Virtual Memory Pt. 01

The onset of February had done nothing to ease the bitter cold of winter. Fortunately, even though he stood on the roof of the show, where he was more exposed to the wind, Cupid couldn't feel the cold. He leaned against the railing, watching people scurrying along below. Most of them walked past his shop without even glancing at it. Out of the hundreds of brave souls who had ventured out today, only two would actually be able to see the "Curiosity" shop he stood atop.

Cupid could see them now, moving down the sidewalk side by side. He was tall, lanky, and handsome, and he walked along at a brisk pace. She was smaller, with her hair always pulled up into a ponytail and her body always hidden by baggy men's clothing. Despite the fact that she had to stretch her legs to keep up with him, she never complained. She was too in love with him for that.

"Ah, mortals," Cupid sighed, rolling his eyes. "How is it they spend so much time ignoring what's right in front of them? Then again, I'd be out of a job if they didn't..."

That was his job, after all. Finding two mortals who didn't know they belonged together and bringing them together. Except that these two had been together for most of their lives...as friends. The male was stubborn, always shrugging off his feelings towards her as brotherly. And she never even tried to steal his attention away from other girls. This is going to be work, Cupid thought, scowling. So much for a nice, relaxing endeavor.

*****

"Aw, c'mon, Ash, what could it hurt?"

Ashlyn Hale heaved a large, exasperated sigh, but as always it went completely unnoticed. She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, folded her arms over her chest, and glared at her best friend, Alexander Riley. He was wearing that slightly rakish smile that made his bright blue eyes light up...the one that always meant trouble. Ashlyn had never been able to resist that smile.

"We're supposed to be getting something for your mother," Ashlyn reminded him sharply. "Or did you forget that tomorrow is Valentine's Day?"

Alexander pouted. "But Ash...I just want to have a little fun. Where's your sense of adventure? Besides, we haven't gotten to see each other in weeks."

Well, that was true, although she didn't see what that had to do with any sort of adventure. Alexander and his family had taken a trip to California after Christmas. His hair was still bleached close to white from the sun and his skin was tan, more so than it usually was. Not fair, Ashlyn thought, scowling. He gets to spend weeks under the warm sun but I'm the one following his every damn whim.

It was hard not to, though. As long as she could remember, even though she was a couple years younger than he, she'd been dragged along on Alexander's schemes like a favorite toy. Her first year of middle school, when other kids had teased her, it had been Alex the eighth-grader who had come to her rescue, making it clear that anyone who messed with her messed with him. And in high school, when Ashlyn had been fighting off the unwanted attentions of a very pushy senior, Alex had gotten himself suspended for three days because he punched the kid. Deserved it, though, Ashlyn mused, freakin' calling me an Ice Queen and talking about conquering me...should have hit him myself!

"Are you listening to me, Ash?" Alex demanded, frowning at her.

Ashlyn snapped to attention. "Yeah...right. So um...I don't suppose I have a choice in this, do I?"

"No," Alex answered, grinning.

Well, that was that. Ashlyn glanced at the sign on the shop door; faded silver letters said "Cupid's Curiosity's". Weird name, she thought, as she followed Alex into the store. She came down this way all the time, but she didn't remember ever seeing the place. It was surprisingly warm inside, and very crowded. Wooden shelves clustered close together, but many of them were empty.

"There's nothing here," Alex said, disgusted. "Boring!"

"Maybe the place is new," Ashlyn suggested. "They might not have had time to stock the shelves."

Despite the fact that he thought the place was boring, Alex still felt the need to explore it. Ashlyn followed along behind him, trying to be irritated and failing miserably. He'd always been like this; curious to a fault, with no care whose toes he trod on. Watching him prowl around the shelves with all the discretion of a hyperactive kitten, she couldn't help but smile. I suppose I'm a complete idiot, Ashlyn thought, but I know I'd follow him anywhere.

"No one is even here!" Alex complained, pointing to the empty counter. "This place is a complete waste of time!"

"Wrong on both accounts, young sir."

Alex and Ashlyn both jumped. They stared wide eye at the tall, light-haired man (at least, she thought he was a man) who was suddenly standing behind the counter. He was androgynous to the point that she wondered if he was perhaps a very tall, very flat-chested woman. Alex backed up a few steps, placing himself squarely in front of her. Oh my, Ashlyn thought, catching hold of the back of his jacket. She hoped he wouldn't hear her heart, which was suddenly pounding rather loudly.

