Three's a Crowd

Ashley awoke to find herself alone in her bedroom, the deep purple blanket from the end of her bed draped over her. Matt had obviously left her once she had succumbed to the slumber brought on by her tears and a part of her felt sad about that, it would have been nice to wake up to his face once more. Tossing the blanket aside and letting out a deep heavy sigh of disappointment, the brunette swung her legs off the bed before glancing at the clock on her night stand. She noted the time, realizing that it had been at least eight hours since Rae had left to head home with Brian and needing to know how her best friend was doing, Ashley reached for her cellphone and dialed the redhead’s number immediately.

She sighed when she heard Raven's voicemail, clearing her throat as she began to speak; “Hey Rae, it's just me... I was calling to check on you. I haven't heard from you and I just wanted to make sure you were alright. You know the number, call me back.”

Ashley hung the phone up before heading to the bathroom, looking in the mirror and making a face at her appearance. Pulling her hair up into a messy bun, she gave a weak smile to the picture of her and Rae with the guys taped to the mirror before turning to walk back out into the hallway.

The brunette headed down the stairs, unable to stop the smile from crossing her face as she heard Johnny bitching at the television followed shortly by Matt's laughter.

“It's not fucking fair! That robot should have been dead by now!” The bassist declared as he slammed the grey controller against the carpet, glaring at Matt who was still playing.

Matt paused the game when he noticed Ashley, Johnny's gaze softening as he saw the brunette.

“Hey Ash,” Matt greeted her with a gentle nod in her direction.

“Hi,” Ashley replied softly, Johnny scrambling up from his spot beside Matt who had resumed the game.

“I've got things to do...I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” The caramel-eyed teen declared, brushing past Ashley with a wink she didn't quite understand and grabbing his jacket before making a hasty exit.

She looked at Matt, stifling a laugh at his current open-mouthed, fixed-stare at the television.

“I need a player two,” He told her as he patted the empty space next to him.

“You know that I suck at video games,” Ashley whined as she claimed the spot beside her ex, reclining against the couch and crossing her legs.

“And you know that I don't care... Gear up, Jenks…” Matt commanded her with a small smile, Ashley immediately following his lead as she picked up the controller, staring at the screen as she waited for Matt to pass the level so her character would respawn.

“This is 'Machine Hunter'... Right?” She asked, Matt nodding.

“Yeah, you shoot your primary with triangle and move with the directionals if you don't remember... It's been awhile since we played together...” Matt let her know, his last words coming out in almost a mumble.

“It's been awhile since we've done anything together...” Ashley murmured, hoping Matt hadn't heard her.

“Yeah, that’s true….” The hazel eyed singer nodded. “I wish I could still hang out with you without having it be weird,” He confessed, turning his head to look at Ashley.

She stared at the controller in her hands, randomly tapping buttons in order to keep up the noise.

“I guess it will never be normal between us, Matt, not really,” She explained. “There's just too many things we've left unsaid…”

Matt cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable with the direction in which their conversation was heading and turned his attention back to the screen.

“Did you, uh, sleep okay?” He asked, breaking the tense silence between them as he kept his focus on his avatar on the screen.

“As well as could be expected,” Ashley shrugged. “I tried to call Rae when I woke up but it went to voicemail…” She added with a sigh, Matt shrugging his broad shoulders but still refusing to look at her.

“I’m sure she’ll call when there’s any news, Ash,” He assured her, tapping the buttons on his control pad effortlessly. “Or Gates will anyhow…”

“Yeah, I guess….” Ashley murmured, noticing her character was alive again and concentrating on hitting the right buttons, glad of the reprieve it gave her.

She began rapidly hitting the buttons, shooting in all directions as she spun her avatar in circles completely unaware of the opponent fast approaching and ready to kill her until it was too late.

Matt stifled a laugh as he watched his ex-girlfriend grow visibly frustrated with the game as her character continued to be attacked by some type of alien robot. She huffed out a breath, pressing the buttons as hard as she could and Matt leaned over slightly, nudging her with his shoulder.

“You’ve got it, Ash! Just keep firing at it,” He encouraged her, Ashley unable to resist smiling at his words. “What?”

