𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚎 ~ 𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚕𝚢𝚗 𝚊𝚞

𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚎𝚗: 𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚜

Ashlyn frantically called her boyfriend. She closed her eyes as she waited for him to pick up, which didn't take too long.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I— um, I need you."

"Ash, you okay?" Big Red checked.

"Not really. After we went out, we all decided to grab drinks." She explained. "None of us can drive, we've all had a drink. And, I mean, EJ's probably had too much and Gina's getting there too."

"Oh."

"Yeah, and I actually keep getting hit on and I don't know if it's just everything building up or drinking or what but I'm really stressing out. And the drunk dudes hitting on me is not helping." Ashlyn sighed, sliding down the wall and sitting on the ground. She had moved outside to talk to him. "I need a ride, please."

"I'll be there soon Ash. Try and just... avoid people."

"I will."

"On my way."

"Can you—" she stopped, hearing the call end. "Not hang up yet." She finished for herself. On edge, she closed her eyes and attempted to remain calm. A few minutes later, she went inside in an attempt to make sure EJ and Gina were okay. She tried to find them, but not before someone started talking to her.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

"No thanks." She shook her head.

"You sure?"

"I've had enough."

"Well, then, can I have your number?"

"Look, uh— I'm taken." She told him. "I gotta go."

"Is he here?"

"That doesn't matter." Sighing, she gave up trying to be nice. "He will be soon. Not to mention, my cousin is definitely tipsy and he's also extremely protective. So I would stop talking if I were you." She muttered, managing to find EJ and Gina as he finally let her pass.

"Babe—"

"Hey guys." Ashlyn interrupted EJ. "Big Red's coming to pick us up. Let's go."

"Already?"

"I don't care. But I'm leaving."

"We'll catch up."

"Alright, I'll see you later." She mumbled, rushing past everyone and out the door. It was only when her head started to hurt that she realized she too had probably had a little too much to drink. She sat down, crying.

A few minutes later, she was wrapped in a hug. This made her flinch, before she realized who it was. "Hey baby."

"Thank you for coming." She hugged him tightly.

"Of course. What's wrong?" He rubbed her back.

"I don't know. I just... I'm really overwhelmed a lot of the time. And I guess being here just reminded me how little privacy there is, even when you aren't famous. I got hit on. A lot."

"As annoying as that is, they have good taste." He said, which made her let out a small laugh. He smiled at the sound, which slowly turned into a sad smile as he remembered how upset she really was.

"And you know me, I get really emotional when I drink. Not that I had that much, I'm fine, but... another drink would set me over the edge."

"Mkay." He nodded.

"I'm sorry about all this. I've just been a wreck lately." She wiped her tears off her face. He sighed, pulling her back into his arms.

"It's okay. I just hope you feel better soon. We'll get through it."

"I'm so grateful I have you."

"I love you Ashlyn."

"I love you." She replied. "Everything was just too loud and it just added to everything that's been going on. And I'll be honest, I hate dealing with drunk EJ."

"Yeah, he's a lot."

"They're not ready to go, they'll probably just Uber or something." She told him.

"Okay. Let's get you home. You've gotta be tired."

"I am." She nodded. "Come here." She pulled him in for a long kiss, one which (as always) they both enjoyed. Pulling back, she noticed someone else nearby. She swallowed, realizing they had gotten a picture.

"Hey, hey, let's just go." Figuring it was easiest, Big Red picked Ashlyn up bridal style and carried her to his car. They both got in, Big Red nearly immediately starting to drive.

"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"Ashlyn, all I care about is you feeling safe. And if that required us sitting there, even kissing, then so be it." He said, managing to sound much more confident than he was.

She was silent. Neither of them said a word as they drove back to their apartment.

"Quiet is best?" Big Red guessed as they cuddled together on the couch. Generally a movie or show was the most comforting, but he figured she wasn't in the mood for it.

"Yeah." She whispered. He put his arm around her waist. He planted a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"We've got this."