Miscalculations

[Ashley Yeo]

Ash knew what Monroe meant because in his heart of hearts, he wished for the same thing: he wished Monroe had gotten there first. Maybe it was pure fanciful thinking, or maybe he was still looking at Monroe through those rose-tinted lens of their childhood days, but he doubted that Monroe would have torn his heart to pieces the way that his ex did. Monroe just didn't seem like the type.

"Yeah," he echoed quietly, as his hand was dropped. It fell slowly to his side, although his fingertips twitched like he wanted to hang on. Crybaby Ashley wouldn't let go of Monroe's hand. Grown-up Ash, though? He tried for so many years to shed that soft image, to be tough, respected among his peers. But that other part of him didn't just die out. It was just buried, deep down inside.

Work, though. He had work. Ash shrugged almost a little carelessly, a rueful smile on his lips as he looked up at Monroe. "Yeah, I should... get going." He almost turned for the door--almost. His body started to turn. But. At the last second, he turned back around and leaned in, lips brushing Monroe's cheek. "Maybe. Next time."

Ash's smile was nervous, hesitant, unsure. He made eye-contact for a brief second, and then hurriedly made for the door before he did something more stupid--or before he said something even more stupid than Maybe next time.

[Monroe Huang]

He always did have a habit of falling for people who were close to him. It wasn't like he met somebody with the intention of falling head over heels over them. Most new people he met these days remained friends with him, but that was mostly because he had held off on relationships for so long. There were only a handful--enough to count on one hand, actually--and even then, he spent the majority of that time pining over a best friend that ended up... well. He guessed some things weren't meant to happen and that was one of them.

Or it could be his own wish fulfillment. Hoping for something so long, it should hardly come as a surprise that things weren't what he thought they'd be. So it was foolish of him to try and cling to the next old close friend, the other childhood crush.

A wistful note in Ash's voice made his heart twist. Maybe it wasn't just him this time. Maybe it wasn't just something they were doing just to do it, just to have something new in their lives, to try a relationship when he'd been warned so many times by so many people that one of them wasn't relationship material. (Hint: it wasn't Roe.) He could have listened. Should have listened. Yet here he was, still tackling his own broken heart, trying to deal with losing another friend. He'd lost two now, although Rune promised to call and Skype and all that. Just because he moved out didn't mean he'd lost him. He still sort of felt like he was, though. So it was little wonder he was clinging to Ash.

"Huh?" He sounded like an idiot, the question more of a surprised sound than a word. Between the kiss and the (likely) unintentional promise, he couldn't seem to get a grasp on reality before it felt like it was slipping away. He wanted so much to reach out again but Ash was making a hard beeline for the door and Roe stupidly stood, rooted to the spot while his heart raced, faster with each new beat. He toyed with the front of his shirt just to have something to do with his hands.

"Next time," he echoed. "See you later, Ash."