 Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?
Ash knew that friendship wasn't supposed to be transactional, and Ash knew that she was a good friend. She gave everything she was capable of giving to the people she cared about, and she was thoughtful, and understanding, and interesting, and creative. However, she required a lot of effort and patience to be close to. Evan had never once made Ash feel like a burden, but she still worried at times and wanted to do something extra to show her appreciation.
In any event, Ashley Fox loved her best friend as much as Ashley Fox could love anyone (which was a lot- nobody had ever accused Ash of having too little emotion or too little passion). In the event that she ever married somebody, she would be asking him to walk her down the aisle.
"I wish I could talk to them, sometimes." Of course, that wasn't how death worked. But Ash still really wanted to know some things. Would they be proud of her if they saw her now? Was she doing a good enough job of continuing their legacy? Was her book too soon, or just right? Was there something they wanted her to carry with her as a survivor? Did they... did they like the flowers she was bringing? She was momentarily concerned that she may not have picked the right flowers. She picked HER favorite flowers, so maybe that was meaningful, but what if she should have brought sunflowers or forget me nots or lilies? How would she know what the dead wanted if she couldn't ask them... A small hand squeeze brought her out of her mind and back into the real world. "Will you come with me when I put my flowers there? If you have the time and it's not too painful for you." She thought the presence of her friend would help her try and face the past, but she realized that the past was painful for him, too.
Ashley raised a curious eyebrow as she heard Evan talk about his sister in law. 'important to the rest of the family' was hardly glowing praise... Ash wondered if there was something about Evan's wife that irritated him, or whether he simply felt ambivalent about her. Curiouser and curiouser. Wondering about that, Ash turned her attention to his sketch, looking it over with the eye of a professional artist. |