Changing paths

Care free and single

Ashleys POV

   ‘I, I guess I broke up with her’ I stuttered to Joe who had joined me for a coffee.
    I sighed as I took a sip and realised the coffee wasn’t as good as the ones that Charley made. I had chosen a different place to the one Charley worked at. I didn’t want to see her. I didn’t think I could look her in the eyes after I remembered the way I  had left her there crying.
   ‘You broke up with her? I thought it would have been the other way around. What happened?’ he asks sincerely.
   ‘She said she didn’t want me seeing Lana again. I told her I didn’t want to be in a possessive and jealous relationship' I shrug. ‘I guess I split up with her.’
   ‘If you think it was the right thing to do I guess you need to live with your decision.’
    ‘I know. I’m just not sure if it was the right decision. I wasn’t looking for a long term relationship anyway. I guess’ I half mumble to myself.
    ‘You girl need to cheer up we’ll have to take you out and find someone for you to hook up with’ he smiles obviously trying to cheer me up. I was the one that broke up the relationship so why did I feel so bad?
   ‘You and Laura are going to wingman it for me?’ I laugh out loud. He looks at me pretended to be offended.
   ‘We are great wingmen. Even Laura who isn’t even a man’ he laughs. ‘You need a hook up I’m telling you. Mopey Ashley is no fun. You used to be so care free.’
   ‘Is that another way of calling me a slut?’ I look at him seriously.
   ‘No of course not, I mean um…’ he frets. I suddenly burst out laughing.
   ‘It’s cool bro. I was more fun before all this relationship malarkey got in the way. So this weekend?’ I grin. He nods enthusiastically. ‘Awesome.’
   ‘Welcome back my slutty friend.’
    ‘Oi I’m still not impressed about you calling me a slut by the way’ I frown.
     ‘Welcome back my care free and single friend’ he changes.
     ‘Much better’ I grin.

Lana POV

After the night out with Joe, Laura and Ash I hadn’t stopped thinking, Just thinking about myself, about life and about Ash.  I was so messed up I didn’t know what to do anymore. Why wasn’t I able to stop thinking about Ashley? Her hair, her face, her eyes, her soft hands, her sarcastic and overtly truthful humour.
   ‘Get out of my head’ I almost scream to myself in the empty house.
    Of course no one could hear me. I often spoke out loud, it helped me think however it hadn't been helping at all for the last few days. I lie down on my bedroom floor and closed my eyes breathing deeply in before letting out a frustrated sigh. As quickly as I closed my eyes my mind drifted back to the other night. Her closeness, the warmth between us her hands on my waist….
   I sit up in a sweat. ‘Seriously brain just stop it’ I scolded my stupid over imaginative brain.
    I’ve never thought about girls ever like this so why was Ash different.
    ‘I should see Tyler’ I speak out loud again to myself. 
   Seeing my hot caring boyfriend will stop these thoughts. I pick up my phone and call Tyler ‘I have a free house babe’ I say and he replies. I can hear the smile in his voice. ‘Come over?’ I ask, he gladly accepts my invitation. It would take him 10 minutes to drive over so that means just 10 more minutes of my stupid brain sending me stupid images of stupid Ashley.

   I hear a knock at the door before I finish adding the finishing touches to my makeup. I run down the stairs opening the door to a grinning Tyler. He had a leather jacket on, he looked good in it I had guessed he had taken is bike out.
    ‘Hey sexy’ I say looking him up and down. He did look good. He was muscular and he had black hair that he styled, he’d often have fly away hairs that made him look cute.
   ‘Hey sexy yourself’ he grinned. ‘So what’s with the booty call?’ he chuckled grabbing my waist and pulling me forward.
   ‘Since when can a girlfriend not genuinely want to see her hot boyfriend?’
    ‘Aww babe I’ve missed you’ he says giving me a hug. In truth I hadn’t seen him in days I had been either working at work or on my essays.
   We walk into the house closing the door behind us. I grab his hand pulling him up to my bedroom.  Tyler removes his leather jacket before sitting next to me.
   ‘So free house?’ he asks suggestively and I nod.
    He leans down and kisses me sensually, his hand slides down to my leg. I open my eyes to look into his when he pulls away slightly smiling. His eyes were a murky brown nothing like Ashley’s blue eyes. Did I just think of Ashley? I shake my head and I kiss him again. One of his hands grabs mine. His hands felt rough nothing like Ashley’s smooth soft hands. Oh not again. I take a deep breath and take in the musky scent of Tyler’s aftershave it’s definitely nothing like Ashley’s summery flowery scene.
   ‘I can’t do this’ I pull away. Tyler looks at me confusedly. ‘I think I’m coming down with something’ I cough. ‘Next week good?’ I ask.
   ‘I guess so’ he mumbles still looking confused.
   ‘Well works out well then. Here’ I hand him his jacket and ushers him out of the house. ‘See ya babe’ I shout out before shutting the door behind me. ‘What the hell was that’ I sigh.