“You always take these things way too seriously,” The brunette teased, Matt rolling his eyes and pulling a face at her.

“Says the girl who’s getting angry at an imaginary robotic alien…” He taunted. “Besides, what’s the point in playing if you’re not going to take it seriously?”

Ashley shrugged her shoulders, grumbling; “I wasn’t getting angry at all…”

Matt laughed, shaking his head at her; “You were starting to narrow your eyes and bite the inside of your lip, Ash. That’s a sure sign that you’re about to lose it…”

“Whatever you say, Matty…”

Matt looked at her then, his hazel gaze colliding with hers and Ashley inhaled sharply noticing the intense look in his eyes. It was the same look he used to get right before he was about to kiss her and although she knew that he wasn’t her Matty anymore, she found herself willing him to lean forward and brush his lips against hers if only for a brief moment.

“Ash, I….” Matt started, Ashley holding her breath as she waited for him to finish his sentence and stared deeply into his eyes.

“Yeah?”

Matt paused, his gaze falling to her lips as he pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth before he shook his head, looking back at the TV screen; “Never mind. It’s nothing….”

Ashley let out another sigh of disappointment, something she had been doing a lot of lately and stared down at the control pad in her hands. Tears pricked against her eyelids and she bit down on her lip as she closed her eyes and willed them to disappear. The last thing she needed was to break down right now, Matt would know straight away that she wasn’t crying over Joaquin this time and that was a conversation she wasn’t ready to have just yet.

She needed to say something to him though, sitting there in silence beside him was making her feel worse and so she asked him the first thing that popped into her head. Something that neither of them expected to be discussing.

“How did you and Val meet?”

Matt looked back at her in surprise for a moment before shrugging; “I don't really know. It just kind of happened...”

“Do you remember how we met?” Ashley pressed, Matt giving her a sly smile.

“It was on campus, your first day. You ran into me, dropped all your artwork. I may have come across as a freak when I said I liked your naked pictures of guys... The rest is our awesome history,” He explained, Ashley blushing.

“So, you don't remember how you and your current girlfriend met but you remember how we met?” The brunette questioned, a teasing grin playing on her lips and Matt shrugged once more.

“I’d never forget something that changed my life forever, y’know…” He trailed off, his voice barely audible.

“For the record, meeting you changed my life too…” Ashley stated with a smile. “I mean, I live here instead of at the dorms now and….”

“It’s wicked fun having five hot guys to hang out with whenever you want to?” Matt taunted, Ashley reaching out and smacking his arm playfully making him laugh.

“I wasn’t going to say that, but…” Ashley paused, still smiling. “It is fun, hanging with you guys…” She caught Matt’s gaze again. “Hanging with you….”

“I know,” Matt nodded, grinning back at her. “I’ve missed us…” He conceded, immediately regretting the words passing through his lips as his hazel eyes shot up to meet the angry gaze of his blonde girlfriend who was standing in the doorway, glaring at them.

Ashley followed his gaze, turning around to face Val and greeting her with a sly smile; “Oh, hey Val…”

Val scoffed at her politeness and shook her head, her angry gaze still focused on Matt.

“How, uh, how long have you been standing there?” Matt asked her, scrambling to his feet and Val stared up at him, her jaw set and her arms crossed under her bust.

“Long enough to realize that you’ve never asked me to play video games with you…” The blonde complained, Ashley biting her lip as she suppressed her laugh.

“That’s because I’ve seen you play by yourself and you suck…” Matt explained, Val scowling at him.

“That’s what she said…” Ashley giggled, Matt trying to hide the smile that was trying to find its way onto his face and Val huffed out a breath.

“Well, I can see that you’re clearly busy tonight so maybe I shouldn’t have bothered coming over here…” The blonde spat out, Matt opening his mouth to answer her just as the front door swung open with a loud crash.

He looked into the hallway just in time to see Jimmy fall into the hallway, crashing face first onto the floor and quickly followed by an equally drunk Zack. The green eyed guitarist stumbled over the fallen drummer’s feet, giggling as he fell into the wall and landed in a heap of limbs on the floor just inches away from Jimmy’s head.

