Author's note: The idea for this came to me on Saturday morning. I gave myself the challenge to plan, plot and write it within three days. I didn't quite meet that deadline, but I was close, so I apologise in advance for any errors.
All sexual activity happens between characters older than 18.
Trigger warning, there is a brief description of Domestic Violence.
***
To call Ashley my best friend would be an understatement. My mum, Mary, and her mother, Chloe, were childhood friends, and even though they say it was serendipity, I suspect it was planning that resulted in Ash and I being born a month apart. As a result Ash and I have been attached at the hip since the crib.
I don't have a single memory of growing up that doesn't include her. We were born to be partners in crime. This closeness only grew when her father, John, died around the time we were six. I don't remember him much, but what I do remember he was kind and fun. Ash understandably was heartbroken, and while I didn't really understand, I did my best to be her source of comfort.
After Uncle John died, Ash became an even bigger part of my life. Aunt Chloe returned to her career as a nurse to support the two of them, and my mum filled the gap by being the present parent after school. Always there with a snack and a hug. My Dad, Charles, stepped in as her father figure, taking us both on weekend adventures. Ash spent so many nights with us while her mother worked that the spare bedroom became known as her room. I say that loosely; as kids, we often shared a room, and after her dad died, she'd have nightmares and often refused to sleep alone, which resulted in my parents putting a twin bed for her in my room.
We remained by each other's side as we grew up. We had our differences. She was a drama girl and took part in all of the school performances. She was pretty and popular at secondary school and regularly won lead roles. I was more sporty and played football and cricket. After my growth spurt, I found rugby and fell in love with it. Ash came to all my games, and I went to all of her plays. Despite our differences, we were still inseparable.
She gave me my first kiss. I say she gave; it was more like she demanded it from me.
"Come on, Ollie, just kiss me." She said one night while we were watching a moving in the living room after my parents went to bed.
"Why?" I asked, confused, "I don't think of you that way; I'm pretty certain you're meant to kiss people you like."
"Because you're my best friend, Ollie. If I can't kiss you, who can I kiss? I don't see you that way either. I just don't want to be bad at it when I kiss someone. You can be my practice. It's not like you've never kissed me before."
"Ash, I'm not sure little pecks when we were five counts as kissing," I countered.
"Why not? My lips touched yours as a way of showing you affection, and now I want to practice more grown-up kissing with you."
Because I could argue more against it, she grabbed my face and pecked my lips.
"See, that wasn't so bad," she said quietly. "Ollie, I wanted you to be my first kiss because you're always going to be a part of my life. It'll be a funny story when we're old."
I smiled, and with as much refinement and technique as I could muster at that age, I took her into my arms and kissed her. It was awkward, and we spent about as much time laughing and giggling as we did kissing; after about ten minutes, we finished with a gentle peck.
"Thanks, Ollie," She whispered, turning back to the television and unpausing the movie.
As she often did, she lifted my arm to rest against me.
"Ollie, I'm glad it was you. After Mum, you're my favourite person in the world; if I can't kiss you, then what's the point?"
"I don't know the answer to that, Ash, but I'm glad I could make you happy."
You would think our first kiss would have changed everything, but Ash and I had a different relationship. We just continued as we always had done, being there for each other. I sometimes thought of that night as we got older and started to explore dating. At parties, I would watch the other boys in our year or year above try to take a chance with her. It was especially funny watching the ones who failed as most did. Ash would catch my eyes across the room and give me an amused smile. It was her signal that he was not getting any further.
While I tried to stay out of her love life, Ash had no issues involving herself in mine. Ash decided that she had a veto over anyone I showed an interest in. It made it hard for me to get dates or find a girlfriend. It was common knowledge that she was my gatekeeper, and her approval was a prerequisite to getting close to me. That dwindled my choices down to her group of girlfriends, and most of them weren't interested; they either knew me too well or feared Ash's wrath if something went wrong.
When I tried to complain that her presence was ruining my chances of finding a girlfriend, she would laugh me off.
"Ollie, I'm protecting you," She said. "Most of those girls don't care about you, and they just want to get close to you because you're tall, good-looking and play rugby. The fact your family is pretty rich probably doesn't hurt either. But not a single one of them I've spoken to ever wants to know about who you really are. The day you show an interest in that girl, you'll have my full backing."
"You know this feels pretty one-sided; you'd never let me get this involved in your life", I complained.
"Ollie, you are exactly this involved in my life. You may not be as blunt about it, but I can see the look on your face when a boy you don't like tries to chat me up at a party. You've let it be known to everyone that you'd fight anyone who tries to hurt me. Remember when you gave Chris Jones a black eye? What did he do to deserve that? I can't protect you with my fists, but I can see if girls are with you for you instead of just to make them look better."
She knew exactly what Chris had done for me to punch him. She'd been there when it happened. We were at a house party, and he'd had a little too much to drink. Ash had already shut him down twice that night, but he didn't get the message, so she found me, hoping my presence would deter him. Instead of backing off, he pushed further, and when she refused him again, he tried to grab her, so I put him on the floor.
As you can imagine, neither of us ended up dating a lot. The few girls I did manage to go out with never lasted long. In the end, all of them would get jealous of my friendship with Ash. More than one believed we were secretly in a relationship. My reassurances didn't go very far, and when Ash tried to intervene on my behalf, that somehow made it worse. The few boys who pursued Ash were similarly uneasy about my presence in her life.
I suppose, in some ways, people were right to be leery of my friendship with Ash. We were never far apart from each other and she was very open about her affection for me; often hugging or kissing my cheek.
Just after we both turned eighteen, she decided that we were going to give each other our virginities. She had made the decision, and when the right situation appeared, she made it difficult for me to refuse her. Our parents were spending the weekend in London, and our mothers decided they wanted a night of theatre on the West End. Ash and I opted out, choosing instead a weekend at home, watching our favourite movies. I had just settled into bed when my door opened.