Ashley POV

   ‘You are looking smoking hot’ Laura’s the one to compliment me first.
   ‘Smoking hot’ Joe agrees nodding his head.
    I was wearing a leather jacket over an overly revealing top and some tight denim jeans with some boots. I had added a little more eyeliner than usual. I looked a lot like I did at college, the tightest jeans and the darkest makeup.
   ‘She’s back’ Joe adds high fiving me.
    All three of us heads out grabbing a taxi into town before heading to our favourite bar. We had barely got to the bar before Laura stopped me.
   ‘I hope you don’t mind Lana’s going to be meeting us in a bit. She was upset over something so I invited her out’ Laura quickly mentions.
   ‘So the cause of my relationship breakup is coming here tonight?’ I shake my head and then shrug.
   ‘She doesn’t know anything about you and Charley’s breakup in fact she doesn’t even know you guys have broken up’ Laura adds almost apologetically.
   ‘I don’t mind honestly’ and I shrug again. ‘Are you my wing woman or not? Let’s get some drinks!’ Laura smiles looking less worried before we head to the bar. Joes already there with a tray of shots for us.
   ‘Drink up girls’ he says as we grab shots downing them.
   ‘I think I’m going to get some fresh air’ I say as the overbearing heat of the place consumes me along with the intoxicating effect of the drinks.
   I stumble through the crowd hastily never reaching the door before I see Lana looking straight at me.

Lana POV

  Ok the one person I was trying to escape and she was right here in front of me I swallow the lump that had formed in my throat. She looked hot. She was wearing a leather jacket over her top of all things, it reminded me too much of Tyler’s jacket.
  ‘Hi’ I say.
   ‘Hi yourself’ she smiles.
   ‘Laura only just told me you were coming’ I say.
   ‘She didn't even tell me you were coming' she shrugs. ‘Drinks?’ she asks and I nod.
   After grabbing a drink we head to a quiet part of the bar and sit down on the sofas.
   ‘So how are you and Tyler?’ she asks.
   ‘Good’ I lie. ‘And you and Charley?’
   ‘There is no me and Charley’ she says curtly. My heart jumped a little at this and I didn’t know why.
    ‘Sorry to hear that’ I say as truthfully as possible.
   I watch as Ash downs another drink, her cheeks were looking redder and redder from the drinks she was quickly consuming.
   ‘Can I tell you something’ she says drunkenly. Her hand rests on my arm and I’m fully aware of how close she had moved next to me.
   ‘I guess so’ I reply.
   ‘After we met the first time…’ she pauses. ‘In fact it was in this very bar when you helped me up I had the hugest crush on you for the longest time. My only regret was that I never even got your name or number. But here we are together now’ she waves her arms around.
   ‘You had a crush on me?’ I ask a little bewildered at the new information.
   ‘It was like one of those clichéd love stories where I fell for you by actually falling for you’ she laughs at her own joke. I see Joe and Laura make their way over to us both looking drunk themselves.
   ‘We are now going to be wingman for you girl’ Joe shouts towards Ash. I look at him confused.
   ‘Yeah you need to forget about Charley and hook up with someone already! Look at all the cuties around here’ Laura continues.
   ‘Woo hoo lets go’ Ash jumps up with Joe and Laura as they begin to chat to some of the other bar goers.
   I watch as Ash walks around for 10 minutes before she eventually stops and chats to one girl for a longer time. Joe and Laura turn around towards me with thumbs up before walking over and sitting beside me.
   ‘She is well in there’ Joe laughs.
   ‘Why are you trying to get her with someone so soon after Charley?’ I ask.
   ‘That girl was never the relationship type. She needs cheering up’ he grins winking at me.
    I watch Ash and the new girl as she moves closer to her, eventually they kiss. I watch as Ash grabs the girls hand and they head outside. If I didn’t care for this girl then why did watching this scene play out hurt  me so much.