Taking a Mulligan (closed for dirtyashley)

[Bevatoria]

The radio was on, but Brian Weekes wasn't aware of what station it was; he'd changed it a few times until he found something suitably monotonous to let him pass through the drudgery of a wasted evening. Which wasn't to say a failed evening, but...a sigh escape him, the 'thud' of the tires hitting the driveway audible even through the windows. It was a quiet summer evening, a slight breeze washing over him as he got out of his car. He was dressed in a sport jacket (now slung over his shoulder), brown pants, and a light blue button up shirt.

It was late enough to be very dark outside. But not so late that his roomate wasn't still up, judging by the lights on inside of the house that he shared with his friend. Come on, be in bed, don't be waiting for me...

The moment he opened the door, his hopes were spoiled.

"Heya Bry-guy. How did the date go?"

Despite his annoyance both at the question and his soon to be answer to it. he gave his friend a knowing smirk. "Hey Mike." His silence did the talking for him, and his shorter, much more in shape red-haired friend theatrically looked behind him, making sure he was unaccompanied before turning back to him.

"I see...did another woman fall to your high standards?" Another annoying grin. "Or your height?"

"Don't be bitter just because you can't clear six feet, Mikey." Brian had tossed his coat over one of his chairs, grabbing a beer out of the fridge and popping the cap off. At just a shade over six feet, Brian was almost a head taller then the man who had become his best friend during their time rooming together.

"So I'm right, then?" asked Mike, sitting back down on the couch, turning off the television. Mike was a fitness buff, and while not all of his habits of eating crazy healthy food, drinking only water, and working out every day had rubbed off on Brian, he had found an interest in swimming with him to try to keep himself off of the couch every night after work.

Another sigh escaped him as Brian flopped down onto the chair near his desk on the other side of the room. "No connection. She was a lovely girl, had a great job, seemed to be nice..." He struggled to find the words.

"How were her tits?" The glare Mike got in response caused him to hold up his hands. "No tits?"

"It's not just about her body. I'm not going to have sex with just anyone...it has to be someone who I can actually talk to. Who I could have breakfast with the next morning and feel fine about it."

"Right." Mike's response hung in the air as Brian took a chug of his drink, and he continued on. "The same type of connection you had with-"

He held up his hand, leaning back into the chair. "Not again, Mike. We've had this conversation. Every time I don't bring a girl home, or go to her place, or don't last beyond a few dates, you assume it's because I expect them to be like she was."

Undeterred this time, Mike leaned in. "All I'm saying is that you had all of that with her. Your two had whatever it was that you were looking for. Your always looked happy together, the chemistry was there...everyone thought you two were perfect for each other." Brian finally met his gaze then, and Mike relented, albeit only a little. "It didn't work out, sure...but personally I think you guys had more then you think."

Brian took another small swig of his drink. "I've changed since I've left her, Mikey. I've gotten a promotion, grown a little..." He tapped his stomach. "Gotten in a little better shape." A smile from him at that, since Mike had a lot to do with it. He was lean and wiry now, as compared to the lump of flesh he'd been when the two had started living together.

"Still need guns like mine, though." Mike flexed, the two men laughing as he did it.

"Don't think I'll ever have any desire to bench press two hundred pounds, but I'll keep that in mind." Still, Mike had a serious look on his face, and he stood up, still looking at Brian squarely.

"I've always wondered, though. What kept you from doing all of this when you were with her?"

Brian looked away, not able to come up with an answer. Eventually, he looked down for a moment. "Why the hell are you trying to claim you know so much about relationships when you've been single as long as I've known you?"

"Life's a mystery sometimes." A beat passed, as if he was pondering another answer. "Or those who can't do, teach." He smirked, walking towards the stairs. "Anyways, I'm off to bed. Big trip to pack for tomorrow. Off to Mexico for a couple weeks."

"Night." said Brian, remembering that Mike had mentioned just that.. "You're packing tomorrow?"

"No, I'm leaving tomorrow, and packing in the morning." With a wide smile, he waved again. "Good night!"

With a laugh, Brian shook his head. That guy would never change...still, his words had hit home with him, and as he turned to his computer to wind down a bit, he clicked quickly to facebook, looking at the one who had gotten away. The one, who if he was being completely truthful, he had let go....

