Escaping Grace

She was driving me up the wall, and she was probably doing it on purpose. I swear she always managed to get under my skin and drive me crazy and she didn't even have to try.
"Why do they always gotta have fucking secrets and innuendos you always gotta figure out?" I bitched, and the guys shrugged.
"Women, man, what can you do?" Jinxx shook his head. "All we can do is stick with them for the good times."
I scowled, glancing around at the guys. We were at all Ashleys, just hanging out. I'd left Leah back at her place, she giving some excuse she was going to have to start cleaning up before Vale got back; she hadn't even been at the apartment, what the hell did she have to clean?
"This is why I don't worry about it," Ashley said from the bar, his back to us. "Single life is the way to go."
"Don't pull that, we all know you got a side chick right now," Jake said, rolling his eyes. "You text her constantly."
"No I don't," Ashley frowned at us as he turned. "She's not a side chick."
"Then who is she?" CC asked. "Do we know her?"
"What does it matter? You guys never wanna know about my women."
"We do when it sounds like she's taming you," I told him. "You haven't said anything about sleeping with anyone since before Christmas. You just mentioned trying to get with... Leahs receptionist." I narrowed my eyes. "Are you sleeping with her? I thought you said you wouldn't do that anymore since Candy freaked on you."
Ashley squirmed.
"It IS the receptionist!" CC burst in excitement. "Dude!"
"Can you guys can it?" Ashley muttered, downing half his drink. "I thought you were bitching about your women. Leahs secretive, Vales a bitch, Sammi is dramatic," he started, and CC smacked him with a pillow.
"Vale is not a bitch! Why do you keep saying that?"
"She hates my shampoo!" Ashley told him. "Who tells someone they hate their shampoo? WHO DOES THAT?"
"Vale speaks her mind! She's blunt! Its what I like about her. And it's shampoo, who cares?"
"I care. And not everyone hates it," Ashley muttered, scowling as he stared into his drink.
"You mean the receptionist." I grinned at him, lounging back against the couch. "She digs it."
He glared at me.
"What's her name?" Jake asked curiously. "Sarah? Hannah? Megan?"
"No. Let's drop it. It doesn't matter."
Okay, Ashley seriously liked this girl. I shared a look with the guys, and we all dropped it. No point in pissing Ashley off too much.
"So what's up for new years?" Jake asked, throwing his feet on the coffee table. "We partying or what?"
"I dunno, I'll ask around and see what's up," Ashley relaxed as the subject changed, and he leaned back against the couch. "I'm still fighting noise complaints from my neighbors about Christmas. Who actually thinks their kids sleep on Christmas eve?" he rolled his eyes.
"You shouldve seen Leah. She practically shoved presents at me the second I got up she was so excited. She's just like a kid. It was cute."
"She like her necklace?" Jinxx asked.
"Yeah. She showed Vale and apparently I'm not getting nuetered now," I rolled my eyes.
"Don't," CC said warningly as Ashley opened his mouth.
"I wasn't gonna call her anything! There's nothing wrong with her being protective over her friends. She's just a shampoo nazi."
"Ashley!" CC glared.
I laughed. It was nice to actually hang out with the guys for once , and none of us have our women around. Unless we were on tour or in the studio, it was hard for all of us to get together and just hang. Now maybe we could get together WITH our women and everything still be okay.
Even Ashleys secret receptionist.
At least Sammi had seemed to like Leah and Leah never had said anything about meeting her. I had hoped they would get along, but it was a weird person who didn't like Leah. She was just too nice and sincere about everything.
"So how's the old ball and chain?" Ashley asked Jake, fending off CCs new pillow attack.
"Ella's good, man. Hated we had to leave early the other night, but we had some other last minute stuff to do," he shrugged.
"Life ends after nine, right?"
"No, Ashley," Jake rolled his eyes. "It doesn't."
"So what are our plans for tour?" Jinxx quickly changed the subject. "We gonna Have the double buses or what?"
"Well we all know Andy and CC aren't gonna let their women sleep alone the entire time." Ashley grinned at us. "So we'll probably have too."
"Some time we're gonna have to bring our women and get rid of theirs," Jinxx sighed to Jake. "Show them how it feels to not be able to sleep with anyone for months on end, and have to listen to your mates instead."
"Agreed," Jake nodded. "They need to know our pain."
"Except Ashley. You always do whatever you want," CC frowned.
"Makes you jealous, doesn't it? Is the single life calling you away from the evil music queen?"
"About as much as it does to dying," CC shook his head. "Vales actually pretty amazing once you get to know her. She just doesn't like you, Ashley."
"Well, the feelings mutual."
"Do you guys seriously just not get along over shampoo?" Jake asked.
"No. There was conditioner involved."

Notes

Thank you guys for reading and sticking with this story for so long!