Hey everyone, Happy Thanksgiving! So here's an update to enjoy with your turkey. I am loving these reviews I don't think you guys understand just how much. Please keep them coming and I am so grateful to each one of you for taking the time to read this. I'll forever love these two characters. To answer the questions yes I carry around a little black book lol. I'm really glad you are all liking Dean Davies, I was thinking what would be a really sexy profession. Still lacking on FOF I'm so sorry. I'm doing a ton of different things so forgive me but I do intend on doing one. Enjoy and let me know what ya'll think. Thanks for reading!
Day 4
Spencer takes another sip of beer as she counts her winnings. Stevi stares hard at her friend and tries her best not to scowl.
"Don't look at me that way. I give a disclaimer every time we play."
"You think we'd know better by now," Stevi complains as she gets up from the stowaway poker table and begins to clean up. "I ran into your girl, she's beautiful."
Spencer grunts as she reaches the end of her stack of money. She folds the money and slips it into her back pocket as she helps her friend with the mess that was made. Niko already in bed having to get up in a few hours to start his shift. Spencer dumps the empty beer bottles in the trash and listens to Stevi while she rambles on about Ashley. The time already a quarter to one. Her ears perk up when she hears a familiar name that isn't Ashley's.
"So what's his deal?"
"Bishop?"
"Yeah, he's kind of cute."
"Yeah, he is. You interested?"
"Are you?"
Spencer's head jerks back as she tries to understand as to how the conversation took this turn. "In Bishop!"
"No, in the girl who couldn't run out of here fast enough."
Spencer rolls her eyes. "If we talk about her the conversation will be cut real short."
"Come on Spence, just talk to me."
"There's nothing to talk about. We're just sleeping together."
"Yeah that's obvious but I'm asking if you like her."
"I don't know, we just met the other day. It's possible to sleep with someone and not develop feelings."
"Yeah but I don't think that's the case."
"Doesn't matter what the case is Stevi, the reality of it all is that I'm just sleeping with her. That's all."
"Is that all you want?"
"Yeah, it is." They stare each other down and Stevi brushes her bangs from her forehead and nods as she passes by and gives the blonde a pat on the shoulder.
"Get to bed, I'll finish up out here."
Spencer whispers out a thank you as she heads to her bedroom. She closes the door gently behind her. She stares at the ruffled sheets and smiles as she pictures Ashley tangled in them again. An idea hits her and she pulls her chair away from her desk, and effortlessly begins to write.
Her alarm goes off and she ignores the buzzing and continues to write. She takes advantage of her new wave of ideas, she shouts for Stevi and the girl groggily comes into the bedroom. She attempts to fall onto Spencer's bed.
"I wouldn't if I were you, had lots of sex in it hadn't changed the sheets yet."
Stevi whines as she drops her arms over Spencer's shoulders, and nuzzles her face into her neck. She tries to fall asleep again.
"Can you call Bishop and tell him I'm not coming in today. I have too many ideas to be bombarded by the ideas of anyone else."
"I don't have his number."
"Use my phone and then you can talk him about the fact that you're into him."
Stevi gets up and slaps Spencer in the face for her smart comment. She reaches for Spencer's phone.
"Uh, Spence. You've got a ton of missed calls and texts from Ashley."
Spencer fights the urge to take her eyes away from the screen. She shakes her head. "Can't right now, just do me the favor. I'm afraid if…"
Stevi places a hand to cease her roommate's unnecessary explanation, Spencer types away. She smirks as she overhears her roommate flirting with her coworker. Spencer laughs as Stevi walks out with her phone and the blonde is too busy writing away to shout back at her friend a reminder that the phone isn't hers to whisk off.
She loses herself in what she loves to do. Page after page she courses through, the plot unfolding as her fingers move faster. She isn't sure what's come over her, but she's loving it. She grunts in appreciation of the work that's unfolding at her fingertips. It isn't until her stomach starts to growl does she realize how much time has passed. She finishes her thought and pushes her chair away from her desk. She stares at the words on the screen and fights the urge to belittle the work that she's done.
