Author's Note:
I'm glad everyone seems happy enough with the pace of things now. I feel it would be a bit unrealistic if they immediately jumped into things.
On another note... Did anyone actually catch Skins: Fire the other night? I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed. Why do they always have to give my favourite character a hard time? Anyway, Emily should be back on Monday night's episode, so hopefully things will start to get better for poor Naomi :( There was a definite lack of Naomily, which I hope they'll make up for in the conclusion. They better!
Anyway... Enough rambling. A good bit of Spashley fluff in this one, and it happens to be the second longest chapter I've written so far for this story. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination.
Chapter 15:
Surprise, surprise, Spencer and I are the first ones up again this morning, despite going to bed the latest. Aren't we quite the early birds...
We go through our ritual of making breakfast, Spencer making the toast as I fetch the drinks.
"Hey, Ash, jam or butter?" She smirks. She's making reference to our game last night. Cute.
"Butter please." I smile. "Wouldn't want to take advantage of Chase everyday..." She hands the butter to me.
"So... Do you know what the plans are for today?" We both take a seat at the end of the table.
"Not sure. Don't think we have any. Could just be a chill out day."
"Oh, cool. Maybe you can teach me how to shoot then." She looks hopeful.
"Uh, sure. Then we can whip the boys some time." I smile.
"Yes! That sounds like a plan!"
When everyone eventually surfaces, we hang out the back for a while, watching on as Chase and Glen battle it out at the basketball hoop, Dale providing a running commentary with the occasional dig at either player as Casey frolics with the kids.
When the game ends, Glen emerging victorious, he turns to Dale.
"How about it? Think you can do better than your little brother over here?" Dale laughs.
"Do better? Prepare to be thrashed..."
"Guys!" Chase moans. "Can't we do something else other than basketball? I mean, I love it, but... Can't we just go out somewhere? We haven't been fishing in a few days; how about we do that?" Dale and Glen look at each other, having a silent conversation, before seemingly coming to agree with the suggestion, while Casey's ears prick up.
"Can I come?" We all look at her like she has three heads, before I decide to pipe up.
"Casey... You've never fished before in your life. In fact, if I remember correctly, you insisted once that it was for boring old men only, and that no one with a decent social life would be caught dead doing it..." She looks sheepish.
"Well... Yeah... But... A lot of young people have started fishing, Ash. It's like a new trend. It couldn't hurt to try it out, right?" I'm not buying that for one minute. I wait for her to say 'I'm kidding', but it doesn't come...
"Wait, you're serious?"
"Yeah... Why would I want to lie?"
"Uh... Okay." That's weird... "You go fishing with the boys. I'm sure we'll find something to do while you're gone." Spencer throws me a gentle smile as I finish, before turning to Casey.
"Yeah, you go have fun."
"Sweet! I'll catch you guys later!" She bounds off after the boys as they go to fetch the gear, Pam following behind as she tries to get their attention, waving some flasks in the air.
"Wait! Wait! Take some tea, won't you?" Aww, Pam. What a woman...
When Casey and the boys leave, I make my way down to the basement, the kids occupied by Spencer and Annie outside.
It takes me a good half hour to find what I'm looking for; it's amazing how much is actually down here! When I eventually get my hands on the objects in question though, a grin spreads across my face.
"Yes!"
I make my way back outside, finding Spencer in deep concentration as she throws the basketball at the hoop. It doesn't go in. I slip to the side, behind the bushes, sliding one of the objects in my hand under the outdoor table on the way, as I hold the other behind my back.
I stand in silence for a while, keeping my hands behind my back so the object is concealed, watching on as she attempts to get the ball through the hoop a further five times, none of which are successful.
"Wow..." I move from behind the bushes, making my way towards her. She turns at the sound of my voice, smiling when she spots me. "You really, really suck..."
"I know; I'm so bad..." She pulls a face.
"Where are the others?" Spencer is the only one here, no sign of Annie, Pam, Rob, or any of the kids.
"Oh, they went into the woodland for a walk. They were talking about going to the lake after too."
"And you didn't go with them?"
"Well... I didn't want you to come out here to find out we'd all left you. The kids were getting restless waiting, so I just told them to go on. I figured I could work on my already excellent shooting skills... You know, really master the technique." I chuckle. "Help me?" She pouts. It's adorable. "Please?"
I make a clicking noise with my tongue as I move closer.
"I guess I could help you... But that depends..."
