I watch the clock impatiently as it moves towards seven. Then eight. Then nine. I’ve tried to call Ashley a few times, but it keeps going to voicemail. I’m starting to get really worried now and I debate calling Tyson and have him track Ashley down. That would be weird though if it’s just something’s come up at work and she stayed late at the office to deal with it. But what if it isn’t that? What if something has happened to her?
It’s 9:25 when she finally comes in. I stand up and open my mouth to ask if she’s okay when I realize she’s not alone. She’s with a man. A tall man who isn’t bad looking and who seems to be hanging on her every word as they laugh together.
I instantly hate him.
“Oh Finn, hi. We’re not disturbing you, are we?” Ashley asks.
It takes every bit of will power I have not to tell her to go to hell and take her douchebag date with her, but I manage to arrange my face into what I hope is a careless smile and shake my head instead.
“This is Alan Gershwin,” Ashley introduces. “Alan, Finn Jagger.”
Alan steps forward and offers me his hand.
I shake it, because what else am I supposed to do? Wrench his arm behind his back and boot him out of my apartment? That’s what I’m itching to do.
“How’s it going?” He asks, with a sick grin.
“Busy,” I mutter
“I’ll go and grab the file. I won’t be a moment,” Ashley says before she disappears down the hallway, leaving me and Alan alone together.
We stand in uncomfortable silence, watching each other cautiously. Yeah, I hate him. And I really fucking hate the fact that I am jealous of him. I try not to glare at him. We stand staring each other down.
“So Finn, what do you do?” He asks awkwardly.
I have half a mind to ask him to mind his own business.
Fortunately, Ashley breezes back in, stopping any conversation in its tracks. “Here you go,” she smiles, handing Alan a file.
He takes the file and thanks her.
“Would you like to stay for a drink?” She asks.
I jump in before Alan can answer, “Umm… aren’t you forgetting something?”
“What?” Ashley asks with a frown. She seems to be completely oblivious to the atmosphere between Alan and I.
“We have the wedding stuff to go over,” I slip in smoothly.
“Wedding stuff?” Alan interrupts. His face turns quite pale. “Ashley, you didn’t tell me you were getting married.”
No, I bet she fucking didn’t.
Ashley opens her mouth to say something, shooting me a look that feels like it should have turned me to stone or something. She forces a smile. “Yes, I am Alan.”
“Uh… right. Well, I’ll pass on the drink, thanks. I’d hate to stand in the way of your perfect wedding.”
Ashley sees the mumbling fool out. As soon as she closes the door, she rounds on me. “What exactly the fuck was that?” She demands.
“What was what?” I ask, feigning innocence. “My mom called earlier. She needs to know whether we want the salmon or chicken entrée.”
“And you don’t think that could have been a conversation we could have had five minutes after Alan left?”
“You didn’t tell him we were getting married?” I ask pointedly, ignoring what she said.
“No, I didn’t, because I haven’t even told my parents yet, Finn. Jeez, I can’t believe you did that. Now he’s going to think I deliberately kept it a secret from him,” Ashley yells.
“Well, you did,” I point out. “Why do you care so much what he thinks anyway?”
“Dammit Finn, I can’t even talk to you right now. You choose the damned entrée and tell your mother your choice. As if I care.” She starts to storm away from me.
I grab her arm and spin her back around to face me. “Where the hell have you been?” I demand. “I was worried about you.”
“Worried about me? It’s not even ten o’clock,” she points out.
Ok, she has a point there. I have completely overreacted about her being late. “I tried to call you and you ignored my calls,” I say.
“My phone was on silent mode in my purse. I didn’t hear it ringing.”
That makes me even madder. “So where were you?”
“That’s none of your goddamned business,” she snaps, anger flaring over her face again.
“The last time you disappeared like this, you were in trouble,” I point out.
“And this time, I wasn’t. I’m a fucking grown woman Finn, and if I want to stay out past nine o’clock, I don’t expect it to be a problem.”
“Yeah? Well, I don’t expect you to bring strange men back to the apartment,” I snap.
“Oh, that’s what this is about,” Ashley says. “It’s not about where I’ve been, but who I was there with.”
I shrug, not quite ready to admit to this, but seeing no feasible way to deny it.