“Oh yeah. Totally equal.” Jaycee chuckled, trying to ignore the fluttering in her chest when Aria winked at her. She was just being friendly, she wasn’t flirting, she told herself, but when their combined gazes fell onto what used to be their table, her heart only thumped louder. Fuck, she was in this way too deep and it was clear she was going to end up getting hurt, yet she couldn’t tear herself away. Jaycee had always been a glutton for punishment. “That’s a surprise.” She commented, heading up to the counter with Aria and giving the new barista a smile. Thanking the girl for the coffee, she followed Aria over to their table. The younger woman’s teasing comment brought a blush over her cheeks, much to her own annoyance. The blonde slipped into her seat and blew on the hot liquid, eager to get some caffeine into her system. At the question, she looked up, locking eyes with her former girlfriend right when she mentioned missing her. Shit. “Oh, it’s been six months, I think. I haven’t… been to the city in a while.” She’d been avoiding her after the breakup, not that she was about to admit it. And somehow Aria had fallen back into Erin’s arms…again. It was hard to compete with that kind of history. Desperate for a distraction, Jaycee focused on the coffee, pouring some creamer inside just for something else to do, swirling the liquid with the little stirring straw. “Coffee’s the only vice I’ve got left anymore.” She murmured, referring to the fact that she was several years sober now and had recently given up smoking, too. “So, when’s the wedding?” She said sharply, straightening up in her seat. “I heard Hanna’s a pro designer these days, maybe she’ll design your dress.”
Just because it was natural for Aria to flirt with Jaycee, didn't mean that it was suddenly okay. The ring on her finger was a constant reminder of Erin's love, but right now, she wished she could just take it off and chuck it into the nearest trash can. She hated that things were so uncertain between her and her fiancee, and Jaycee's appearance certainly didn't make things any easier. Having the blonde around brought her back to an easier time. She didn't have to worry about any Nicoles interfering with the relationship. It was just the two of them, and they were happy. Having the blonde around again made Aria wonder why she'd ever let her go in the first place. Oh, right. Because of Erin. That really turned out well for her. Aria kept her eyes focused mostly on her coffee cup for the first minute or two after sitting across from Jaycee. When she was told that her ex hadn't been to the city in a while, Aria knew instantly that she was the reason. "Yeah, that's um -- that's a shame," she nodded, looking up at Jaycee with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. When the blonde referred to coffee, Aria's gaze turned down toward the cup between Jaycee's hands. "That's not necessarily a bad thing, is it?" she asked, eyes locking with the other woman's once again. When the topic of conversation changed to the wedding, Aria found herself for once, not wanting to talk about it. She shrugged and answered anyway. "We -- We actually haven't set a date yet," Aria said, finally taking a sip of her coffee, "Um, things got in the way of that. I-I'm sure we'll sit down and talk about it one of these days, but um...we're hoping for a summer wedding." Leaning back in her chair, a chuckle leaving her lips. "The dress is actually the one thing I don't have to worry about. I'm wearing my mom's wedding dress that Hanna altered. She'd had a design in mind ever since I showed her the ring." It wasn't until she finished speaking that she realized how awkward it was for her to talk about all of this with her ex-girlfriend. A change of subject was desperately needed. "So! Houses. You sell houses..that -- that's really awesome. You're like...Rosewood famous now," Aria laughed.