“What the fuck have you guys been up to?” Matt asked, brushing past Val to go and help his friends and Zack looked up at him, grinning stupidly.

“I won….” He declared, Matt raising his eyebrow at him.

“You won?”

“I drank the most babes, I got the most beer and I…. Wait….” The green eyed guitarist paused, staring at the wall opposite him thoughtfully for a second before looking back at Matt. “Where am I?”

“You’re home, asshat…” Matt laughed, pulling Zack up to his feet and leaning him against the wall. “How much have you drank?”

“I dunno,” Zack shrugged, starting to slide sideways down the wall and Matt grabbed him to stop him from falling again. “I lost count after ten…” He looked back at Matt, glassy eyed and grinning like a fool. “Hey, is Gabby here?”

Matt furrowed his brow; “No, she’s not. What are you asking about her for anyhow?”

“She’s pretty,” Zack giggled, hiccupping as he patted his friend’s chest. “That’s why…”

Matt let out a sigh, looking over at Val who just shrugged her shoulders and turned her back on him as Jimmy mumbled something incoherent from his spot on the floor.

“Okay, I kinda need a little help with Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee over here….” The hazel eyed singer declared, Ashley rising from her spot and smirking at Val as she made her way out into the hallway.

“Here, Matty, I’ll help you…” She offered sweetly, Val’s jaw going slack as she heard the brunette call her boyfriend the one nickname he had always insisted he hated.

“Thanks Ash…” Matt grinned at her, his dimples making an appearance as he slung Zack’s arm around his shoulders and moved his drunken friend away from the wall. “Come on, Zee, it’s time to get you to bed…”

“That’s a real nice offer, Shadz, but you’re really not my type…” Zack slurred, Matt rolling his eyes as he dragged the guitarist off towards the stairs.

Ashley knelt down beside Jimmy, nudging him gently and the drummer giggled, squirming under her touch.

“Stop that, it tickles!” He insisted, his voice muffled by the way his face was positioned on the floor.

“Jimmy, come on, you need to get up…” Ashley nudged him again, a little harder this time and Jimmy rolled over onto his back, staring up at her.

“That’s what she said!” He laughed, Ashley smiling back at him. “Hey, I know you!”

Ashley nodded her head; “I should think so, Jimmy, we live in the same house. Now get up…”

“We live together?” The drummer asked, looking genuinely surprised and Ashley let out a breath, rising to her feet.

“You, me and a bunch of other people….” She replied, offering her hand out to the drummer. “Come on, we should get you to bed…”

Jimmy grinned up at her, wiggling his eyebrows; “Is that the kind of house we live in?”

Val glanced over at them from her spot in the doorway, rolling her eyes and Jimmy caught her looking and waved at her before beckoning Ashley down closer to him. Reluctantly, the brunette crouched down beside him and the drummer grabbed her hand, pulling her closer.

“Does she live here too?” He asked in a hushed voice, Ashley smirking as she shook her head and looked at Val.

“No, she doesn’t…” She informed her intoxicated friend.

“Good…” Jimmy announced with a happy grin. “Because I don’t like her…”

Ashley giggled, knowing that Val had heard them by the way the blonde huffed out a breath and moved further into the lounge; “I’m not exactly her biggest fan either, Jimmy…”

Matt came back down the stairs, laughing to himself and shaking his head when he spotted Ashley still trying to get Jimmy up off the floor.

“You need a little help there, Ash?” He asked, the brunette nodding as she let out a breath and looked up at him.

“Please…”

Matt strolled over to his friend, hoisting the intoxicated drummer up to his feet and supporting him by wrapping an arm around waist. Jimmy glanced at him, raising his eyebrows when their gazes met.

“Why Matthew, I didn’t think you liked me in that way!”

Matt laughed, shaking his head and smiling so wide his dimples made an appearance; “Oh, you know I’ve always had a soft spot for you, Jim.”

Jimmy grinned, craning his neck to glance at Ashley who was standing at the side of them trying her hardest not to laugh at the two men.

“Hey, I think I’ve scored…” The blue eyed drummer hissed, winking at her and Ashley had to slap a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud at the expression on Matt’s face.