"Who the hell are you?" Alex demanded.

"The owner of this cozy little establishment," the man replied, smiling. His voice had an odd, echoing effect, as if both male and female voices spoke. "You can call me Cupid, if you like."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Great, a lunatic. Come on, Ash, let's get out of here."

"One moment, please," the man calling himself Cupid said. "As the first people to enter my new shop, I'd like to give you a free gift."

Alex glanced back at her. Ashlyn just shrugged. Who is this strange man? she wondered, frowning. She should have been afraid of a stranger offering them something, but she really didn't find anything scary about this "Cupid" guy. If anything, he gave off a strong impression of being very nice. But mischievous, Ashlyn thought, frowning. I don't know why, but I feel like he's up to something. Not something bad, but up to something nonetheless.

"We don't need anything," Alex said, eyeing the man warily. "Not from you."

"We have shopping to finish," Ashlyn added, her voice quieter and gentler. "We're sorry to have bothered you."

"No bother," Cupid said, with a mysterious smile. "Please, take this. It's one of the products I hope to sell here."

Ashlyn blinked. For a moment she could have sworn he'd pulled something out of thin air. And he was holding something; a smallish box, done up in brilliant blue on one side and pink on the other. Where the colors met, silver words in a flowery script spelled the words "Virtual Memory". Ashlyn reached past Alex to take the box, despite his hissed protests.

"It's a game I created," Cupid explained, smiling broadly. "It's...well, you'll see if you play it."

"You created it?" Ashlyn's eyebrows lifted. "Hey, that's pretty cool..."

"Forget it, Ash," Alex said, still scowling at Cupid.

"Aw, c'mon, Alex, what could it hurt?" Ashlyn teased.

He turned to look at her, frowning. But just like she never stayed mad at him for long, Alex never seemed to be able to stay irritated when she teased him. His boyish smile, the one that made her knees weak, curved the corners of his mouth. Ashlyn felt a thrill of pleasure as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Fine," Alex conceded. "Let's get going, though. I still have to find something for my mother."

"That should teach you not to wait until the last day," Ashlyn taunted, as they headed out of the shop. "Don't tell me you waited this long to shop for Heather, too."

Alex went silent, his pace dropping off. Puzzled, she turned to regard him curiously. He looked...well, not really sad. Disappointed, Ashlyn thought, turning back to him. He looks disappointed. He'd been with Heather for almost all of the last year, longer than she'd seen him with any other girl. Alex flashed a wan smile and shook his head, then began walking again.

"How long?" Ashlyn asked, stretching her legs to keep up with him.

"Since before we left for Cali, actually," Alex answered. "It's not a big deal, really."

"You seemed to really like her," Ashlyn pointed out. "More than any other girl you've dated."

"I didn't love her, though," Alex said. He glanced at her, then grinned. "Besides," he said, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "I've still got my Ash!"

Ashlyn forced a bright smile to her lips. She huddled against the shelter of his body, sucking on the inside of her cheek to keep quiet. For as long as she could remember they had been Alex and Ash, best friends and nothing more. For as long as she could remember, she had been Ash, the pal, the buddy, practically one of the guys. And for as long as she could remember, Ashlyn had secretly been in love with Alex.

*****

Alex had never much liked Valentine's Day. For some reason, even if he had a girlfriend, he always ended up breaking it off before he had to worry about chocolate and roses. Usually he spent Valentine's Day hanging out with Ash who, as far as he could see, never had a boyfriend at this time of the year either. Now that I think about it, Alex thought, glancing down the candy aisle to her, I've never seen her go out on a date or anything.

"Ooo, peanut butter cups," Ashlyn purred, hefting a bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. "Now this is my idea of a good Valentine!"

Alex chuckled. "They'll go straight to your thighs!"

She glared at him, then broke into a smile. He looked away, forcing himself to concentrate on the candy on the shelf in front of him. Ashlyn always dressed and acted like such a tomboy that it caught him off guard sometimes, how feminine she could be. Her voice was soft and gentle, and she had such a bright smile. Dark brown hair brushed her shoulders and she had large, bright hazel eyes.

Alex had met her when he was seven. She'd been five, wearing pigtails and playing with a set of Matchbox cars. He'd been so fascinated by a girl playing with boy's toys that he hadn't realized she was the new neighbors' daughter his parents had told him about. When she'd realized he was watching, she'd asked him if he wanted to play. Since that day, Alex had been close friends with her. In fact, he was so rarely seen without her that most people assumed they were a couple.

