Ashlynn
I pull up outside of their shop and just sit for a second. Trace just decided to tell me that Justin always stays until about nine or ten o'clock on Friday nights because he likes to organize the receipts for the week. Why I'm here, I really don't know. I haven't been able to stop thinking about what he said to me the other day, and it's been driving me fucking crazy.
I shut off the car and step out into the dusk. I lower my sunglasses a bit and look around. I push them back up on my nose and walk over to the half open bay door, bending over and slipping into the garage. I hear nothing but my high heels clicking against the floor as I walk slowly toward his office. I reposition my purse on my shoulder and stop just outside the half-open door. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
This could turn into a disaster.
I lean over and spot him behind his desk, concentrating on the papers before him. I knock softly on the door frame and smile slightly when he looks up at me. His face morphs into a shocked expression as I lean against the door frame.
"You know, you should really close that bay door. Anybody could just walk in."
"What are you doing here?" He asks.
"I wanted to... can I come in?"
He nods and I push into the office, closing the door behind me, "Listen, I'm going to make this quick so you can get back to your work. I've been thinking about what you said the other day, and I just want to say that I'm sorry for not believing you. And that I truely do appreciate what you said."
He drops his pencil and rubs his hands together, "Thank you." he says quietly.
I shrug and smile again, "Well, that's really all I wanted to say so I'll leave you alone."
I turn on my heel and go to reach for the door knob when his voice stops me, "Have you eaten dinner yet?"
I turn back around, "No."
He stands and grabs his wallet and keys from the desk, "Is Harley's okay?"
I stare at him for a second, "Wait, you want me to go with you? What about... Kim?"
"What about her? We are just going to go have dinner."
See? I told you this could turn out to be disastrous.
"I can't believe you still come here." I say as the waitress sits us down at one of the booths in the back.
"I love this place, you know that. They've got the best burger in the world."
"Yeah, yeah."
It grows silent between us as we glance through the menus. I kinda hate to say this, but it's kinda... nice. You know, like, the old times, when we were friends. The little waitress comes back and takes our orders and then hurries away again. I glance over at the older couple that walks in and hobbles to their table. Within minutes, a sprite is slid in front of me and a coke in front of Justin. The waitress offers a small smile and then disappears again to help someone else.
I tap my foot a bit and sip on my soda. This is getting kind of awkward. We're not saying anything, just glancing around each other because I think we are both realizing that this whole dinner thing together was a bad idea. I mean, what the hell are we going to-
"How long have you been seeing Chris?" He asks suddenly.
I'm a little caught off guard, "Umm... I don't know like, seven or eight months now, maybe even more."
"Time really flies huh?" He said uncomfortably, shifting in his seat.
I nod a smile awkwardly. It gets silent between us again as we sip on our soda's. After a couple more minutes, I decide to end this, whatever this is and grab my purse, "You know, I think I'm gonna go."
"Why?" He asks as I stand up, following me with his eyes.
"Because, you know, there is really no reason to force anything here. We not, together anymore, we really don't have anything in common anymore, and we're not friends anymore. This is just... a business relationship now."
He nods and puts his head down a little. He rubs a finger against the table as he looks back up at me, "I think you're right. We should just stick to being business partners."
I nod, "Okay then. So..."
He nods a couple of times and then stands up and offers his hand, "I guess this is goodbye then."
I shake his hand lightly and smile one last time. I drop his large hand and the throw my purse over my shoulder. The clicking of my heels is really the only thing that I hear as I exit the diner and walk over to my car. I throw open the car door, toss my purse into the passengers side and plop down behind the wheel.
I want to turn the car on and leave, but some reason, I can't. Something is holding me there, as much as I don't want to admit it. I even put the key in the ignition; but when I go to turn it, it's like the damn thing won't turn. I put both hands on the wheel and slam my head into it; why the fuck is this happening? Why can't anything in my life just be easy for once?
I know that I fucked Justin over with the whole leaving thing, but is God trying to punish me know or something? I get the point God, I've been a bad girl. I lean back in the seat and push harshly on the key, silently smiling when I hear the engine purr to life. I just need to go home, cuddle with Chris and forget everything that happened today.
I throw the car into reverse and am about to let my foot off of the break when a knock at my window startles me. I roll it down and give him a strange look, "Yeah?"
"Don't go, okay, please?"
"Justin, I-"
"Can't we just try and be friends? There is too much stuff between us for us not to be." He sighs and looks around the parking lot for a second, "I really want to be your friend."
I bite my lip, "But how? Kim hates me, Chris doesn't like you. It's not like I can just go home and be like hey honey, I'm inviting Justin and Kim over for dinner because we're friends now. It doesn't work like that."
"Who says that they have to be involved? Just because we are seeing other people doesn't mean that they get to dictate whether we become friends or not. We have a lot of history that happened before Kim and Chris where in the picture. I think it would be healthy, for both of us, to put all of that shit behind us and be friends."
Well, Justin always did have a way with words and he always knew how to make a point. As much as I want to tell him no, I know that he's right. It'll be the only way that we'll have a chance to really get over each other and be with other people, "Okay."
He smiles that gorgeous smile of his and holds his hand out to me, "Can we finish dinner now? The food is getting cold."
I nod and laugh a little as I turn off the car and step out into the California night with him. I was wrong. Instead of this being a disaster, it's beginning to turn into a beautiful relationship.
We ended up talking for hours, about work and family and bunch of other crap until we realized what time it was. We departed around eleven thirty, promising to do it again sometime. I pull into the driveway about twenty minutes later and walk in the house to find a mad Emma.
"I'm sorry baby, let's go outside."
I pop her outside for a second and listen to my messages while keeping an eye on her, "Hey baby it's me. I don't know where you are but I guess you're still at the office. I dropped by to see if we could do dinner but, you weren't there. Anyway, give me a call when you get home workaholic. Bye baby."
Without a second thought, I grab the phone and dial his familiar number. It rings a couple of times before he answers, "Hey girl."
"Hey boy, sorry about tonight. I stayed late at the office to get some stuff done and then had dinner."
"Who did you have dinner with?" He asks, yawning into the phone.
"A client." I say, evasively.
"Are you gonna tell me their name?" He chuckles.
I sigh and twirl a loose hair around my finger, "Oh, you wouldn't know them."
Let the lies begin.
