Ashley held up her hand.  “No, wait, Spencer, you don’t have anything to apologize for.”

Spencer’s eyes popped out of her head.  “You have got to be kidding.  I ran out, didn’t even let you explain.  I acted like a child.” 

“But you had already voiced your feelings about us not working when I traveled, and your jealousy of Jessica.  I should have thought…acted more maturely…”

“Ashley, you were comforting a friend in a time of need.  You had no idea I was coming.  Now, please, let me finish.” 

Ashley nodded her head in acquiescence. 

“Ash, I didn’t trust you when you were on tour.  No, actually I didn’t trust myself to trust you.  I thought that if I trusted you, you’d just end up hurting me again, and I would only have myself to blame for trusting you again.  Does that even make sense?  And when I came to Tokyo to see you…and I saw you with her…I just…I thought all my worst fears had come true.  I really felt that you had broken my heart, Ash. Again.  Not just broken, but crushed.  You know, even if you had gotten me to stay and you explained everything, I still wouldn’t have believed you.  It wouldn’t have made a difference.”

Ashley laid her right hand atop Spencer’s left.  Spencer looked down at their hands and felt sparks run up her arm, and spread throughout her body.  As hot as the Los Angeles sun was, Spencer could feel a chill run up her spine.  Déjà vu.  The image of the two of them the first day they met flooded her mind.  Ashley had “accidentally” laid her hand atop of Spencer’s while they lay in bed.  She felt the sparks now, just as she had then.

“Spence?”  Ashley asked gently.  She reached out to lift Spencer’s chin so that she could look into her eyes. 

But Spencer kept her eyes down.  “You were just being a friend to her and I ruined our relationship.” 

“Spencer, my world came crashing down that night.  Without you in my life, I went out of control.  I don’t know how they were able to keep it out of the tabloids.  Now that I think about it, it was a miracle that they didn’t claim me the next Britney Spears.” Ashley smirked, and shook her head.  “But, anyways, I didn’t tell you everything in those emails.  I was depressed like hell for months.  Spence, you were – you ARE the love of my life.  You mean the world to me and…well…”

Spencer leaned in and brought her lips to Ashley’s, interrupting the sentence.  Their kiss was tender and soft and just lasted a few seconds, but meant everything that both wanted to say, but were too afraid to express verbally.  Spencer broke the kiss, but rested her forehead against Ashley’s and stared into her eyes.  Spencer brought her right hand up to Ashley’s face and caressed it, while her left hand was gently squeezed by Ashley’s.