When You Least Expect It

10

When I wake up the next morning Katie is gone, I'm lying face down still naked. My head is killing me but at this point it's just part of my new normal. I stretch myself out and roll onto my back, fumbling for my covers. I guess I need to get up and get my shit together for the week. I yawn refusing to actually get up.

After a quick shower and shave I make my way downstairs to find something to eat. The study room is busy as usual, everybody has to cram on Sunday but the kitchen is empty. Dishes are strewn about the room and it smells awful. My stomach rolls and I feel a gag start to climb into my throat. Nah, fuck this. I think heading back to my room for shoes.

Walking towards the coffee shop I pull my phone out responding to some messages from last night. Shoving it back into my pocket I pull the door open and step inside. The overwhelming aroma of coffee beans makes my stomach growl. Nothing like an iced coffee and an egg sandwich to cure a hangover.

They call my number and I grab my tray. Turning to make my way to my favorite table in the back I bump into a blonde walking through the door. "I'm sorry, excuse me miss."

"Miss huh? So now I'm just miss?" Ashley smiles at me as she rights my fallen cup.

I laugh and step to the side to let some girls walk past me. "Hey there stranger. Where have you been? I didn't realize it was you."

She leads me back to a table so that we're out of the way and we sit. "I've been around. Just... busy."

"Oh yeah? What's his name?" I grin at her and she blushes. "Ash has a boyfriend already? I know it's not Matt. Let's hear it, who is it?"

She tosses a balled up napkin at me and laughs. "Shut up. His name is Corey and he's not technically my boyfriend yet." 

I toss the napkin back at her and listen as she tells me all about her new "not" boyfriend. As I listen to her I realize how much I've missed hanging out with her. But I'm glad that she's happy, all she needed was a little motivation to get out there and she's already found someone. She goes on about how smart he is and how good he is to her. He's a little older, graduates in the spring. Apparently he has his own place which is why I haven't seen much of her around lately. I have to tease her so I ask, "When do I get to meet this wonderful new friend of yours?"

"Um, never. You'll just run him off!"

I put a hand to my heart pretending to be offended, "Why Ashley Grace I am hurt!"

She rolls her eyes as she tears off a piece of my sandwich. "You'll meet him soon, just not yet. It's still too new, that's why you haven't seen us out together. We're still trying to figure out how serious we are." Shrugging she tosses the piece of sandwich into her mouth.

"Well, as long as you're hiding out for the right reasons. I'd hate to have to hurt the dude." Grinning I wink at her, she just shakes her head at me. "I'm just teasing Ash. He just better be treating you right."

Her eyes shoot to the floor and her cheeks turn pink. "I promise he's treating me right."

"Oh I get it, no wonder you're in such a good mood. Sweet little Ashley is being a dirty girl huh?"

If looks could kill I'd be a dead man. I decide it best to leave it alone and eat my sandwich before she strangles me. We talk a little about our classes and my job. She drinks her smoothie and gives me grief about my girly iced coffee, the one she introduced me to. We agree to make more time for each other too. Maybe we could get together next weekend and have a chill night out my liver would probably thank me for the break.

We sit and people watch for half an hour commenting on the people we recognize and speculating about the ones we don't. When Ash's phone buzzes her face lights up at first, then her eyes widen, she glances up at me. I'm not quite sure what to make of the look she's giving me. She covers her mouth with her hand closing her eyes. Finally, after a few tense seconds she lays her phone on the table and scoots it towards me. It's a video, I can't quite make out what it is it's so dark. "I don't understand what I'm looking at. Ash?"