Spencer walks away from her computer and saunters into the kitchen. Rifling through the fridge, she grabs the dressings to make a salmon and cream cheese bagel. Her thoughts wander to her story as she waits for her bagel to finish. A knock at her door brings her from the depths of her mind. Her brows furrow as she tries to figure out who could be at the knocking.
She opens the door and she fights with her conscience not to have an internal debate.
"Are you mad at me or something?" Ashley's voice wavers between anger and sadness.
"What?" Confusion is evident and Ashley sighs and scratches her forehead. She paces in the stairwell aggravated.
"I've called and texted, and you haven't answered."
"Oh…sorry. I've been busy." Spencer answers honestly dismissing the fact that it sounds made up. She recalls Stevi mentioning that the brunette had called and texted earlier but was caught up in her work.
"Doing what?" Ashley asks harshly not believing her.
Spencer becomes defensive. "First of all, you came here. I didn't invite you, and despite what I may have portrayed I do have other things I care about, so yes I was busy." As soon as it came, it went. Her minor display of anger dissipated. Ashley looks at the blonde shocked. Spencer sighs and opens the door wider. "I'm sorry if I came off strong, please come in."
Ashley hesitates to step inside. She looks like a little puppy that's just been kicked.
"Please?" Spencer offers more sweetly. The brunette nods and steps into the apartment. Spencer closes the door behind her surprised guest and makes her way toward the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"
"I could eat."
Spencer just nods and they stay silent, it's usually comfortable between them, but this time it's awkward. Spencer takes the freshly toasted bagel from the toaster, adding the cream cheese and slices of salmon. Ashley sits on a barstool at the wood island that rests in the middle of the kitchen. Spencer slides the bagel across the island and turns to make her own sandwich.
"So why would I be mad at you?"
"Because of last night?"
"What happened last night?" Spencer asks feigning ignorance but putting on her best face to show that it hadn't bothered her. Even if it had a little bit.
"I kind of bolted out of here."
"So you think I'm mad because you left?" Spencer licks some cream cheese off her thumb.
"Because I declined your invitation."
"Oh, that? You were better off. I cleaned everyone out last night." Spencer laughs before taking a bite of her sandwich.
"So you weren't mad?"
Spencer shakes her head chewing.
"Just busy?"
She nods.
"I'm making this complicated aren't I?"
Spencer nods again then takes another bite of her bagel. "Why aren't you at school?"
"Principal's in today, didn't need to be. Why aren't you at work?"
"Personal day…I was writing."
"I'm sorry for disturbing you. Do you want me to go?"
"No, you can stay your company is always welcome, even when I don't invite you." She finishes with a smirk, Ashley blushes and takes another bite of her sandwich. She misses the look of admiration coming from Spencer, keeping her eyes down still a little embarrassed for barging in on the blonde.
Spencer walks around the island and gently places a kiss on Ashley's temple.
"Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right out."
Spencer gathers her things from her room and makes her way toward the living room. Ashley sat on the couch looking around curiously. Framed movie posters, game systems with their controls sprawled about. A couple of bike wheels in the corner, a fully stocked black bookcase with a second one half full. A hammock chair by the window with an ottoman a couple of feet away from it. Ashley can see the personalities of the roommates in this room. It all came together, a perfect balance, neither one overpowering the other.
"Have you all lived together for long?"
Spencer pads barefoot across the hardwood floor, making her way around the couch and sits on the big armchair, keeping a relative distance from Ashley. She glances up at Ashley, trying to hide her smirk. She can see the Dean pout.
"For about six years, almost seven."
"You don't want to live alone?" Ashley asks, turning to face Spencer.
Spencer just shrugs as she looks over her work from earlier. "Not that I don't want to. I just haven't felt the inclination to go anywhere else. We all have such weird schedules, me with my obsession of being at work all day, Stevi working as a DJ at night and passing out all day, and Niko is out from before sunrise and checking in at different hours every day. So really we don't see as much of each other as you would think. That's kind of why we have weekly poker games, we're a weird family."