“Come on then, lover boy, let’s get you to bed…” Matt suggested with a groan, guiding Jimmy towards the stairs and Jimmy scoffed, waving his hand in the air.

“Pfft, he hasn’t even bought me a drink!” He yelled, Matt half dragging him up the stairs as Ashley followed behind them. “I’m not your whore, you can’t just tell me when to go to bed…”

They had reached the top of the stairs, Matt twisting the handle on the door leading into Jimmy’s room and turning to look at the drummer.

“Jimmy?” He said, pushing the door open and Jimmy rolled his head to look at him, his pupils so wide they threatened to swallow up the blue that surrounded them.

“Yeah?”

“Go to bed…” Matt commanded, taking his arm from around his friend and giving him a gentle shove into the bedroom.

“Okay…” Jimmy nodded, staggering into the room before tripping over his own feet and landing softly against his bed.

Matt looked at Ashley behind him and rolled his eyes, fighting back a smile as he looked back at the drummer.

“Hey Jimbo, you okay, dude?” He asked but the only response he got came in the form of the soft snores Jimmy was making, his head squashed against his mattress and his legs dangling over the edge of the bed.

Matt laughed softly, closing the door and turning around to face Ashley; “I guess that means he’s okay…”

“Yeah…” Ashley nodded. “So, uh, I’m just going to head back to bed. It looks like you’ve got stuff to deal with downstairs…”

“Yeah…” Matt sighed, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. “I guess so….”

They stood awkwardly at the top of the stairs for a moment, silence invading the space around them, neither one of them wanting to say what they were really thinking. Ashley wanted nothing more than to go back down to the lounge and continue playing the video game with the hazel eyed singer and Matt wanted nothing more than to ask her to join him for another game but neither of them broached the subject, so the words remained unsaid. Then the silence became too much for Ashley and she let out a small sigh as she moved towards the small stretch of hallway that led to her bedroom.

“I guess I’ll see you in the morning or something…”

Matt nodded, his hazel eyes burning into her as he watched her move away from him, his fingers itching to reach out and pull her back to him.

“Yeah, uh, see you in the morning…”

He watched as she turned, her head bowed low as she walked towards her room and pushed open the door, offering her a smile when she looked back at him.

“Goodnight Matty…” She almost whispered, Matt nodding.

“Goodnight Ash…” He replied, moving to head back down the stairs and Ashley closed her bedroom door, resting her head against it and closing her eyes as she listened to him walking away.

“I love you….”

Val turned on Matt as soon as he stepped into the lounge, her hazel eyes blazing with the anger she felt inside.

“How come every time I turn around you’re always with her?” She spat out bitterly, Matt coming to a halt and staring back at her dumbfounded.

“Excuse me?” Matt asked in a stunned tone, his gaze matching the blonde's.

“Don’t act stupid, Matt. You know damn well what I’m talking about….” She replied in a haughty voice, scoffing when Matt shook his head.

“We were just playing a video game together, Val. It didn’t mean anything…” The hazel-eyed singer explained, biting the inside of his cheek as he felt his anger growing.

“You never spend any time with me. You’re always here… With her!” Val shouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I’m always here because I live here and Ashley just so happens to live here too…” Matt spoke in a low voice, trying to tell her without words to keep it down. “As does Rae, Brian’s girlfriend and all the other guys in the band…”

“Johnny doesn’t…” Val pointed out, Matt rolling his eyes.

“Johnny’s a kid…. Besides, there’s no room for him here…” He told her, Val still not losing her glare.

“There would be if you told your ex to move out…” She said with venom in her voice, Matt shaking his head.

“That’s not going to happen…” He replied solemnly, Val raising an eyebrow at him.

“Why not?”

“Because this is Ashley’s home just as much as it is mine and I’d never ask her to do that…” Matt tried to explain, Val now rolling her eyes at him and throwing her hands up.

“Because you love her…” She huffed, Matt groaning.

“No, because I’m not a jerk who’d toss a girl out onto the street just because his girlfriend has a problem with her…” He defended himself, his girlfriend now pacing back and forth.