 

[dirtyashley]

Ashley Taylor looked at the guy on the other side of the horse shoe bar. He grinned and straightened his tie, though he was probably showing off the gold watch on his wrist. It was probably expensive, definitely sharp. As was the suit, and the tie, and the whole look. As was the hook that he had baited with a pink cocktail.

"He's cute," Sara said. Her best friend had been dragging her to clubs every Friday since she'd been single. No, since the moment about two weeks before she became single that everyone but Ashley knew it was coming.

"He's sleazy," Ashley said, thinking aloud.

"That's OK," Sara said, prodding Ashley off the barstool. "You need to get back in the game. Sleazy's like training wheels. And he's cute." Ashley turned to her friend with a raised eyebrow, and they both started giggling. Sara was serious about her mission to get Ashley laid, as part of a larger project of getting Ashley over her ex. The trouble was that Ashley was pretty sure that it wasn't as simple as finding someone new to go to bed with. There was more to it.

"So you fuck him," she said. The trouble was that thinking about sex inevitably made her think about Brian, and the whole trouble with Brian had been the sex. Somewhere along the way, they had gotten out of step.

"I have a boyfriend," Sara protested.

"You're not cheating on him this week?" Ashley sat back down.

"Well...." Sara looked over at the guy, who took another swig from a bottle of beer as his eyes scanned the room. Probably checking for a less hesitant fish to reel in. "Tonight is about getting you laid."

"What if I don't want to get laid?" Ashley asked.

"It's not about what you want. It's about what you need. And you need to get laid. Fuck off, needle-dick" she added to a weedy looking guy who had nearly given himself whiplash when he heard what she said to Ashley.

"Oh my God, that's like candy," Ashley said, finally sipping the pink cocktail.

"Yeah, he's trying to get you drunk. We already knew he was sleazy."

"I'm calling a cab," Ashley said, looking in her purse for her phone. It wasn't that Sara was wrong, or that the guy wasn't cute. It was just that she didn't want getting laid to be just a thing that had to get it done, like the dishes or cleaning the house. She remembered once when she had been excited about it, but that had been back when she was seeing Brian. At least, until things had gotten all weird, and nothing she did was quite right for him.

"Really?" Sara said, and then pushed Ashley's purse down. "OK, OK. I'll bring you home. If you promise no reruns of that 70's show."

Ashley scowled and then agreed, sighing, and the two of them headed for the door, unlaid.

 

[Bevatoria]

He wasn't even sure why they were still friends. Essentially every other couple he'd known had always cut off every other avenue of social connection, which included Facebook (and Twitter, for those so inclined). But with them, there'd been no drama for all to see. It wasn't as if there weren't tears or angry words exchanged, but they'd both been adults about it afterwards and since. Brian sighed again, knowing he was the one who'd screwed it up. Nostalgia made him go through a few photos of her, seeing how she was doing, how she still looked great...well, nostalgia and the beer. He was sick of the games, sick of the dates that never went anywhere, sick of the excuses he'd made. Sick of making it all about something that seemed to make things weird.

Normally, he wouldn't be paying any attention to the adds, especially while browsing photos, but one of them caught his eyes. Cats The Musical. A show they saw early on then they were dating, and while he was the first to admit that he wasn't hugely fond of it, the fact he got to spend time with her made it special. What had happened to change all of that?

He had, he knew. But Brian also knew he'd changed some more since then.

Brian picked up his phone, thumbing through his contacts. Her number was still there, and accurate. A quick glance at the clock told him how late it was, but it was a Friday night. She'd still be up, and if anyone out of the two of them had been an early sleeper, it had always been him. A pulse of hesitation passed through him as he considered sending her a message. What would he say? How would she react?

It would have been wrong to say the beer gave him the courage to do it, but in the middle of his second one a revelation came to him. Just be honest. That was your whole problem before you broke up with her. It wasn't the thought itself that annoyed him; only that the neutral tone that usually colored his internal monologue seemed to come in Mike's voice whenever it was advice or a suggestion of what he should do about women.

Just go on vacation already, fucker. Before he could even think it through (but not before he made sure the message made sense), he typed out the words on his phone. The first set of words, and sent them before he could revise it. Going with his gut.

