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"I hate you," she said to her best friend of more than seventeen years.
Laura only laughed at her. They got to the worker bees cubicles they called home most of the day. She glared at Laura who desk was right behind hers and tried to ignore the pleased grin on her face.
"Jackson and Moraz!" Their editor hollered at them. "No lollygagging today, I need those articles!"
That was the timer for the morning, but the job they had to work on did not make things any easier for her. All these sexy football players were making her long for something more out of life. As they worked on articles profiling the hottest football players in Dallas she was transported back to her high school days when jocks and cheerleaders were always hooking up.
"Maybe I will become a Dallas cheerleader," she said to Laura over her shoulder
“Ok, that is an all-time low,” Laura swiveled in her chair to throw a reprimanding glance at the thought of such hopelessness.
Ashley would not be defeated. “Come on cheerleaders are humans they need some good tender loving too.”
“Oh yes I agree. You just won’t be one so forget it.”
Ashley sighed. “Well something has just got to give, because I really do not like cats.” She turned to see Laura grinning at her all over again, the kind of grin that said she had gone and done something that would likely get them both killed or something.
“Spit it out. Now!” she ordered the same time thinking about where she would get the bail money from for whatever crazy Laura had gone and done. Had it been Ava who was sitting across from her grinning she would have figured they won the lotto or something, but when Laura smiled Hades got a headache.
“Okay so you have to go. You cannot say no, because I think this guy is exactly what you would like.”
Ashley knew instantly what that meant. “Nope! No. no, no!”
“Come on Ash!”
This time Ashley turned to look her right in the face. “That is exactly what you said the last three times when you sent me out with brain cell killing Duds. I am not interested.”
“The third time will be the charm,” Laura smiled.
“You forgot how to count, this will be the fourth time and I am not going.” She turned back to her work.
“Okay, fine creepy cat lady.”
Ashley chuckled. “Okay, what’s so nice about this guy and if he is so good why don’t you date him?”
“I am otherwise occupied at the moment and I think he is more your speed. So are you going to go?”
She had to think about it for a moment. She wanted to, but she was not interested in wasting her time yet again. Then again this was dating and though she was okay being single she didn’t plan to remain that way until she was old and grey. Maybe his time would be different, if it wasn’t then she was going to make Laura pay.
“What does he do for a living?” she asked. It wasn’t an overly important question but she just wanted to get a sense of the guy. Depending on the profession you could know if you were signing on for self-absorbed and over- confident, still trying to figure life out or the ever-annoying childish types.
“Think of this as the ultimate adventure,” Laura said, “He will give you all the answers you crave. Just call him.”
“Okay great oracle,” Ashley threw at her friend who quickly wrote his number down.
“All I will tell you is that his name is Ryan. Call him up and be open he might surprise you.”
She doubted that but she took Laura’s word for it. The rest of her day went by in a bit of a humdrum, she finished her articles and started the following days’ work. The only interruptions were for lunch and the occasional bursts of irrational anxiety every time she saw the post it with Ryan’s number. Ashley had no idea why she was so anxious about meeting him and to be honest she didn’t know whether that was a good or a bad sign.
Hours later as duck fell over the bustling city, she made her way out the door with Laura at her side.
“Make sure you call him,” Laura reminded her and she promised she would, despite the annoying gut feeling she had. Though they lived in the same direction, they took separate cabs as Laura had other plan for the night. It was something that drove home the fact that she was going home to nothing but her empty apartment yet again. She had all she had wanted at this point in life. A writing job for a prominent magazine –Shimmer- she had an apartment on the side of town she had always wanted to live, albeit a small apartment but her own nonetheless and she was making a decent salary. The only thing that was missing was someone to share it with and for every night that Laura and Ava were about enjoying their love lives she was reminded of what she lacked.
Okay fine! I will call him.
She took her own little time getting around to it, but after a long shower and two hours spent making dinner she ran out of reasons not to make the call of fate.
When she finally did he picked up on the second ring.
