When John saw her here, he thought back on how she got a little too needy and obsessed and would follow him around on his dates with girls his own age.
"Hey Ang, yeah I remember that. I would really appreciate it. I spent all my money moving in my new place. I'll pay you back."
"No worries. I'm sure you will. Or I might come up with something else for you to do."
Ashley watched John smiling and at this woman and she could tell they seemed a little closer than he had told her. Feeling like a third wheel she stood up with her champagne and walked back over to the table in the corner.
Drinking her glass down quickly and ordering another one from her server. She looked up as Richie plopped down across from her.
Richie looked over at John and Angela carried away in conversation. "Hi I'm sorry I drug you guys here. I didn't mean to start a fight between the two of you. And I guess I'm the one who mentioned to Angela we were coming here."
"You're not to blame, for this Richie. He's mad at me, but it wasn't my fault the cop asked me out. I told him no. And now he seems to be having a great time with his long lost neighbor."
Ashley looked up at the bar and John hadn't seemed to notice she had walked away. She had her eyes locked on Angela. "Do you know her very well Richie?"
"Angela? No not that well. I didn't even recognize her today. She cut her hair, It used to be a lot longer. She was friends with Johnny's Mom."
"Really? How did she get so close with John?"
"Her husband worked a lot and she paid him to cut the grass and do odd jobs around the house for her. All kinds of stuff." Richie replied with the hint of a smirk on his face.
"There's something going on with this woman, and I don't like it. You know something Richie. I can see it all over your face."
"You really need to talk to Johnny about that. I never went over there with him."
They heard a loud uproar of laughter and turned toward the back wall.
"What's going on over there?" Ashley asked turning toward the noise.
A table in the back had a lot of people standing around. A tall lady stood up with a turban like thing on her head. "That's all if you want any more readings you have to walk down to my shop." The lady spoke to the small crowd gathered around her.
John glanced around looking for Ashley and saw her sitting at the table with Richie. He was still in a bad mood from the run in with the cop, and Angela was a loose canon, insisting on bringing up their past together. So he thought it was best to keep his distance from Ashley right now. Before she heard something he would spend the rest of the night explaining and apologizing for.
"Who is that woman, Richie?" Ashley asked looking at this strange looking lady carrying a deck of cards.
"Madam Marie, her shop is right up the road she reads palms and tells fortunes. She read mine once, but she freaked the shit out of me!" He laughed and took a sip of his beer.
"Oh Lord, my Mom used to get hers read all the time. I've never done it. How much is it?"
"A couple bucks, I think. It just depends on what all you want her to do."
A very pretty girl walked up to the table with long brown hair. "Hi Richie, haven't seen you in a while. How's Erica?"
"I don't know, we broke up. We were trying to get back together but, I don't think she knows what the hell she wants."
"Oh sorry to hear that. How's Johnny?"
"He's good, this is his girlfriend Ashley."
"Hello I'm Danielle."
"Nice to meet you." Ashley replied wondering if she had been with John too, since she asked about him.
Her Mother walked over. "Danielle are you ready to go?"
"Yes I am." Good to see you Richie." Danielle turned toward Ashley and smiled at her, she noticed John's ring on her finger. "It was great meeting you."
"You too."
"You should come down for a reading. It's a lot of fun."
"Yes Ashley we would love to do a reading for you. Let me see your hand."
Ashley hesitated, but held out her hand for the older lady.
Madam Marie closed her eyes holding Ashley's hand palm side up. Her eyes popped open quickly. "Ashley please come down to my shop. I want to do a full reading on you, free of charge. I just want to get a closer look at your fortune. No strings attached."
"I don't know, I'm not really into that stuff."
"What would it hurt to find out a little about your future dear?"
Ashley looked over at John still talking and laughing with Angela. She thought some insight into her new relationship couldn't hurt.
"Okay." She hesitated. She turned to Richie. "Will you go with me? I don't want to go by myself, but l'd like to do it."
He looked over at John still sitting with Angela as he was slipping his arm around her back. "Okay I will, but I ain't getting a reading done!" He chuckled.