Hi Ashley. I noticed that 'Cats' was playing again in town and it made me think of you, and that I miss you. I hope all is well.

Brian got up and grabbed a book, wanting to do some light reading that didn't involve the internet before hitting the hay. And something else to take his mind off of the message he'd just send, not wanting to wait for her to respond.

At least not consciously.

 

[dirtyashley]

Sara had done her best to stay on the bright side, but about a mile before they reached Ashley's house, there was the buzz of a phone. Ashley dug in her purse, both of them wondering who would text this late on a Friday. Ashley had no idea, but Sara was running down the list of guys it might be, most of them guys Sara had pushed at her until Ashley broke down and gave them her number.

"Brian?" Ashley said, surprised. She hadn't really expected to hear from him again. They stayed friendly but since the breakup they'd pretty much kept things impersonal, the occasional comment on facebook or something like that. In a lot of ways it was harder than

"Look, you can't keep thinking about him," Sara said. "He's not going to text you, you're not getting back together with him. That's over and we agreed that nothing good happens of getting back with your ex."

"No, it is Brian. Do you even have any exes that you don't sleep with now and then?" Ashley asked. She knew Sara meant well, but the girl drove her around the bend sometimes. Particularly when it came to men, which was most of what Sara talked about. Ashley wondered if that was why she never seemed to be able to hold onto a guy for very long. Most guys were interested in other things.

"Yes! Matt moved to Texas, remember? And what do you mean it's Brian?" Without taking her eyes off the road she snatched the phone from Ashley's hand. She stared at the message so long that Ashley started to reach out to take the wheel, but then Sara sighed and handed her the phone back. "You know he's just after a booty call."

"I thought you were trying to get me laid," Ashley said.

"It doesn't count if it's with your ex."

"Trust me, he's not looking for a booty call."

"Maybe he wants to see Cats." Sara's voice was so ferociously sarcastic that they both giggled, and Ashley put the phone away. Brian hadn't thought much of the musical, even though they'd had a good time. They'd always had a good time together when they went out. Back then, when they had first started dating, even the sex had been good, though that had been the beginning of the end. That had been the first night he said something about her skirt being too short. After that, it had seemed more and more like he just disapproved of her. The more he seemed to disapprove, the harder it had been for her to satisfy him in bed, until it seemed like there was nothing she could do to make him happy.

Sara dropped her off, and Ashley went into her apartment, promising not to do anything desperate, which in Sara's mind meant eating or watching TV. Obviously, it included responding to the text, but after a bowl of ice cream and a couple of episodes of Happy Days, she found herself looking at it again and again. He missed her. Or was he just saying it? Why the hell was he talking about Cats? Was it really as simple as he saw it and thought of her?

Hi Bri. Never thought you liked Cats. Nice to hear from you. I'm doing good, how have you been?

She sent the text, and then pried herself off the couch to get ready for bed.

 

[Bevatoria]

OOC: Just changing the color to differentiate on mine - if you have a preference, you can change yours.

Also, this is shorter intentionally.

IC:

Hi Bri. Never thought you liked Cats. Nice to hear from you. I'm doing good, how have you been?

He wouldn't tell anyone how fast he went for his hpone, even though he knew it was a text and thus wouldn't be an emergency. Or maybe because he knew it wasn't one, and that it'd probably be her. Brian was a little surprised at how fast he lunged for it, knowing it probably said more about the sad state of his dating life, or about how much he missed the person likely on the other end.

How to answer that question? He'd tell her the truth, of course, even if spilling out how miserable the last few months were probably wasn't on the docket. But definitely not good. His fingers went to the screen, the words coming even as he was trying to figure out how much of what he was saying was a good idea. But that wasn't the point.

Good ideas weren't the point. Breaking up with her had been a bad one.

I didn't. But I enjoyed the evening. The person I spent it with. Hitting send, a tease, before typing out another message. A longer one, to explain more of what he was saying...before hitting the character limit.

He saw how late it was. How tired he was feeling. Felt how many beers he had, knew this was probably a bad idea. But fuck, he'd done enough stupid things lately that one more wouldn't hurt him. He hadn't gotten a response yet (although she could be typing).

It's tough to say how I've been. Can I call you?

That reeks of desperation, he thought. Brian wasn't entirely sure if desperate was his state of mind at the moment. His finger hovered between deleting it and sending it, before a mutter escaped his mouth.

