It took awhile for the two to actually get out of bed and stop messing with each other, Ashley was the first to get out of the bed. Shivering as she walked to the bathroom for a shower. Gabriel had stayed in bed the entirety of that shower and through her getting ready for work and getting dressed.
When she walked out of the bathroom he was looking at his phone in bed, looking up at Ashley as she started to rummage through her purse for her own phone. "You should shower....we should leave for work soon..."
"Alright, go eat something. I'll just be there for a few minutes." That was the end of that as Gabriel woke himself up with a shower and Ashley ate cereal and made coffee like how Gabriel showed her how with his coffee machine. She made him some in a to-go cup he had on the counter so they could leave sooner rather than later seeing as it was close to eight now.
Sitting and going through her phone, she started to text people back finally. Going through her phone that's been shut off and going through what she couldn't go through yesterday. It was nothing fun or important that really mattered but it was something to do.
Texting Danny and Jack that she was fine and coming back to work today quickly before messaging Billy, who had texted her a few times. She didn't get to the messages from troy by the time that Gabriel had come down in a suit and tie and was all ready to go, he took the coffee from Ashley with a smile and stood at her side, going through his phone again.
"Whatcha doing?"
"Setting up meetings for today. There are surprisingly a lot I have had to reschedule this week."
"So that's why you're all fancy today." Looking at her out of the corner of his eye, Gabriel still couldn't help but smile at her as she sipped the rest of her coffee down quickly.
Grabbing his keys and coat, Gabriel stood by the door as Ashley grabbed her own keys and phone, ready to run out of the doorway. She had only stopped when thunder boomed down and reminded her it was currently storming outside.
"You don't happen to have an extra coat here, do you?"
"Not one that will fit you...um." Setting his things down, he ran up the stairs and into a closet, she heard a bang and clash before he came running down again. With a smaller mens jacket looped over his arm.
"Try this." Ashley slid her arms through the light coat quickly and smiled again. The coat was definitely a bit too big for her. The arms going over her hands slightly and shoulders being a bit broaders than hers, but it was the smallest he could find in his closet. It would have to do for now until they could stop back at Ashley's apartment for her actual rain coat.
---------------
Into the building the two went, laughing at some joke Ashley made. Through the back doors of the building, everyone heard the two laughing. When they made it to the breakroom, everyone was sitting there in the room smiling at the two.
Most were smiling at them as they both tried to drop the smiles and coughed down laughs. Gabriel more than Ashley. By everyone, it was really everyone. All workers, Tommy, and Gina. They were all sitting around and now looking at the two who coughed and hung up their coats now very quiet.
"Welcome back Ash!"
"Thanks Jack...um...what's going on?" Looking at Gina when speaking, she raised her eyebrows, waiting for some news to crash down on her morning.
"Gina thought it would be a good idea to have us all meet before tomorrow and this weekend to let us know how things will run." Jack was sitting on Daddy's lap as he explained to Ashley why everyone was here.
"Oh...yeah." Sitting down, Ashley sat next to Danny and Gabreil, who both grabbed her hands without the other knowing.
"So, tomorrow is just the insurance date. It'll simply be all that, the judge will go over the case, the insurance company will go over a few things Gabriel and I have talked about, we will go over some terms and John will have a heavy fine or jail time. That's all tomorrow is, we will need you all there in case we need some statements, but I do not see that it will be needed."
"And this weekend?"
"Those are the dates for Ashley's case we have put together. Saturday morning the judge will go over the case, you and John will make your statements, us lawyers will do some talking and depending on what the judge see's we may or may not get into statements and witnesses. You all will be needed there as well as much as you can be, I request that you all come, but it isn't necessary if you don't want to. I want to make it clear that all of you that work with Ashley do not have to testify or speak to the court or us lawyers if you wish not to."
"If we don't get to the witness thing?"
"We will continue Sunday morning, go over the case and get into it. This is going to be long and painful, I can already tell. Ashley, I don't know how long this will be, but we will get through this. I don't see John having a strong case or anything that he could use against you. And we just need to pray that the court is on our side with this. Ashley will speak first, then whoever we can call up to the stand. With everything going on, I think we will put this man away for a long time."
"Good."
"Anything else?"
"I have nothing. If anyone needs me, please call me. I should leave now and let you guys open up this place. I'll see you all tomorrow morning." Gina had said her goodbyes and everyone sat there for a while. Looking at each other on eggshells.
"How are you feeling Ashley?" Tommy broke the silence quickly, looking at the brunette with a smile.