"I think that's sweet."
"It can be, but we can get on each other's nerves." Spencer focuses back at her screen and starts to type again.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go?"
The blonde looks up, she lifts her legs, crosses them at the ankles and rests them on the coffee table across from her. "Do you want to go?" Ashley just shakes her head. "Then don't. You can do whatever you like."
There's an inflection in Spencer's voice and she chuckles when Ashley bites her bottom lip for a quick second then clears her throat. She stands up and walks past Spencer, dragging her fingers up Spencer's arm. The blonde shivers, the brunette chuckles as she makes her way towards the bookcase.
"What's your favorite book?"
"Don't have one," Spencer answers absentmindedly.
"Seriously."
"Uh huh." She keeps typing feverishly.
Ashley comes back with a book in hand and sits back down. "I find that hard to believe Spence."
"I don't have one because I can't pick one. I love each one for different reasons. I have books I hate, not so much one specific one I love. What'd you pick?"
"Orwell's 1984, it's on the kids' reading list this summer, and I hate to admit that I haven't read it."
"Wow, a heavy book for teens. I had to read it three times just to figure out what the hell was going on. It's not even the book itself that's difficult to get its the…"
"Shush let me read." Ashley playfully chastises making her friend with benefits smile.
They stare at each other for a moment before they focus on their separate activities. They both get lost, for once, given their brief history, not in each other.
"What?" Ashley shouts in confusion.
"I told you," Spencer says with a laugh as she hits the backspace key, erasing the last seven pages she just wrote.
"Seriously, what?" Ashley asks as she turns back the last twenty pages.
Hours had passed, the longest amount of time they spent together without touching one another. Spencer erupts in laughter as she places her laptop on the table and stands up stretching. Her joints cracking, groaning in pleasure.
Spencer stares at the woman on her couch and her desire grows with every passing second. Spencer even found the way she turns the page sexy. She rolls her eyes at herself, acting like a horny teenager.
"Orwell's got issues." Ashley comments annoyed flipping to the next page. Spencer gently grips the book and pulls it from Ashley's grasp. "I was reading that."
Spencer just nods as she tosses the book aside, then straddles Ashley's lap.
"I think I can be more entertaining than Orwell."
"Goodness, I hope so." Ashley quips before Spencer captures her lips.
The brunette slips her hands under Spencer's shirt, gently scratching her lower back. Spencer moans as feels the brunette slip her tongue into her mouth. There's a different vibe this time. It's usually Spencer that's the aggressive one. Ashley's been more a pillow queen, not that the blonde minded at all. In fact, she is there really to please Ashley more than Ashley pleasing her. It seems though that in this moment, this is the best way to please Ashley, letting her take the reins instead of the other way around.
Ashley grips Spencer's hips pulling her impossibly closer. The writer pulls away breathless.
"We could always go back to…"Spencer tries to joke, but the gentle bite on her neck stops her teasing.
"Shut it," She orders as she begins to pull Spencer's shirt up.
"Honey, what's for dinner?" Stevi asks with a yawn as she strolls out of her room.
Ashley freezes and Spencer acts as if the position she's in is all natural. "Sorry dear, I didn't start dinner yet."
Ashley clears her throat. The blonde looks down at her and tries to hide her smile. She's clearly embarrassed. Spencer pulls down her shirt and rolls onto the couch. She pats Ashley's thigh and whispers to meet her in her room. Ashley tries to make a beeline for Spencer's bedroom but is stopped by her roommate.
"Stevi, leave her alone." She groans as she stands up.
"I'm not doing nothing." She defends then looks at Ashley.
Spencer makes her way to Ashley and gently shoves the woman in the direction of her bedroom.
"Its fine…"Ashley mumbles shyly. She holds her hand out to shake Stevi's.
"See? She's fine." Stevi delivers in a mocking tone.
Ashley smiles sheepishly as she feels Spencer press behind her protectively.
