Chapter Text
"I still cannot believe that you let me stay with you this semester"
"Well, I'll do anything for keeping you with me" Gina blushes. "You are my friend"
Then, Ashlyn helps her dear friend with her luggage and gets it upstairs, to her room.
"Sorry, I know it's a bit messy, but I didn't have time to tidy yet" she apologizes.
"It doesn't matter. I like it" Gina takes a look at the room. She thinks about all the rooms she has had through all these years. She tried to decorate the first ones, but she ended up getting tired. "I like that I can know that this is your bedroom just by looking at it. I feel the heat of home just by entering."
A sad smile appears on Gina's face for a moment, but soon is gone and her brilliant smile returns.
But that doesn't put off the bad thoughts and an awkward silence sets up until both of them realize and say at the same time.
"Well, I'd let you get comfy"
"Well, I should be going to the couch"
They laugh because of the coincidence, even when they go to the first floor.
"About the sofa thing, ¡no way!" Ashlyn says, still giggling. "Your mattress doesn't arrive until tomorrow, but tonight you can sleep in my bed. It's for couples, so..."
Gina blushes again and her expression changes. That's how Ashlyn realizes what she had just said and adds.
"The size, I mean. It's a very big bed" she chuckles nervously. "When we were little, EJ and I used to make sleepovers there"
"Oh! You two should be too cute together. I can a tiny EJ bragging here"
"Yes! He was exactly like that. The worst time was when he started high school and I was still in secondary school. He was always talking about the water polo team and the pretty girls and the drama club and how fucking cool was everything there. I was so jealous these two years". Ashlyn tells while chuckling.
Gina also laughs by imagining her friend that way.
"I can absolutely picture him doing that"
They sit on the sofa and continue talking for hours. It was past midnight when they return to Ashlyn's bedroom. Gina goes to the bathroom to brush her clothes and change her clothes for pajamas.
Then they lay on the bed, big enough to avoid touching each other.
"You were right," Gina says "This bed is so comfy"
"I Know. You'd miss it when your mattress arrives Although you can sleep here anyway if you want"
Gina blushes one time more.
"No, no, it isn't necessary. I don't want to bother you more, just let me living with you is such a big favor".
"Gina, you don't bother" Ashlyn replicates
Gina never answers, but she doesn't sleep either. Ashlyn does. Soon her breathing is slower and from her position, Gina can see her cheat up and down.
Suddenly, the ginger starts moving. Then, Gina's back is under Ash's left arm. Gina turns red with the contact of their skins. To not wake up her friend, she doesn't change her position and an hour later, she finally gets asleep. When they wake up the next morning, they are still that way.
They haven't moved yet when they hear the ding-dong of the door. "It should be EJ," Ashlyn says "He has keys, so we can stay here until he enters"
«No, I can't be here, so close to Ashlyn when he comes,» Gina thinks. She doesn't know why so suddenly she is so nervous, but she needs to get up. With a bad gesture, she moves Ashlyn out the way and starts to get dressed.
"Come on, don't be lazy You should get up too" she tries to encourage her buddy But what she gets is that the girl buries herself more between the blankets.
"Knock, knock," EJ says before opening the door.
Gina changes her expression from a soft smirk to a serious one.
"Hey! What's up?" she asks him.
"I was bored at home and decided to come to see how my two favorite girls were doing"
"We were just chilling, ya know"
"Before noon with my cousin on holiday? No way!" Ashlyn grunts. "See, she's still sleeping2
"OK, I was still sleeping too" Gina recognizes with a laugh.
"I didn't know you were so lazy"
"I am not!" She protests. "It's the first day of the holidays, let me enjoy it"
"I want you to enjoy it, with me"
"Yes, of course, but we've to wait until Ashley wakes up"
For a moment, Gina has seen a sad smile on EJ's face, but now he has her usual white smile, so she thinks that it was her imagination.
"Come on, I've spent all the holidays of my life with her. It's like spending them with a Christmas elf. I was thinking about you and me watching a movie or hanging out"
"I don't know, I don't want to be unthankful with her. Maybe it'd be better if we wait for her and watch a movie all together."
"We're all in this together, no?" EJ ironizes.
"Exactly" Gina chuckles without noticing the sarcasm of his words.