"Depends on what?" I raise my eyebrows as I bring my hands in front of me, revealing the contraption I had hidden behind my back. She laughs as she realises what I want, shaking her head.
"You going to teach me how to do an ollie on one of these bad boys?" I throw her a cheeky grin which she returns.
"Sure, why not?" She shrugs
"Excellent! Let's get to work, then!" I place the skateboard to the side and collect the ball from Spencer, getting into position as I throw the ball through the hoop. Spencer lets out a puff of air as she watches me.
"I'll never be able to do that..."
"Never say 'never'!" I wink at her before passing her the ball. "Okay, come over here." She moves so she's standing beside me. "Right. So, you want to face the basket, with your feet shoulder-width apart." I move behind her as she does as I say. "Just relax. You want to keep evenly balanced on both feet. Now... you're right handed, right?" She nods. "Okay." I pat her right thigh. "Bring this foot forward slightly, but keep it aimed towards the basket." She follows my instructions.
"Is this okay?" I see her looking over her shoulder at me out of the corner of my eye as I keep watch over her footwork.
"That's perfect. The foot you have in front of you is your dominant foot. It sort of acts as a target setter." What? Just because I'm not that keen on basketball doesn't mean I don't know a thing or two... Whatever, I was in mourning...
"Okay. So, do I shoot now?" She makes to throw, but I put my hand on her wrist, stopping her.
"No, not yet." I move her hands into position on the ball. "Your shooting hand's going to be the one launching the ball, so you want your non-shooting hand at the side so it can guide the ball."
"Geez, it sounds so technical..." I chuckle.
"Not really. You get used to it." I examine her stance. "Oh." I use my hand to move her right elbow down. "You want your elbow to be below the ball; not sticking out like a chicken's wing." I smile at her earning a quiet laugh.
"I bet I'd make a pretty cool chicken though..." She looks over her shoulder again. I chuckle.
"I bet you would... Alright, now, see this shooting hand? You want to spread your fingers out so you have more control." I put my hand over hers and move her fingers slightly, before using the tips of my fingers to push the ball off her palm slightly. God, she smells good..."It helps if there's a little space between the ball and your palm. Easier for the ball to roll off your fingertips..." I swallow as she turns her head towards me, her eyes locking with mine. She breaks the trance by speaking.
"Now?" I shake my head slightly, snapping out of my daze.
"Uh, sorry... Sure." She shoots, undershooting the slightest bit, the ball just missing the hoop.
"I guess I need more practice..." I smile.
"I guess..." I pause for a second. "Shit, I forgot; your legs!"
"What about them?" She looks down at her legs in concern. I'm such an idiot!
"You need to bend them. To shoot. I totally forgot! Come on, we'll try again!" Once she retrieves the ball, she gets back into position, almost automatically as I guide her the slightest bit. "Okay, now this time, bend your legs slightly and use them to push off as you shoot."
"Alright. Here goes..." She bends her legs, pushing off as she releases the ball. It goes straight through the basket.
Her whole face light up as she turns to face me, her smile contagious.
"We did it! Ahhh!" She squeals as she jumps on me, throwing her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist, squeezing me in a tight embrace. "I can't believe it! We actually did it!" She jumps down again.
"You did it," I correct her, still grinning.
"Thank you so much, Ashley! I can't believe I actually got the ball through the hoop! I can't wait to beat Glen!" I laugh at this.
"Okay then, superstar... Let's see you try it on your own..."
We spend a good bit of the afternoon perfecting Spencer's shooting, the kids still not back from the lake, before I persuade Spencer to get reacquainted with the skateboard.
"Alright Carlin, show me your moves!" I pass the board to her.
"You're serious, aren't you?" She's looking incredulously at me.
"What, you thought I was kidding? It's only fair. Come on, I taught you my skill, now you teach me yours..." She reluctantly sets the board down on the grass.
"Okay... But can you do something for me?"
"What?"
"Can you turn around for a couple of minutes? It's been years since I've been on one of these things. I have a feeling I'm going to fail superbly, and I'd rather no one sees it..."
"Alright. A couple of minutes..." I turn so my back's facing her.
"Don't look, okay?"
"Okay."
There are a few curses to start off with, Spencer grumbling under her breath as she gets to grips with the workings of the board again. I have to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing. It really is quite hilarious... If the kids heard the stuff coming from her mouth, they'd have a field day.