"Fuck it."

A click, and the message was sent. Brian just stared at his phone, placing it on the table, within arm's reach as he went back to his book. Even if he was looking at something else.

 

[dirtyashley]

Even the better clubs had a stink to them, a mixture of a thousand perfumes, colognes, hair gel, body washes, shampoos and every other product that people put on themselves, all blended together with sweat and alcohol. Ashley got out of her dress and brushed her teeth and found herself taking a shower. It was late and she'd had quite a bit to drink, an occupational hazard of spending time with Sara. She was exhausted and should have been falling into bed, but she was wide awake.

It was almost an hour before she came out of the bathroom, her long, black hair still damp, wearing a thin cotton robe. Casually, as though trying to prove to someone that it didn't matter either way, she checked her phone to see if there were any messages. There was nobody to see her, and nobody to fool but herself, but if she acted like she wasn't checking to see if there were any messages from Brian it would almost be like she wasn't.

There were messages from him. Two. The first had come two minutes after she sent her message, and the second one a few minutes later. She stared at them, clicking back and forth from one to the other so each was a discrete thought. She couldn't help smiling at the first. He really hadn't liked Cats, but somehow, it had been fun anyway. She had agreed with most of his complaints about the play, but somehow it added up differently for her, and she had enjoyed it. Not as much as she had enjoyed listening to him bashing it afterwords. If she could have turned back time to just before things soured, it would have been that night, or right around then.

The second message was a problem. She knew from wide experience (well, Sara's experience, but still) that 3am phone calls from guys, especially exes, were really only about one thing. Not that it was a bad thing, she thought. Except with Brian it had turned into this insanely complicated thing. She sighed and shook her head. Maybe Sara was right, maybe he was just after a booty call, but that didn't mean she was committing to anything if they spoke on the phone. Besides, he had sent the message a while ago. He had probably moved on or fallen asleep or something.

On the other hand, she wasn't likely to be falling asleep anytime soon. They had been broken up now almost longer than they had been together in the first place, but still, all it took was a text from him to throw everything else into the background. That was why Sara was so insistent that she find someone else, like she just needed a new cock and the spell would be broken. Maybe it would, Ashley thought, but the thing that had her so twisted up wasn't the sex. It was the way she felt when they were together. If it hadn't been for the sex, they'd probably still be together.

Yeah. If you're still up, call.

She tapped the message quickly and sent it before she could change her mind. There wasn't much chance she'd get any real sleep tonight anyway.

 

[Bevatoria]

Yeah. If you're still up, call.

The message didn't come to a totally awake recipient. Brian had dozed off, deciding to try to wait it out with his book, which became 'I'll just shut my eyes for a minute or two' to 'I'll nap for an hour and then...'. In fact, what immediately woke him up was a feeling of stiffness and a crick in his neck. As much as he'd fallen asleep in this chair, that was a totally different thing from actually sleeping in it.

Still, he had the presence of mind to fumble for his phone, blinking the sleep from his eyes as he read the contents of the message. He didn't have to check who the sender was, even if the picture on the right of the message made it obvious who it was. Nobody else would be asking him to call at this time of the night.

Well, the morning, actually. What time is it? He stood up, moving back to his computer, trying to remember the plan he'd formed in his head. Then, the familiar photo, the one that irked him and gave him hope at the same time.

Maybe I should wait until morning. The thought found enough purchase that his finger hesitated over the dial button, unsure of how to handle it.

But his brain was still working well enough to see that he'd already pushed it. He quickly pressed the phone to his ear, hearing the rings, and then...

"Ashley?" At hearing her pick up, he couldn't hide the smile on his face, as if he could actually see her. "Hey."

"I've been crappy." A laugh escaped him at that. "Not to say life's terrible or anything; work's great, Mike's still tolerable as a roommate but...something's missing." Something I probably could have had earlier if I'd kept my wits about me.

"Seeing that 'Cats' was playing again had me thinking. I can get two tickets for a show tomorrow night." He took a breath before continuing. "And I was wondering if you'd like to go with me." It was time for total honesty now. "I've made some mistakes, and wanted to try to start fresh..."