"So…"Stevi leaves her sentence hanging in the air waiting for the brunette to catch on.
"Ashley," She informs.
"Ashley, it's so nice to meet you, will you be joining us for dinner? Spencer's an amazing cook."
The blonde's eyes widen in horror. This is breaking all the rules they never took the time to discuss. She tries to send a message to her roommate in ocular fashion, but the DJ blatantly ignores it as she forces herself to keep her eyes on their guest.
"Is she now?" Ashley turns to look at the woman. "Were you ever gonna offer to cook me dinner?"
"Didn't want to do anything too coupley." She answers with a wink stepping away from the brunette making her way toward the kitchen.
"What do you want dear?"
"Anything you want to make me sweetheart?" Stevi replies nodding her head toward the kitchen.
Ashley looks at the two roommates suspiciously, not understanding their inside joke. She grabs the stool she sat on earlier. She watches the two of them interact as they move through the kitchen rhythmically. Stevi hands Spencer ingredients she needs for dinner while the blonde preps all her cookware. Stevi walks into the living room and connects her laptop to the stereo and turns on her newest mix. Spencer begins to nod her head to the beat.
"I like this." She compliments and her eyes flick towards Ashley, she keeps her eyes on Spencer's hands while she chops a pepper. Spencer smirks. "What?"
"You have talented hands," Ashley answers flirtatiously, blushing a bit.
Spencer stops chopping and throws her head back laughing. Stevi comes into the kitchen again and stands next to Spencer as she preps for dinner. She leans in close and whispers for only her roommate to hear.
"She likes you."
Spencer just nods, pretending her roommate's topic of conversation didn't make her uncomfortable. The presence of emotions between she and Ashley have been extremely limited. Stevi isn't helping by defining an ambiguous relationship. Things were fine as is. She turns to look at her roommate, giving her a glare that only the DJ would be able to decipher. Stevi backs away slowly points to the bathroom.
"I'm going to shower so I can jet once I eat."
"Good idea." Spencer agrees in a subtle yet threatening tone.
"Ashley." Stevi bows her head and bolts towards the bathroom.
The brunette chuckles and rests her chin in her palm. "So what's the deal with you two?"
"Stevi and me?" Spencer asks wanting to be completely sure of what her sex buddy was implying.
Ashley just nods and the blonde makes a face of disgust. 'Gross' is all she says before she grabs a fresh yellow pepper and chops away.
"So never?"
"Never…why?" Ashley just shrugs at Spencer's question. "Jealous?" This time, the brunette quirks a brow. "It's alright if you were, I'd find it extremely attractive."
"Jealousy is attractive?"
"Oh yeah. It protrudes a possessive quality. It's nice to know that you're wanted." Spencer puts the knife down and walks around the table. She stands behind Ashley, pressing into her back. She lowers her head and whispers into her ear. "So…do you want me?"
Ashley feels every hair on her body stand. She doesn't answer verbally, it takes everything in her to not moan. She turns in her seat and is quickly met with Spencer's lips. The blonde turns the rest of her body. Ashley slides her arms around Spencer's neck. Spencer takes a step closer, knocking into the stool. The legs scratch against the floor, the screech echoes through the kitchen. Ashley buries her fingers in Spencer's blonde hair pulling her face closer. Biting her bottom lip, Spencer smiles at the gestures. It's possessive, Ashley was jealous. Spencer pulls away slowly, chuckling quietly at the brunette's whimper.
"I'll take that as a yes." The writer comments as she pulls her swollen bottom lip into her mouth and backs away from her dinner guest.
She walks back towards her cooking station and begins her interrupted process.
"Do you want to know why I stayed?"
"For dinner?"
Ashley nods, resting her elbows on the island, leaning forward. Spencer shrugs as she drops the knife and pulls her hair back into a messy bun.
"I mean, I said whatever you want to do is fine with me. I'm not going to complicate things forcing out an explanation because you had a change of heart. I enjoy you so I'm glad to spend whatever time I can with you."
