Heartbreak Girl

Part 5

Ashton was the first to wake the next morning, a little disorientated at first until he realised whose back was pressed tightly against his front and whose hair her was almost inhaling. Smiling, he allowed himself a minute to take in the beauty in his arms, pulling her hair back over her shoulder before he instinctively pressed his lips to her skin.

"Morning, beautiful," he whispered when she stirred, removing the arm that was holding her to him. "How'd you sleep?" he asked once she had rolled over to face him.

"Better than I thought I would," admitted Bethany, blushing faintly as he moved her hair out of her face and she realised how close they were. "Did last night really happen?"

"Yes, love; it happened," he sighed, slowly running a hand down her arm. Seeing her blinking back tears, he pulled her back into his arms, hating to see her so upset. "It'll be ok, B. Maybe it isn't right now, but it will be someday, I promise you."

"Sorry," she murmured, hiding her face in his bare chest. "You don't have to deal with this, you know. You can pass me off to Michael if you'd rather."

"You said last night that you needed me," he reminded her, caressing her back absentmindedly. "I'm not gonna abandon you."

"Thank you," she replied, not ready to let go of him.

"Why don't you freshen up whilst I make breakfast?" suggested Ashton a few minutes later, loosening his arms around her. "What do you want to eat?"

"I'll let you know when I'm dressed," she told him, sitting up and stretching. "I'll meet you downstairs."

The twenty one year old got out of bed and headed through the door and downstairs where he found his housemates in the kitchen in varying degrees of wakefulness. Calum was making coffee for himself, Luke was half asleep in his bowl of cereal and Michael nursed a mug of tea.

"Morning," said Ashton as he walked in, his presence making the others perk up slightly and utter greetings.

"How is she?" asked Michael, wide awake now.

"She'll be ok," he replied, getting mugs from the cupboard to make tea. "I think she's over the shock, and that's what hit her most. She seems ok with it being over, but not with him cheating, which I understand."

"I'll kill him," muttered Luke. "I never want to see her cry like that again. She's worth more than that."

"She doesn't seem to think so right now," sighed the eldest, filling the kettle. "I was trying to change her mind."

"I guess it worked," smirked Calum, happier now he had caffeine in his system. "You looked cute when I checked on you earlier. Couldn't get much closer, could you?"

"You slept with my best friend?" exclaimed Michael, just managing to keep from dropping his mug.

"Not like that!" Ashton protested quickly, holding his hands up in submission. "I was gonna sleep down here, but she asked me to stay. How was I supposed to say no to her when she looked so broken?"

"You can't say no to her anyway. You're whipped," Luke pointed out, trying not to laugh at the expression of horror still on Michael's face. "You think she'll be ok?"

"Yeah, she'll be ok," agreed the curly haired man as he poured tea for himself and Bethany.

"You have your chance with her now," said Calum. "It won't be too long if you keep treating her as well as you do."

"I'm not about to pressure her into a relationship she's not ready for," he sighed, leaning against the counter. "It'll happen or it won't. I'm ok being her friend."

"She still sleeping?" asked the blonde, still amused at Michael's realisation of what his friends would be doing if they did start dating each other.

"She was getting dressed," replied Ashton, shaking his head and rolling his eyes when Michael went pale. "She said she'd be right down," he trailed off, picking up her tea. "I'll check on her."

Without another word, he left the kitchen and returned to his room, knocking softly on the door.

"Bethany?" he called softly when he got no reply, opening the door slightly to peer inside. Seeing her curled up on his bed and crying into her knees, he cursed softly, setting the mug on his bedside table and scooping her into his arms. "What happened, love?"

The young woman pulled away from him just long enough to pick up her phone and hand it to him, hiding her face in his shoulder as he read the text on the screen. Sighing angrily, he placed it to one side and tried to comfort her.

"You sure you don't want me to punch him?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood. "I could do worse if you'd prefer that."

"I want to forget about him," she choked out between tears, her voice muffled in his neck.

"You have four crazy guys who love you at your disposal, beautiful," he reminded her softly. "We'll do our best to keep your mind off cheating ex-boyfriends who break up with you by telling you about said cheating via text," he muttered bitterly, wanting nothing more than to hurt the guy that had hurt the woman he loved. "Come on, love. Let's get you downstairs; the boys are worried about you."

Ashton shifted his hold on Bethany and stood up with her in his arms, making her squeak in surprise and wrap her arms around his neck, scolding him for not warning her about what he was going to do. He simply smiled, carrying her down the stairs before setting her on the counter beside the kitchen sink, where she was instantly smothered with concerned questions and loving hugs.