Free Love's Someday by Robin Alexander Page A

day.
    “Let me deal with one issue at a time. Right now, things are sort of normal with Erica.”
    Drew smiled. “I’m happy to hear that.”
    Ashleigh didn’t smile, but rather toyed with a loose string on her pants. “I said ‘sort of’ normal. We’ve talked a lot, but that’s been about it.”
    “Oh,” Drew said when she grasped what Ashleigh implied. “No sex?”
    “None. I need that connection with her, but she doesn’t seem remotely interested.”
    Drew cuffed Ashleigh on the arm and grinned. “Maybe you should go home, dim the lights, put on some music, and see what happens.”
    “I’ve done that along with other things, and she rejected me. Nicely, but it was still a rejection.”
    “I’m not making excuses for her, Ash, but she has been under a lot of pressure. Kaitlyn says that Bob has been riding her pretty hard at work, and you two are still working through issues.”
    “I know she’s got her hands full.” Ashleigh shrugged. “It keeps us from having to discuss things.”
    “But you just said y’all have been talking.”
    “Talking, yes, but not really delving into anything.”
    “Didn’t you just say things were getting back to normal?”
    “That is normal for us.” Ashleigh thought about the last week and how they’d been civil, even affectionate at times, but there was still what felt like a barrier between her and Erica. “It’s normal in some ways and different in others.” Drew was silent and Ashleigh could feel her staring at her waiting for her to spell it out. The problem was she couldn’t. “It’s just different. I’m not sure I can put it into words.”
    “What was Alex like?” Drew asked suddenly, causing Ashleigh’s head to snap up.
    “Why would you ask me that?”
    Drew shrugged nonchalantly. “I’ve just never heard you talk about exes, and I wonder how she compares to Erica. You did admit that she was your first love.”
    “Time does a lot to the accuracy of your memories. The most painful are the ones that stand out, but to be fair to her, we did have some good times together.” Ashleigh hoped that would be all she had to say, but when she glanced at Drew, she was looking back expectantly. Until that moment, she’d never thought about comparing Alex to Erica.
    “You’ve asked me about Vicki and Chantal, but you’ve not asked about Alex. Aren’t you the least bit curious?”
    “I know you said you met the band, but when you didn’t mention her specifically, I assumed that you didn’t speak to her.”
    “I didn’t really.” Drew sat up a little straighter. “She was in the room when we got there, but she didn’t stay long.”
    “Well,” Ashleigh said with a shrug that she hoped made it appear that she was only marginally interested. “What was your impression?”
    “Polite, but standoffish.” Drew scooted a little closer to Ashleigh. “She didn’t participate in the conversation really. She stood off in the corner while everyone asked about you, taking it all in, then she left.”
    “And what was everyone saying?” Ashleigh asked with a frown.
    “They wanted to know if you were doing okay and where you’d been all these years. They’ve been looking for you.”
    “What did you tell them?” Ashleigh could feel her face growing warm.
    “I told them that you were fine.” Drew laid a hand on Ashleigh’s knee. “Honey, I just told them what I would tell anyone else that hadn’t seen you in a while.” Drew left out the conversation she had with Vicki and Chantal. “Just that you’re doing fine and you’ve been in a relationship for five years and you’re happy.”
    “Did you tell them that you didn’t know about me until recently?” Drew made a face, and Ashleigh had her answer. “How’d they react to that?”
    “A tiny bit stunned.” Drew held up her thumb and forefinger.
    Ashleigh nodded as the mental picture of what it must have been like to have them all in the same room with Kaitlyn and Drew formed in her mind.