Author: Ashley (idoodle)
Rating: PG-13 to R
Disclaimer: With the exception of Jenna, Corey and Topher, the characters in this story belong to The-N.
Pairing: Spencer and Ashley, eventually.
Summary: Ashley and Spencer broke it off in 2008, after two years of dating. Now, it's 2012; a 22-year-old Ashley and her roommate, Jenna, are looking for a third person to split their rent with. They settle on a young college student, named Corey. But things get complicated when Ashley meets Corey's girlfriend...

Complicated.

1:

Sunlight slanted through slits in the blinds, coloring the room's pale walls a soft blue. Ashley grimaced, and screwed her eyes shut. Shit. Too bright, too bright, too bright. Prying open one lazy eye, she looked at the digital clock sitting on the night stand. 9:13. She sighed, and with both eyes closed, sank back into the comfortable pillow top mattress.

Minutes later, the bed shifted and an arm was draped across her abdomen. Her eyes fluttered open again. Tufts of blond hair lay scattered over her pillow. She lifted her head, checking if the woman was awake or not. Once it was determined that she was still asleep, Ashley gently picked up the arm and laid it down beside the woman. Her head fell back into the pillow. Is it Kerry? She started replaying the night before in her head, the parts she remembered at least, hoping the woman's name would come to her. Or Terry? She shook her head. No, Terry was the bartender. She put an arm over her eyes, shielding them from the light. I can remember the name of the bartender, but not the woman I brought home with me? Fuck. She pushed the covers off her body and slipped out of bed.

She went over to her bureau, digging through the drawers for something to wear. After throwing on a pair of black cotton briefs and an old Pretenders T-shirt, she crept out of the room.

Padding barefoot into the kitchen, Ashley grabbed a clean mug from the dish drain and filled it with hot coffee. Then, she opened the refrigerator and removed the creamer from the top shelf. When she closed the door she noticed a message on the front in colorful letter magnets, which read: SEARCH FIN. She read it few more times, thinking that repetition would help her figure out its meaning.

"Nice underwear."

Ashley turned around and saw her roommate's boyfriend standing in the doorway. Topher was a good-looking guy: 5'11" with a nicely toned physique; short, bleached hair; beady, gray-blue eyes. His tan, chiseled features were rough from always being in the sun, making him look a few years older than he was, which was only twenty-five. "You too," she said, arching an eyebrow at his Ninja Turtle boxer shorts. "Michelangelo, seriously?"

Topher smirked crookedly -- hiding the snaggletooth in the left side of his mouth like he always did -- and looked down at his underwear. "What? He's the coolest one." Ashley just shook her head. "Okay then, who was your favorite?" he asked, while swiping the Froot Loops from the pantry.

"Raphael." She poured as much creamer into her coffee as she needed, then placed it back into the refrigerator.

"Raphael?" Topher opened the flap on the cereal box before his hand disappeared inside. "Raph's a rebellious ass." He paused. "No wonder he was your favorite, you're exactly alike."

The young woman flipped him a bird, while stirring her coffee with the other hand. "Hey, do you know what that's about?" she asked, motioning toward the fridge.

Topher munched loudly on the cereal as he read the message. "Uh, no. Ask Jenna."

Ashley rolled her eyes. She should've expected that kind of response. Topher wasn't very useful -- ever. But what could you expect from a twenty-five-year-old unemployed musician, who still lived with his parents?

After shoveling another handful of cereal into his mouth, Topher jumped up onto the counter top of the kitchen island, and swung his legs back and forth, while watching the brunette cradle her mug. "So," he started, clearing his throat, "what's her name?"

"Who?" she asked before taking a sip of coffee.

"The girl you brought home last night."

She leaned against the counter opposite the young man, and peered at him over the rim of her coffee cup. "How do you know I brought a girl home with me?" she questioned, with one eyebrow lifted curiously.

The light-haired man broke out into a big grin. "You left some evidence behind in the livingroom." He pulled out a black thong from the front pocket of his sweatshirt and spun it around on his finger.

Ashley set her cup down on the counter and made a grab for the garment, but Topher quickly yanked it up higher in the air, out of her reach. She released a frustrated growl before balling up her fist and hitting him in the gut.

"Fuuuuccckk," Topher gasped, bending over in pain.

