Arranged •{ONC 2020}•

《 Chapter Eleven 》

"It's been a while since we've had a girl chat," Lucy sidled closer. "A lot has changed since then."

Ashlynn shot a glance at María, who was getting ingredients out of the fridge. "Yes," she replied, mustering her confidence, "a lot has changed."

"Wanna share anything?"

"Mm, not really." She shut the cabinet door a little too forcefully.

"Ooh, trouble in paradise?" Lucy sniggered. "Was he that bad?"

"I don't have anything to compare it to," Ashlynn looked over at María again, trying to get her help. The Latina didn't respond, and the small smile on her face told Ashlynn everything she needed to know.

"You have to have some idea of how it was. Didn't Hana help you?" Lucy pressed, washing her hands in the sink.

"Hana's idea of 'help' is very different from yours, especially when it comes to this."

"Testy. Well, no matter how bad it was, it'll only get better," Lucy gave her a wink and dried her hands. Deciding to test the waters, she added, "Assuming you stay together, that is."

"Of course we're staying together. I mean, he's childish and hogs the bathroom and basically runs my company, but I don't have any reason to kick him out now." Ashlynn rolled her eyes and passed María the cutting boards. "He also drinks a ridiculous amount of coffee."

"Oh? Tell me more." Lucy rested her elbow on the countertop, her sly grin returning. Truth be told, she didn't care in the least about his coffee habits; she was just intrigued by the glint in Ashlynn's eyes.

"He drank a whole pot at the office once, all by himself. We had meetings all day, and he didn't stop tapping his fingers. I almost yelled at him after the first meeting, but it put me to sleep in the second one, so I didn't complain. He'd refill his mug between meetings, and he drinks it straight—no sugar, no creamer, just plain black coffee. He's a total nut job. And then, one day, he ate half a box of donuts by himself. Delores brought them to celebrate our one-month anniversary, and that pig ate all the sprinkle donuts—my favorites! And—what?" Ashlynn paused at the amused look Lucy was giving her.

"Nothing. I just think it's cute."

"Cute? He eats all of my favorite donuts and you think it's cute?"

"No, but listening to you ramble about him is." Lucy smirked as warmth spread across Ashlynn's face. Even María was smiling, which made it even worse because she knew the whole story.

"I have to complain to someone. Everyone around here thinks he's some sort of angel."

"Well," Lucy straightened and turned to help María with the fruit, "he is a pretty good catch. He's smart, he's attentive, he's funny, and he's cute. I'm impressed that you were able to reel him in, especially considering the history between you two."

"Yeah, well, you know how I'm a sucker for blue eyes," Ashlynn laughed, nervousness making it come out a pitch higher than usual. She cleared her throat and started working on the dough. Trying to steer the conversation away from a dangerous subject, she asked, "What about you and Jamison? Everything alright on your end?"

Lucy shrugged, but couldn't keep a smile from tugging at her lips. "I think I'm going to have a surprise for him at Christmas...again."

"You mean...?" At Lucy's slight nod, Ashlynn clasped her hands and grinned wildly. "Really? Oh, Lu, that's great!"

"Don't get too excited. I haven't done any tests yet, but I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant again." Resting a hand on her belly and smiling fondly, she mumbled, "I can just feel it."