 

[dirtyashley]

As soon as the phone rang, as soon as she knew he actually was calling, she wanted to take it back. It was late, she was tired and jittery, she didn't feel sexy and there was really nothing good to say about her life. And she wanted to be able to say that it was all ok, that she was better off now that they were done, that she had moved on. Instead, she was taking calls from him in the middle of the night.

"Ashley?" He sounded sleepy. She was about to apologize for waking him when she realized that he had called her.

"Yeah," she said.

"Hey."

She was about to ask how he'd been when he told her, and for a second she was stunned. Even at their best, they hadn't been that in tune. Then she remembered the text she had sent. The whole reason he was calling was to tell her how he was.

"I've been crappy. Not to say life's terrible or anything; work's great, Mike's still tolerable as a roommate but...something's missing." She shook her head. Here it came, and she would have to get dressed and made up and call a cab to take her across town for a booty call that would disappoint him anyway. And there was no way he was going to hide his disappointment. Or talk to her about what he wanted her to do differently, for that matter. She could say no, but that only occurred to her after the other scenario had played out in her head.

"Seeing that 'Cats' was playing again had me thinking. I can get two tickets for a show tomorrow night. And I was wondering if you'd like to go with me. I've made some mistakes, and wanted to try to start fresh..."

She breathed a sigh of relief.

Cats. Not a hook-up.

Cats came with it's own set of problems, but the important thing was that she didn't have to get dressed tonight.

"Cats? Who are you, and what have you done with the real Brian?" she winced. It was a lame joke, a way to stall. Going to the play sounded like the best idea she'd heard in a long time, and hanging out with Brian, talking about the world and ideas and everything sounded wonderful, but she had been down this road before.

That was Sara, though. Sara was the one who was convinced Brian was holding her back, even though they had broken up almost a year ago. Sara, who saw every stranger at every meat-market pickup joint in the city as a potential Prince Charming. Ashley wasn't sure how she felt. A bit scared, but a lot hopeful. He was talking about mistakes and a fresh start. He was talking about going to a play. Knowing him, they would wind up at a bar, and talk until closing without noticing that time was passing.

"I'd love to," she said, before the dark side of her thoughts came back around. "I'll meet you at the Will-Call tomorrow, ok?"

The jitters were gone, and suddenly she yawned, enormously. Her eyes were slowly starting to close on their own. Sara was probably right, she thought. If agreeing to go out with him was all it took for her to almost instantly unwind, she probably wasn't as over it as she had been telling herself.

"Tell Mike I said hi," she said, her voice a little slurry with sleep. "I'll see you tomorrow night. I'm really looking forward to it."

 

[Bevatoria]

"Cats? Who are you, and what have you done with the real Brian?"

He laughed at her jib, surprised she felt comfortable enough to joke with him. The initial nervousness of the conversation had faded, and he found himself smiling despite himself, the late hour, the...everything. "He's safe, rest assured." A bit of joking in his voice before he turned somber. He knew that he'd changed and grown over the last year or so, but her words made him wonder: how much had he changed really? When they got to that point, could he turn them off of the course that had doomed them before?

"I'd love to."

"Great. Sounds great." Shut up, stop mumbling. Brian tried to blink the sleep out of his eyes. He'd done his job, gotten her to come, now it was time to try to exit gracefully. But there was no real great way to exit from a 3 AM phone call without looking a little stupid.

"I'll meet you at the Will-Call tomorrow, ok?"

Right. Set a time to meet. Good idea. "Let's say 6? Time to get to our seats, chat a bit...." A pulse of excitement raced through him at the thought of seeing her again.

"Tell Mike I said hi. I'll see you tomorrow night. I'm really looking forward to it."

She sounded sleepy, and Brian knew he probably did too as he stifled a yawn. "Night Ash. Thanks." Drawing the phone away from his face, his gaze lingered on her image on her phone just a bit before he hung up. Even as he yearned for sleep and rest, he knew that he wouldn't be able to stop thinking until their eventful meeting came.

**************

He slept until almost noon, but with no roommate and no plans for the day, he had things well in hand to be able to put another part of the evening in play. Had he been able to ask Ashley about it last night, he would have, but this didn't seem the type of thing to ask about at three in the morning.

So with about five hours to go, he sent another text message to her.

Hiya. Hope you're still looking forward to our evening together.