Ridiculous, Alex thought, as he snatched the bag of peanut butter cups from Ashlyn's hands. She squeaked and chased after him, trying to get the bag back, but he was too strong and too fast. The truth was, one of the biggest reasons he never stayed with a girl for a long period of time was because they always complained about how close he was to Ashlyn. They always wanted him to stop being friends with her, and Alex wasn't about to give up his friendship. That doesn't make us a couple, though, he thought.

"Heeeey!" Ashlyn cried. "C'mon, Alex, give that back!"

"It's on me," Alex told her, catching her in a lazy, one-armed headlock. "I don't think I'm going to get candy for mom, though. I'll just pick up some flowers for her."

"Well, if you're paying," Ashlyn said, slipping out of his grip.

Alex laughed. "Come on. Let's get this paid for, then we should head home before it starts getting dark."

They'd walked downtown from Alex's apartment, rather than driving. It was cold, but he liked to walk, and Ashlyn never seemed to mind. He paid for the candy, then put his arm around her again as they headed back outside. I guess I could see why someone might take us the wrong way, he thought, but Ash is like a...a... Alex found it hard to think of her as a sister. He tried, but for some reason it always bothered him.

It was already starting to get dark out and at first he didn't realize why. Then he noticed that the sky was full of low, dark clouds. I didn't think it was supposed to rain today, Alex thought, frowning. No sooner had he thought it then the sky above them opened up, sending sheets of cold rain down on them. Ashlyn shrieked, ducking her head and bumping into him. He grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her along as he raced down the sidewalk.

"This sucks!" Ashlyn shouted above the roar of pounding rain. "Next time you can walk and I'll drive!"

Alex's laughter quickly turned into a couch. "Don't...don't waste breath on talking. Just run!"

They dodged other people on the sidewalk as they ran. Most people were finding shelter in the shops, restaurants, and cafes along the street. Alex might have pulled Ashlyn into one of them, but they were quickly becoming crowded, and he didn't know how long this rain would last. Besides, their sprint carried them quickly to his apartment building. The metal stairs leading up to the apartments were covered, so they slowed when they reached them, breathing hard.

"I...didn't know...it was...supposed to rain," Ashlyn panted.

"As far as I know, it wasn't," Alex told her, as he fished in the pocket of his coat for his keys.

"Good thing I drove over here," Ashlyn said wryly.

Alex grabbed hold of her before she could head for her car. "Don't be foolish. You can't drive in that. Come inside and get dried off."

Glancing at her, he noticed that her cheeks had turned red. She was incredibly cute that way. Alex gave himself a mental shake, then pushed her into the apartment. They were both dripping water on the carpet, but that was the least of his worries. He took Ashlyn's coat from her and hung them both up. Despite the fact that it was warm in the apartment, both of them were shivering from the cold and wet.

Alex dropped to the floor and began unlacing his boots. He watched Ashlyn do the same. Other girls he knew would have been complaining about their hair or make-up right now, but not Ash. She did wrinkle her nose as she pulled off her socks, which were soaked through.

"Last time I go along with you when you decide to walk," Ashlyn muttered, as she pulled her hair out of its ponytail. "You know, you are so much trouble...why do I hang out with you again?"

Alex grinned. "Because I'm so cute and wonderful?"

"You wish!" Ashlyn snorted, rolled her eyes, and flung a wet sock at him. Laughing, he ducked out of the way, then sprang to his feet. Alex gave himself a shake, splattering droplets of water in every direction, and leaving his hair in damp spikes that stuck out in all directions. Ashlyn leapt to her feet as well, her laughter quickly interrupted by a sneeze.

"Uh oh," Alex said, sobering up quickly. He caught her around the shoulders. "Come on, Ash. I'll run you a hot shower."

Ashlyn's eyes widened slightly and her cheeks turned red. "Oh, uh, no...that's...not necessary..."

"Don't be stupid," Alex chided, pulling her along. "You'll catch a cold, and then your mom will kill me.

"Just like the old days!" Ashlyn laughed.

"You'd think I really was your brother, the way she chews me out," Alex added, rolling his eyes.

He felt her shoulders tense and glance at her, puzzled. Ashlyn broke away from him as they reached the bathroom and opened the door herself. Her back to him, she caught the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head, then tossed it aside. Alex took a step back, startled.