"You enjoy me?"
"Mhm."
Ashley's brows rise a few centimeters up her forehead. The facial expression hinting towards the possible sexual implication. Spencer smiles.
"I don't mean solely in that aspect although it is a major plus. I just…enjoy you." She repeats not entirely sure how else to explain. Like was too particular a word. There's no need for Stevi's unnecessary comment to float in the trenches of her mind.
"Well, I enjoy you too." Ashley mumbles playing with a rogue seed that rebelliously flew from the knife when Spencer cut out the core of the vegetable. "Thank you."
"For what?" Spencer tilts her head to the side.
"For letting me do whatever I want and not making me feel guilty about it."
Spencer stops chopping. She rests her hands on the countertop.
"Ashley…" The brunette looks up, her eyes glassy as she fights back threatening tears. She quickly drops her head again refusing to lose her cool in front of Spencer.
Spencer wants to take a step forward but knows that if she were to console the brunette it would hurt and not help. She just waits patiently as Ashley sniffles and blots her eyes. She waves the blonde away not wanting to bring any unnecessary attention on herself. Once she looks up her heart sinks a little as she sees the blonde smiling gently at her.
"How about you chop some onions so we can blame the tears on something else?"
Ashley stands up wordlessly, makes her way over the Spencer and takes the offered knife. She kisses Spencer gently in appreciation and helps the blonde cook dinner.
Stevi leans back in her chair and throws her napkin on her plate. "Spence you outdid yourself."
Spencer tilts her wine glass in her roommate's direction. "Ashley chopped the onions," She announces proudly.
"Those were the best chopped onions I've ever eaten Ashley." Niko compliments as he sips his beer.
She giggles as she dabs at her mouth. "I think the entire meal Spencer cooked complimented them just right."
Spencer smiles widely holding her wine glass to her lips. She stares at the brunette as she jokes with her roommates. The brunette didn't want to meet friends, it was too coupley, but now she's sitting joking with them at the dinner table. They were floating at her pace. Floating because moving in a specific direction meant they had a particular destination. They don't. So they're floating and just enjoying one another, not worrying about where they may land.
"So Ashley you should come out to the club tonight that I'm spinning at."
"Uh…" She throws a glance at Spencer as if she needs permission to go anywhere. Everyone's focus turns to Spencer and she slumps in her seat.
"Why's everyone looking at me?"
"You're the adult," Stevi answers with a shrug. She grabs all the empty plates and leaves before the air can become more awkward.
"Am not!" Spencer shouts in horror.
"You adult the best between the three of us Spence."
She points threateningly at her roommate. He snickers and stands up walking into the kitchen to help clean up. Ashley stands to help, but Spencer gives her a look and she quickly sits back down.
"See," Stevi says as she comes back to pick up the extra dishes. Spencer points a threatening finger at her, she just raises her hands in defense. "Sorry, mom."
The blonde shakes her head as she finishes her glass of wine and stands up taking Ashley's empty glass. She kisses the brunette on top of the head.
"We can go if you want."
She walks away not really giving the brunette a chance to give an answer. She can feel her green eyes bore into her back. She turns, pulling her lip into her mouth.
"You checking me out?"
Ashley bites her lips and nods. "Just wondering if you can dance."
"Oh, she can dance," Niko states impressed. Cleaning up the rest of the mess.
Spencer throws a wink at the brunette as she continues into the kitchen. She stares at Stevi giving her a threatening look. She mouths 'stop' and Stevi only raises her eyebrows in excitement. She places the dishes in the sink. She feels arms encircle her waist.
"So will you show me your moves?"
"I thought I had?" Spencer asks chuckling softly. She taps on Ashley's arms, asking nonverbally for her to let go.
"I feel like you've got so many more tricks up your sleeve."
"I do…and I'll pick you up in a couple hours?"
"Sounds good…thanks for dinner. They were right, you are amazing."
"At cooking?"
"At everything," She states backing away from the blonde and heading towards the door.