“You wouldn't be happy if I chose to live with my ex,” Val countered, Matt shrugging his shoulders to her dismay.

“Where you live is your business. He would just have to put up with the fact you're with someone new,” Matt stated calmly, Val's eyes watering as she broke her gaze.

“Are you really mine, Matt? Because it's obvious Ashley is still a major part of your life...” She questioned, biting her bottom lip.

“Don't you have friends who mean a lot to you? That's what Ash is to me. Nothing more. Can’t you see that?” Matt asked, Val shaking her head quickly.

“Don’t lie to me, Matt. She’s more than that. I can see it every time you look at her, every time you hear her name…” Val ranted, sniffling as Matt gestured over his shoulder.

“Did you just come here to pick a fight with me or did you actually want to hang out? Because I’m real tired and I want to go to bed…” He said coldly, Val stepping towards the front door.

“Go ahead, avoid the issue, Matthew. Brush it under the rug like you always do… Go to bed. Hell, go sleep with your precious Ashley for all I care. I’m sorry that I came over here tonight. In fact, I’m sorry that I ever met you…” She spoke angrily, opening the door and slamming it behind her.

Matt sighed, leaning against the wall and shaking his head.
“Not as sorry as I am”

The hazel eyed singer rubbed at his face, his eyes stinging with the tiredness he felt and his head starting to ache with the stress of yet another fight with Val. With a great effort he pushed away from the wall and made his way up the stairs, stopping outside his own room for a brief moment. He stared down the hallway, wondering if Ashley was asleep already or if she’d heard what Val had been saying just moments ago. He hoped that she hadn’t heard his latest fight with his current girlfriend, especially the things he had said about Ashley just being a friend to him. She was more than that, she would always be more than that, and he hoped that the brunette knew that somehow.

Without thinking about what he was doing, Matt continued on his way down the hallway, stopping when he reached Ashley’s bedroom door and knocked softly against it, waiting for the room's occupant to answer his call. When the door swung open to reveal Ashley dressed in grey sweatpants and a Digital Underground shirt he smiled slightly before his hazel eyes met her questioning ones.

“Matt…” She said, pushing her messy dark locks back away from her face as she looked at him. “What is it, is everything okay?”

Matt remained silent, his hands shoved deep into his jeans pockets as he stared at her and Ashley pulled at the hem of her shirt nervously, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

“Matty?”

The sound of her nickname for him brought Matt out of his reverie and he shook his head slightly, regaining his focus.

“Oh, uh…Did I wake you?” He asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and watching as Ashley shook her head.

“No, I was just drawing....” She told him, gesturing over her to shoulder to the sketchpad laid out on her bed and Matt craned his neck to try and get a look at what was on the paper.

“Oh?”

Ashley stepped forward, using the door as a protective barrier in an attempt to stop Matt from seeing what she had been sketching.

“Did you need something?” She asked, keeping her tone light and casual and Matt looked back at her, his hazel gaze locking on hers.

“I... Uh...” He started, his mouth going dry as he stared into her eyes and his heart racing at the thought of what could have transpired between them earlier when they had been playing ‘Machine Hunter’.

“Yeah?” Ashley prompted him, wondering what was on her ex lover’s mind.

“Well, I…” Matt began before letting out a sigh and bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck. “No, no it's okay...” He muttered, tearing his gaze away from hers and shaking his head. “I'm sorry...”

“For what?” Ashley enquired but Matt just squeezed his eyes shut and turned on his heels, already walking away from her.

“Everything…” He murmured under his breath, feeling the brunette’s gaze burning into his back as he reached the door to his room and pushed it open.

Ashley watched in confusion as Matt entered his bedroom, closing the door behind himself without another word to her. She remained at the doorway for a moment, waiting to see if he would come back out and explain his actions but when there was no movement from his bedroom she moved away, closing the door and returning to her bed. Looking down at the sketchpad, she smiled faintly and picked up her pencil before continuing to finish her drawing of two teenagers sitting at a table in a coffee shop, the girl wearing the guy’s jacket and listening intently to his plans for the future as he stretched out a tattooed arm towards her, reaching for her hand.