"Let's go then." Ashley announced and they all walked out of the Fast Lane and down to the little blue shop.
"Sit down my dear." She pointed to a purple velvet chair and Ashley sat down. Nervous and feeling a little bit nauseous.
She pulled out a big ancient looking stack of tarot cards. Not the smaller deck she used at the club. She lit some candles and laid some cards in front of Ashley. "Give me your hand."
She reluctantly complied and had a nervous knot in her stomach.
"You are not from here."
"No." Ashley replied and thought she could have known that from her accent.
"I see trouble in your past. Your heart has been broken. So much hurt and disappointment for a young girl. Your love line is long and strong with a good connection to your past but you give too much and get hurt very easily."
She picked up a necklace with a medallion on it and twirled it in front of her and said a few words in a language, she did not understand. She dropped the necklace and laid a stack of cards in front of her and told her the shuffle them and make four piles.
Ashley shuffled the cards and laid down 4 little stacks.
She flipped over the first card. "The card of lovers. Are you in a new relationship?"
"Yes."
"And you want to know if his feelings are real?"
"Maybe, yes I do." She mumbled, embarrassed that she didn't fully trust what John was telling her.
"It's a strong bond, lots of attraction between you. I feel the love and especially the passion you feel for each other. "
Do you have anything of his with you?"
"This ring."
"Can I hold it?" Ashley handed it to her. "Oh he's creative, maybe an artist?"
"He's a musician." Ashley replied.
"Very talented and I feel the love he has for you." She handed her the ring back and laid out the second card.
"The three swords through the heart. You have had alot of grief and sadness in your life. And I sense some sadness right now."
"We had a little fight. It was nothing."
She turned over card three.
"The moon. You are being deceived in some way. Someone isn't telling the truth to you. Don't trust anyone. Trust your intuition, if it doesn't seem right, listen to your heart. Bad energy comes through to me with this card. I sense pain and suffering. A very bad vibe."
The fourth card she grabbed and turned over.
"The tower is a bad sign. I see uncertainty and maybe heartbreak. Lies and deception revealed I see you running away. Ashley this sign is very strong. You shouldn't be here. This is not a good place for you to be. Pain will definitely find you here!"
Richie stood up. "Come on Ashley." He grabbed her hand leading her out the door. "You're damn crazy lady!" He yelled at Marie.
"Ashley please listen to me nothing good can happen with you staying in New Jersey!" Madame Marie yelled out the door, hoping to caution her."
Ashley followed Richie but she couldn't get the old woman's words out of her head.
"Don't listen to her Ash. Everything is going to be okay."
They stepped out of the little shop and Richie took his jacket off. "Here put this on you look cold."
"Thanks." He slipped it on her. They walked back to the Fast Lane and sat down on the front steps.
"Wow what a bitch! I told you she freaked my ass out! I never went back!" Richie exclaimed. "Just ignore the shit she told you. None of it is going to happen anyway."
Ashley seemed white as a ghost.
"Are you okay, what's wrong?"
"I was with my Mom one time when she had a fortune read by a voodoo priestess in New Orleans and she didn't do a reading for me but she grabbed my hand and told me I had bad things in my future. So now that someone else has told me the same thing I am just a little freaked out."
"Maybe it was that stuff with Jake and when you fell and got hurt. But that's how they make money. They get people all upset and probably charge you to undo a fake curse or something."
She laughed. "Maybe, I guess you're right."
John had drank a few tequila shots with Angela. He wasn't feeling any pain. He looked around for Ashley, but didn't see her. Bret walked out with a smoking hot blonde on his arm. "Good he thought, maybe that asshole will leave my girl alone now."
"I'm going back to my place Johnny. I don't have any grass for you to cut, but there are plenty of other things I need you to do. I've really missed you and all the time we spent together. All these younng girls benefitting from the things I taught you. I'd just like a little taste of it for myself."
John grinned. "I'm sorry Angie it was good catching up with you, but Ashley is my girlfriend and I love her. I just couldn't do that to her. So I'm sorry but I'll have to pass."
"Are you sure we don't have to tell your little girlfriend." She smiled at him.