As she grows accustomed to the board once more, the swearing stops, only the occasional mumble coming from her lips, too incoherent to make out. I can't help myself as I turn my head slightly to get a look at her over my shoulder. Her face is the epitome of concentration, her eyebrows furrowed as her lips are set in a hard line, teeth biting down gently. It's very cute... She flips the board up before landing perfectly on the ground, her eyes catching mine as she settles.
"Hey, you said you wouldn't look!" Her cheeks flush. Aww, she's embarrassed.
"I didn't!"
"You did!"
"I didn't! It was just that one time, I promise! And you landed perfectly; that was great!" Her face softens.
"You promise that was the only time?" She sounds just like a little kid.
"I promise."
"Okay."
"Okay. So, you ready?"
"I guess..." I grab the other skateboard I left under the outdoor table earlier and set it down beside Spencer's.
"So, how do we do this?"
"Okay, well... I guess you just copy me. Just use whatever foot feels most comfortable." She puts one foot on the board, more or less in the centre. "Then put most of your weight here, while you put this foot on the end." She lifts the foot she's been neglecting up until now and places it at the end of the board, though doesn't lean on it enough to lift it. I mimic her actions.
"Okay, so what now?"
"Well, you push down on your back foot, raising the board, whilst sliding the front one forward so it pushes it back down to land..." She does it slowly, not lifting off the ground yet, allowing me to see her footwork, before she does it for real, landing smoothly.
"Alright..." I copy her, landing cleanly on the short grass.
"Wow, that was actually really good!"
"Yeah, you're not the only skater kid around here, Carlin!" She gasps, mouth open.
"Ashley Davies, do you mean to tell me that you can skate? And that you just got me to show you how to do an ollie, even though you can do it fine on your own?" I grin at her.
"Yep." She slaps me playfully on the arm.
"You ass! I can't believe you! I look like an idiot now!" She's pouting again.
"Aww, come on, Spencer; it's just a bit of fun! Besides, you're a pretty good teacher. At least I know your kids will have a good childhood with a mom that has skills like that..." I giggle then, Spencer soon joining in as she loses the pout.
The rest of the afternoon flies by, Spencer and I just having a laugh together before the kids return.
Casey and the boys return just in time for dinner, joining us as we all sit at the table. Rob is the one to initiate conversation.
"Well boys, how'd the fishing go?"
"It was alright..." Chase grumbles.
"It sucked." Well Glen's pretty blunt...
"And why's that? Casey catch more than the three of you put together?" I ask light-heartedly.
"What? No. Casey didn't even come with us," Chase informs me.
"She didn't?" But we saw them leave...
"Nah, I mean, she came, but... She never came fishing. Said she met up with a friend." She did? I look over at Casey, whose eyes widen.
"Uh... Yeah. Mmm... Martha..."
"Martha?" I stare at her in question.
"Yeah. What, you don't remember Martha?"
"No. No, I can't recall any Martha. Sorry..."
"Well... I guess she was a quiet kid. Yeah, now I think about it, you probably wouldn't have spoken to her that much..."
"I guess I didn't..." I think for a second. "Martha? That's very 80's, don't you think? Well, not 80's, but, you know what I mean... Not many young girls around nowadays called Martha..." Spencer chuckles at this.
"There aren't?" She asks. "I didn't notice." She turns her attention back to her food.
The topic ends there as Brooke and Lucy proceed to tell everyone about the squirrels they saw in the woodland, Martha long forgotten as we clear the table and get into chill out mode, Max and Emily being taken up to bed early as neither of them seem to be able to keep their heads upright.
About an hour later, I take Brooke and Lucy up, snuggling up with them in the small single bed as I read after getting them washed.
Once the book is closed, I turn to Brooke, Lucy already having fallen asleep again.
"So... How was that tonight? Were my voices better than Spencer's?" I grin. She shakes her head though.
"Your voices are silly..."
"Silly?" It's like a punch in the gut. She nods.
"Mr Fox doesn't speak like that; his voice isn't that high. And his mommy's voice was wrong too; you made it too deep." I did? As soon as I saw the picture of Mommy Fox with her grey wig and purple glasses, I immediately thought she would sound just like Howard's mom from The Big Bang Theory... Or Roz from Monsters Inc... I guess not though.
"Oh yeah? Well, maybe Spencer should read me bed time stories to teach me how it's done, huh?"
"Grown-ups don't get bed time stories!" She giggles.
"What? Why not? What if I can't sleep? You don't think anyone would read to me?"
"Maybe..." She pauses for a second, playing with her bear. "Hey, Ash?" She looks up at me then.
