Hello, hello. Sorry for the long-ass delay (again). School, work, life - everything's been madness lately. Thank you for the feedback. It means a lot to me. It's my fuel. You guys are great.
Note: This half is Spencer focused; the other is all Ashley - and I'll most likely have that ready by the weekend sometime.
Complicated.
13a:
Spencer dropped her cell phone into her purse before tossing it onto the passenger seat. She had been calling and texting Aiden throughout the day, but hadn't gotten a hold of him once. Her lunch with Ashley had gone horribly and afterward, when she arrived back at work, everyone seemed to need something from her. It had been an exhausting, shit-filled afternoon, and she desperately needed to vent. Aiden was who she hoped to do that with. He was her best friend, they were always there for each other. He would listen and, when she was done, know all the right things to say. He always did.
With a sigh, she slid her key into the ignition and twisted it to the right, bringing the car to life. After shifting out of park, the vehicle lurched forward, escaping the parking space it had been sitting in all day long. She reached above her head, pulling a random CD free from the holder strapped to her visor. Moments later, a soft played acoustic guitar and Ben Lee's smooth voice filled the car. Spencer began singing along, concentrating on the words so that she wouldn't get caught up in her head, in thoughts of Ashley, their lunch, what was said.
Midway through the song, she heard the faint sound of her cell buzzing. She had forgotten to take it off of vibrate after work. Quickly, she reached over to her purse, taking her eyes off the road briefly to help her find the phone, since the one-handed feel around for it approach wasn't working. Finally, the small, shiny piece of silver plastic that was her cell phone came into view, buried in one corner of her bag. "Hey" was all she was able get out before her car slammed into the rear of another. Immediately after the impact, her airbag inflated, seatbelt locked -- keeping her safely in place.
Seconds went by; a weird feeling passed through her, as if her stomach was dropping. She released a loud groan and leaned back in her seat, hoping the fuzzy head and blurry vision would pass. And quickly.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spied her phone on the passenger side floorboard. Slowly, achingly, she lifted her head and, as clearly as she could, eyed the wreckage outside her windshield. The man in the other car, who she was glad to see was okay, jumped out and marched over to do some inspecting of his own. At the sight, his arms shot up in the air and waved around angrily.
Spencer's head fell against the headrest. "Shit..."
Just minutes before, after walking away from Kellinee, the useless receptionist at the front desk, her thought was that her day couldn't get any more worse.
Oh how wrong she was...
- - -
Aiden knew he was at the right spot when he saw the service crew ahead, loading Spencer's vehicle onto a tow truck. Getting closer, he finally located his friend sitting alone on the curb, with her arms wrapped around her legs, head on her knees. His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. With no sign of another car close behind him, he turned the steering wheel slightly to the left, easing his truck onto the side of the road. Engine off, he scrambled out, making his way to Spencer.
Kneeling down beside her, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered a "hey". In response, he heard some sniffling, and, when the blond head rose, spotted damp cheeks, which Spencer quickly dried with her hands. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," the blond said, as she tugged the sleeves of her sweater over her hands.
"You're crying."
Spencer moved her elbows to her knees and pressed her forehead against her palms, tangling her fingers in her hair. She let out a long, strangled sigh. "I'm just... tired."
Aiden knew there was more going on, but this wasn't the appropriate time or place to be drilling his friend, so he let it go for now. He craned his neck and scanned the front of Spencer's car, taking in all the damage. "What happened?"
Spencer followed his gaze. "I wasn't paying attention. The light changed, but I, uh, I didn't see it."
Aiden could tell by the stutter in Spencer's voice that she wasn't in the mood to talk right now, so he decided to remain quiet.
They stayed on the curb, silently watching the two servicemen complete their task. One of the guys walked over to them a moment later, clipboard in hand, requesting Spencer's signature and filling her in on when the car would be available.
After the men were gone, Aiden stood, picked up all of Spencer's bags and slid the straps onto one of his shoulders before reaching down and offering her a hand. She took it, and he helped her to her feet. With one arm wrapped around her shoulders, he led them over to his truck. "Have you called Corey?"