"No I can't. Look Ashley and I are the real deal! It's not like in high school when I let you intimidate all my girlfriends and scare them away. I really love this girl. And one day she is going to be my wife. So please Angie, no crazy shit! I'm not just a dumb horny kid anymore! You don't want to push me!"
"Okay I get it. Ashley is a very lucky girl. I always knew you would turn out to be a heartbreaker, Johnny Bongiovi. I just didn't know it would be mine getting broken. Bye Johnny."
He gave her a small grin. "Bye Angela, I'll see you around."
Angela left out the side door. John sat at the bar finishing his drink. Thinking about how crazy he used to be about Angela until she got a little out of control."
He got up and stumbled out the side door for a smoke. As he walked up front he stopped to talk to a guy sitting on the hood of a car, when he noticed Richie and Ashley huddle up on the front steps.
Sitting side by side and smiling at each other. It looked like Ashley had his jacket on. He always knew Richie had a thing for her. He would deny it but he knew the truth. He stood there watching them, wondering just what in the hell they were up to."
He slowly walked over to them. "Hey Ash I was looking for you. Where have you been?"
"That fortune teller lady wanted to do a reading for me. So we went down there."
"We, you mean you and Richie?" He asked with a little attitude.
"Yeah you were busy catching up with your old family friend, remember?"
"Yeah I just didn't know you even left, I was just worried about you."
"As you can see, I'm fine."
"Okay are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, let me go to the bathroom first." She walked back inside.
"So what did Marie tell you about your future Richie? Did she tell you, you better watch your fucking back?" John slurred a little as his jealous anger was getting the best of him.
"What the hell are you talking about Johnny?"
"Why the fuck is she wearing your jacket?"
"She looked like she was cold, so I offered it to her! Damn man what's your problem?"
"I know you still have a damn thing for Ashley! And don't you fucking try to deny it!"
"You're drunk man! You need to lay off the fucking booze!" Richie stood up.
"I'm not too drunk to see my best fucking friend would love to be with my damn girlfriend!"
"You're crazy! But if you care about your girlfriend so damn much! I wouldn't ignore her to flirt with some nightmare out of your past! You do remember how it ended with Angela right?"
"Oh I remember and I set her straight tonight!"
Ashley walked outside and noticed the tension in the air. "Here's your jacket Richie, thanks again."
Richie smiled at her. "You're welcome darlin."
John's face was showing what is heart was feeling as he glared a little at Richie.
"What's going on John?" She questioned seeing the look on his face.
"Nothing. Stay at the apartment with me tonight."
"I can't, I've got to go to work in the morning. I don't have my stuff."
"I'll take you by your house to get it."
She smiled. "Okay, but don't park in my driveway. My Dad still has it out for you."
"Okay, let's go." John replied.
"What about David?" Richie asked.
"He already left with some chick." John answered finishing his cigarette and throwing it on the ground.
He took his jacket off and wrapped it around Ashley. "Are you mad at me? I know I was an asshole to you earlier."
"No I love you John. I know how moody you are sometimes." She replied with a grin.
"Moody? Baby I'm not moody. You have me confused with horny." He chuckled.
"Oh John." She shook her head and laughed.
"So what did old Marie say about your future. That you are lucky to have found your true love and you need to stay with him forever." He smiled at her.
"No all my cards had bad stuff on them."
"Well I wouldn't worry about it, she's full of shit anyway. She told me I was destined for great things and I haven't done shit yet!"
"I think you are destined for great things John. You just have to be patient. Like I was when I waited for you to come along." She pulled him in for a kiss.
Richie couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Ashley. The smell of her perfume was still lingering on his jacket. "God she smells so good." He thought as he watched her move in to kiss John.
Realizing just how lucky John really was, to have her. How beautiful and intelligent she was. How he wanted to find a girl just like her. How he really wished he could have her for himself. "I know I could make her happier than Johnny." He thought to himself as he was watching them. He realized John had opened his eyes during the kiss to find him staring at them. So Richie quickly looked away, puffing on a cigarette, as they continued to kiss. He was very thankful, that his best friend couldn't read his mind right now.
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