"Yeah?" There's a gap in conversation as she seems to ponder how to approach whatever it is she wants to ask me.
"Do you think that maybe when we get home, you and Spencer will stay friends? And then maybe sometimes she can come over. And Lucy too." I sigh.
"Brooke... You know I'd say yes, but I don't think they live anywhere near us, sweetheart. I think they live more near Casey..."
"No! No, they don't!" Okay, she's pretty quick off the mark there... "She told me! They only live a couple of blocks away! Spencer said she only lived near Casey for school, but she's finished now! She's moving back in with Glen!"
"Wow, wow, wow, slow down, Brooke..." Aww, bless her. Look at that face; she doesn't think I believe her...
"But she is! It's true!"
"Sshhhhh! Brooke, calm down; you're going to wake Lucy and the twins..." She ducks her head. "Hey." I lift my finger to her chin and lift it so she's making eye contact with me before whispering, "I believe you." She smiles then. "And if Spencer and Lucy want to come visit, they're welcome any time." Her smile widens if possible. "Even Glen can come sometimes..."
I'm shocked as she throws herself at me, her arms wrapping around my neck as she squeezes.
"Thanks, Ash! You're the best big sister ever!" I feel my heart tug at her words. She really does think of me as family despite the blood difference.
"No problem, Brooke. And you're the best little sister ever." I wink at her as we pull away, helping her to get settled before saying our goodnights, Paige included.
After putting the girls to bed, the evening is spent in front of the television, watching a DVD, most of the family heading to bed when it's over.
When everyone else but Casey, Spencer and myself traipse off upstairs, Casey turns to us.
"Scrabble?" That's the last thing I want to do right now.
"Uh, you know what... I'm actually really tired. I think I'm just going to head to bed." Spencer looks more disappointed than Casey if I'm honest.
"Oh, thank God! I know I promised I'd stay up with you guys tonight, but really, I'm just trying to be nice. I'm exhausted!" Yeah, hanging out with 'Martha'...
The three of us make our way upstairs, saying our goodnights as we go our separate ways to wait on our turn for the bathroom.
When I'm tucked up in bed, I have the urge to text Spencer again. I drum the bed sheets with my fingers, my frustration growing before I reach for my phone, giving in to the urge as I create a new message.
Hey, you awake? X
Please text back...
Yeah, why? X
Yes. Come see me, please...
Want to hang out again? I kind of lied about being tired... I'd just rather chill out than play games with Casey tonight. Besides, she sucks at scrabble. X
Say yes.
Sure. I'll be there in a minute. X
Yes!
Sure enough, my door soon opens and Spencer slips in, closing the door quietly behind her.
"Hey," I whisper.
"Hey." She mimics me as she makes her way to the left side of the bed where she lay last night.
"Well, you seem to have answered my first question already..."
"I have?" I nod. "Which was...?"
"Left or right."
"Ah." She chuckles. "I have. What about you? Left or right?" I hold my arms out, gesturing to the space I'm occupying.
"I think that one's been decided for me..." She smiles.
"I'm sorry... Would you prefer the left side?"
"Nah, it's cool." I grin back at her. "So, I have to say... You were pretty good with that skateboard today." She blushes slightly.
"Please! I hadn't set foot on one of those in over ten years. Besides, I felt like an idiot after you told me you could already skate..."
"Yeah? Well, it seemed pretty natural."
"What, skating, or being an idiot?" I snort.
"The skating, duh!"
"Pffft, yeah... About as natural as an elephant dressed as a leprechaun..."
"A what?" I burst out laughing.
"It was the first thing I could think of!" She joins in then, the pair of us in hysterics at the images it conjures in our heads.
When the laughter subsides, I turn to Spencer.
"You've heard of 'would you rather', right?"
"Sure. I haven't played it since high school though. Why, you want to play?"
"Do you want to play?"
"Sure, why not? Could be fun. Who's going first?"
"Go ahead." I gesture for her to ask a question.
We take it in turns to ask and answer questions, our queries becoming more and more ridiculous as time wears on...
"Okay, uhhhh... Would you rather... Kick a baby, or a puppy?"
"Spencer!" I gasp. "That's cruel!" She throws me a cheeky grin.
"Well answer it!"