Spencer shook her head. "She's got study group."
"I'm sure she'd want to--"
"I'll call her later," she hastily replied and reached for the passenger side doorhandle. Before getting into the car, she turned toward Aiden and slid her arms around his waist, pulling him into a hug. "Thank you for coming."
"You're welcome." After they pulled apart, Aiden's hands lingered on her shoulders. "You know I'll always be here for you, right?" He gave her a half-smile. "I mean, we all have that one special person who we know we can depend on, to get us out of a bind. And I consider myself reliable enough for the job." His smile turned into toothy grin. "Although, I'm not sure you have what it takes to be my go-to person." Spencer playfully pouted and slapped his arm. "I'm joking, I'm joking." He pulled the door open wider. "Now, c'mon, get in. I know what'll cheer you up."
- - -
Two scoops of vanilla ice cream on a warm fudge brownie, topped with drizzled chocolate sauce and a shiny red cherry. Spencer's mouth watered when the sundae treat, which was encased in a fancy glass, was placed in front of her. After taking care of the cherry first, she quickly reached for her spoon and dug in. The first bite was heaven, and seemed to instantly relieve some of the tension and exhaustion she had been drowning in. "You're right," she said, with a slight smile and a full mouth, "this is cheering me up."
"Ice cream, works every time," Aiden smiled, adjusting himself into a comfortable position on the barstool. "So, tell me, what's up with all the messages? I think you filled up my voicemail box."
"Oh, that," the blond sighed; the question causing her dark mood to resurface. "I went to lunch with Ashley today." She dipped her spoon back into the vanilla ice cream. "She explained why she broke with me -- the real reason."
Aiden didn't respond, and Spencer took his silence as encouragement to continue.
"She, um, told me that, at the time, she thought we were going in two different directions and that she didn't see where she fit into my life."
Aiden, again, was quiet for a moment. Processing it all, Spencer assumed. "You know," he started, "I'm not that surprised. I always had a feeling the reason for your split went much deeper than just the miles that were separating you." He picked up his spoon and applied a nice chunk of ice cream onto it. "Did she say why she decided not to tell you the truth?"
Nodding, she answered with, "She said I would've talked her out of it, or whatever."
"You would have."
"Of course I would have. She meant everything to me." Spencer ignored the tightening in her chest, and went on to say, "But, lying? Making me believe something different for why she ended it? Why we didn't last?" She shook her head, staring at the melted ice cream forming on the sides of her glass. "For years, I thought I was to blame, for moving out there, separating us, being so busy. Now, to hear that..."
Aiden's features softened and formed into a frown. "I know, I know, but she probably thought it was the best thing to do. Maybe part of her felt like she was setting you free, enabling you to move on, live your life."
"How can you do that, though? If you really love someone, how can you just let them go like that?"
"I don't know, Spence. I, I just... don't know." The dark-haired man smiled halfheartedly. "I'm probably not be the best person to turn to when the topic is relationships -- past or present ones -- since I haven't been a part of one in, well, years."
A silence washed over them as they each got distracted with their own thoughts and played with their rapidly melting ice cream. Spencer pushed her spoon down into her glass and dropped her hands to the tabletop. With her right index finger, she absently began tracing the weird design on the polished surface. "I don't understand why all of this is getting to me the way it is," she muttered, looking up at Aiden. "Why am I so angry and upset? It happened four years ago, Aiden. Four years ago. Why is everything I felt then, all the pain, heartbreak -- why is it coming back?" She swallowed, "I'm over this, past it. I am."
Aiden stared into his friend's eyes, seeing everything she had just described in them, and hesitantly added, "Maybe you're not as over it as you think."
Right then, Spencer's cell phone rang, tearing the two friends away from their conversation. Spencer dug around in her purse, searching for the noisy device. When she found it, she checked the screen, and sighed at the name that flashed across it.
Corey.
- - -