Another minute, and then another text. Maybe she'd be there, or maybe not. But hopefully she'd get it before getting too far into her preparations for the evening.

Do you still have that dress that I didn't like on you? The one I thought was too revealing?

A bit of a flutter passed through him as he sent it. Brian had learned something about what he wanted in a relationship since he'd left Ashley. At the time of their breakup, he hadn't known how to express his desires in a way she'd understand. Now he was certain he know how.

If she'd like them? Well, that would be determined soon enough. Possibly by the answer to his text message.

 

[dirtyashley]

She rubbed her eyes and reached out for the phone. Who the hell was texting her this early in the morning? Brian's image appeared on the screen, and she froze as their conversation came back to her. It seemed like a dream, but the text sounded like he was having the same dream. Then she saw the time, and she couldn't believe she had slept past noon. Even on a Saturday, she was usually up and doing things long before noon. Especially on Saturdays, when she felt her loneliness the most.

She stood up and trudged into the kitchen to make some coffee, still staring at the phone, trying to think how she should answer him. She was looking forward to it, though she was still too bleary to really get excited about it. She wondered if he was thinking of backing out. After all, he had been pretty rough on Cats the last time, and maybe he had changed his mind.

Before she had time to play with that thought, another text came. She remembered the dress. There had been plenty of times that he had disapproved of what she was wearing, and they had had more than a few fights about it, but they had all come back to the dress. That was the one that they had their first really big fight about. Yes, the dress was black lace over an eye-catching red silk, and it was pretty revealing, low cut in front, with a short skirt, but it wasn't like she was falling out of it. It wasn't like it was skankwear or anything. She had wanted to look sexy for him, and he had treated her like she was planning on working the corner while they were on a date. Now that she remembered it, she had got it thinking she could make up for making him sit through Cats by being as sexy as possible. It had backfired, and then it had been there, this thing that he had accused her of that she remembered every time he looked at her and frowned.

I still have it. she tapped into her phone. She had put the coffee on and then looked in the closet to see if it was still there. She hadn't worn it again, though the first couple of times she had gone to the clubs with Sara when she and Brian were first broken up, she had thought about it. She hadn't really wanted to look that sexy for anyone else, though. Dunno if it still fits, tho. Only wore it the one time.

She sent the message and frowned. Why was he bringing it up again? Was he asking her out so they could rehash their old fights? Sara had a boyfriend who did that long after they broke up, having drunken realizations about what he should have said in some fight from years ago, but Brian had never done anything like that. She poured herself a cup of coffee and then went back to stare into her closet. Now that she was awake, she had to figure out what to wear, and who could guess where Brian was coming from?

 

[Bevatoria]

It wasn't as if he was staring at his phone, willing Ashley to answer, but still Brian flinched when he heard the ring of an incoming text. Since he was crouched under his desk doing some rewiring of his computer, he did bang his head a little on the bottom of the desk. "Son of a-" He cursed, rubbing his head a bit as he pulled himself much more gently out from the rat's nest of wires he was untangling to see if the text was from Ashley or not.

I still have it. Dunno if it still fits, tho. Only wore it the one time.

So two short messages. Easy ones, the kind of casual notes you sent to someone you were comfortable with. If it still fits, I'd like you to wear it again tonight. He was well aware of what had happened the last time she wore the dress; he'd been a bit threatened by her showing off so blatantly, even if it was for him. Looking back on it, it illustrated perfectly why he'd broken it off with her. Any guy liked to see women wearing skimpy clothes, to ogle them as they displayed their shapely bodies. But seeing 'his' woman do it hadn't seemed right.

But Brian had gone through a lot since then. Enough to see that the relationship he wanted now shouldn't be confining; it should be liberating. To allow them to share their deepest desires and secrets with each other, and seeing Ashley in something like that had hit too close to home. Seeing her so close to how he wanted paradoxically seemed to push him away from her.

It had been his fault. And he wanted to make up for it. So before he could think - before she could think, maybe - he added another message.

Along with those pointy red heels I bought for you for your birthday. Usually, he hated shoe shopping, but after seeing how those looked on her, well....

He still hated it. The shopping part, anyways. Letting her try things on, though...

At this point, Brian figured she was either more curious then ever, or had already cancelled their evening.