Ashley
"Why would someone do something so horrible to Emily?" Elena mouthed as I recounted what went down at the bakery as she stuffed her mouth with roasted chicken.
"I felt so scared after the first blow and she was so terrifying." Emily muttered, her hands holding boxes filled with her things while I followed, dropping her bags on the centre table.
"She's just a big bully." I responded, my hands rubbing out sweat and grime on my forehead, "She was just crazy, obviously."
"And you can't tell Mrs Ping about it?" Elena sighed heavily as she cradled her belly.
"That would be bad, pretty bad. Mrs Ping hates attention and anything that might hurt her business." I hurriedly spoke while settling my ass on the couch.
"Exactly." Emily took out the hair band, settling her tousled brown hair down to her hips.
"So you girls, you suffer in silence?" Emily mouthed.
"You can call it an investment." Emily chuckled,"Beer, anyone?" Her hands held on to the neck of a Hennessy bottle, shaking it.
"I have zero tolerance for alcohol." I yelled, raising a finger in affirmation.
"Don't look at me. I'm pregnant." Elena's face transformed into a smug look and then I and Emily suddenly erupted into ripples of laughter.
"You know, I think Joe gets tired of me sometimes." Elena muttered slowly as she adjusted her frame in the couch.
"Why?" I asked, opening the fridge in search of bottled water.
"Maybe it's because I demand too much attention or it's the cravings. He sometimes looks as if he's tired of me." Elena let out a sigh, "I feel the spark is dying. The energy we had before I was pregnant is just gone."
"And what kind of attention do you demand?" Emily spoke.
"A run for ice-cream at midnight or a feet rub. I sometimes ask him to cook spaghetti too." Elena chuckled.
"Or maybe he's just a little bit nervous about the whole baby thing." I chugged in several gulps of water, "You just need to sit him down and tell him."
"I hope so." Elena whispered, "I'm crashing here tonight though. Joe has..uhm some work overnight and I can't stand being alone."
"That's great. A sleepover for we girls!" Emily yelled.
"What sleepover, Emily? We got work to do, tommorow." I laughed.
"We can do that. I can wear your-" Elena started but I cut her off.
"You can't fit into my pyjamas."
"And why do you have to be so salty about it?" Elena pouted.
"I'm not the one who's pregnant." I countered back with a smirk.
Emily clapped, "Enough with the pregnancy jokes. I really have something to say."
"Then spill. Spill the tea." I urged on, dropping the empty bottle on the table.
"So when I went over to pack my stuffs at Ingrid's. Ingrid told me she was pregnant." Emily started.
"Are you okay?" I asked with a concerned expression, my hands wanting to reach out to hold Emily.
"Is that the douchebag that made your eyes so wet when you stepped into the apartment?" Elena inquired,"He even had the gut to spill his seed. Who's Ingrid?"
"I used to live with her." Emily stated.
"So what? He's gonna leave her, someday." I spoke up again.
"And what if he doesn't? What if I get a wedding invitation probably next month?" Emily's eyes began to turn wet.
"You are overreacting, Emily. " I rubbed my forehead hysterically.
"Fuck a wedding invitation. He doesn't deserve you and baby girl, he doesn't deserve this pretty face." Elena reached out and wiped streaks of tears off Emily's cheeks.
"Language, Elena. " Emily tried to hold back a laugh, "You don't want your baby's first words to be " fuck".
"Alright. I'll restrict myself from saying that." Elena rolled her eyes and I giggled.
I was delighted to finally have company overnight after living alone for two and a half years. I have grown accustomed to the sound of my alarm clock that I could hear it from a distance.
My thoughts drifted off to the man I saw at the bakery. His eyes looked so similar to someone I had met before. His voice too.
The way he stood. The way his eyes lingered on mine.
Did he recognize me from anywhere?
I had a tingling feeling that underneath that mask he wore, a perfect face laid beneath it. I chuckled to myself on remembering the moment when he clarified that the "crazy bitch" wasn't his woman.
I then remembered that there was a strange watch on his table after the whole drama. I had carefully tucked it into my apron and it kind of looked expensive.
Maybe he might return to fetch it or what if it wasn't his?
And the way he stopped her from further attack on I and Emily....
That was amazing.
"Ashley!!!!!!" Elena yelled, waving a hand dramatically in front of my eyes.
I squinted a bit, my forehead producing wrinkles in confusion. My lips moved to the side and I wondered what was wrong.
The stares Emily gave me and the eye brow raised by Elena looked strange.
"What?" I forced out a reply.
"You were so deep in thought, that you started smiling to yourself.That was straight up "weird", Ash." Emily took the reins by speaking up.
"That was just-"
"Is this about Mason?" Elena sighed.
"Wait what? Why do you think it's about Mason?" I forced out a response.
"Heard he got a woman." Elena pouted and then began to roll her eyes at me.
I recoiled, "That's bullshit. He's single, everyone knows that."
"Well it may be rumors." Emily shrugged.
"Old women around a table don't sit to discuss rumors." Elena picked up a pillow.
"Well old women tell tales too." I muttered, "It has to be bullshit."
"You think it's bullshit when you never confessed your feelings to him all these years and you expect your childhood school crush to just stay celibate...for you?" Elena spoke again.
I began to walk around the living room as Emily started to calm down, "You can just ask him when he comes around. Did he leave his card, the other day?"
"No, he did not and what shop was that said?" My voice grew high pitched.
"The shop doesn't matter, Ash. You just need to tell him how you feel about him. " Elena started, "The sooner you tell him, the better it gets."
"I'm sure there's a misunderstanding. Somewhere." I tried to calm my nerves down.
"Or maybe you just need to be direct about it. Just tell him that you had a crush on him since school and even though you have dated a couple of guys, it doesn't change the way you feel about him and I'm sure he'd definitely be head over heels for you." Emily said.
I placed my hands on the waist of my pants and sighed heavily.
"Maybe we should all go to bed. It's late anyways and we have to clock in by 8." I muttered.
"Tommorow's Saturday, we clock in by 10." Emily rebuffed.
"And that is how my dear sister, Ash kills a conversation." Elena patted Emily's thighs.
"Or maybe I don't want to fill my head with speculations and rumors. I don't give a damn if he has a woman. There's always another man for me." I firmly spoke, my eyes crystal clear.
"Not you trying to convince yourself of that lie." Elena chuckled lightly, "Maybe we should all go to bed since Ashley decided to kill the conversation."
"Thank you." I managed to force out a smile. Arguments like this with Elena were always mentally draining and it wasn't because I couldn't win the argument. It was because she was always right. She was the first one to tell me about the signs that I never saw in Richard.
"I'll sleep on the couch." Emily yelled, "Pregnant lady, you got the room!"
"That's so sweet, Em. Don't let me the bugs bite." Elena winked as she strolled slowly, staring at me for a moment before walking towards a room that was beside mine.
"Are you sure you'll be okay on the couch?" I crossed my hands below my bosom, "It's kinda cold, Emily."
"I got a duvet in one of the boxes. I'll be fine." Emily spoke cheerfully, "You go to bed and think of Mason."
"That was a bad joke, Emily. A really bad one." I sniggered at her before walking briskly towards my room.
I settled in on the bed, dressed in my pajamas but deep in thought.
Could Mason be dating someone?
Or what if it's a rumor or a prank?
I pushed the white duvet to my chest level and began to breathe in and out. That was my exercise mode anytime I felt anxious or nervous about something.
I decided to close my eyes but his face kept popping up. My eyes were fixated on the ceiling, my hands shaking and my thoughts in shambles.
"Dammit!" I muttered before rolling the duvet around my entire body.
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