"I like to see we're both on the same point right now," he says with a smile, but one with seams.
They share a weird hug.
"Well, I'll be waiting for you two downstairs, in the living room. Go when you're ready" he said right before leaving the room.
Gina stays then staring at the just closed door for almost a minute until Ashlyn appears from between the blankets.
"What was that?" She asks inquiring. Gina feels like she's in an interrogatory room and she doesn't understand why. She's just talking with her friend. With her best friend, actually. It should be a conversation as comfortable as sleeping in the same bed. But it wasn't being.
Her silent reflection causes Ashlyn to raise her right brow and look at her, suspicious.
"See, you're hiding something from me"
"I'm not!" Gina protests, indignant.
“Yes, you are” She doesn't give time to Gina to disagree with her.
“Do you like my cousin? I am not going to be mad at you for this. Like it's a little weird, but I obviously support you. I just want you to be happy. And EJ can be a little difficult sometimes, I know, but he’s nice.”
“ I guess that he is” Gina recognizes. “ He's always sweet with me and treats me really well, but I don't know if is that love?”
Ashlyn giggles, very excited about the whole situation smiles before saying.
“I am not going to fall in your little trick, honey” Gina blushes without knowing what is Ashlyn talking about. "Don't dare to make that face, I'm not going to sing to you a song about what is love, so when I finish you have a revelation that you're madly in love with my cousin."
"That would be the weird thing. But I was not asking you that. You gave me an idea, tho. What is love for you? How do you feel about Big Red?"
Ashlyn chuckles nervously and chooses that moment to get up from bed and start dressing up. She doesn't bother to go to the bathroom and changes her clothes there. Gina looks away and insists.
"How does love feel like? I need to know it to realize what my feelings for EJ mean?"
"I don't know," Ashlyn confesses. "Weird, I guess. I felt comfortable with Big Read and he was always doing nice things for me like sending the flowers, so I thought that I liked him"
"You don't seem very in love, it seems like dating him is an obligation for you"
"Don't be silly, Gina." Ashlyn similes while she's changing her old pajama for a Christmas jumper. "I obviously love him, why would I date him if I don't?"
"Give me a reason"
"What?"
"Just give me a reason why not you, but any other person would want to be with Big Red?"
"Why? You're being a little annoying right now."
"Because I want you to be happy and you don't seem happy with him. If you show me that you are food, I won't touch the topic again" She promises.
"C'mon, Gina, EJ is waiting for us downstairs, Why don't we talk about this later?"
Gina is in front of the door with her left hand on her hips. Just by looking at her, you can know that she won't let Ashlyn leave the room until she answers. The ginger makes a pleading face, but the expression of her friend doesn't change. Finally, she gives and after a sigh, she admits.
"I've realized I don't like him. At least not anymore. He's a nice guy and a very good friend, but each time I have to kiss him I feel awful like I'm cheating on him"
She's crying now and Gina moves from her position at the door to comfort her.
"Breathe, Ashlyn, breath. Be calm, everything is gonna be okay." She reminds her friend, caressing her back.
"How can I be sure?"
"Because I'm going to help you"
"Thanks, Gina, you're such a good friend," Ashlyn says after a couple of minutes, more relaxed, kissing Gina's cheeks.
"When your cousin leaves, we're gonna plan what you'll say to him and in the next few days, you'll have the big conversation. After that, you and I are gonna go to the cinema."
"OK. We're gonna do that." Ashlyn repeats, drying her tears
They get up and go downstairs. Gina tells her friend jokes and the ginger laughs, forgetting the bad memories.
EJ is sitting on the sofa, scrolling on his phone and smiling.
When the girls enter the living room, he turns it off and keeps it in his back pocket with guilt drawn on his face.
"What were you doing?" Ashlyn asks, smiling again.
Gina also smiles by seeing joy returning to her friend,
"Nothing, nothing" EJ chuckles nervously.
Ashlyn looks at him like he has just stolen a diamond but doesn't add anything more. Instead, she says.
"What are you doing on New Year's Eve?"
"I've no plans" EJ recognizes.
"I won't visit my mom until spring break, so whatever you decide"
"Well, I've just had an idea"
Gina and Ej look at her with curiosity and although she tries to play hard to get, she ends exclaiming:
"We should organize a party for the drama club!"