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Ashley turned her head from one side to the other, her eyelides fluttering as she tried desperately to awaken. She needed to open her eyes, come back to reality so as to eliminate from her mind the horrid image of Matt fucking another, albeit faceless, woman in her dream.
She suddenly bolted up, a small gasp escaping her. She glanced around, one hand coming up to her face, which felt clammy with sweat.
She was at Matt's, and she had fallen asleep on the couch. Her legs were propped up, a light blanket half-covering her in the air-conditioned room. Lucas was sitting up near the sofa and watching her. Her new puppy, Tobey, was nearby as well, curled up and asleep.
She let out a misery filled sigh and settled down again. Tears threatened her as she knew her dream was for real. Even though she was no idea what it was, she still knew that her dream was for real. Even though she had no idea who it was, she knew that Matt had somebody on the side, *somebody* he was sleeping with when he wasn't home.
Lucas suddenly began barking, racing toward the front door. Ashley stared after him, wondering what was up. She couldn't hear anything unusual, though she knew a dog's sense of hearing was miles keener than a person's. Who knew, also, what kind of scents he'd picked up?
Moments later, the doorbell rang. Lucas' barking grew more excited, more whimpering, and she hefted herself up and called as she hobbled to the door.
"Amy, Adam..." The blonde was surprised to see them, then realized someone else, shorter than the tall Canadian man was behind them.
"Hi, Ashley."
Her jaw dropped with surprise as the couple stepped inside, the redhead instantly stooping to gather the small dog in her arms. Behind Adam, Carlito had stood in wait.
"Charlie... Wh-What are you doing here?" She really meant the question for all three of them, but was looking only at the young man at this point.
"I came to see *you*," he said. "You've been avoiding me, and I wanted to know why."
Ashley blushed, her lips still parted in surprise. She glanced behind her at her friend and her boyfriend, playing with both dogs now. After a moment, she looked back at him and shook her head.
"I haven't been avoiding you." She shut the door as he stepped fully inside, grateful Matt wouldn't be home that night.
"No? Well, it sure feels like it," Carlito replied. He kept his gaze steady and trianed on her blue eyes. Although sleepy-looking, her blonde hair mussed, she looked breathtakingly beautiful to him.
"Charlie, I apologize," she said, shaking her head. "Matt has been really... He thinks I'm seeing someone behind his back," she explained. "I haven't called you lately because I don't want to give him any reason to be suspicious."
"Ashley, we're taking Lucas," Adam announced. "Just so you know."
The blonde diva glanced over at the tall man, who had the small terrier in his arms. The dog was wagging his tail with excitement.
"Huh? Oh... Okay," she replied, barely hearing him. She turned back to the other man, who looked confused, hurt, upset, annoyed, and possibly a few more things. "Charlie, we'll talk again soon... I promise. Now just isn't the best time."
"Not the best time? Ash, isn't he away these next few days with SmackDown?"
"Well, yes, but-"
"Maybe you just don't want anything to do with me," Carlito stated. His heart felt as though it were breaking as he uttered the words.
Amy nudged her boyfriend and glanced in the direction of the other two. As Adam looked up, the redhead gestured to him, and they walked away to give Carlito and Ashley some privacy.
"That's not true at all," Ashley protested, her blue eyes fixed on him. She barely noticed that Adam and Amy had disappeared. "In fact, it couldn't be farther from the truth." She bit her lip, her gaze casting down as she anticipated the man's reaction.
Carlito studied her for a long, wordless moment. Then, his voice soft and even, he spoke.
"Okay... If that's true, then why don't we get together sometime this week - or next, if this week is no good for you?"
"Okay," the blonde replied, nodding. "We can do something."
"Really?"
"Sure," Ashley said. "I've got an appearance in New York next Wednesday, so we can get together later that day." She truly wanted to do something fun with him. She only worried that Matt might somehow show up unexpectedly or call her or something. Well, if he tried the latter, she could always turn her cell phone off. Of course, questions would arise if she did that and he ended up calling her. Alas, she would cross that bridge when it came to her.
"All right... Great." Now Carlito was smiling. She seemed completely genuine and he had no reason to think otherwise.
They stared at each other for a beat before Ashley finally managed to look elsewhere. Only then did she realize they were alone in the room.
"Where did Amy and Adam go?"
Carlito shrugged.
"I don't know, but they said they were taking one of the dogs." He stooped over as Tobey was sniffing at his feet and making little whimpering puppy sounds. "He yours?" the young man asked, picking up the tiny black and white terrier.
"Yeah, he was a gift from-" She bit her tongue, for some reason not wanting to mention his name.
"From Matt, right?"
The blonde nodded.
"Hey."
They looked up at the sound of the voice breaking the uncomfortable moment. Adam and Amy were back, the redhead cradling Lucas in her arms like a baby.
"Thank you, Ashley," the other diva said. "If Matt gives you any trouble about this, give me a call. I'll handle it." She forced herself to ignore the small nudge Adam gave her at her back. After all, Lucas was *her* dog. She would deal with the situation with Matt herself if it came to that.
"Okay."
"We're gonna take off," the redhead announced. She looked pointedly at Carlito.
Ashley reached out for the young man's arm.
"You're welcome to stick around longer if you want, Charlie," she said, suddenly feeling shy.
"Thanks," he replied, "but I have to go... I'll see you next Wednesday."
The blonde nodded, a feeling of disappointment gripping her.
"All right. See you then. Bye, guys." She saw the trio to the door and watched as they headed to their car.
She mostly watched Carlito and didn't return inside until the vehicle was completely out of her sight.