"A-Ash..." he stammered. "Um...at least close the door."

"What for?" Ashlyn asked, turning to face him.

He couldn't help the feeling that she was irritated with him for some reason. Alex watched, barely able to breathe, as she struggled out of her rain-soaked jeans. She has lovely legs, he thought, well aware of the fact that he was staring. Ash had the long, toned legs of a girl who was healthy and athletic. Underneath the baggy clothing she always wore was an hourglass figure that most women would die for. Alex swallowed hard, his mouth going as dry as a desert as she reached back and unhooked her bra.

"Ash..." Alex protested weakly.

"Don't get so upset, Alex," Ashlyn teased. "We're adults now. It's not like that time we got caught running through the sprinklers naked."

"Yeah, we were kids," Alex reminded her. "It's not appropriate for us to..."

Ashlyn rolled her eyes. "Well, if you're gonna get sick because you've got a stick up your ass about this, then fine. But I don't see why we can't handle taking a shower together just to get warm."

Alex should have closed his eyes. He really should have. Instead he continued to stare as she pulled her panties down and kicked them aside. On a rare occasions he saw this side of Ash; a fiery, beautiful seductress who loved to taunt him. She's angry about something, he thought, frowning. She never acts like that unless something pissed her off. Alex watched as she slipped behind the shower curtain and under the spray of hot water.

This is a really bad idea, he thought, even as he struggled out of his clothes. This is a really, really bad idea. And yet in moments he was pulling aside the curtain and stepping in to join her. Ashlyn was facing away from him, her face lifted to the spray, for which he was grateful. Alex didn't want her to see the reaction her taunting had produced. After all, just because they were only friends didn't mean he wouldn't react to seeing her naked, right?

Ash half turned to look up at him, peering up from beneath her dark, thick lashes. "Wash my back for me?" she asked, holding up a soapy sponge.

"S-sure..." Alex stammered.

His mouth was as dry as paper. This was not the first time they'd ended up like this. A little over a year ago, in the dead of winter, they had gone on a walk into town. The sun had set while they were out and the temperature had dropped to nearly zero. The similarities in the two situations brought memories rushing back to Alex. He closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of her as she brushed up against him and remembering...

*****

Winter, one year ago...

They'd stumbled through the door, both of them shaking, their teeth chattering so hard that neither of them could speak. Moving had been painful and they'd had to help each other out of coats, scarves, gloves, boots, and socks. Alex didn't remember the incoherent words Ash had tried to chatter to him. He'd picked her and carried her into the bathroom, depositing her in the shower. Stepping in with her, he'd turned the hot water on, and they'd stood there together, shivering beneath the hot spray.

Once they were warm enough to move, they'd begun to help each other out of their soaked clothing. That had been the first time since they were really little that Alex had seen her without clothes. At first he'd been in so much pain from thawing that he didn't realize he'd begun removing her clothes with much more urgency. And Ash had, in turn, been quite adamant about getting his off.

Even after it happened, Alex wasn't quite sure how they'd ended up in one another's arms. All he knew was that they were suddenly kissing, and she had been like fire, hot and tempting and dangerous. He'd lapped the water from her skin, teased her neck with his teeth, and eventually pinned her against the wall. Ashlyn hadn't protested at all; in fact, she'd been encouraging him.

Alex had been unable to stop himself from sliding his hand between her thighs. The way she'd moaned as he'd stroked her had driven him crazy. He'd held her in place, teasing her until she had come. While she shuddered and sighed, he'd held her. And afterward Alex had helped her clean off. While he'd been toweling her dry he'd come to his senses and nothing else had happened between them that night.

*****

"Your turn."

Ashlyn's voice brought him out of the memory. He blinked at her. When he realized she was holding the sponge again, Alex turned to allow her to wash his back. Anything other than having her see how aroused he was. As if showering with her wasn't bad enough, that memory had made it even worse. The awkwardness of that incident had lingered between them for more than a month and he didn't want that happening again.

So why am I doing this? Alex wondered. Okay, he could admit that it was really nice to have her wash his back. He wouldn't allow her to wash anymore than that, though; the last thing he needed was her sponging him while he was hard. But she convinced him to let her wash his hair, and that he enjoyed quite a bit. Ash's fingers massaged his scalp, soothing the slight ache in his head.