"We know this hasn't been easy on you at all, is there anything we can do?"
"No. I had a few days to prepare myself and I am not going to let this get to me today. Let's just have a good day at work for once. Please?"
"You heard the woman! Move out you lazy bums!" Tommy had smacked Billy's head with her hand and stomped on the floor.
Jack jumped up and pointed towards Tommy,"Hey! Oldie don't hurt my best friend."
"Oh my god, are you still on this Jack?"
"Billy is a better friend than you, Danny Boy."
"I swear to god-"
"Swear all you want, that's why you're going to hell."
The big grizzly man groaned and stood, partially groaning at the hand that hit his tired head and at the boys who yelled at each other about best friends again. Pulling Jack off of Danny to follow, one by one they all left the room besides Tommy, Ashley, Gabriel, and Summer.
"Tommy, can I speak to you for a moment?"
"Of course dear." Gabriel rubbed Ashleys hand before standing and leaving for his office with the old woman. That left Ashley and Summer sitting there.
"You know...this is a lot. Like on everyone."
"I know that." Quietly speaking as Ashley stood up and walked to the sink for a cup of water, Ashley nodded to Summer.
"Good." Summer stood and started to leave the room but stopped in the doorway and turned her head to look back at Ashley.
"I wanted to ask... if you maybe wanted to go out for dinner...I guess."
Summer didn't say any of those words with confidence or anything like ehr normal stature. She looked at the floor before looking at Ashley again, a blank face on as she looked at Ashley through thick eyelashes.
"You guess?"
"I just....wanna talk to you about some things. Thought that dinner would be an appropriate place. If you want to go, let me know before three, I'll get us a reservation for a nice restruant."
"I'll think about it...thanks."
-----------------
"Hey Ash, what are you doing tonight?" Danny sat down next to her in the breakroom as she ate a bagel.
"I'm going to dinner with Summer, why?"
"You're what?" Marco entered.
"Wait-"
"UM....Did something happen when you took a short break?" And last was Jack to enter the room.
"No. She just said she wanted to talk to me and thought dinner would be nice." The boys who had crowded around her were suddenly intrigued.
"She asked you?"
"Yes."
"She was nice?"
"Yes."
"What the hell."
"She must be on drugs." Danny looked at Jack worried when he spoke, his eyes getting big.
"Maybe we are on drugs?"
"Jack, did you give me drugs!?"
"What?!" Jack slapped Danny's arm for accusing him like that as Ashley laughed and Marco slapped the boys heads.
"BOYS! Stop...Ashley?"
"There isn't anything to say about it. Yes I have plans tonight Danny, no I will not talk to you about it until after the fact or this weekend. Anything else?"
"Nope."
"What's with you and gab-"
"Dude!" Danny slapped a hand over Jacks mouth this time, looking at him intently to shut him up as Ashley ate her food.
"What?"
Another slap to Jack's head, this time from Danny as Marco laughed lightly, "That's okay Ashley, we don't need to indurde, right jack?"
"R-Right?"
"Good boy, come on, we have clients." The two left the breakroom, not really taking lunch but more so just to talk to Ashley and say hi after a few days. They had all caught up at her desk but still wanted to be around her. They liked her company.
"Hey danny? You and Gabriel had an argument the other day...what was that all about?"
"Nothing important."
"You both were pretty mad."
Danny sat down and scrunched up his face as Ashley, who put down her food to talk about it. "How do you even know about that?"
"I just do, but I wanna hear from you about it. Gabreil was...upset. I just wanna know why you were?"
"I just was. I mean the guy basically took over your whole life since John went to jail and back."
"Do you ever think that I let him?"
"Did you ever think you shouldn't have?" Danny had completely snapped at Ashley and stood up aggressively, scaring Ashley to the point of grabbing the table and staring at him. "Ashley, I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that...I just."
"Danny I understand that you are upset, but I have been letting him help me and you need to see that he is not forcing his way into my life at all. It is mutual between us and he has been helping me a lot lately. You may not like it but I would like for you to accept it, I'm fine. Really, I know you want to be there for me but I don't know how you can be yet. You're my best friend and I love you, but I am trying to figure this all out myself, and right now Gabriel is as far as I can go mentally right now. Please...just dont be mad at him over nothing."
"Just forget it Ash. I don't want to be mad at you or Gabriel over nothing. Just forget this conversation happened, I'll talk to you later tonight." And with that, Danny was gone as well.
----------------
No notes.
None at all
Goodbye
❤️