"Seriously?" She arches her eyebrows challengingly. I sigh. "Alright. All babies look like wrinkly old men. They're noisy and poop everywhere like them too..." This earns me a chuckle. "Puppies are cute and fluffy. They also poop everywhere, but at least they don't have hands to smear it all over the furniture... Have you seen that picture on the internet?" She shakes her head. "It's gross... Anyway, given the choice, I honestly think I'd rather kick a baby..." Spencer gasps at this. "But for legal reasons, I'll say the puppy. Wouldn't want to end up in prison... I wouldn't kick it hard though."
She seems satisfied with this answer, so I go ahead and create my own scenario for her to choose from.
"Would you rather eat a plate full of worms, or drink a pint of your own vomit?"
"Oh my God!" I bite my lip, stifling a laugh. "Ashley! That's disgusting!" Yeah, payback, bitch!
"Answer it." I throw her a smug grin. She smiles back, clenching her jaw.
"You're an ass."
"So you've said." After a sigh, she answers the question.
"The plate of worms. Granted, it'll probably make me throw up anyway, but really, vomit? That's horrendous..." I keep a straight face.
"You're disgusting."
"What?" She gasps. "I am not! You're the disgusting one; you'd kick a baby!"
"Yeah, but I ain't eating a plate of worms."
"I never said I would! I would rather! 'Rather'! Who would drink their own vomit?"
"Obviously not you. You're too busy mauling your worms."
"Shut up; you're not funny..." She's smiling though.
"Then why are you smiling?"
"I am not smiling!"
"You so are!"
"I'm not!"
"Yeah you are." I nudge her in the side, causing her to giggle. "See! Now you're laughing!" I start to tickle her.
"Okay, okay! Stop! I admit it, you're funny! Just stop!" I stop, grinning at her as she bumps her shoulder against mine. "Okay then, smartass, would you rather lick a toilet brush or a sweaty old man's arm pit?"
"Jesus..." That's gross. This girl's got game...
"Well?" I make a face.
"I guess the toilet brush..." She looks at me intently.
"Now who's disgusting?"
We carry on with our little battle, our options soon changing from the disgusting to the agonising and downright ridiculous.
"Would you rather be attacked by a single horse-sized goose, or a herd of geese-sized horses?" She looks incredulously at me.
"Ashley, how do you even think of these things?" I shrug.
"I have a creative mind."
"Yeah... I can see that." She pauses for a second. "I guess... a horse-sized goose. No, wait, the geese-sized horses! Definitely! They don't have wings, so I could climb up a tree and throw pine cones or something at them, right?" She turns to me, looking pleased with herself.
"Wow... You really thought that one out, didn't you?" She shrugs, mimicking my previous actions.
"I have a creative mind." She throws me a cheeky grin. "So, your turn. Would you rather... be burnt to death, or drown to death?" I stare at her for a second.
"Geez, morbid much?" She sticks her tongue out at me. "Uh, okay... Man, that's actually really hard. I guess drowning sounds better though. I'm not really that keen on taking all that water into my lungs, but I'm betting being burnt to death would be pretty sore, and imagine the state of your body. You'd be unrecognisable..." Man, I hope I never have to experience either.
"Sounds logical..." She muses.
"Yeah. So, would you rather be stung by a million bees, or bitten by a million ants?"
"Ouch! Ashley, why do all of our options suddenly involve pain of some sort?"
"I don't know." I shrug. "I'm just going with the trend..."
"God, both of them would suck... But I'm going to have to go with the ants. As horrible as it would be, I think I'd rather deal with them than the bees. I'm imagining that many stings would kill you. Maybe ant bites would too, but still..." I'm laughing at her face. She looks repulsed by the thought. "Okay, so would you rather have no arms, or no legs?"
"Well that's easy; no legs." She eyes me questioningly. "what? I need my hands to do... stuff." She raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow then, a sly grin taking over her face. "Not that kind of stuff! Like guitar, or piano... Writing even. Geez, get your mind out of the gutter, Carlin..." I bump her shoulder lightly with my own as we lounge there. She snickers.
"You said it..." She's still grinning at me. I can't help but return it.
"Well yeah, but I didn't mean it like that, you dork!" She wiggles her eyebrows.
"Sure you didn't, stud..." I'm not going to win here. She's just going to keep winding me up. Better play her at her own game then.
"Fine. Maybe I subconsciously meant that too. Wouldn't want to deprive the women of the world of these talented hands..."
"Uh-huh... 'Women of the world', huh? You think you're that good?" She's leaning on her right arm now having risen to see me better. I do believe we've gone from playful to flirty in under thirty seconds...
"Nope. I know I'm that good." I send her a challenging look.
