Inconvenient Things

10. Bi-ll Monroe and 'the Talk'

The drive to the airport was tense. Ashley was avoiding Emery like the plague. The only time she had acknowledged her presence was when she asked if Emery wanted marshmallows in her hot chocolate. She politely declined. 

The first two hours on the plane were torture. Emery desperately wanted to say something, but as short as Ashley was, the girl was too intimidating for her own good. Right now, Ashley was making the simple act of looking out the window look unnecessarily aggressive. How she did that, remained a mystery. Emery had planned to get closer to Ashley during their stay in Austria. Instead, she had turned the gap between them into an entire ocean. 

Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted messy, red hair. Emery gasped and snapped her head towards the boy. What are the odds? Karl turned his head and smiled. He spotted Ashley next to her and raised a questioning eyebrow. Emery miserably shook her head and his expression fell. He mouthed something, but Emery being Emery had no idea what it was. Still, his being there gave her the boost she had needed. Karl's presence was the universe telling her to get her shit together. So she took a deep breath and tried again: 

„I don't really hate you, you know?"

Ashley flinched and slowly turned to face her. She remained silent, her face blank.

„I didn't mean anything I had said yesterday. On the contrary, I had been looking forward to this trip. I wanted to...get to know you better. I think this feud between us has become ridiculous. You're a really cool person, Ash. I let my insecurities control me yesterday. I know it's not an excuse, but I really am so fucking sorry. I hope you can forgive me, someday. Maybe we can actually be friends. I'd really like that."

„Okay."

„Okay?"

„Yeah."

Emery nodded slowly. They sat in silence for a few minutes, until she dared to speak again. 

„So...'okay' what?" Emery questioned.

Ashley rolled her eyes. „Okay, I'd like to be your friend too."

„So we're friends now?"

„Yeah."

Emery nodded again, unsuccessfully trying to hold back a grin. She was still beaming like a child when Ashley spoke.

„I don't really hate you either."

Emery snorted. „I figured."

„Yeah?"

„Yeah."

Emery felt giddy. She glanced at Karl and gave him a thumbs up. He made a gesture that might have been an attempt at a finger gun. 

Despite their newly formed friendship, they sat in silence for most of the flight. Emery realised that even if Ashley could never like her back romantically, being close to her as a friend was good enough. Still, Emery couldn't help but wish the girl would just miraculously fall for her. 

„Do you like girls?" Emery blurted, then trying to save herself:  „Fuck, I mean...uh pearls. Do you like pearls?" 

„That was a really bad save, Emery." Ashley remarked.

„Can I change it?"

„Go ahead."

„Do you like...uh Girls Aloud?"

„I guess I do." 

Emery wasn't sure if that answer was hinting at something else.

„What about...Backstreet Boys?" Emery tried again.