Page 70 of If We Meet Again

“I doubt that. You’re beaming, it’s amazing to see.”

“I’m putting on a brave face. Deep down I’m terrified. How is this,” Samantha grabbed her stomach with both hands, “supposed to comeout of me?”

“Many other women have done it before you, so there must be a way,” Ashley teased.

“Is this my gift?” Samantha pulled the gold gift bag from Ashley’s hands. “I wonderwhat it is?”

“You can open it later. You have a lot of gueststo tend to.”

“I don’t want to. I want to spend time with you.”

“We have all day and tomorrow too. I don’t fly home until Monday morning so we can catch up properly.”

“Doyou swear?”

Ashley crossed her heart.“I promise.”

“Let me just put this onthe table.”

Samantha briefly sparked a conversation again with the same woman she’d spoken to when Ashley walked over. “Have you metmy sister?”

The figure had beautifully curled golden-brown hair and a floor-length pastel grey dress—she turned around to acknowledge Ashley. The jolt that surged through Ashley’s body left her completely rooted in position. Her eyes widened, but her facial muscles barely moved. The hand that gripped her cocktail tightly felt weak, like she would drop it at any moment. Their eyes locked and the worldstood still.

13

Ashley

There are certain people that come into your life on a merry-go-round—they get on and off as they please. When they appear, it is as though the time you were apart was no time at all. The distance created was merely a mirage that no longer exists the second they step back into your life.

“Megan?” Ashley blinked rapidly.

“Ashley?”

“You know my sister? How?”

Megan glanced in Samantha’s direction, who was understandably confused by the whole exchange.

“You two know each other?” Samantha probed.

“We met in New York about a year ago. You never told me you knewmy sister?”

“I didn’t know Samantha was your sister.”

“The second name didn’t give it away?” Ashley jested.

“Believe it or not, there are a lot of people with the surname Stewart.” Megan folded her arms.

“Okay, fair enough. How did you two meet?”

Ashley glanced back and forth between her sister and Megan.

“We went to Stanford together. We met through a mutual friend on the basketball team and we’ve been great friendsever since.”

“And you came all the way from England to congratulate my sister at her baby shower?” Ashley looked sceptical.

“I was actually travelling around America for a few weeks. It’s the off-season, so Samantha gave me enough notice and I made this one of my stop-offs,” Megan challenged back.

They watched each other intently. Ashley often dreamt about Megan—a month ago had been the last time. The dreams were unusual. She would see her in the distance and not be able to reach her or be racing against time to stop her from leaving. Ashley tried not to dwell on them. Dreams, after all, didn’t actually mean anything—or so she told herself. They were merely electrical brain pulses that pulled random imagery from our brains. Now Ashley stood before Megan in person, the imagery that surrounded her dreams didn’t compare in the slightest. It didn’t show the delicate way her dimples appeared at the slightest smile, or the creases in the corner of her eyes when she laughed uncontrollably. Her green eyes were more prominent than Ashley remembered, but above all else, she looked happy.