"Sure you are. You're such a goofball!" She giggles before pulling a pillow from underneath her arm and lightly hitting me with it. I gasp playfully.
"Oh no you didn't... And I am not a goofball; take that back!" I lift up my own pillow and hit her back. She laughs quietly.
"Yes you are; you're a goofball!"
We continue to playfully hit each other with our pillows, laughing and giggling until there's a knock on the door.
"Ashley?" Shit, it's Pam. My eyes widen, but Spencer just keeps laughing. She needs to be quiet.
"Yeah?" I call out to her, but Spencer seems to be having a laughing fit. I need to shut her up if I don't want Pam to walk in.
Without thinking, I swing my legs over her hips so I'm straddling her and push my pillow down over her mouth.
"Are you okay in there? I heard some fumbling around and voices..." Spencer's still laughing, the bed shaking beneath me. I bring my face closer to hers, putting my finger up to my mouth to tell her to quieten down before turning my attention towards the closed door again.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry, Pam. I just can't get comfortable tonight. You know how it is... Too hot, too cold... I've been uh... Throwing the sheets on and off... And talking to myself. Yeah, I do that sometimes now. Sorry..." Please buy it. Please buy it. Do not open the door...
"Oh, no, it's fine, dear! I was just worried, that's all. I hope you get comfortable soon. Goodnight."
"Night, Pam!"I keep my gaze on the door until I hear the footsteps disappear, her bedroom door closing behind her.
I notice the shaking below me has stopped, and when I turn my attention back to Spencer, I see blue orbs staring intensely back at me, all traces of laughter having disappeared completely. I was a bit startled earlier, and so was a kind of distracted by convincing Pam everything was fine. Now the commotion has passed, however, I'm acutely aware of our position, and the fact that we're both wearing shorts, the bare skin of our legs touching as I sit atop her pelvis.
There's a swift change in atmosphere as silence fills the room. We continue stare at one another, laughter long forgotten.
It takes me a minute, but I finally gain enough control of my body to remove the pillow from Spencer's mouth. It's unneeded now that she seems to have stopped laughing. Heat floods through me as I realise I'd rather be using the pillow to suppress noises coming from her mouth other than laughter.
I really, really want to kiss her right now, and judging by her hooded eyes, and the hitch in her breathing as I shift my leg slightly, I'd say she's thinking the exact same thing.
I won't however.
I can't.
I know that if I do, things will get very intense very quickly, and I can't do that right now. Not when we're already in this position, and I know that if I do, I won't want to stop. It's not likely that she'll stop either if her face is anything to go by...
Despite this, my face moves closer to hers of its own accord.
It gets to the point where our breath is mingling, our lips centimetres apart as I pause, basking in the moment. I hear her swallow, seeming louder than a jet engine in the silence as she prepares herself for the collision.
It doesn't come.
The rational part of me has caught up with the over-stimulated, knocking enough sense into me to prompt me into pulling away from Spencer, rolling on to my back as I lay beside her.
I let out a frustrated sigh, not knowing whether it's frustration for almost giving in to the urge, or frustration from not giving in.
"I'm sorry..." I look down to my hands and start playing with them.
"Hey!" She reaches a hand out to still my own. "It's okay... Really." I turn to see her smiling at me. I bow my head again as I try to explain.
"I just... I can't... Casey..."
"Hey..." Her hand reaches up to my chin as she turns my head to look at her. "It's okay." She repeats her previous statement slowly so it sinks in. "I understand. You're afraid of what Casey will think, and that's understandable. She's your best friend; of course you're afraid." It's like she's reading my mind. "I like you, Ash. And I don't think the feeling's going to disappear anytime soon. So whenever you're ready... I'm here. And until then, well... I'm still here." She throws me a smile which I return.
She leans in and plants a kiss on my forehead.
"Goodnight, Ashley." As she makes her way to the door, I call out to her.
"Spencer?" She stops, turning as she regards my query.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you." It's almost a whisper. She just smiles before leaving the room, closing the door gently behind her.
After a few minutes of being left in my bed alone trying to get some sleep, I realise the frustration I felt a while ago still hasn't left. I guess it's the latter then. Well, that's me not getting any sleep tonight. Excellent.
I roll on to my side and hold a pillow down over my head as I let out a growl.
"Fuck!"
Yes. Yes, that's exactly what I want to be doing right now...
.
.
.
.
A/N – Haha Don't hate me! We'll get there ;) Next chapter = drunken times. Fun, fun, fun...
