn it's been a long time, chica! How long have you been here?"

The brunette grinned, sad at the fact that she was one of few friends who she failed to keep in touch with. Not that they hadn't tried, but Madison had her own life, according to Aiden, and when she went off to college in Chicago, things hadn't exactly gone so well.

"I got here earlier today. I went to see Aiden first."

"Did you, now?" she questioned, lifting an eyebrow.

"Nasty," Ashley chuckled as she slapped Madison on the arm.

"Madi, your mom is going…crazy…"

The brunette shot her head towards Spencer's voice, noting the surprised look on her face.

"Ugh," the Latina groaned, before turning back to Ashley, "I'll be back, we have to catch up."

"Sounds good," Ashley said, quickly glancing at Madison before putting her focus back on the stunned blonde.

Spencer gaped a second longer at the brunette before attempting to escape back into the kitchen.

"Is that your answer for everything?" Ashley asked softly. "Run away when the going gets tough?"

"No, I just leave for eight years!" Spencer shot back, hand on the doorknob. Ashley cringed at the blonde's words.

"Touché," she muttered in defeat.

"What the hell are you doing here, Ashley?" Spencer spat angrily as she spun around to face her.

"I was in the mood for some donuts," the brunette shot sarcastically, "I thought I'd stop by."

"Aiden told you I work here, didn't he?" She sighed in impatience. "I'm gonna kill him," she mumbled rolling her eyes.

"Look…I just want to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about," Spencer muttered quickly.

"Can I see it?" Ashley asked suddenly.

"W-what?"

"The ring…can I see it?"

Spencer looked down at her left hand, contemplating her answer, before wringing her hands together in sudden apprehension. Ashley's heartbeat increased tenfold as she noticed the blonde making her way towards her, inching around the counter before ending her journey in front of the brunette. They looked in one another's eyes, lost in each other's mixed signals and silent trepidation. After a moment, Spencer held her hand up, causing Ashley to look down. With slight hesitation, Ashley reached her hand out to meet the blonde's, wanting to hold it closer in order to get a better look at it.

And it happened again. Energized tingles shot through both hands like a recharged battery coming back to life for the first time, causing Spencer to flinch slightly. However, Ashley pretended not to notice as she gently, but firmly, held Spencer's hand in her own.

It was soft, so soft—perfectly slender fingers fitting the brunette's wholly. Unconsciously, Ashley's thumb created soothing circles upon the back of Spencer's hand as she took a closer look at the diamond ring. It was small and simple—a slender band of platinum silver fit the blonde's ring finger with perfection, while three diamonds sat on top, the diamond in the middle slightly larger than the two that rested on either side.

"It's small," Spencer spoke in a quiet voice, "but I love it."

"It's perfect for you," Ashley said sadly, eyes still on the ring. "It's simple, but elegant. And I know you were never a fan of gold."

Spencer's eyes sparkled at Ashley's memory. "You still remember that?"

Ashley's eyes shot up at Spencer's surprise. "Of course."

Suddenly, Spencer shot back, taking her hand in urgency as she took several steps away from Ashley. She ran her fingers through her hand in irritation, closing her eyes tightly as if to shut out the peace of what just occurred.

"I'm supposed to be mad at you," Spencer muttered, exasperated.

"I know," Ashley whispered quickly.

"No," the blonde voiced, eyes shooting open. "you don't know. I want to be mad at you. I'm supposed to be yelling at you, telling you to leave me the hell alone and never talk to me again. I want to hate you."

Spencer spoke the last three words softly, as if speaking them at all made her ache with sadness. Ashley's retaliation died on the tip of her tongue when she met Spencer's sad eyes, the blue orbs begging to just let her continue. So she did.

"And I've tried to. But for some damn reason, every single time I come up with a reason to be mad, I think of twenty other reasons not to."

"Look—"

"No, just…" Spencer paused for a moment as she sighed softly. "It's in the past. So much has happened since then. Can we just…start over?"

"Okay," the brunette said as she held her hand out in a friendly gesture. "Ma' name's Ashley Davies. Nice to meet you."

Spencer smiled warmly. "Spencer Carlin," the blonde grinned in spite of herself, "nice to meet you, too."