Smirking, Ashley grabbed the thong off the floor, where it had fallen after the punch, and went back to her coffee. Topher slid down from the counter, holding his stomach, and quietly left the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Jenna came strolling in. Ashley was now sitting at the table eating a bagel with low-fat cream cheese. "Topher wanted me to come tell you that you are to meet him on the roof at three o'clock for a – and I quote – 'rumble'," Jenna said, using air quotes with the last word.

Laughing, Ashley said, "Finally. I've been waiting for this day."

Jenna went to the coffee pot and refilled her cup, using the rest of the coffee. "If you want some help kicking his ass, we can tag team. After three years of dating him, I think I deserve to get in on the action."

"For sure," the brunette mumbled.

Jenna walked over to the table, and picked up the thong with her thumb and index finger. "Is there a reason this is on the table?" she queried, scrunching up her face.

In mid-chew, the brunette replied, "Decoration." She swallowed. "It's kinda the focal point of the room, you know? After you walk in, your eyes go right toward it."

The redhead dropped the stringy piece of underwear into her roommate's lap. "I think it'll work better in your room," she said before taking a seat.

Ashley smirked and went back to her bagel, while Jenna talked about the new dance club her and Topher had gone to the night before.

Jenna was a petite little thing, standing at only 5'1", and had soft, smooth features. At the moment her short, spiky hairstyle was red, but it was dyed a different color almost every other week. Shielded by a pair of black Vera Wang frames, her eyes were light brown with gold flecks. Her clothing style, however, was a bit eccentric: vintage baby doll dresses with fishnet stockings and brightly colored pumps. It wasn't considered fashionable these days, but it didn't look silly on her -- it fitted her personality.

"Oh, did you see my message? The one I put on the fridge?"

"Yeah, I saw it when I came in," Ashley replied, flicking her gaze over to the message again. "I don't know what the hell it means though."

"Our search is over." Jenna grinned, getting excited. "I finally found us another roommate." They had been looking for a roommate for four months. Their last roommate, Lisa, had gotten pregnant and decided to move in with her boyfriend. Since then they hadn't found anyone that matched their criteria: female, nonsmoker, sane. The last being the most important.

"Really?"

"Mm-hm," the redhead said, while sipping her coffee. "Corey Fisk. She works with me."

"Have you mentioned her before?" she asked, thinking the name sounded familiar.

"Maybe, once or twice. She's kind of new to the shop."

"She doesn't have an annoying boyfriend that'll stay over here 24/7 and eat up all of our food, does she?"

Jenna rolled her eyes. "No, but she does have a girlfriend." She scooted away from the table and stood up, walking over to the sink. "I don't know a thing about her living or eating habits, though."

Ashley smiled. "So, she's a lesbian?" Interesting.

"Yes. A lesbian with a girlfriend," the redhead said, stressing the last part of the sentence. "And, from what I can tell, they're pretty serious."

"Then why doesn't she just move in with her girlfriend?"

"I don't think they're that serious yet."

Ashley swallowed down the rest of her coffee and got up. "When is she coming by?"

"I actually needed to talk to you about that," Jenna said, moving aside so the other woman could get to the sink. "She wants to come today, around noon-ish. But I need to go into work, so you'll have to be the one to show her the apartment. You'll be here, right?"

"I should be."

"Okay, great..."

A light-haired woman wrapped in a bedspread stepped into the doorway. She adjusted the blanket, pulling it tighter around her body, making sure it was covering all the parts she didn't want showing. "Uhh, hi." The two in the kitchen stopped talking and turned toward her, staring. "Morning." She smiled slightly at the woman near the fridge, then looked over at Ashley. "I, I can't find my clothes," she said, blushing uncomfortably.

"Oh," Jenna spoke up, "they're in the bathroom. When I woke up this morning, they were scattered all over the livingroom, and I'm kind of a neat freak, so I moved them in there."

Ashley slowly moved toward the blond. She wrapped her fingers around the front of the blanket and gave it a little tug. "C'mon," she whispered, one side of her mouth lifting into a sexy smirk, "I'll help you get dressed."

With one dark brow raised, Jenna watched the pair leave. "There goes number two for the week," she said quietly to herself, then started washing the dishes in the sink.

- - -